title: Effects of equal and unequal reinforcer duration during functional analysis.
abstract: In the functional analysis described by Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, and Richman (1982/1994), reinforcer duration varied across conditions (e.g., brief attention vs. 30 s of escape); this may result in unequal exposure to the establishing operations for aberrant behavior. In this study, we compared the effects of unequal and equal reinforcer duration during a functional analysis. The results showed that reinforcer duration affects the rate of aberrant behavior and may potentially alter functional analysis interpretation.
authors.affiliation: Neurobehavioral Unit, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Piazza
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chiang
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D001288:Attention; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D012057:Reinforcement, Verbal; D016896:Treatment Outcome