Generalization and Maintenance

Have you ever learned something, only to forget, later on, what you learned? Or maybe you were able to apply what you learned to one area or in a setting, but you were unable to do it in another setting in which it would have been beneficial.

Behavior change and skill acquisition programs are designed to develop or increase the frequency of target behaviors. However, learning the techniques and engaging in a behavior now does not necessarily mean that the behavior will continue in the future. Similarly, engaging in a behavior in one setting does not mean that it will occur in other settings.

The process of continuing to exhibit a behavior over time is referred to as maintenance. The process of exhibiting the behavior across different settings is referred to as "generalization." Research from the 1970s (Cooper et al., Pratt et al.; Stokes & Baer, 1977) to today has continuously demonstrated that if you do not plan for your behaviors to be maintained and generalized, they are not likely to continue.

This week, you will explore techniques for maintaining behaviors over time and facilitating their generalization to other environments.

References:

Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied behavior analysis (3rd ed.). Pearson.

Pratt, J. L., Wickerd, G. D., & Steege, M. W. (2019). Generalization and maintenance. In S. G. Little, & A. Akin-Little (Eds.), Behavioral interventions in schools: Evidence-based positive strategies (2nd ed., pp. 97–111). American Psychological Association.

Stokes, T. F., & Baer, D. M. (1977). An implicit technology of generalization. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 10 (2), 349–367. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1977.10-349

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Due Oct 23 10:59pm

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Discussion Topic: Week 9: DiscussionWeek 9: Discussion

Back to Week at a Glance

Generalization and Maintenance

Have you ever learned something, only to forget, later on, what you learned? Or maybe you were able to apply what you learned to one area or in a setting, but you were unable to do it in another setting in which it would have been beneficial.

Behavior change and skill acquisition programs are designed to develop or increase the frequency of target behaviors. However, learning the techniques and engaging in a behavior now does not necessarily mean that the behavior will continue in the future. Similarly, engaging in a behavior in one setting does not mean that it will occur in other settings.

The process of continuing to exhibit a behavior over time is referred to as maintenance. The process of exhibiting the behavior across different settings is referred to as "generalization." Research from the 1970s (Cooper et al., Pratt et al.; Stokes & Baer, 1977) to today has continuously demonstrated that if you do not plan for your behaviors to be maintained and generalized, they are not likely to continue.

This week, you will explore techniques for maintaining behaviors over time and facilitating their generalization to other environments.

References:

Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied behavior analysis (3rd ed.). Pearson.

Pratt, J. L., Wickerd, G. D., & Steege, M. W. (2019). Generalization and maintenance. In S. G. Little, & A. Akin-Little (Eds.), Behavioral interventions in schools: Evidence-based positive strategies (2nd ed., pp. 97–111). American Psychological Association.

Stokes, T. F., & Baer, D. M. (1977). An implicit technology of generalization. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 10 (2), 349–367. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1977.10-349

To Prepare

• Review the Learning Resources for this week, including the required weekly media programs, to gain an understanding of both generalization and maintenance. Note: It is critical for you to review all media for this week prior to completing this Discussion.
• Search the internet and/or the Walden library to find examples of behavioral techniques that improve maintenance and generalization of academic behaviors.
• Consider the following scenario:

Nicole rarely did her homework in English class and usually did not complete her English classwork in the time allotted. Being the effective behavior analyst that you are, you developed a behavior plan that dramatically increased her homework and classwork completion.

• Consider your own experiences from your academic career to see if you can identify factors that worked well for you in maintaining successful behaviors

  Resources

• Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied behavior analysis (3rd ed.). Pearson.
  • Chapter 30, “Generalization and Maintenance of Behavior Change” (pp. 714–755)
• Foxx, R. M. (2013). The maintenance of behavioral change: The case for long-term follow-ups. American Psychologist, 68 (8), 728–736. The maintenance of behavioral change: The case for long-term follow-upsLinks to an external site.
• Pratt, J. L., Wickerd, G. D., & Steege, M. W. (2019). Generalization and maintenance. In S. G. Little, & A. Akin-Little (Eds.), Behavioral interventions in schools: Evidence-based positive strategies (2nd ed., pp. 97–111). American Psychological Association.Credit Line: Behavioral Interventions in Schools: Evidence-Based Positive Strategies, 2nd Edition by Little, S. G., & Akin-Little, A. Copyright 2019 by American Psychological Association. Reprinted by permission of American Psychological Association via the Copyright Clearance Center. Licensed in 2021.Generalization and maintenance
• Based on the scenario provided:
• Post a description of the techniques you can use to increase the likelihood that Nicole will maintain these positive behavior changes in English and apply them to other subjects, such as math. In addition, describe your own experiences from when you were in school to identify factors that worked well for you in maintaining academic behaviors.