APPLIED BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS

FINAL PROJECT

CASE STUDY
SUBMITTED TO: MS. KHUDEJA MEHMOOD

SUBMITTED BY:

AFIFA KANWAL
BS-8C

IPP, BAHRIA UNIVERSITY KARACHI CAMPUS

CONTENTS

1. ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................3
2. INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................4
3. AIM OF THE STUDY .......................................................................................................6
4. OPERATIONAL DEFINITION ........................................................................................6
5. DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE CASE ..................................................................................7
6. CASE HISTORY ...............................................................................................................9
7. FUNCTIONAL BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS (FBA) ..........................................................10
8. METHOD AND PROCEDURE (RESULTS) .................................................................11
9. DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................17
10. CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................................19
11. RECOMMENDATIONS ...............................................................................................20
12. REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................21
13. APPENDICES ...............................................................................................................22

Appendix A (Consent Form) ..............................................23

Appendix B (FBA form) ....................................................24

Appendix C (Coloring Worksheet) ......................................25

Appendix D (academic worksheet) ......................................26

 ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to determine whether attention span can be increased in an
individual by using Differential Reinforcement of High Rate Behavior (DRH) to see that could
decrease inattention of a child. This study was conducted with a 12-year old child in a
Neuropsychiatric Hospital (Dr. Aisha’s Health Vision). The study was conducting three phases
with 60 minutes time per session. Results indicated a noticeable increase in attention span from
47% during baseline phase to 74.6% during the intervention phase. The average percentage of
attention span was 58% during the post-intervention phase, which is significantly high compared
to the baseline. The function of this behavior was found to be avoidance and escape from
academic tasks as well as his parents neglect behavior. The results of the study are in accordance
with the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and also supports ABA’s construct.
The study was made successful using the guidelines provided by behavior modification theory.
 INTRODUCTION

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has been defined by Cooper, Heron, & Heward (2007) as “a
science in which the principles of behavior are applied systematically to improve socially
significant behavior to a meaningful degree and experimentation is used to identify the variables
responsible for behavior change.” This therapy focuses on improving a variety of behaviors
varying from social skills, communication, reading, to domestic capabilities, motor skills,
grooming, punctuality, and a lot more. Researchers have indicated behavior therapy to be highly
useful for assisting students with learning disabilities (Bredberg E.A. & Siegel L.S., 2001).
Moreover, the development of specific reading skills has been identified as one of the major
domains for the application of behavior therapy.

A study aimed to see the inattention and the capture of attention by meaning (Arien, Zissis and
Michael, 2002) Attention is necessary for the conscious perception of any object. Objects not
attended to are not seen. What is it that captures attention when we are engaged in some
attention-absorbing task? Earlier research has shown that there are only a very few stimuli which
have this power and therefore are reliably detected under these conditions (for example, Mack
& Rock, 1998; Moray, 1959). The two most reliable are the observer’s own name and a happy
face icon which seem to capture attention by virtue of their meaning. Three experiments are
described which explore whether these stimuli are detected under conditions, heretofore
unexamined, which either cause inattentional blindness or are associated with a perceptual
failure associated with the limits of attention. The evidence obtained indicates that these stimuli
have a unique capacity to capture and extend the limits of attention under conditions in which
this has been deemed highly unlikely.

Learning is closely related to one's ability to give focus and attention to instructional activities.
The ability to maintain attention for a period of time is especially critical between 6 and 7 years.
At this age, children's attentional abilities are not fully developed. This study aimed to gain
knowledge of actual behavior related to the attention span of first graders in elementary school
during classroom activities. The data was obtained by observing one grade 1 elementary school
 in its natural setting with the time sampling method. Observations are based on the 'on-task and
'off-task behavior shown by the students. What found that the longest time elementary school
grade 1 students were able to show 'on-task behavior indicating their attention span was 7
minutes? These results indicate a gap with the expected attention span of grade 1 elementary
school children, which is about 18 minutes. This attentional ability displayed by the students is
considered very short, as 2-year-olds are already expected to have an attention span of
approximately 7 minutes (Schaefer & Millman, 1981).

Attention is vital in learning. Difficulties in attention and memory has been associated with
academic difficulties, behavior problems, and poor social functioning (DuPaul, McGoey, Eckert,
& VanBrakle, 2001). With the expectation to sustain attention during class for a certain period of

time at their age, first graders are not yet equipped with a mature ability. While on the other hand,
research has shown that first grade is a critical moment to attain basic scholastic abilities such as
reading which could affect academic achievement in the long run (Rabiner, Carrig, & Dodge,
2016). In this research, we would like to see the actual performance of first graders’ attentional
ability through their attention span during in-class activity. This information could be useful for
teachers or parents in supporting students’ learning and be used to adjust their instructional method
toward first graders.

