A comparative analysis of experimental designs for procedural fidelity investigations

Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) reduces challenging behavior and increases alternative responding when implemented as designed. Deviations from treatment protocols (i.e., fidelity errors) reduce the efficacy of DRA. To understand the effects of fidelity errors during DRA, researchers have used multielement and reversal designs but have not directly compared effects of fidelity errors across designs. The present experiments compared effects of fidelity errors on DRA using reversal and multielement designs in a translational arrangement. Twelve undergraduates experienced a computer program in which alternations between DRA with 100% fidelity (DRA 100%) and DRA with 50% fidelity (DRA 50%) occurred according to both multielement and reversal designs. Six participants experienced signaled conditions (Experiment 1), and six participants experienced unsignaled conditions (Experiment 2). Results replicated previous reduced-fidelity research in that more target responding occurred during DRA 50% relative to DRA 100%. This was true regardless of design type and presence of signals. However, when DRA 50% and DRA 100% were rapidly alternated without signals, participants engaged in less target responding during DRA 50% and more target responding during DRA 100%. Implications of the present experiments include considerations related to design selection and presence of signals within multielement designs during evaluations with procedural fidelity manipulations.