A Component Analysis of a Self-Monitoring Intervention for Increasing Appropriate Behavior and Decreasing Automatically-Reinforced Problem Behavior

• Main Author: Leif, Erin S
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Subjects: psychology, behavioral; psychology, clinical
• ISBN: 1267337362; 9781267337368

Previous studies suggest that self-monitoring may be an effective treatment procedure. However, self-monitoring is typically included as one component of multicomponent interventions. Thus, it is unclear which component or combination of components is critical for the success of the intervention. We sought to extend previous self-monitoring research in a variety of ways. First, we evaluated the effects of video and in-vivo training as a procedure for teaching self-monitoring. Next, we conducted a component analysis of a self-monitoring intervention by sequentially adding successive components to determine their independent effects for increasing appropriate task engagement and decreasing automatically-reinforced stereotypy. We included self-monitoring accuracy as a dependent variable during and following self-monitoring training to determine the role of accurate self-monitoring on the other target behaviors. All participants learned to accurately and independently self-monitor their appropriate task engagement and off-task behavior during training. Results of the treatment component analysis indicated that self-monitoring plus differential reinforcement and differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) alone were equally effective components for two participants, suggesting that DRA was the critical component of the intervention. For the third participant, self-monitoring plus differential reinforcement was somewhat more effective than DRA alone. The implications of these findings for the continued use of self-monitoring interventions are discussed.