Given the behavioral scenario and responses on prior parts of the assignment, what is an appropriate experimental

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Question:

Given the behavioral scenario and responses on prior parts of the assignment, what is an appropriate experimental questions for the proposed research study?

Scenario 1

You are a BCBA working for a school district and consulting with the teacher, Mrs. Sauerzopf, of a typical second grade classroom. She has 20 students in her class as well as 2 aides, Ms. Marquez and Ms. Edwards. She has asked you to consult as three students in the class, Juanita, Anja, and Jerome, are frequently leaving their seat during a 30-min period of time that students are to work independently on their "morning work" while the teachers and aides prepare for the day. After conducting a functional behavior assessment, you have determined that this behavior is maintained by attention for all three students as the teacher or an aide will redirect the student and typically spend some time talking to him or her. You have discussed potential options to reduce this behavior with the teacher. You have decided to implement differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO). If the student does not leave his or her seat for 5 min, the teacher or an aide will provide 30 s of attention and a token. At any point the student leaves his or her desk, the student will be asked to sit down with no other conversation occurring. When the student is again sitting, a new 5-min interval will begin. When the student receives 20 tokens, he or she can spend 5 min of one-on-one time with the teacher or an aide (student choice).

Scenario 2 protocol

Procedures: Provide the participant with a board with 20 boxes with a Velcro square inside each box oTokens earned on previous days should remain on the board Present the morning work and group instructions to the class as typically would be done Start a 5-min timer oIf the participant does not leave his or her seat at any point during the 5-min interval, provide 30-s of attention and place a token on the board oIf the participant leaves his or her seat at any point during the 5-min interval, state "[name of student], sit down" in a neutral tone with no additional conversation and reset the timer to 5 min Once the participant is again seated, start the timer and begin a new 5-min interval When the participant receives 20 tokens, ask the participant who he or she would like to spend time with (choices are the teacher or one of the aides) oThat person should spend 5 min of one-on-one time with the participant

Hypothesis

The frequency of seat-leaving behavior will be significantly lower during the intervention phase compared to the baseline phase.

The frequency of seat-leaving behavior will be maintained at a low level during the maintenance phase after the token system is faded out.

Statement of the Problem:The problem identified in the scenario is that three students, Juanita, Anja, and Jerome, frequently leave their seats during a 30-minute independent work period in their second-grade classroom. The behavior is maintained by attention, as the teacher or aides redirect the students and engage in conversations with them. This disrupts the students' independent work time and the overall classroom routine.

Statistics and Arguments:

Frequency of Seat Leaving:The study should gather data on how often Juanita, Anja, and Jerome leave their seats during the designated 30-minute independent work period.
Duration of Attention:Measure the duration of attention provided when a student successfully remains seated for 5 minutes.
Token Accumulation:Record the rate at which students accumulate tokens and the subsequent choice of spending 5 minutes of one-on-one time with the teacher or an aide.

Actual Problem:The actual problem is the disruption caused by the frequent seat leaving behavior, impacting the students' learning environment and the efficiency of the morning routine. The attention-seeking behavior negatively influences the students' ability to engage in independent work and the overall classroom functioning.

Participants and Number:Participants include Juanita, Anja, and Jerome, the three students exhibiting the target behavior. The number of participants in this study is three.

IV(s), DV(s), Experimental Design, and Procedures:

Independent Variable (IV):Implementation of the DRO (Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior) protocol.
Dependent Variable (DV):Frequency of seat leaving, duration of attention provided, and token accumulation.
Experimental Design:Single-case design, specifically an A-B-A-B design (baseline, intervention, return to baseline, reintroduction of intervention).
Procedures:
1. Baseline data collection on seat leaving behavior.
2. Implementation of the DRO protocol (intervention phase).
3. Monitoring and recording frequency, attention duration, and token accumulation.
4. Return to baseline to observe any changes in behavior.
5. Reintroduction of the intervention to assess consistency and effectiveness.

Limitations:Mentioned Limitations:

Small sample size (limited to three students).
Generalization of findings beyond these specific students.

Unmentioned Limitations:

Potential variability in the effectiveness of DRO for each student.
External factors influencing behavior not considered in the study.

Purpose of the Study:The purpose of the proposed study is to examine the effectiveness of the DRO protocol in reducing seat leaving behavior for Juanita, Anja, and Jerome during the designated morning work period. The study aims to provide insights into the potential efficacy of this intervention in managing attention-seeking behavior.

Experimental Question:"The proposed study will examine the effect of implementing the DRO protocol on reducing the frequency of seat leaving behavior among Juanita, Anja, and Jerome during independent morning work time. Participants will be second-grade students in Mrs. Sauerzopf's classroom."

Replication or Extension:This study replicates the DRO intervention used in the initial scenario. However, it extends by employing a single-case A-B-A-B design to evaluate the intervention's effectiveness across multiple phases and reintroducing baseline conditions to enhance the robustness of the findings.

