Modification of Response Class Hierarchies Through Differential Reinforcement of Functionally Equivalent Communication

A response class hierarchy (RCH) is a ranking of the behaviors within a response class, such that the behaviors occur in a predictable, temporal order. In the current study, we identified a RCH through an extinction analysis for two individuals who exhibited multiple topographies of problem behavior. Potential replacement communication responses were identified during the extinction analysis for each participant. We then examined the emergence and subsequent reinforcement of the identified communication responses in the absence of explicit training during treatment analyses. Reinforcement of communication in combination with other treatment components (e.g., extinction; discriminative stimuli) resulted in expansion of the RCH and decreased occurrences of problem behavior.