Positive Reinforcement was first introduced by Burrhus Frederick Skinner (1971), a behavioral
Psychologist who defined positive reinforcement as a way to highlight behavior by rewarding
and likely to increase its occurrence. Negative behavior on the other hand is simply ignored.
Positive reinforcement is a very important part of behavioral analysis, which is a field within
psychology. Its applications are most often seen in the way specialists recommend to talk and
behave with our children as they are growing up. In this study we examine how positive
reinforcement affects class participation of students as well as their academic performance.

There are many kinds of reinforcements, it could be verbal reinforcement such as praise or in
the form of material rewards. McCarthy (2010), stated that Positive reinforcement can either be
a reward for good behavior, or simply positive communication in the form of praise or
encouragement. However, Positive reinforcement in the classroom in the form of awards and
gifts, can at times, is more effective than the oral ways of appreciation. Sometimes material
rewards which the students always wished to possess can increase the enthusiasm and energy in
them to perform better at every outing. Nonetheless, this does not indicate that praise is less
effective when it comes to motivating children. In fact, Behaviorists believe that children want
praise and they will do something more often if they are praised for it. (Sullivan, 2011).
Hence, the hypotheses for this study is:

 Differential Reinforcement of High Rate behavior (DRH) will significantly improve

attention span of an individual.
 AIM OF THE STUDY

The aim of the present study is to determine the function of the target behavior and to modify it in
a more adaptive and healthier way. The study focuses on increasing the child’s attention span in
order to improve the academic performance of an individual along with decreasing the child’s
avoidance of academic tasks, looking around and not listening to his caregivers.

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION

Attention span: “The length of time that an individual can stay focused and pay attention to a
particular task or stimulus without getting noticeably distracted or exhibiting symptoms of
inattention. It is measured by recording the duration of an individual's sustained cognitive effort
and concentration when they are engaged in a task, activity, or stimulus.”

Inattention: “persistent and noticeable lack of interest in activities or tasks requiring prolonged
cognitive effort, as well as a lack of focus or concentration. It is characterized by recurrent episodes
of distractibility, attentional wandering, and an inability to maintain focus on a particular stimulus
or task for a suitable amount of time.
 DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

Name: XY

Gender: Male

Age: 12 years 5 months

Date of Birth: 08 July 2011

Birth Order: last born

Number of siblings: three

Religion: Muslim

Nationality: Pakistani

Family System: Joint

 CASE HISTORY

XY is a 12-years 5-month old male who belongs to an upper-middle class family. He is the
youngest of his siblings and lives in a joint family structure. The child has two elder sisters and
there is a 5 year gap between his 2nd elder sister and him. He is very attached with all his family
members, especially his grandmother, he likes to watch videos on tablet as far as he is a very
pampered child in his home where everyone tries to fulfill his all needs and wishes which
somehow makes him easy to escape from academic tasks and work. His mother is a working
woman and father is an officer in the army. The child sometimes feels avoidant or ignorant when
his parents are busy but he displaced this feeling with his grandparents and siblings.

The child has experienced problems in doing academic tasks and work in school and home as
well. In school his inattentive behavior still controlled a little bit with a lot of effort from his
teachers whereas at home the child never tried to complete his work. His inconsistent
performance has frustrated her teachers, they said. Although she is capable of picking things up
quickly, her inattention in class hinders her ability to apply what she learns consistently. They
observed that she doesn't ask for assistance very often and appears reluctant to add anything in
class discussions. That is why she prefers someone to work for him for his future academic
progress. XY has also experienced bullying in his school for not being up to the mark in
academics. The child's IQ is average and he is very creative in arts and extracurricular activities
but when it comes to academics he struggles a lot.

XY does not have many friends at school or at the place that he goes to for the tuition. The
mother has a tough job so she is also not available most of the time. Therefore, he spends
maximum time on his own mainly by playing games on his tablet or phone, or by watching
movies and videos. As revealed by the mother, he has also developed aggression and
stubbornness over the time. Moreover, he tends to get possessive about his mother that is he
always wants her maximum attention and affection no matter what the situation is. But currently
the main concern of the mother is the significant difference in his academic performance
compared to the normative level of performance the students have at this age.
 FUNCTIONAL BEHAVIOR ASSESSMENT

In order to understand the factors controlling the behavior of inattention, functional behavior
assessment (FBA) was conducted.

