Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior in Preschool Settings: Evaluation of a Pre-Teaching Component

This current study investigated the effectiveness of pre-teaching behavioral expectations prior to the implementation of a differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) intervention. The ultimate goal of the intervention was to decrease inappropriate behavior while simultaneously increasing appropriate behavior. Intervention that included pre-teaching with DRA was compared to the implementation of DRA in isolation using single case methodology, and intervention data suggest clear differences in beneficial outcomes for each student. The current study offers preliminary data on the utility of pre-teaching behavioral expectations to students prior to intervention. By actually teaching appropriate replacement a behavior prior to intervention, students are provided with a clear idea of how we would like their behavior to change and also gives them the resources to make that change happen. The study utilized the functional behavior assessment (FBA) process as a method to derive function-based data to be used for the development of function based intervention strategies within the differential reinforcement paradigm

A Comparison of Function-Based Differential Reinforcement Interventions for Children Engaging in Disruptive Classroom Behavior

This study provides a direct comparison of differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) and differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA). Participants included three children in center-based classrooms referred for functional assessments due to disruptive classroom behavior. Functional assessments included interviews and brief functional analyses. An alternating treatments design was used to evaluate the relative effectiveness of function-based DRO and DRA interventions. Results indicated that both intervention procedures effectively reduced disruptive behavior, but the DRA procedure consistently resulted in greater reductions in disruptive behavior across all participants. Results are discussed in terms of directions for future functional assessment and intervention research as well as implications for applied practice. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior in Center-Based Classrooms: Evaluation of Pre-teaching the Alternative Behavior

This study investigated the effectiveness of a differential reinforcement of alternative behavior procedure in decreasing disruptive behavior while simultaneously increasing the appropriate behavior of four children of typical development between the ages of 4 and 6 in center-based classrooms. We began with brief functional analyses for each child. Then, differential reinforcement procedures, with and without pre-teaching the alternative behavior, were compared using an alternating treatments design. Results indicated that the differential reinforcement procedure with pre-teaching resulted in lower levels of problem behavior and greater levels of the alternative behavior compared to differential reinforcement alone. Results are discussed in terms of implications for applied practice and functional assessment and intervention research. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York