Candidate: Carrie Lynn Coleman

Degree of: Doctor of Philosophy

Department: Psychology

Title: Evaluating the Operative Mechanisms Underlying the High-Probability Request Sequence

Committee: Dr. Wayne Fuqua, Chair
Dr. James E. Carr
Dr. Linda LeBlanc
Dr. Jack Michael

Date: Wednesday, July 6, 2005 1:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m.
3715 Wood Hall

Abstract: Failure to comply with requests in educational settings interferes with the learning process. The high-probability request sequence has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment for noncompliance. However, the operative mechanisms underlying this treatment remain unknown. This study sought to further elucidate high-p behavior change mechanisms through the manipulation of reinforcement and response rate variables. The purpose was to determine whether increases in compliance to low-probability requests could be obtained with either the high-p sequence or with the delivery of preferred stimuli on a response-independent basis. Math problems served as high-p and low-p requests, and data were collected on compliance to requests for three children attending an after-school day care. Results of an alternating treatment design showed that increases in low-p compliance occurred following implementation of two of the three treatment conditions. These findings extend previous research on the high-p sequence by demonstrating that it was as effective to provide preferred stimuli on a response-independent basis prior to (over) issuing a low-p request as it was to assess, verify, and deliver a series of high-p requests in order to achieve compliance gains.

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