University of Florida
Project Title: Evaluating effects of number of context exposures on renewal following multiple-context training
Kyleigh Montague is a doctoral student in behavior analysis at the University of Florida under the mentorship of Dr. Chris Podlesnik. Broadly, she conducts foundational research on operant behavior, particularly exploring behavioral processes contributing to relapse effects. Her current research is centered on understanding the behavioral processes contributing to relapse phenomena and evaluating mitigation techniques to attenuate these effects. Specifically, her thesis is a preclinical investigation on the impact of number of qualitatively distinct context changes used during differential reinforcement on renewal in familiar and novel settings.
Though examinations of renewal with differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) are common (e.g., Kelley et al., 2018; Kimball et al., 2020, 2023; Saini et al., 2018), no published studies have examined the effectiveness of conducting treatment in multiple contexts on renewal following DRA. Further, studies examining the effects of conducting treatment in multiple contexts universally incorporate only up to three context changes during treatment (e.g., Bandarian Balooch & Neumann, 2011; Bandarian Balooch et al., 2012; Bernal-Gamboa et al., 2017, 2020). Thus, it is unknown whether different numbers of qualitatively distinct context changes arranged during DRA in multiple contexts affect subsequent renewal in familiar or novel contexts.
By parametrically manipulating the number of context exposures across groups in a preclinical arrangement, Kyleigh’s project will explore whether a greater number of context exposures during treatment results in greater treatment generalization. Her project will influence the treatment of challenging behavior by informing clinicians (1) about the general effectiveness of conducting treatment in multiple contexts during DRA on renewal mitigation and (2) whether a greater number of context exposures more effectively mitigates renewal. Her project contributes to the translational research process by facilitating integration of knowledge from preclinical to clinical settings and by serving as pilot data for a clinical-research grant assessing the effectiveness of conducting treatment in multiple contexts on reducing relapse following DRA.
Kyleigh extends her gratitude to SABA, Dr. Podlesnik, her colleagues, family, and friends for their support of her master’s thesis research. She is honored to be a recipient and is eager to share her results at upcoming conferences and in print.
Back to Master's Thesis and Doctoral Dissertation Grants
