Date of Award:

8-2020

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Psychology

Committee Chair(s)

Amy L. Odum

Committee

Amy L. Odum

Committee

Thomas S. Higbee

Committee

Gregory J. Madden

Committee

Timothy A. Shahan

Committee

Maryellen McClain Verdoes

Abstract

Behavioral variability is sometimes adaptive and can be maintained by the delivery of reinforcement. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often show restricted and repetitive behaviors. Therefore, interventions to promote behavioral variability in individuals with ASD are needed. The present line of research was designed to inform such interventions by investigating reinforced behavioral variability from basic, applied, and translational perspectives. Each of these laboratory studies involved participants making sequences of well-defined responses, which were compared to previous responses. Responses that meet a variability contingency (i.e., were sufficiently different from previous responses) produced rewards. Studies 1 and 2 were basic experiments, in which we demonstrated a recurrence of reinforced behavioral variability in pigeons and college students, respectively. Study 3 was an applied experiment designed to assess choice for variability in children with ASD. Study 4 was a translational experiment investigating the viability of a rat model of ASD. This translational line of research should be continued to better understand reinforced behavioral variability and its implications for ASD.

Checksum

33bfd7a6ee494354b966758477239c39

Download

Included in

Psychology Commons

Share

COinS

Copyright for this work is retained by the student. If you have any questions regarding the inclusion of this work in the Digital Commons, please email us at .