ABSTRACT

Functional analysis (FA) is a method developed and used by behavior analysts in human clinical settings to identify possible environmental variables that reinforce undesired behavior. FA is increasingly being applied to better understand the behavior of nonhuman animals. When training monkeys in a room with others, disruptive behavior displayed by neighboring monkeys can impede training progress. In the present study, a FA identified possible reinforcers of disruptive behavior (loud shaking of a toy) exhibited frequently (24% duration pre-treatment) by a rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) during in-room training sessions. The functional analysis identified that contingent delivery of foods was maintaining the disruptive behavior, with a mean percent duration of 57% in this condition. The implementation of a function-based treatment consisting of continuous access to a preferred food during in-room training sessions successfully decreased disruptive behavior by over 90% as measured during 15 subsequent sessions. This study advances the current literature applying functional analysis to nonhuman primates as a means of determining the reinforcers maintaining aberrant or undesirable behavior and applying effective treatments based on understanding this function.

摘要

功能分析 (FA) 是行为分析师在人类临床环境中开发和使用的一种方法，用于识别可能强化不良行为的环境变量。FA 越来越多地被应用于更好地理解非人类动物的行为。当与其他猴子在一个房间里训练猴子时，邻近猴子表现出的破坏性行为可能会阻碍训练进度。在本研究中，FA 确定了恒河猴 ( Macaca mulatta ) 经常表现出的破坏性行为（大声晃动玩具）（治疗持续时间为 24%）的可能强化物在室内培训课程期间。功能分析发现，偶然提供食物会维持破坏性行为，这种情况的平均持续时间百分比为 57%。实施基于功能的治疗（包括在室内培训课程期间持续获取首选食物）成功地将破坏性行为减少了 90% 以上（根据 15 个后续课程的测量结果）。这项研究推进了当前文献将功能分析应用于非人类灵长类动物，作为确定维持异常或不良行为的强化物的一种手段，并在了解该功能的基础上应用有效的治疗方法。