Graduation Year
2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.S.
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.S.)
Degree Granting Department
Child and Family Studies
Major Professor
Catia Cividini-Motta, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Committee Member
Kwang-Sun Blaire, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Committee Member
Natalie Mandel, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Keywords
differential reinforcement, emotional behavior disorders, teacher implementers, tokens
Abstract
Emotional behavior disorders (EBDs) are becoming increasingly more common in schools (Forness et al., 2012). Challenging behavior can negatively impact a teacher’s implementation of classroom management strategies which can be detrimental to student outcomes (Garwood et al., 2017; Gilmour et al., 2022) and increase the risk for teacher burnout (Fernet et al., 2012). Evidence-based strategies such as differential reinforcement have been shown to be effective at reducing challenging behavior (Boniecki & Moore, 2003; Petscher et al., 2009). Moreover, accumulated and distributed reinforcer arrangements using tokens have been shown to both reduce challenging behavior and increase task engagement (Chen et al., 2022; Frank-Crawford et al., 2021). However, research to date has not yet evaluated the impact of accumulated and distributed reinforcer arrangements within the natural classroom environment. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of and preference for teacher-implemented accumulated and distributed schedules of reinforcement in a classroom setting. Results indicate that both schedules of reinforcement decreased interfering behavior in the classroom setting and two out of three participants preferred the distributed condition over the accumulated.
Scholar Commons Citation
Benevides, Jessica S., "Teacher-Implemented Accumulated and Distributed Schedules in the Classroom Setting" (2024). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/10474
