Combining Operant baseline derived Conditioned Excitors and Inhibitors from the Same and Different Incentive Classes: An Investigation of Appetitive-Aversive Interactions

The dynamics of appetitive-aversive interaction theory were assayed in an experiment where excitors and inhibitors from the same and different incentive classes were compounded. Excitatory and inhibitory incentive properties acquired by the discriminative stimuli resulted from the reinforcement differences between components of four-component multiple training schedules, with the influence of competing peripheral responses factored into the design. Rats' barpressing was maintained in tone and in click by food or free-operant shock avoidance; extinction was programmed in click-plus-light and in the simultaneous absence of tone, click, and light. In Test 1, an excitor that occasioned operant responding and an inhibitor that occasioned response cessation were compounded. Here, compounding an inhibitor with an excitor from the same incentive class reduced responding significantly more than did compounding an inhibitor with an excitor from the other incentive class. In Test 2, the compounds consisted of elements that individually occasioned operant responding. Here, compounding stimuli that were excitors from different incentive classes appeared to create reciprocal inhibition that counteracted the additive effects produced when these stimuli were excitors from the same incentive class. Predictions from appetitive-aversive interaction theory and Weiss' two-factor model of stimulus control were confirmed within this experimental design, where all conditioning was a by-product of the behavioural contingencies programmed on the operant baselines.     

Adaptive Testing

An adaptive test tailors the difficulty of the items to the ability of the examinee being tested. This article describes the general principles and models of adaptive testing beginning with the early Binet tests and continuing through state-of-the-art techniques. Such computerised adaptive tests (C.A.T.s), based on item response theory (I.R.T.), are useful both for measurement and classification applications. I.R.T. provides a means by which different sets of items, as administered in a C.A.T., can be scored on a common scale. The principal advantages of CAT. are efficiency and control over either the precision of measurement or the accuracy of classification. C.A.T. procedures can be easily implemented without writing programs using commercially available software (e.g. MicroCAT).
Un test "adaptatif" accorde la difficulté des items à la capacityé des candidate aux tests. Cet article décrit les principes généraux et les modèles de tests "adaptatifs" depuis les tests de Binet jusqu'aux techniques de pointe actuelles. Tels tests informatisés (C.A.T.s), basés sur la théorie des réponses par item (I.R.T.), sont utiles à la fois pour la mesure et la classification. I.R.T. procure les moyens par lesquels différents sets ďitems, tels qu'ils sont administrés dans un C.A.T., peuvent être notés sur une échelle commune. Les principaux avantages du C.A.T. sont ľefficacité et le contrôle de la précision de la mesure et de la fidélité de la classification. Le protocole du C.A.T. peut être aisément utilisé sans texte écrit en se servant des programmes informatisés disponibles dans le commerce.     

Exploring Issues of Generalization and Maintenance in Training Instructional Aides in a Public School Setting

In today’s climate, with the ever-increasing demand for competent behavior analytic services, it is necessary for behavior analysts to work across a variety of settings, including home, school, and community, overseeing instructional aide staff as the frontline providers of applied behavior analysis (ABA) services. It is common practice for ABA practitioners to provide the supervision and training to parents, caregivers, and direct-care staff, who may have limited knowledge and experience within the field of ABA. In 2013, the Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB^®) initiated an effort to establish standards for the training of instructional aides and direct-care staff in the delivery of instructional and treatment services based on the principles of ABA. This new standard and credential is known as a Registered Behavior Technician? (RBT^®). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the training process outlined by the BACB, focusing specifically on the generalizability and long-term maintenance of newly acquired skills taught through a competency-based approach, to novel opportunities for implementation. Training was conducted through two methods: in vivo training with clients versus role-play with peers. Both these types of staff training approaches are commonly used instructional practices in the field of ABA.