• International Development Grant
• Senior Student Presenter Grant
• Innovative Student Research Grant
• Innovative Student Research Grant in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Sidney W. & Janet R. Bijou Grant
• Public Awareness Grant
• Microcredentials Grant

University of Florida

Project Title: Parametric Manipulation and Quantitative Analysis of the Effects of On/off Alternative- reinforcement Cycling on Resurgence

Carla is a PhD candidate in the Behavior Analysis program at the University of Florida under the mentorship of Dr. Chris Podlesnik. Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Carla received her bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University in 2021. She later received her master’s degree from the University of Florida in 2024.

Relapse represents one of the greatest challenges to the long-term effectiveness of a range of behavioral interventions, such as differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA). Carla’s research aims to refine existing interventions and improve their durability by identifying the variables that influence the return of challenging behavior, a phenomenon known as resurgence. Specifically, her dissertation evaluates a promising preclinical method to mitigate resurgence by arranging cycling between alternative reinforcement availability (“on”) and unavailability (“off”) during treatment while target remains on extinction.

Using a computer-based task with crowdsourced adults to simulate treatment procedures, Carla’s dissertation consists of three experiments:

 Experiment 1 examines whether resurgence is mitigated following exposure to on/off cycling versus constant alternative reinforcement.

 Experiment 2 evaluates how different proportions of on/off cycles impact resurgence by parametrically manipulating the number of bins while keeping the duration of Phase 2 the same across groups.

 Experiment 3 evaluated resurgence following on/off cycling by parametrically manipulating schedules of reinforcement for target responding during “off” bins.

 This work utilizes quantitative theories (i.e., Resurgence as Choice in Context) to precisely formalize and evaluate how experience with dynamic, shifting contingencies drives behavior change and generalization.

Carla is deeply grateful to SABA for supporting her her master’s thesis research in 2023 and funding her current dissertation research. She would also like extend her gratitude to Dr. Podlesnik, her lab peers, and her family for their unwavering support over the years.

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