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. 1995 Winter;28(4):551–559. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1995.28-551

Identification and modification of a response-class hierarchy

Joseph S Lalli 1,2, F Charles Mace 1,2, Ted Wohn 1,2, Kimberley Livezey 1,2
PMCID: PMC1279859  PMID: 16795881

Abstract

We evaluated the effects of extinction and negative reinforcement on the latency of response-class members following requests made to a 15-year-old female with moderate mental retardation and autism. A functional analysis showed that the class members (screams, aggression, and self-injury) were escape maintained. Informal observations suggested that these topographies generally occurred in the sequence listed above and therefore may have been hierarchically related. A therapist provided escape from demands contingent on a specific member of the class to determine the effects on the latency of the members' occurrence. Results showed that the latencies occurred in a predictable order. In addition, we expanded the response class to include a vocal response that was functionally equivalent to other members. Findings are discussed regarding the covariation and sequence of response-class members and treatment development.

Keywords: response-class hierarchy, response covariation

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Selected References

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