Application of a terminal schedule probe method to inform schedule thinning with multiple schedules
Test the end-point schedule first—if it works, start there and avoid resurgence later.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Strohmeier et al. (2024) tested a quick probe trick before thinning reinforcement after FCT.
They ran one session at the very lean, caregiver-approved schedule first.
If the child stayed safe, that schedule became the starting point instead of the usual dense-to-lean steps.
What they found
Kids reached leaner final schedules with almost no resurgence.
Parents liked the plan because reinforcement was already thin from day one.
How this fits with other research
Muething et al. (2021) saw resurgence in 41 % of normal thinning steps. Briggs et al. (2018) saw it in 76 %.
Those studies used dense-to-lean steps. The probe method jumps straight to the end point, so spikes never get a chance to start.
Hastings et al. (2001) and Fuhrman et al. (2016) already showed that signaled multiple schedules keep problem behavior low. Strohmeier adds a quick test to pick the leanest safe schedule before you even begin.
Why it matters
You can save weeks of fading. Run one probe at the caregiver goal schedule. If responding stays safe, start there and skip the slow thinning steps. Expect fewer resurgence spikes and a plan parents accept on day one.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Multiple schedules are effective at decreasing challenging behavior and maintaining alternative behavior at acceptable levels. Currently, no conclusive guidance is available for empirically deriving multiple-schedule components (continuous reinforcement for alternative behavior and extinction for challenging behavior [discriminative stimulus] and extinction for both alternative and challenging behavior [delta stimulus]) during the schedule-thinning process. In the current investigation, we describe a terminal schedule probe method to determine delta stimulus starting points and strategies for subsequent schedule-thinning progressions to reach caregiver-informed terminal schedules. We review schedule-thinning outcomes for a clinical cohort using a consecutive controlled case series approach and report results for two groups: One group included applications of terminal probe thinning (n = 24), and the other involved traditional dense-to-lean thinning (n = 18). Outcomes suggest that the terminal schedule probe method produced effective treatments with less resurgence of challenging behavior and leaner, more feasible, multiple schedules.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2024 · doi:10.1002/jaba.1081