Translational Research to Inform Interventions for Challenging Behavior

This term describes the highest rate of responding observed during extinction and will be depicted as a proportion of baseline. For example, assuming the mean rate of responding during the final three sessions of baseline is 3 responses per minute (i.e., [2.8 rpm + 3.2 rpm + 3 rpm] / 3 = 3 rpm), and the highest rate of responding during a single session of extinction is 3.4 rpm, then peak response rate for this hypothetical individual would be 1.13 (i.e., 3.4 / 3 = 1.13). This value will serve as the primary dependent variable for each participant in all between-groups comparisons in our data-analysis plan.

The progressive-ratio reinforcer analysis (PRA) is a game of diminishing returns that is considered an assessment of reinforcer value (e.g., if a participant does not value the reinforcer, they will quit sooner than a participant that does value the reinforcer). During the assessment, we increased the "price" (i.e., the schedule value) of reinforcers each time a participant earns two reinforcers at a currently established price.

The breakpoint describes the "price" (schedule value; e.g., FR1, FR4, FR7) of the last obtained reinforcer prior to response cessation (i.e., the breakpoint is the last schedule value that supported enough responding to produce a reinforcer, before the participant quit playing the game). Higher breakpoints are interpreted as reflecting higher-value reinforcers. Lower breakpoints are interpreted as reflecting lower-value reinforcers.

The progressive fixed-ratio reinforcer analysis (PFRA) is an assessment of consumer demand that first establishes how much of a reinforcer a participant would consume when consumption is free of constraint (i.e., when participants can have as much of the reinforcer as they want; referred to as "bliss-point consumption").

With bliss-point consumption established, PFRA evaluates how much a participant will "spend" (respond) to maintain bliss-point consumption patterns as price (schedule value) is increased. Unlike PRA, prices in the PFRA are held constant within each session and only increase across sessions. Initially, participants "spend" more. Eventually, they "spend" less. The price that produces maximum "spending" (i.e., higher and lower prices yield lower response outputs) is referred to as Pmax.

Pmax is one way to quantify a reinforcer's value. That is, reinforcers that produce high Pmax have more value than reinforcers that produce low Pmax.

This term describes the latency from session onset to eventual response cessation during the extinction challenge.

In addition to between-groups differences in peak-response rate (primary dependent variable), the investigators will also compare between-groups differences in the number of sessions required to achieve response elimination during extinction.

The investigators will measure the total duration of PFRA sessions (in seconds) at Pmax to establish baseline-session parameters.