Ep. 22- JABA in One Take- Comparing accumulated vs distributed reinforcer arrangement

JABA in One Take- Show Notes

The common arrangement of reinforcer delivery in our field is distributed. Following the correct behavior, a small portion of reinforcement is given. for example, after every DTT task, a 30 second break is provided. However, we know from past research on preference assessments that sometimes longer amounts of time can make certain items more preferred. In order to capture that preference shift, accumulated reinforcement may be helpful. Accumulated reinforcement is when, following the target behavior, a stimulus is given, such as a token or something similar, that corresponds with a certain amount of reinforcement, but the reinforcement is gathered and given at the end. The authors of this paper compared and utilized accumulated vs. distributed reinforcements arrangements when treating escape-maintained problem behavior. 

Citation + DOI

Frank-Crawford, M. A., Borrero, J. C., Newcomb, E. T., Doan, T., Fisher, A. & Rooker, G. W. (2021). Accumulated and distributed response–reinforcer arrangements during the treatment of escape-maintained problem behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 54(4), 1566-1585. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.870

Additional Readings:

Frank-Crawford, M. A., Borrero, J. C., Newcomb, E. T., Chen, T., & Schmidt, J. D. (2019). Preference for and efficacy of accumulated and distributed response–reinforcer arrangements during skill acquisition. Journal of Behavioral Education, 28(2), 227-257. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-018-09312-7

Fulton, C. J., Tiger, J. H., Meitzen, H. M., & Effertz, H. M. (2020). A comparison of accumulated and distributed reinforcement periods with children exhibiting escape-maintained problem behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 53(2), 782-795. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.622