Valerie M. Volkert, Dorothea C. Lerman, and Christina Vorndran (2005).
The effects of reinforcement magnitude on functional analysis outcomes.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
38, 147-162.
The duration or magnitude of reinforcement has varied and often appears to
have been selected arbitrarily in functional analysis research. Few studies
have evaluated the effects of reinforcement magnitude on problem
behavior, even though basic findings indicate that this parameter may
affect response rates during functional analyses. In the current study, 6
children with autism or developmental disabilities who engaged in
severe problem behavior were exposed to three separate functional
analyses, each of which varied in reinforcement magnitude. Results of
these functional analyses were compared to determine if a particular
reinforcement magnitude was associated with the most conclusive
outcomes. In most cases, the same conclusion about the functions of
problem behavior was drawn regardless of the reinforcement magnitude.
DESCRIPTORS: autism, developmental disabilities, functional
analysis, reinforcement magnitude