Recruiting

Behavioral Economics

Sponsor:

Oakland University

Code:

NCT06651606

Conditions

Problem Behavior

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 6 - 21

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Progressive Ratio Training (PRT)

Differential Reinforcement of Alternative (DRA) Behavior with Extinction

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare a novel tactic for mitigating reinstatement compared to the current standard of care approach using a translational-treatment model. The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. how well does progressive ratio training mitigate response-dependent reinstatement compared to the standard of care approach?
2. how well does progressive ratio training mitigate response-independent reinstatement compared to the standard of care approach?

Conditions

Problem Behavior

Study ID

NCT06651606

Start date

Sep 30, 2024

Status verified date

Aug, 2025

Completion date

Sep 10, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Mar 10, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 6 - 21

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Boys and girls from ages 6 to 21
  • Engage in problem behavior
  • Diagnosis of some type of intellectual and developmental disability

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Not meeting the inclusion criteria

Study Design

Enrollment

24 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Progressive Ratio Training

Participants in the progressive ratio training Arm will experience the novel reinstatement-mitigation tactic: Progressive Ratio Training (PRT).

Progressive ratio training (PRT) is used to prevent recurrence of the proxy response when extinction errors occur. PRT involves providing a reinforcer for the proxy response on a geometric progressive ratio (PR) scale. The schedule requirement will increase for the target response each time a reinforcer is delivered. For example, once a reinforcer is delivered on the PR-2 schedule, the requirement will increase to a PR-4, then to a PR-8, -16,

-32, etc.

experimental: Standard of Care

Participants in the standard of care Arm will receive an analogue to the standard of care approach for problem behavior: differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) with extinction.

In DRA with extinction, the proxy for problem behavior will cease to produce reinforcement while the proxy for communication behavior will produce reinforcement on a fixed-ratio 1 schedule of reinforcement.

Interventions

Progressive Ratio Training (PRT)

Progressive ratio training (PRT) is used to prevent recurrence of the proxy response when extinction errors occur. PRT involves providing a reinforcer for the proxy response on a geometric progressive ratio (PR) scale. The schedule requirement will increase for the target response each time a reinforcer is delivered. For example, once a reinforcer is delivered on the PR-2 schedule, the requirement will increase to a PR-4, then to a PR-8, -16,

-32, etc.

Differential Reinforcement of Alternative (DRA) Behavior with Extinction

In DRA with extinction, the proxy for problem behavior is placed on extinction and no longer produces reinforcement. The proxy for communication behavior produces reinforcement on a fixed-ratio 1 schedule of reinforcement.

Primary outcome measure

  • Treatment Effectiveness [ Time Frame: 2 years ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Michael P Kranak, PhD

248-370-4251kranak@oakland.edu

Locations

Auburn University

Recruiting

Auburn, Alabama, United States, 36849

Contacts

John M Falligant, PhD

334-844-6483jmf0031@auburn.edu

Principal Investigator:

John M Falligant, PhD

Oakland University

Recruiting

Rochester, Michigan, United States, 48309

Contacts

Michael P Kranak, PhD

248-370-4251kranak@oakland.edu

Principal Investigator:

Michael P Kranak, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

Oakland University

Last update posted

Aug 21, 2025

Last verified

Aug, 2025

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Oakland University on 2025-08-21.