Evaluating Caregiver Responses to Problem Behavior In Naturalistic and Laboratory Settings
Dorothea C. Lerman, Ph.D., BCBA
Caregivers of children with developmental disabilities are often taught to withhold sources of positive and negative reinforcement (e.g., reprimands, escape from demands) following instances of problem behavior. Research findings suggest, however, that child problem behavior may function as an aversive stimulus for caregivers. Thus, any adult response that is followed by the immediate reduction or termination of problem behavior may be established and maintained over time. For this reason, caregivers may deliver certain consequences for problem behavior despite having been trained to respond in a different manner. Further research on the ways that child behavior can impact caregiver behavior may help improve the long-term outcomes of parent and teacher training. In this presentation, I will describe the methods and results of two studies that evaluated the relationship between problem behavior and caregiver responses to problem behavior. In the first study, naturalistic observations of interactions between teachers and students were conducted to determine if adult-delivered reprimands, access to tangibles, or escape from demands were followed by the reduction or termination of child problem behavior. In the second study, the impact of student problem behavior on adult-delivered reprimands was examined more directly in a laboratory setting. Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in a special education class participated in simulated teaching sessions with an experimenter who role-played as a student with developmental disabilities. The experimenter exhibited problem behavior periodically during each session. Under some conditions, problem behavior immediately ceased if the participant delivered a reprimand. Under other conditions, problem behavior did not change following reprimands. Results of both studies suggested that escape from problem behavior can be a potent reinforcer for caregiver responses. The implications of the findings for training teachers and parents will be discussed.
Dr. Dorothea Lerman is currently a Professor of Psychology at the University of Houston - Clear Lake, where she coordinates a master's program in applied behavior analysis and serves as Director of the UHCL Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities. She received her doctoral degree in Psychology from the University of Florida in 1995, specializing in the experimental analysis of behavior. Her areas of expertise include autism, developmental disabilities, functional analysis, teacher and parent training, and treatment of severe behavior disorders (e.g., aggression, self-injury). Dr. Lerman has published more than 60 research articles and chapters, served as Associate Editor for The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Research in Developmental Disabilities, and is the founding Editor of Behavior Analysis in Practice. She was the recipient of the 2007 Distinguished Contribution to Applied Behavioral Research Award and the 2001 B.F. Skinner Award for New Researchers, awarded by Division 25 of the American Psychological Association. She also received the 2001 New Researcher Award from Division 5 of the American Association on Mental Retardation.