why study behavior? lessons learned from doris ann dr. val farmer-dougan dept. of psychology (and...
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Why Study Behavior? Lessons learned from Doris Ann
Dr. Val Farmer-DouganDept. Of Psychology (and Bio)
Illinois State University
Incidental Teaching
• Teaching method used to increase social/verbal behaviors in children, adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities (Farmer-Dougan, 1994; Hart and Risley, 1968, 1974, 1975).
• Focuses on accurately identifying reinforcers and increasing generalization and maintenance through use of naturalistic teaching
• Captures a “teaching moment”
Can Incidental Teaching elicit generalized behavior?
• 6 adult men with mental retardation and autism
• In a group home for young men with severe behavioral problems
• Problem behavior: Inappropriate behavior at meal times– Grabbed food – Shoved food in mouth– No social interactions
Method
• 3 Pairs: higher functioning with lower functioning man– Three most verbal paired with 3 least verbal– Used lunch preparation as training time– Dinnertime was used as generalization probes
• Lunch prep task:– More verbal person given all items used in food prep– When other client reached for item, was taught to withdraw
item and prompt for “nice asking”– If the low verbal client “asked nicely”, got the item
• By signing• By single word• By sentence
Method
• Several steps:– Baseline– Training of Peer Tutors– Peer training– Withdrawal of incidental teaching– Reinstatement of incidental teaching– An ABCAC design– Generalization probes at dinner
Why important?
• Showed that peer delivered incidental teaching could be easily implemented and highly adaptable– Focus on naturally occurring stimuli rather artificial
situations and stimuli
• Highly appropriate for community-based programming– Provided instruction in the context of natural, family-like
activities
• Was more effective means of assessing what was reinforcing to the clients than traditional methods or even Premack.
Theoretical and Applied Implications:
• Incidental teaching allows immediate imposition of constrained baselines with little to no requirement for baseline assessment– immediate assessment of behavior– accurate– highly adaptable
Can also use for Animal Behavior
• Zoos: animal management, care and enrichment
• Animal Shelters: behavior testing, identification and remediation of behavior problems
• Even Pet owner consulting
CAN BE EFFECTIVE FOR ANIMALS, TOO!
Functional Analysis of Aggression in a
Lemur: Teaching her NOT to bite!
Functional Analysis: Determine the Function of a (bad) Behavior
• Developed the Captive Animal Functional Analysis Checklist (CAFAC)– This helps determine what is maintaining the
behavior (reinforcing it)
• Examines several categories of contingencies– Social reinforcement: attention from other animals or humans– Escape from humans, other animals– Social Dominance versus Submission– Self-stimulation (automatic reinforcement)
FACA showed:• Whacko’s aggression
maintained by:
– Social reinforcement• Contact and interaction• Protected the food bowl
– Social dominance• Dominant over two
males in enclosure• Aggressive to male
zookeeper
Replacement Behaviors
• Taught the lemur alternative responses:
• Sit on her station• Show her paw
• Punished biting/ aggression
• water spray
Special Needs Dogs
• Shelter dogs– Shelters are like prisons: devoid of positive stimuli
and full of negative stimuli– Dogs develop behavior problems such as
• Fear• Avoidance of humans• Poor social skills to humans and other dogs• Separation anxiety and related issues
• Special needs dogs– Deaf dogs– Blind dogs– Amputee dogs– Deaf and blind dogs
Differences in Deaf vs. Hearing dogs?
Differences in Deaf vs. Hearing dogs?Play Behavior
Play Pair Condition
Same Different
Me
an T
ota
l Pla
y
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
Deaf Hearing
Leap On
Play Pair Condition
Same Different
Per
cent
age
of L
eap
On
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
deaf hearing
Bark
Play Pair Condition
Same Different
Per
cent
age
Bar
king
-0.1
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
deaf Col 1 vs hearing bark
Other Nonplay Behavior
Play Pair Condition
Same Different
Per
cent
age
othe
r be
havi
or
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
0.30
deaf hearing
But they are just as trainable!
• Here two videos from our lab…….– First is Moe: He is a 3 year old deaf, low
vision Australian Shepherd– https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10101979072684500&s
et=o.203546726499632&type=2&theater
– Second is Keller: He is a 3 year old deaf/blind Australian Shepherd.
– https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10101979080713410&set=o.203546726499632&type=2&theater
Training Service Dogs• Service dogs perform tasks for people with disabilities
• We work with Heartland Service dogs in Mokena Illinois
• At ISU we train service dogs for– Hearing– Physical disabilities– Autism– PTSD or Anxiety
• We incur all costs of raising and training the dogs
• Dog is placed FOR FREE with person with disability
SIT
Per
cent
age
Inde
pend
ent
0.0
0.2
0.4
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0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
STAY
Sessions
0 2 4 6 8
Per
cent
age
Inde
pend
ent
0.0
0.2
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1.0
1.2
1.4
DOWN
Per
cen
tage
Inde
pen
den
t
0.0
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1.0
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1.4
COME
Sessions
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cen
tage
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pen
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t
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1.4
ROLL OVER
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Per
cent
age
Inde
pend
ent
0.0
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1.0
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1.4
SHAKE
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Per
cen
tage
Inde
pen
den
t
0.0
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PLAY DEAD
Sessions
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Per
cen
tage
Inde
pen
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t
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WHICH HAND
Sessions
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Per
cen
tage
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pen
den
t
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WALLY
ZOOMBA
MOE
Sometimes we learn more from the client than we teach
• Goal of behavior analysis is to “listen” to what the behavior is telling us.
• Can’t have preconceived notions, but rather must be good observers.
• This is very important when dealing with unusual cases
• Here is the story of Doris Ann…….
•At 30 yrs old referred to a state special Inpatient Behavior Center because of her violent and aggressive behavior.
•She would •Hit her head (notice the wound at her hair line)
•Bite and pinch others causing severe wounds.
•Bite and scratch herself, •including pulling off her own skin on her arms and legs.
•Scream incessantly
This is Doris Ann
My team’s job:
• Doris Ann arrived in a helmet, arm and leg restraints and on a high dose of sedatives.
• Our job was to – get her out of restraints – off the medication – remediate the aggressive behavior using behavioral
analysis techniques.
• Conducted a functional analysis on the behavior– Collected data in 5 minute bins– Examined the data for patterns: what was reinforcing the
behavior? What was setting off the behavior?
Functional Analysis indicated that:
• Aggression in 2 situations– self aggression– Demands by staff to follow a direction
• Self aggression occurred 30-60 min. after meal/snack– banging head; Scratching at stomach, legs,
bottom– Screamed loudly during these episodes
• Form of post-meal aggression– Much more intense – continued when we tried to interrupt
What is YOUR diagnosis:
• What is maintaining the self aggression?
• What is maintaining the aggression to others?
Diagnosis• Pain was driving her inappropriate behavior
– she had developed around her own twin: fetus in fetu– extra intestines, lobes of her liver, prolapsed colon,
lactose intolerance
• Solution:– Surgery to correct congenital defects– Change in diet– Teach an appropriate behavior to signal pain– Teach social and vocational skills so she could be an
active member of society
• Outcome: – Moved into a group home– Worked at a sheltered workshop and earned a paycheck– Self injurious behaviors diminished to almost nothing
Lessons from Doris Ann
• Behavior talks and tells you the story.
• You must be willing and able to listen!!
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