Buscador de artigos científicos

Abstract We evaluated the effects of assessment‐based interventions on the treatment of sleep problems in 3 young children, 2 of whom had been diagnosed with autism. We used sleep diaries and infrared nighttime video in the child's bedroom to obtain measures of sleep onset, sleep‐interfering behaviors, night waking, total sleep, parental presence, and medication administration each night. We then identified environmental factors that contributed to sleep problems using an open‐ended interview called the Sleep Assessment and Treatment Tool. Individualized treatment packages were designed with the children's parents based on the idiosyncratic results of the assessment. Treatment packages included adjustment of the sleep schedule based on developmental norms and current sleep phases, design of a sleep‐conducive environment, elimination of inappropriate sleep dependencies, and function‐based interventions to decrease sleep‐interfering behaviors by disrupting the contingency between the interfering behavior and its likely reinforcement. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across subjects revealed that treatment was effective for all 3 children. In addition, social acceptability measures showed that the parents were satisfied with the assessment process, the treatment, and the amount of behavior change.

Abstract Hand mouthing (HM) is a chronic problem in many individuals with intellectual disabilities. Although the prevalence of mouthing has been estimated, data on the frequency, severity, or functions of the behavior were not included. In Study 1, we examined the prevalence and risk of HM. Results obtained from interviews showed that the prevalence of HM in two institutional samples ( N = 802) was 12.7%, whereas direct observation yielded a lower estimate of prevalence (8%). Moreover, a large proportion of observed HM (39.1%) was self‐injurious in nature. In Study 2, we used modified functional analyses (FAs) to examine the HM of 64 individuals. Results indicated that maintenance by automatic reinforcement accounted for 98.4% of the cases (all but one case). In Study 3, we implemented a progressive series of interventions for HM exhibited by 14 individuals. The following interventions were implemented in sequential order: (a) noncontingent reinforcement (NCR, effective with 6 subjects), (b) either NCR plus differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) plus response blocking (effective with 5 subjects) or NCR plus response blocking only (effective with 2 subjects), and (c) NCR plus brief manual restraint (effective with 1 subject).

Abstract Problem behavior maintained by social‐negative reinforcement often is evoked by a specific type of social interaction—the presentation of task demands. This study involved assessment and treatment of a more general form of social avoidance in which the establishing operation (EO) for problem behavior consisted of social interaction per se. Four subjects exhibited high rates of problem behavior during the play or demand conditions of a functional analysis (FA). A subsequent FA in which problem behavior produced escape from social interaction confirmed social avoidance for all subjects. A series of interventions aimed at attenuating aversive characteristics of social interaction then was implemented with 3 of the subjects. These interventions included vicarious reinforcement, conditioning of social interaction as a reinforcer, stimulus fading, and differential reinforcement (DRA) plus extinction (EXT). DRA plus EXT was the only condition in which decreases in problem behavior and increases in social interactions were observed reliably.

Se analizan ciertas propiedades emergentes que caracterizan a la substitución extrasituacional de contingencias como función psicológica. En primer lugar se destaca la naturaleza diádica y bidireccional del episodio mediador. En segundo lugar se examina la relación lingüística entre mediador y mediado en términos de un episodio comprensivo. Finalmente, se sistematizan los criterios para identificar los distintos tipos de substitución extrasituacional de contingencias como extensiones en tiempo y en espacio, así como la doble suplementación implicada en dicha función.

El objetivo de esta investigación fue evaluar el efecto de la estimulación del receptor 5HT1A del núcleo paraventricular hipotalámico (PVN) sobre la ingesta de alimento y análisis microestructural en ratas adrenalectomizadas. Se utilizaron cuatro grupos de ratas (n=10), se implantó una cánula guía en el PVN y se realizó una adrenalectomía (ADX) en tres grupos, en un cuarto grupo se practicó una falsa cirugía (grupo Sham). Los sujetos experimentales (ratas) fueron asignados a uno de cuatro tratamientos: al grupo Sham se le administró solución salina, al grupo ADX se le aplicó solución salina, al grupo 8-OH-DPAT se le suministró 8-OH-DPAT (agonista 5-HT 1A ) y el grupo pretratado recibió el antagonista 5-HT 1A WAY100635 + 8-OHDPAT. Los resultados mostraron una disminución significativa en la ingesta de carbohidratos y grasa en el grupo 8-OH-DPAT y el grupo pretratado. El efecto hipofágico no fue dependiente de la interacción con los receptores 5-HT 1A . Adicionalmente el análisis conductual sugirió que el efecto hipofágico se debió al desarrollo temprano del proceso de satisfacción y a la prolongación del estado de saciedad.

