Concurrent schedules of differential reinforcement of alternative behavior in the treatment of problem behavior without extinction
Two DRA choices at once stop resurgence when you skip extinction.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Fleck et al. (2023) tested two ways to run DRA without extinction.
One group got a single DRA schedule. The other got two DRA options at the same time.
Problem behavior still earned reinforcers in both groups. The team watched for resurgence when reinforcement later thinned.
What they found
Concurrent DRA wiped out resurgence. Single DRA let it come back.
The result held while problem behavior stayed on reinforcement the whole time.
How this fits with other research
Nist et al. (2023) saw the opposite in rats. Five response options did not beat one option. The clash fades when you note they used extinction; Fleck kept reinforcement on.
Perez et al. (2015) first cut resurgence by rotating two alternatives. Fleck extends that idea by offering both at once instead of in turns.
Fritz et al. (2017) showed you can thin NCR plus DRA with no extinction. Fleck adds a second DRA arm and proves the move also blocks resurgence.
Why it matters
If you avoid extinction for safety or consent, run two DRA choices together. Put both on easy schedules at the start. Thin them side by side and watch problem behavior stay flat.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) without extinction is an effective intervention for reducing problem behavior maintained by socially mediated reinforcement, particularly when implementing dense schedules of reinforcement for appropriate behavior. Thinning schedules of reinforcement for an alternative response may result in resurgence of problem behavior. Resurgence may be of particular concern in the treatment of problem behavior without extinction because problem behavior that resurges is also likely to encounter reinforcement and thus can be expected to maintain. In the present investigation, we compared the effectiveness of single and concurrent DRA schedules in decreasing the probability of resurgence when problem behavior continues to produce reinforcement throughout all phases of the evaluation. Concurrent DRA schedules reduced or eliminated the likelihood of resurgence compared with a single DRA schedule during a treatment challenge.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2023 · doi:10.1002/jaba.987