Graduation Year
2021
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
Cynthia Livingston, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Committee Member
Raymond Miltenberger, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Keywords
Autism, Independent Responding, Parameter Manipulation, Prompting
Abstract
The purpose of this paper was to review and synthesize the literature investigating the impact of differential reinforcement on skill acquisition. Specifically, the aim of this review was to determine the most efficient differential reinforcement arrangement for skill acquisition in individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Researchers synthesized the results of 12 articles with the following categories: (a) participant characteristics (i.e.,, age, sex, diagnosis, verbal repertoire, communication modality, receptive and imitation skills, prompt dependency), (b) target behavior information (i.e., target behavior, measurement system), (c) pre-evaluation assessments (i.e., preference assessments, reinforcer assessments, magnitude edible and size assessments), (d) teaching procedures (i.e., teaching format, prompt type, prompt fading procedure, error correction, experimental design, mastery criteria), (e) reinforcer parameters manipulations and class of reinforcers (f) reinforcement conditions, (g) results, and (h) social validity and generalization measures. Across the 12 studies, the majority of the participants were males, had an ASD diagnosis and communicated vocally. The differential reinforcement condition in which reinforcement favored independent responses resulted in the quickest acquisition for the majority of participants. When compared across reinforcer parameters, skill acquisition was quicker when the quality of the reinforcer was manipulated within the differential reinforcement procedure relative to other reinforcer parameters. This review discusses limitations of the previous research, makes recommendation for future research, and summaries implications for clinical practice.
Scholar Commons Citation
Efaw, Hannah E., "Review of the use of Differential Reinforcement in Skill Acquisition" (2021). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/8764
