The Use of Differential Reinforcement of Compliance and Task Chaining to Increase Task Quantity and Complexity

Applied Behavioral Analysis Therapy uses reinforcement to increase desire to complete certain tasks, such as rewarding a polite request for play time, with actual play time and attention. This would be an example of low-work required reinforcement, in which only a proper request had to be made for reinforcement, no other tasks or waiting schedules are required. Low work tasks are normally used to increase desire and awareness of a reinforcement, so the participant will know that, when done correctly, a reinforcement will be delivered and it is a reinforcement that is of value to them. In this treatment however we tried to gradually increase complexity of the task, so as to require more work to achieve the reinforcement. Other experiments have used this gradual buildup of task complexity, called task chaining, but none have focused solely on task chaining and its effects on problem behavior and rates of compliance. In this experiment a differential reinforcement of compliance (DRC) was first used to decrease escape tendencies for the participant and increase awareness of reinforcement for completion of tasks. These tasks were the low work tasks and were mostly concerned with improving task compliance to acceptable levels. Once reinforcement was readily contacted task chaining was introduced to slowly create more difficult requirements to achieve reinforcement. The use of a DRC and chaining tasks was shown to not only decrease problem behavior, but also resulted in the increase of complex skills through the increase in task complexity. This would demonstrate the viability of a DRC-Task Chaining procedure to not only decrease the problem behavior of patients, but also increase their complex task skills over the course of treatment