An experimental analysis of task refusal : examining the effects of transitions between academic tasks

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to do an experimental analysis of task refusal around academic demands for one girl with developmental disability. Task refusal was analyzed in two different experimental analyses, the first a demand analysis, testing if the behavior wasmaintained by an escape from demands and the second a transition analysis, testing if the behavior was the result of the transition context. Task refusal did not occur in the demand analysis, indicating that the behaviour was not maintained by an escape from demands.Contrary, task refusal occurred solely in the second experimental analysis when transitioning from a rich to a lean academic activity. In this case the context of terminating a preferred academic activity and transitioning to a less preferred academic activity was aversive, but not the demand itself. In addition, an embedded break was implemented as an intervention to decrease the task refusal during the rich to lean transition. In a multielement design, an embedded break condition was compared to a no break condition. During the embedded break condition, task refusal was reduced.Keywords: Demand Analysis, Transition Analysis, Task refusal