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| Innovations and Advancements in Relapse Research |
| Sunday, May 25, 2025 |
| 10:00 AM–11:50 AM |
| Marriott Marquis, M4 Level, Independence D |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| Chair: Shannon Angley (Children's Specialized Hospital - Rutgers University Center for Autism Research, Education, and Services) |
| Discussant: Andrew R. Craig (SUNY Upstate Medical University) |
| Abstract: This symposium will highlight advancements in relapse research that aims to mitigate destructive behavior and minimize the occurrence of resurgence or renewal. To begin, Cucinotta and colleagues evaluated the reoccurrence of renewal when exposed to repeated ABA renewal arrangements incorporating differential reinforcement of alternative behavior. Similarly, Pauls and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis to evaluate the pervasiveness of renewal during setting changes and assessed how different variables (e.g., behavioral function, time) effected the likelihood of renewal. Next, Thompson and colleagues evaluated whether engagement and efficacy of competing items improved as schedules of reinforcement became increasingly lean, to mitigate destructive behavior during schedule thinning. Lambert and Price evaluated the practicality of using progressive ratio analysis- (PRA) breakpoints in a single analysis to determine the function of target behavior and its intensity and pervasiveness during extinction. These studies share a common aim to reduce the occurrence of relapse; through exploring different schedules of reinforcement or renewal arrangements, improving the quality of competing items during schedule thinning, or changing contextual variables, this work furthers our understanding of the prevalence of relapse and offers preliminary investigations into additional mitigation strategies. |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
| Keyword(s): Relapse, Renewal, Resurgence |
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Evaluation of Repeated Exposures to a Three-Phase ABA Renewal Arrangement |
| KATHERINE CUCINOTTA (West Virginia University), Haleh Amanieh (West Virginia University), Kathryn M. Kestner (West Virginia University) |
| Abstract: Behavioral relapse is the reemergence of a previously reduced response brought about by environmental events such as context changes (i.e., renewal) or the worsening of alternative reinforcement contingencies (i.e., resurgence). Repeated exposures to the three-phase arrangement commonly used to study resurgence have been shown to decrease the magnitude of resurgence across exposures (Kestner et al., 2018; Podlesnik et al., 2020). The present study examined the repeatability of renewal across multiple exposures to a three-phase ABA renewal arrangement with differential reinforcement of alternative behavior. During baseline in Context A, target responding was reinforced, and alternative responding produced no consequences. Target responding was extinguished during the next phase in Context B, and alternative responding was reinforced. The renewal test occurred in the original context (Context A), and the same contingencies as the previous phase were in effect. The colored backgrounds representing the ABA context pattern during the 3-phase arrangement remained identical (Experiment 1) or differed (Experiment 2) between exposures. For both experiments, the magnitude of renewal differed between exposures for 7 of 8 (87.5%) participants, suggesting repeated exposures to three-phase ABA renewal arrangements affect the magnitude of renewal. |
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Do Breakpoints Obtained From Progressive Ratio Analysis Predict Magnitude and Persistence During Extinction? |
| JOSEPH MICHAEL LAMBERT (Vanderbilt University), Caitlin Price (Vanderbilt University) |
| Abstract: Progressive-ratio analysis (PRA)-observed breakpoints are known to be significant predictors of demand intensity. In behavioral economics, demand intensity describes the equilibrium between supply and demand and quantifies the total amount of reinforcement a participant consumes when reinforcement is delivered for minimal effort. Relevant to the assessment and treatment of challenging behavior, it was recently demonstrated that persistence in extinction is moderated by baseline reinforcer consumption patterns scaled by demand intensity. Research in substance use has also shown that demand intensity predicts relapse. Given the relation between demand intensity and PRA-obtained breakpoints, and the fact that PRA could feasibly be imbedded into current standard-of-care procedures (i.e., functional analysis) with minimal modification, it may be possible for practitioners to conduct a single analysis in a way that simultaneously implicated behavior function and the viability of extinction as a treatment option. As a first step in exploring the practical utility of PRA-imbedded FA methodology, this study aims to explore correlations between PRA-observed breakpoints and the magnitude and persistence of human responding when it contacts extinction. |
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| Comparison of Renewal Subtypes of Challenging Behavior at an Intensive Outpatient Clinic |
| ALEX PAULS (University of Iowa), Matthew O'Brien (The University of Iowa), Yueyi Guan (University of Iowa), Sara R. Jeglum (Blank Children's Hospital), Christopher A. Podlesnik (University of Florida), Lesa Hoffman (University of Iowa) |
| Abstract: Challenging behavior that is reduced or eliminated during behavioral treatment may recur following a context change (e.g., change to implementer or setting). This type of relapse—called renewal—has been studied heavily in basic and translational studies but has only recently garnered focus in applied research on severe and challenging behavior. Retrospective analyses of large datasets from behavior clinics have shown that renewal is relatively common. Although there are three different forms of renewal (ABA, ABC, AAB), retrospective analyses have yet to evaluate the prevalence of different forms. Thus, we conducted a retrospective analysis of data from an intensive outpatient clinic with the purpose of evaluating the prevalence of renewal when a context change involves a return to an original training context (ABA renewal) or a novel training context (ABC renewal). Additionally, we examined whether a variety of factors (e.g., age, behavioral function, type of context change, point of occurrence) were more likely to result in renewal. We compare our findings to basic and translational work while discussing implications for future clinical research and practice. |
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| Comparing Competing Stimulus Assessments Conducted Under Dense and Lean Reinforcement |
| SAMANTHA THOMPSON (RU-CARES), Samantha Breeman (Children's Specialized Hospital - Rutgers University Center for Autism Research, Education, and Services), Catherine Kishel (Rutgers University), Casey Irwin Helvey (Rutgers University (RUCARES)), Brian D. Greer (Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School) |
| Abstract: When conducting Functional Communication Training (FCT), many clinicians plan to introduce delays to reinforcement, though problem behavior during increased wait times often poses barriers to achieving reinforcement schedules feasible for caregivers. Providing a competing item, as identified via a competing stimulus assessment (CSA), during delays is one way to mitigate problem behavior. However, CSAs do not always yield robust results. One reason for this may be that other stimuli functioning as reinforcers are concurrently available on dense schedules. The availability of functional reinforcers may thus inhibit engagement with potential competing items. The current study recruited children and adolescents with autism with previous exposure to FCT in a multiple schedule arrangement for whom no competing items were identified during a traditional CSA. We progressively thinned the schedule of reinforcement for participants’ functional reinforcers to see if competing items would be identified under leaner schedules. Preliminary results are variable, but generally indicate that leaner schedules of reinforcement for functional reinforcers promote increased engagement with potential competing items. The clinical significance of these findings and implications for practitioners are discussed. |
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