Differential Reinforcement Procedure You Would Use

Julia is a 9-year-old student at Blackmore Elementary. You have been asked by your professor to help her teacher reduce the frequency of Julia's hand raising in class using a differential reinforcement strategy. The teacher has recorded Julia raising her hand an average of 57 times an hour. Discuss which differential reinforcement procedure you would use, why you would use it and how it would work.

Full Answer Section

   
  1. The teacher would then provide reinforcement for any behavior other than hand raising. This reinforcement could be provided on a continuous schedule (i.e., every time Julia engages in a behavior other than hand raising) or on an intermittent schedule (e.g., every 5th time Julia engages in a behavior other than hand raising).
  2. As Julia's rate of hand raising decreases, the teacher would gradually increase the target rate and/or decrease the frequency of reinforcement.

Here is an example of how DRO could be implemented in Julia's classroom:

  1. The teacher would record Julia's hand raising behavior for one hour. During this time, the teacher would not provide any reinforcement for hand raising.
  2. After one hour, the teacher would calculate Julia's baseline rate of hand raising. For example, if Julia raised her hand 57 times in one hour, her baseline rate would be 57 hand raises per hour.
  3. The teacher would then set a target rate of hand raising. For example, the teacher might set a target rate of 40 hand raises per hour.
  4. The teacher would begin providing reinforcement for any behavior other than hand raising. For example, the teacher might praise Julia for paying attention, participating in class discussions, or completing her work on time.
  5. The teacher would continue to provide reinforcement for any behavior other than hand raising until Julia's rate of hand raising decreases to the target rate.
  6. Once Julia's rate of hand raising decreases to the target rate, the teacher would gradually increase the target rate and/or decrease the frequency of reinforcement.

It is important to note that DRO is a gradual process. It may take several weeks or even months to see a significant decrease in Julia's hand raising behavior. However, DRO is an effective way to reduce problem behaviors without using punishment.

Benefits of using DRO

There are a number of benefits to using DRO to reduce Julia's hand raising behavior:

  • DRO is a positive reinforcement strategy, which means that it focuses on rewarding desired behaviors rather than punishing undesired behaviors.
  • DRO is a relatively easy-to-implement strategy.
  • DRO is a flexible strategy that can be adapted to meet the individual needs of each student.
  • DRO has been shown to be effective in reducing a variety of problem behaviors, including hand raising.

Challenges of using DRO

There are a few challenges to using DRO to reduce Julia's hand raising behavior:

  • DRO can be time-consuming to implement, especially in the early stages.
  • It is important to be consistent with providing reinforcement for any behavior other than hand raising.
  • It is also important to gradually increase the target rate and/or decrease the frequency of reinforcement as Julia's hand raising behavior decreases.

Overall, DRO is an effective and positive reinforcement strategy that can be used to reduce Julia's hand raising behavior.

Sample Answer

   

I would use differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO) to help Julia's teacher reduce the frequency of her hand raising in class. DRO is a type of differential reinforcement in which a reinforcer is provided for any behavior other than the target behavior. In this case, the target behavior is hand raising. The reinforcer could be anything that Julia enjoys, such as praise, stickers, or a short break from classwork.

Here is how DRO would work in Julia's case:

  1. The teacher would establish a baseline rate of hand raising by recording how many times Julia raises her hand in class during a specific period of time (e.g., one hour).
  2. The teacher would then set a target rate of hand raising. This target rate should be lower than the baseline rate, but not so low that it is unrealistic for Julia to achieve.