Os comportamentos comunicativos tendo humanos como interlocutores são essenciais para a adaptação de cães domésticos a seus ambientes. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo reunir estudos que analisaram as habilidades caninas em responder a dicas de apontar, dadas por humanos, estimulando um debate entre a Etologia e a Análise Experimental do Comportamento e apresentando possibilidades de sínteses explicativas. Como conclusão tem-se que as habilidades comunicativas observadas em cães não devem ser atribuídas unicamente a um fator herdado, fruto da domesticação da espécie, visto que a aprendizagem é um forte determinante do comportamento; nem tampouco somente ao que é aprendido ao longo da ontogenia, visto que os processos de condicionamento não são os únicos responsáveis pelas habilidades comunicativas vistas na espécie. Também se discute o papel da epigênese na facilitação da comunicação entre cães e humanos. O delineamento desses experimentos pode ser muito fortalecido caso haja uma ampliação do diálogo entre a Etologia e a Análise Experimental do Comportamento.

Estudos sobre o responder por exclusão têm mostrado que participantes tendem a selecionar um objeto novo ou uma figura nova quando uma palavra nova é ditada, rejeitando os objetos e figuras conhecidos ou relacionados a outras palavras. O objetivo deste estudo foi estabelecer relações condicionais entre palavra ditada e figura e entre figura e palavra impressa, via exclusão, e verificar se seria condição para a emergência de relações entre palavra ditada-palavra impressa, palavra impressa-figura, nomeação de figuras e leitura de palavras; também se verificou se ocorreria o responder generalizado diante das mesmas palavras ditadas em voz feminina para outras frequências de voz como a masculina e a infantil. Participaram cinco crianças entre cinco a nove anos, com deficiência auditiva bilateral neurosensorial, usuárias de implante coclear Nucleus 24k®. Os participantes foram expostos, individualmente, a tarefas que consistiram em selecionar estímulos de comparação (ora figura, ora palavra impressa) relacionados ao modelo (ora palavra ditada, ora figura). Foram adotadas como estímulos as palavras com as quais os participantes apresentaram baixo desempenho no pré-teste. As relações entre palavra ditada e figura (AB) e figura e palavra impressa (BC) foram ensinadas por exclusão. Foram testadas as relações entre: palavra ditada e palavra impressa (AC), palavra impressa e figura (CB), generalização entre palavras ditadas com vozes masculina (A'C) e infantil (A''C), de nomeação (BD) e de leitura (CD). As crianças responderam por exclusão e aprenderam as relações AB e BC, demonstrando aquisição de vocabulário receptivo; também demonstraram resultados consistentes com a formação de classes de equivalência pelos acertos nas relações AC e CB; todas demonstraram generalização para voz masculina e infantil e em nomeação os resultados não foram consistentes. No que concerne ao responder por exclusão os resultados foram similares aos de ouvintes típicos e descrevem condições sob as quais repertório verbal receptivo pode ser melhorado.

Rats responded in a six‐stimulus, two‐response temporal classification procedure. A successive‐reversal design was used in which the relationship between stimulus class (short vs. long) and correct comparison location (left or right) reversed every 15 sessions. After several reversals, the relative probability of reinforcement for each correct classification was manipulated across subsequent reversals. In each condition, the asymptotic level of preference for the comparison location (response bias) correlated with the greater probability of reinforcement was demonstrated in the first session following a reversal, whereas discrimination accuracy took several more sessions to return to asymptotic levels. A modified version of the attending‐augmented Davison‐Nevin‐Alsop (Davison & Nevin, 1999) model offered by Nevin, Davison, & Shahan (2005) provided an accurate description of the reacquisition data. The comparison‐attending parameters remained high and relatively constant following reversals, while sample‐attending parameters initially decreased following reversals, and then increased gradually across sessions. These findings support key assumptions of the attending model; sample‐ and comparison‐attending are independent processes that modulate the expression of discriminative control exerted by those stimuli over operant behavior.

Abstract The application of economics principles to the analysis of behavior has yielded novel insights on value and choice across contexts ranging from laboratory animal research to clinical populations to national trends of global impact. Recent innovations in demand curve methods provide a credible means of quantitatively comparing qualitatively different reinforcers as well as quantifying the choice relations between concurrently available reinforcers. The potential of the behavioral economic approach to inform public policy is illustrated with examples from basic research, pre‐clinical behavioral pharmacology, and clinical drug abuse research as well as emerging applications to public transportation and social behavior. Behavioral Economics can serve as a broadly applicable conceptual, methodological, and analytical framework for the development and evaluation of empirical public policy.