Chapter 10
Maintaining Behavior Changes
Relapses in Behavior
behavior can regress after goals have been attained
• a relapse is an extended return to original patterns
of behavior
• relapse often occurs when commitment is low
• relapses can follow many types of treatment
Why Relapses Occur
• relapses may occur when one encounters
antecedents associated with the problem behavior
• relapses are more likely if the new behavior is not
firmly established
• self-efficacy factors may play a role in relapses
Thinning Reinforcement
help prevent relapse by thinning reinforcement
• thinning is accomplished by applying schedules of
reinforcement
• schedules of reinforcement reduce the number of
responses reinforced or increase the time interval
between reinforcers
• thinning should be introduced gradually enough to
prevent extinction
Schedules of Reinforcement
• intermittent reinforcement schedules reinforce
only some behaviors
• ratio schedules reinforce based on the number of
responses that occur
– fixed-ratio schedules define a constant number
of required responses
– variable-ratio schedules vary the number of
responses that must occur
Schedules of Reinforcement
(continued)
• interval schedules reinforce the first response
after a period of time has passed
– fixed-interval schedules reinforce the first
response after a fixed amount of time has
passed since the last reinforcer was delivered
– variable-interval schedules reinforce the first
response after varying periods of time since the
last reinforcer was delivered
Schedules of Reinforcement
(continued)
• duration schedules require that a behavior occur
for a period of time before being reinforced
• schedules can be combined to create more
complex schedules of reinforcement
Intermittent Reinforcement
Effects of Ratio Schedules
• ratio schedules maintain high rates of responding
• variable-ratio schedules maintain higher rates than
fixed-ratio schedules
• Fixed-ratio schedules maintain a postreinforcement pause
• generally, as response requirements increase, so do
rates of responding
• too high a requirement causes ratio strain
Fixed Ratio Schedule Patterns
Variable Ratio Schedule Patterns
Effects of Interval Schedules
• interval schedules maintain moderate rates of
responding
• fixed-interval schedules maintain rates that
accelerate through each interval
• variable interval schedules maintain consistent,
moderate rates through each interval
• fixed-interval schedules maintain a “scalloped”
pattern of responding
Fixed Interval Schedule Patterns
Variable Interval Schedule
Patterns
Intermittent Reinforcement and
Extinction
• extinction seems to create greater resistance to
extinction than CRF
• animal research by Nevin suggests the opposite is
true
• variable schedules are more resistant to extinction
than fixed schedules of reinforcement
Delaying Reinforcement
• delays in reinforcement interfere with acquisition
of behavior
• after a behavior is established, the introduction of
brief delays may serve to strengthen behavior
• such delays make behavior more resistant to
extinction
Increasing Natural
Reinforcement: Applying
Natural Reinforcers
reinforcers that naturally occur in the individual's life
assist in the transition from treatment to the real
world
• assess available reinforcers in the individual's
everyday environment
• social reinforcers such as praise are a class of
common real-world reinforcers
Increasing Natural
Reinforcement: Applying
Natural Reinforcers (continued)
• seek environments that provide opportunities to
successfully engage in acquired skills
• increase likelihood that appropriate consequences
are available to maintain the new skills
Increasing Natural Reinforcers:
Training
when the environment can not support the new
behavior, the individual and those in the
environment can be taught more appropriate
responses
• target individuals can be trained to find ways to be
reinforced
• in some environments, others can be taught to use
tokens and social reinforcers
• in some environments, others can be trained in
behavioral techniques
Training with Everyday
Antecedents
intervention and natural conditions should be made
more similar
• fade prompts that will not be present in the natural
environment
• conduct some of the treatment in the natural
environment
• bring aspects of the natural environment into the
therapy setting
Widening Stimulus Control
steps that widen stimulus control tend to promote
generalization
• increase the variety of individuals, materials, or
settings
• general case training is a more formalized
approach to widening stimulus control
– specify the exact situation in which behavior
should occur after training
Widening Stimulus Control
(continued)
– identify a range of teaching examples that
reflect the natural settings where behavior
should occur
– teach the examples
• general case training is one of the most effective
generalization procedures
Enhancing Self-Regulation Skills
enhancement of self-regulation skills may best
promote generalization
• self-regulation skills help in generalization of
social skills
• self-regulation skills help in reduction of fears
General Procedures to
Enhance Generalization
generalization programs can benefit from a
combination of:
• fading prompts
• widening stimulus control
• thinning reinforcement
• self-regulation training
Posttreatment Programs
• booster programs offer refresher sessions
• Marlatt's lapse prevention method teaches relapse
prevention in three steps:
– learn to identify high-risk situations
– acquire coping skills
– practice coping skills in high-risk settings
Tips on Maintaining
Behavior Change
• focus interventions on behavior that will be useful
in the person's natural environment
• associate new behaviors with antecedents common
to the natural environment
• monitor behavior carefully when introducing new
treatments
• thin to a variable schedule of reinforcement
Tips on Maintaining
Behavior Change (continued)
• assess potential natural reinforcers prior to
completion of intervention
• target behaviors should be applicable to everyday
life