Providing for Generalization of Behavior Change

1
Providing for Generalization of Behavior Change

• A behavioral change may be said to have
  generality if it proves durable over time, if it
  appears in a wide variety of possible
  environments, or if it spreads to a wide variety
  of related behaviors (p. 338)

2
Many criticisms of applied behavior analysis have
resulted from the short lived results of many
behavior change projects (p. 440)

• Behavior change is often accomplished
• only for as long as the contingencies were in
  effect, or
• only in the presence of the initial trainer, or
• only for very specific behaviors that were
  trained (p. 338)

3
Acquisition-level behavioral objectives focus on
conditions under which the behavior is to be
performed and the criteria defined for
performance.

• Given one quarter, two dimes, two nickels, and
  four pennies and the verbal cue, show me your
  bus fare,

• student will hand teacher the coins equaling
  bus fare to travel from school to home 100 of
  the time.

4
Generalization-level behavioral objectives also
focus on conditions under which the behavior is
to be performed and the criteria defined for
performance. However, the conditions should
reflect the real-life environment.
5
Write a generalization-level behavioral
objective for the same student.

• Given one quarter, two dimes, two nickels, and
  four pennies and the verbal cue, show me your
  bus fare,

student will _______________________________
____________________ 100 of the time.
6
Big Ideageneralization should be programmed
rather than expected or lamented. (p. 340)

• If generalization does not automatically result
  when behavior is changed, does that mean applied
  behavior analysis procedures are useless? If you
  have stuck with us this far, you know that we
  dont think so. To most behavior analysts, the
  lack of automatic generalization indicates the
  need for developing a technology of
  generalization as efficient as the technology of
  behavior change. (p. 340)

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The IEP

• It is important that the IEP for each student
  with a disability includes objectives for the
  levels of maintenance and generalization.

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Ok, ok. What are the types of generalization?

• It is important that the IEP for each student
  with a disability includes objectives for the
  levels of maintenance and generalization.

9
Im glad you asked thatquestion.
2

• Three types of generalization
• Stimulus Generalization
• Maintenance
• Response Generalization

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Stimulus GeneralizationAKA Transfer of Training

• occurs when responses that have been reinforced
  in the presence of a specific stimulus occur in
  the presence of different but similar stimuli
• A group of stimuli that should occasion the same
  response may be considered members of a stimulus
  class. In general, the more similar the stimuli,
  the more likely stimulus generalization will
  occur.

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(e.g., knowing the concept hammer, you can
point to all varieties of hammer)
DRIVE HAMMERED GET NAILED
12
Response MaintenanceAKA Resistance to
Extinction, Durability, Behavioral Persistence

• The ability to perform a response over time,
  even after systematic applied behavior procedures
  have been withdrawn.
• Most experimental evidence indicates that
  extinction occurs unless specific measures are
  taken to prevent it. (p. 444)

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e.g.,

• An EDSE student knows that reacting to annoying
  behaviors may actually reinforce those behaviors.
• Student indicates the same on a test.
• During practicum the same student gives attention
  to annoying behaviors.
• This is a non-example of maintenance.

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Response GeneralizationAKA Concomitant/Concurrent
Behavior Change

• Refers to unplanned changes in similar behaviors
  when a target behavior is modified.
• Sometimes changing one behavior will result in
  changes in other similar behaviors. Such similar
  behaviors are often referred to as a response
  class, and changes in untrained members of the
  response class, as response generalization.

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e.g.,

• A person learns to copy and paste in Microsoft
  Word.
• When confronted with making a Power Point
  presentation for class, the person applies the
  principle of cutting and pasting to getting
  pictures into their slides.
• The same person applies the principle to
  including their behavior change project in their
  Live Text e-portfolio.

Strategies to promote generalization
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Train and Hope

• In spite of reported evidence that some
  behaviors are automatically generalized, it is
  important to remember that most are not
• (p. 347)

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Sequentially Modify

• ...generalization is promoted by applying the
  same techniques that successfully changed
  behavior in one setting to all settings where the
  target behavior is desirable. (p. 349)

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Introduce to Natural Maintaining Contingencies

• While not an automatic process, the teacher
  should be aware that when naturally maintaining
  contingencies are found, they should be used.
• In other words the teacher should set a trap.

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Introduce to Natural Maintaining Contingencies

• Some behaviors do lend themselves to trapping.
  If behaviors can be generated that result in
  increased peer reinforcement, they are
  particularly likely to be maintained. (p.347)

• The Teacher who wants the natural environment to
  take over reinforcement should be aware that this
  is by no means an automatic process. (p.348)

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Introduce to Natural Maintaining Contingencies

• Observe what seems to be reinforcing for the
  student
• Choose behaviors that are rewarded in other
  settings, by other persons
• Teach students to solicit attention (and
  reinforcement) for behaviors (e.g., How am I
  doing?)
• Teach students to recognize reinforcement when it
  is delivered. (p. 351)

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Train Sufficient Exemplarsusing general case
programming

• ...emphasizes using sufficient members of a
  class of stimuli to ensure that students will be
  able to perform the task on any member of the
  class of
• stimuli (p. 354)

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Train Sufficient Exemplarsin multiple settings
A lemon is a citrus fruit.
A lemon is a citrus fruit.
Homeroom
Health Class
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Train Loosely

• Concurrent training conditions (e.g., 2 skills
  instead of 1) tends to produce more
  generalization than serial training.
• OYO - READ page 357.
• The use of naturalistic or loose training
  represents a departure from tradition in special
  education teaching. Its success suggests again
  the importance of teachers maintaining their
  skills and keeping up with current research.

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Use Indiscriminable Stimuli

• Thin (e.g., by delaying, or making intermittent)
  the reinforcement schedule as much as possible
  and the behavior may not extinguish no matter the
  setting, person, or time.
• OYO - Read Ms. Bells Class Learns to Complete
  Assignments on pages 359.

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Program Common Stimuli

• This may be accomplished by either increasing
  the similarity of the training situation to the
  natural environment

• or by introducing elements of the training
  situation into the natural environment. (p. 359)

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It is possible to increase the probability of
generalization by reinforcing generalization as a
response class....In mediating generalization,
students are taught to monitor and report on
their own generalization of appropriate behavior
(p. 362)

• Mediate Generalization and Train to Generalize