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AbstractBehavioral momentum theory (BMT) provides a theoretical and methodological framework for understanding how differentially maintained operant responding resists disruption. A common way to test operant resistance involves contingencies with suppressive effects, such as extinction or prefeeding. Other contingencies with known suppressive effects, such as response‐cost procedures arranged as point‐loss or increases in response force, remain untested as disruptive events within the BMT framework. In the present set of three experiments, responding of humans was maintained by point accumulation programmed according to a multiple variable‐interval (VI) VI schedule with different reinforcement rates in either of two components. Subsequently, subtracting a point following each response (Experiment 1) or increasing the force required for the response to be registered (Experiments 2 and 3 decreased response rates, but responding was less disrupted in the component associated with the higher reinforcement rate. The point‐loss contingency and increased response force similarly affected response rates by suppressing responding and human persistence, replicating previous findings with humans and nonhuman animals when other types of disruptive events (e.g., extinction and prefeeding) were investigated. The present findings moreover extend the generality of the effects of reinforcement rate on persistence, and thus BMT, extending the analysis of resistance to two well‐known manipulations used to reduce responding in the experimental analysis of behavior.

AbstractBehavioral momentum theory (BMT) suggests that resurgence of destructive behavior may be at least partly determined by the rate of alternative reinforcement, with lean schedules of reinforcement producing less resurgence than dense schedules. Findings from basic and translational studies have been mixed, and the effects of alternative reinforcement rate on resurgence remain unclear. In the current study, we conducted a within‐subject evaluation of resurgence during extinction with four children following functional communication training using dense and lean (BMT‐informed) schedules of alternative reinforcement. We observed no reliable differences in resurgence across the dense and lean conditions. We discuss implications of these findings in relation to future research using quantitative analyses to evaluate the relative effects of alternative reinforcement rate and other BMT‐based strategies for mitigating resurgence in applied settings.

AbstractThis study investigated how goal‐directed and habitual behaviors recover after extinction within the context of the resurgence effect, a form of relapse induced by the removal or worsening of alternative reinforcement. Rats were trained to press a target lever with one reinforcer (O1) for either minimal (4) or extended (16) sessions. An extinction test after the completion of O1 devaluation confirmed that minimal and extended training formed goal‐directed and habitual behaviors, respectively. Then, pressing an alternative lever was reinforced with a second reinforcer (O2) while the target response was placed on extinction. When O2 was discontinued, the minimally trained target response resurged with goal‐directed status as in the extinction test. However, the extinguished habitual behavior in the extensively trained rats did not recover as a habit but instead with goal‐directed status, possibly due to the context specificity of habits or the introduction of a new response–reinforcer contingency. The critical finding that reinforcer devaluation consistently led to less resurgence regardless of the amount of acquisition training provides a clinical implication that coupling differential‐reinforcement‐of‐alternative‐behavior (DRA) treatments with the devaluation of the associated reinforcer of problematic behavior could effectively diminish its recurrence.

AbstractSingle-case design research is pervasive and dominant in the field of behavior analysis (BA). It allows for effective application of behavior change technologies in a wide variety of real-world settings. However, as the field has grown, behavioral scholars have suggested incorporating other methods into the investigator’s toolbox to supplement single-case design. To date, the call to expand beyond using only variations of single-case design as the standard for behavior analytic research has gone largely unheard. Given the need for behavior analytic work to be more closely aligned with consumer and stakeholder needs and priorities, along with a proliferation of practitioners and researchers in the field, now is the time to consider the benefits of qualitative research methods for behavior analysts. In particular, in areas of social validity and in exploring diverse applied topics, qualitative methods may help the field of behavior analysis to achieve greater success with documenting the outcomes from behavior change interventions. The present article explores areas where behavior analysis may benefit from utilizing qualitative methods, namely social validity and breadth of topics for study, and provides examples of the value of qualitative research from other fields. A brief outline of qualitative research is provided alongside consideration of the seven dimensions of applied behavior analysis. In situations where single-case design does not offer behavior analysts sufficient methodological opportunity, qualitative research methods could form a powerful addition to the field of behavior analysis.

AbstractStimulus overselectivity describes strong control by one stimulus element at the expense of other equally relevant elements. Research suggests that control by underselected stimuli emerges following extinction of the overselected stimulus (“revaluation”) and the emergence is larger when overselectivity is greater. We compared such revaluation effects with a control compound or condition in two experiments. Human participants chose between compound S+ and S‐ stimuli. Then, to assess control by compound‐stimulus elements, participants chose between individual elements in a testing phase without feedback. The S+ element chosen most often (the overselected element) underwent revaluation, during which choice of that element was extinguished and choice of a novel element reinforced. Thereafter, participants completed a retesting phase. Revaluation reduced choice of the overselected element. Choice of the underselected element decreased for participants with low overselectivity but increased for participants with high overselectivity. This was not the case for a control compound that did not undergo revaluation (Experiments 1 and 2) or in a control condition in which the overselected element continued to be reinforced during revaluation (Experiment 2). These findings suggest that overselectivity levels may modulate revaluation effects, and they also highlight the importance of the contingency change in postrevaluation changes in stimulus control.

AbstractThe peer‐review component of the editorial process is designed to facilitate quality control, legitimize scientific research, and self‐regulate scientific communities. Even though serving as a reviewer undoubtedly has direct and indirect benefits, the peer‐review system and the methods of teaching scholars to conduct reviews are nascent and relatively underdeveloped. This article describes the peer‐review process and provides recommendations for writing reviews for scientific journals. The recommendations were developed based on the expertise and preferences of editors in chief and associate editors for behavior‐analytic journals (Cengher & LeBlanc, 2024), and they include honoring your responsibility, knowing your audience, being constructive and kind, and carefully evaluating the merits of the study or review. These guidelines may serve as a primer for scholars who want to conduct reviews for scientific journals in behavior analysis.

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Behavior analysts have been working in and with public schools for decades. However, there is a paucity of research related to their work; specifically, their roles and responsibilities and needed support. We conducted a 37-item online survey of 98 nationally certified behavior analysts who work in public schools in a Southeastern state in the United States to gather information about what these professionals do and whether they feel supported to complete their work effectively. The roles and responsibilities of school-based behavior analysts vary but frequently include facilitating professional development opportunities, including coaching, administration and supervision tasks, and supporting programming for both special and general education students with less emphasis on direct services to students. When asked about the types of students with whom they work, behavior analysts shared they work with a variety, including those with and without disabilities. Behavior analysts shared mixed results related to their feelings of support from school districts and their supervisors. We discuss implications for practitioners and future research.

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