Domain D Study Guide: Behavior Reduction
The term 'Behavior Reduction' refers to the active reduction of problematic behaviors in a client to improve their quality of life.
The RBTs role is to understand why a behavior occurs in the first place. However, they should refrain from coming to independent decisions. Instead, they must collect necessary data by monitoring the patients, document them properly, and relay the dataset to their supervisor promptly.
Here's a brief overview of all the sections you'll need to cover in Domain D: Behavior Reduction in accordance with RBT Test Content Outline (3rd Edition):
D.1 Identify Common Functions of Behavior
Every behavior has certain functions. For instance, a baby cries to let its parents know that it's hungry. No behavior exists without function.
Hence, it's the RBT's responsibility to identify the function behind an undesirable behavior and understand it appropriately. Usually, any form of behavior serves one of the four following functions:
- Attention: A patient behaves a certain way either to get social attention or due to social attention. For instance, in a classroom, a student suddenly screams unprompted. The teacher, in turn, shouts at the student for ruining the peace. Here, the teacher's behavior is a reaction to the student's behavior designated to maintain the social harmony of the classroom.
- Preferential Access To Activities/Tangibles: When a behavior is supported instead of putting a stop to it, the patient gets preferential access to tangibles, variables, and activities. For instance, instead of rebuking the student for creating disorder, the teacher does nothing. As a result, other students start to talk loudly as they're not afraid of repercussions.
- Escape/Avoidance: A behavior may be prompted by the removal of demands or expectations. For instance, the learner is given a book and instructed to finish reading it. To avoid the work, the learner throws the book away and forgets about it.
- Automatic Reinforcement: Some behaviors occur like an act of reflex. These types of behaviors are often triggered by sensory reinforcements such as - touching a particular spot, flapping or clapping hands, making faces, humming, singing, etc.
D.2 Implement Antecedent Interventions
Antecedent refers to the promoting variables behind a certain behavior. Alternatively, antecedent intervention refers to the act of modifying these prior environmental and situational variables to correct the behavior.
Antecedent interventions allow RBTs to encourage learners to stay away from escape tactics by rebooting the whole behavioral interface.
D.3 Implement Differential Reinforcement Procedures
Differential reinforcement procedures refer to the process of withholding certain reinforcements to increase the effectiveness of treatment plans.
| Acronym | Full Form | Procedure |
|---|---|---|
| DRA | Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior | Removes an unwanted behavior by proposing an alternative behavior. |
| DRI | Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior | Reinforcing a certain behavior strictly to ensure a problematic behavior cannot take place at the same time and moment. |
| DRO | Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior | Reinforcement is initially withheld. It's delivered only when the desired behavior doesn't take place within the given timeframe/interval. |
| DRL | Differential Reinforcement of Low Rates | Reinforcement is provided when target behavior doesn't take place as often. |
| FCT | Functional Communication Training | The problematic behavior is slowly replaced with an appropriate behavior that serves the same function. |
D.4 Implement Extinction Procedures
Extinction takes place when a previous reinforcement is removed from the treatment plan to eradicate or reduce the corresponding behavior.
Some common examples of extinction are - attention extinction, escape extinction, and tangible extinction. Extinction procedures are tricky as they can often worsen behavioral conditions before noticeable improvement.
D.5 Implement Positive and Negative Punishment Procedures
Positive punishment refers to when an incentive is added to decrease the undesirable behavior. Negative punishment refers to when an incentive is taken away to achieve the same goal.
For instance, more homework as an instance of positive punishment and reduced access to games/cartoons as an instance of negative punishment.
D.6 Describe Secondary Effects of Extinction and Punishment
Both extinction and punishment procedures can lead to unintentional outcomes. Secondary effects of extinction include -
- Extinction Burst: Temporary burst or upsurge in undesirable behavior.
- Emotional Response: Excessive crying, screaming, yelling, etc.
- New Behavior: Introduction of never-before-seen behaviors.
- Resurgence: Reappearance of eradicated or reduced behaviors.
Secondary effects of punishment may include -
- Avoidance: Avoidance of people, places, or things associated with the punishment.
- Emotional Response: Excessive crying, screaming, yelling, etc.
- Aggressive Behavior: Throwing items, breaking objects, etc.
- Mimicking/Modeling Instructor Behavior: Imitating the instructor in an attempt of mockery or disobedience.
D.7 Implement Crisis and Emergency Procedures
In the case of aggressive behavior, crisis and emergency procedures are strictly implemented to ensure safety.
RBTs must follow the written rules and regulations strictly, maintain documents impersonally, and notify supervisors immediately.
Mini Quiz For Learners
1. Which differential reinforcement procedure reinforces the type of behavior that cannot coexist with undesirable behavior?
2. Which is a side effect of extinction?
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