When do errors in reinforcer delivery affect learning? A parametric analysis of treatment integrity

Treatment integrity is the extent to which components of an intervention are implemented as intended (Gresham, 1989). Recent behavior-analytic literature has begun to evaluate the effects of reduced-treatment integrity on the efficacy and efficiency of skill-acquisition interventions. This study extended the current literature on the effects of errors of omission and commission of reinforcer delivery by replicating and extending Hirst and DiGennaro Reed (2015). Using a randomized-control group design, we compared undergraduate student participants' acquisition of conditional discriminations in a parametric analysis of different error values. A computer program erred in reinforcer delivery on 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 50% of trials. The purpose of the current study was to identify which levels of reduced integrity slowed or prevented acquisition. Our data replicated the findings of Hirst and DiGennaro Reed, and extended parametric analyses by identifying that errors in reinforcer delivery occurring on 15% or fewer trials (i.e., 85% integrity) were unlikely to prevent participants' responding from meeting the mastery criterion. These results could inform future research on how treatment-integrity errors change behavior-analytic procedures and the effects on skill acquisition for consumers of applied behavior analysis.     

Refreshing Older Adults’ Driving Skills (ROADSkills): A randomized controlled trial examining the effect of video feedback

ObjectivesThis study evaluated the effectiveness of a personalized video-based driver training program on the behind-the-wheel skills of community-dwelling older adults.MethodIn this randomized controlled trial (RCT), 80 older drivers [mean age (SD) = 71.0 (3.9)] were randomly assigned to view one of two educational videos: 1) personalized video feedback on their driving (n = 40) or 2) a generic video on aging-in-place (n = 40). The primary outcome, the total number of errors accrued in a 30-minute standardized on-road evaluation, was analyzed at baseline and 4 weeks after watching the assigned video. On-road evaluations were video-recorded and scored by a blinded rater. Self-report measures of driving abilities, behaviors, and comfort were also compared.ResultsAt the 4-week follow-up, the mean difference in the number of on-road performance errors [mean (95% CI) = -12.0 (-16.6, −7.4), p < 0.001] favored the intervention group compared to controls, with significant improvements across multiple domains: vehicle control [mean (95% CI) = -4.8 (-8.1, −1.5), p < 0.01], observing the roadway [mean (95% CI) = -5.5 (-8.4, −2.6), p < 0.001], and compliance with traffic rules [mean (95% CI) = -1.3 (-2.3, −0.2), p < 0.05]. Within-group change on behind-the-wheel errors was significant for the intervention group [mean (95% CI) = -10.3 (-13.5, −7.1), p < 0.001], but not for the control group [mean (95% CI) = 1.7 (-1.6, 4.9), p > 0.05]. No significant differences were found on the self-report measures.DiscussionA novel, video-based approach that provided personalized feedback to older drivers significantly reduced behind-the-wheel errors 4-weeks post-intervention. Changes in self-reported driving behaviors and abilities were not significant. Future research will examine the long-term effects of this approach on older adults’ actual and perceived driving abilities.     

Commission errors in delay–execute prospective memory tasks

Individuals frequently retrieve an intention, but the execution of the task needs to be delayed due to ongoing task demands - so-called delay-execute prospective memory (PM) tasks. We investigated commission errors in the delay-execute paradigm. Participants were told that a PM task is finished (PM task has been executed and is now finished for a final phase) or cancelled (PM task has been cancelled immediately after introduction). We observed commission errors and ongoing task performance in the final phase which included several irrelevant PM cues. In two experiments, we observed significantly more commission errors for cancelled compared to the finished intentions. In Experiment 2, commission errors were eliminated if the final phase required divided attention, regardless of PM task status. In addition, we observed significantly more PM cue interference on the ongoing task in the cancelled compared to the finished group, indicating that the PM task was retrieved in the cancelled group but not in the finished group. As retrieval and execution of the PM task were separated by a delay, the results indicate that commission errors are not always the result of a quick, spontaneous retrieval-execution sequence and may also occur when retrieval and execution are temporally separated.