FBA is a tool that helps to assess the possible function/ cause of the behavior so appropriate
interventions can be applied to modify the behavior. During the baseline observation it was
found that the individual would attend to every little movement around him like somebody
crossing the hallway, student entering the classroom, etc. Furthermore, it was observed that even
in the absence of external distractions, the person would frequently glance around or engage in
other activities, such as talking to others, straying from the task at hand. Typically, this occurs
in schools when academic tasks are assigned, and as a result of his inattentive behavior, other
students become agitated and the teacher starts yelling at him or telling him to concentrate on
his studies, which has no effect on the child and prompts them to ask him to leave the classroom.
Hence it could be concluded that the lack of attention was basically due to the function of
avoidance and escape from the academic related tasks and due to his parent’s busy schedule.

I was working on his undesirable behavior which was his inattention and worked to increase his
attention span while doing academic work and tasks. His inattentive behavior occurs mostly at
school and especially when it comes to home his parents scold him at once and then don't force
him to do work and let him to play which reinforces his inattentive behavior so they didn’t feel
this undesirable behavior of XY.

This behavior can be reduced by providing him with an organized environment and some
activities in the supervision of a teacher or someone elder so that attention span can be increased.
The child, his teachers, mother and Dadi whom he is attached to should be involved in
implementation of the intervention plan for modifying behavior more effectively.
 METHOD & PROCEDURE

PHASES OF STUDY:

The entire study was divided into three phases: Pre-intervention (baseline), Intervention and Post-
intervention. At the end of the third phase, after a gap of 4 days a follow-up visit was made.
1. Pre-intervention (Baseline):

In the pre-intervention phase, the observation and interview from mother and teachers took place.
In the initial sessions. It was observed that the child likes it when someone calls him by his name
and interacts with him with a smile; on such occasions, he smiles back and becomes happy. It was
also observed that he likes playing constructive games (puzzles, board games, Lego etc.).

As I talked to the child's mother, I found out that the child doesn’t like to do his home works and
assignments. The same thing was told by his teacher that he doesn’t show interest in class and is
always being distracted by every small thing which lets him avoid and escape from classes. After
interviewing the mother and teachers, I started observing the child. I didn’t interact in the first
session and silently observed the child and recorded the behavior through an event duration
recording sheet. I observe him silently and see for an hour-long session, how long he focused on
the coloring book and would write down in my notes.

The data collection for first target behavior of attention was done by a duration data collection
method of recording extended over a period of 5 days. One hour of daily observation was broken
down into equal intervals of 05 minutes. During this time the target behaviors were assessed to
determine their level prior to the introduction of the treatment program. The environment was
also analyzed to identify the possible controlling factors affecting the target behaviors. A timer
was used to indicate that the interval is about to end. The behavior was observed at the end of
each interval. In accordance with the operational definition of attention for this study, if the child
was observed doing anything apart from the given task a plus (+) was marked for the given
interval, whereas if the child was seen to be involved in the given work then a zero (0) was
marked. At the end of each day the total number of intervals in which the behavior occurred were
calculated, dividing it by the total number of intervals (in which the behavior occurs and in which
the behavior did not occur) and multiplying the answer by 100, a percentage estimate of the
behavior occurrence was calculated. The total time of the session was 60 minutes with 12
intervals of 5 minutes.

After extensive observation and data collection during the three phases of the study, following
results were calculated:

Days N0. Of intervals the behavior occurred X 100

Total number of intervals

1 48%
2 45%
3 51%
4 44%
5 47%

Mean 47%

No. of intervals the behavior occurred =Total

no of intervals x 100
52% 51%

50%
48%
48% 47% 47%

46% 45%
44%
44%

42%

40%
1 2 3 4 5 Mean
DAYS

[Table 1.1]

Results: On average the subject attention span was found 47% of the total observation time.
In the pre-intervention phase, mostly observation, interview and behavior recording took place.
During observation it was also found that the function behind inattention was avoidance and escape
from the task as he was unable to understand and execute the given task therefore he would
frequently lose his attention and due to this reason his school teachers find difficult to understand
him by which he usually had to face time-out and being a youngest child of house his behavior
was also ignored which creates an impact on his studies. The child was not giving attention more
than 4-5 minutes and he was constantly trying to go for different toys and games and keep asking
for different things from his parents.

2. Intervention Phase:

Considering all the information that I gathered in the pre-intervention phase including the
development and function of behavior, likes and dislikes of the child. I designed an intervention
plan for 7 days to reduce his inattentive behavior and increase the attention span of a child. Before
beginning the techniques, the reinforcer for the child were identified by asking him and realized
that screen time can be used as reinforcement but during the pre-observation phase it was
recommended to lessen his screen time in a whole day so that it can work more effectively.