Explanation:

Statement of the Problem:

Problem:What is the problem identified in the scenario?
- Answer:The problem is that students (Juanita, Anja, Jerome) frequently leave their seats during the 30-minute independent work period, seeking attention and disrupting the class routine.

Statistics and Arguments:

Frequency of Seat Leaving:What data should be gathered regarding the students' behavior?
- Answer:Data on how often the students leave their seats during the designated 30-minute independent work period.
Duration of Attention:What aspect of attention should be measured?
- Answer:The duration of attention provided when a student successfully remains seated for 5 minutes.
Token Accumulation:What should be recorded to understand the intervention's impact?
- Answer:The rate at which students accumulate tokens and their subsequent choice of spending time with a teacher or aide.

Actual Problem:

Issue:What is the actual problem, and why is it a problem?
- Answer:The actual problem is the disruption caused by the frequent seat leaving behavior, negatively impacting the students' learning environment, and the efficiency of the morning routine.

Participants and Number:

Participants:Who are the participants, and how many are there?
- Answer:The participants are Juanita, Anja, and Jerome. There are three participants.

IV(s), DV(s), Experimental Design, and Procedures:

IV (Independent Variable):What is the intervention being implemented?
- Answer:The independent variable is the implementation of the DRO (Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior) protocol.
DV (Dependent Variable):What behaviors are being measured?
- Answer:The dependent variables are the frequency of seat leaving, duration of attention, and token accumulation.
Experimental Design:How is the study structured?
- Answer:The experimental design is a single-case A-B-A-B design.
Procedures:What steps are involved in the study?
- Answer:Procedures include baseline data collection, DRO intervention, return to baseline, and reintroduction of the intervention.

Limitations:

Mentioned Limitations:What limitations are mentioned in the study?
- Answer:Mentioned limitations include a small sample size and limited generalization.
Unmentioned Limitations:What potential limitations are not addressed?
- Answer:Unmentioned limitations may include variability in intervention effectiveness and unconsidered external factors.

Purpose of the Study:

Purpose:What is the purpose of the proposed study?
- Answer:The purpose is to examine the effectiveness of the DRO protocol in reducing seat leaving behavior for Juanita, Anja, and Jerome during the designated morning work period.
Experimental Question:What is the experimental question?
- Answer:The proposed study will examine the effect of implementing the DRO protocol on reducing the frequency of seat leaving behavior among Juanita, Anja, and Jerome during independent morning work time.

Replication or Extension:

Replication:What is being replicated from the scenario?
- Answer:The study replicates the DRO intervention used in the initial scenario.
Extension:How is the study extended?
- Answer:The extension involves using a single-case A-B-A-B design, evaluating intervention effectiveness across multiple phases, and reintroducing baseline conditions to enhance the robustness of the findings.

Scenario Overview:

Setting:A second-grade classroom with 20 students and 2 aides.
Issue:Three students (Juanita, Anja, Jerome) frequently leave their seats during a 30-minute independent work period, seeking attention.
Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA):The behavior is maintained by attention, as the teacher or aides redirect and engage in conversations with the students.

Proposed Intervention:

Intervention Strategy:Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior (DRO).
Implementation Details:
- If a student remains seated for 5 minutes, they receive 30 seconds of attention and a token.
- If a student leaves their seat, they are told to sit down with no additional conversation.
- When a student accumulates 20 tokens, they can spend 5 minutes of one-on-one time with the teacher or an aide (student choice).
Token System:A board with 20 Velcro squares, each representing a token earned.

Protocol Procedures:

Token Board:Provide each student with a board containing 20 Velcro squares for tokens.
Morning Routine:Present morning work and group instructions to the class as usual.
Timer:Start a 5-minute timer for the independent work period.
- If a student stays seated, provide attention and a token.
- If a student leaves their seat, instruct them to sit down with no additional conversation.
Token Accumulation:Tokens earned on previous days remain on the board.
Reward:When a student accumulates 20 tokens, they can choose to spend 5 minutes with the teacher or an aide.

Explanation of Key Concepts:

Differential Reinforcement:Reinforcing desired behavior (remaining seated) while ignoring or providing no reinforcement for undesired behavior (leaving the seat).
Token Economy:A system using tokens as a form of reinforcement, leading to a larger reward when a certain number of tokens are earned.
Single-Case Design:A research design where the behavior of one or a few individuals is studied over time, often involving baseline and intervention phases.

Purpose of the Intervention:

Objective:To reduce the frequency of seat leaving behavior during independent work time.
Experimental Question:Will implementing the DRO protocol effectively decrease the frequency of seat leaving for the targeted students?

Limitations:

Mentioned Limitations:Small sample size (limited to three students), limited generalization beyond these specific students.
Unmentioned Limitations:Variability in intervention effectiveness for each student, potential external factors not considered.

Overall Objective:

Intervention Goal:Improve classroom behavior by addressing attention-seeking seat leaving behavior during independent work time through the implementation of a DRO protocol.