For the intervention, Technique used for increasing the attention span was Differential
Reinforcement of Higher Rate (DRH) and shaping. Procedure of DRH was used to reinforce the
behavior of being more attentive and not getting distracted easily. By setting a time span of 10
minutes initially during which the child has to pay complete attention to the given task in order
to earn the reward. The time span was then gradually increased up to 20 minutes during the course
of intervention phase. For every day that the child would stay attentive for more time than the
previous session he was reinforced by getting a 10 minute break during which he could play any
game of choice on the tablet. Whereas verbal prompts were also used side by side to encourage
him more and by giving cues, like, “remember we’re writing about our favorite animal. When he
completed a few grammar sentences, “I said, “You’re doing great! As well as using gestural
prompts by head nodding and trying to be more interactive with him when he faced some
difficulties while doing sentence making worksheets so verbal and gestural prompts were also
used along the DRH.
 N0. Of intervals the behavior occurred X 100

Total number of intervals

1 72.5%
2 75%
3 71.4%
4 75%
5 76.5%
6 75.8%
7 76%

Mean 74.6%

No. of intervals the behavior occurred

Total no of intervals
77.0% 76.5%
75.8% 76.0%
76.0% 75.0% 75.0%
75.0% 74.6%
74.0%
73.0% 72.1%
72.0% 71.4%
71.0%
70.0%
69.0%
68.0%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 mean
DAYS

Results: On average the subject was found to be attentive and his attention span was 75% of the
total time. Which indicates significant reduction in inattention.

On the first day of intervention, the child took a very few minutes for coloring and then started
looking at the door and different toys. Initially it was difficult to maintain his attention but by using
positive feedback and prompts I tried to refocus him on his coloring book and after 7 intervals he
colored an apple by which we gave him an iPad to watch video. On the second day I discussed
with him the reinforcer, “today which video game you want to play? But before this you have to
do activity with me” there was a slight difference between his first and second day whereas when
it was about the following days his attention span was increased and he completed his worksheet
without losing his attention by doing high five with me and it was observed that not only he urged
for video games rather he enjoyed different academic tasks as well.

3. Post-Intervention Phase:

Post-intervention lasted for 5 days with 1 hour observation session each day. During this phase the
method of recording attention was similar to the one used during the pre-intervention phase to
indicate if any improvement has been achieved by the treatment and if this improvement is being
maintained after the termination of the program or not. As the post-intervention phase occur after
a gap of 3 days it was noticed in a post-intervention phase that the child’s attention span was better
than the pre-intervention phase which was observed by using the duration recording method of
attention span and reinforcing him when he tried to maintain his attention on specific tasks.

N0. Of intervals the behavior occurred X 100

Total number of intervals

1 52.5%
2 55%
3 63.5%
4 56.5%
5 62.8%

Mean 58%
 Series 1
70.00% 63.50% 62.80%
58.00%
60.00% 55.00%
52.50%
50.00%

40.00%

30.00% 26.50%

20.00%

10.00%

0.00%
1 2 3 4 5 Mean
DAYS

On average the subject was found to be attentive and his attention span was 52% of the total time.
Which also indicates reduction in inattention.

It was observed that his attention span decline in post-intervention phase but in a comparison with
pre-intervention phase his attention span still increased and it was found that after 2 days the
pattern of maintaining attention span and reinforcement was again resettled but with minimum
duration because of the 3 days gap between the last two phases.

Overall View of the Study:

80% MEAN %
70%
60%
50%
40%
74.60% Column2
30% 58%
47% Column1
20%
Mean
10%
0%
Pre-Intervention Intervention Post-Intervention
 DISCUSSION
The purpose of this study was to analyze the efficiency of techniques based on Applied Behavior
Analysis in improving attention span of an individual. Upon completion of this 17 days long
treatment program that was held in Dr. Aisha’s Health Vision Hospital, the subject’s results
showed that the study has been successful.

Experimental Measures for XY showed that the baseline of an individual's attention span was
47% of the total 60 minutes of observation time. This high rate was brought down to an average
of 75% after an intensive treatment program based on differential reinforcement of high rate
behavior (DRH). Results of post-intervention showed a decrease in the inattention to an average
of 52%. This average is still significantly lower than the baseline and therefore the effectiveness
of the technique cannot be undermined. Moreover, differential reinforcements are the best
alternative to punishments in order to bring about a desired behavior.

During the functional analysis of the baseline behavior it was observed that the child would lose
his attention very frequently and attend to every little movement around him. Furthermore, it
was seen that even in the absence of any distraction in the environment, the individual would
often look around or engage in other behaviors like talking to others, leaving the task at hand.
Hence it could be concluded that the lack of attention was basically due to the function of
avoidance and escape and his parents inattentive behavior as well where they used to let him
play and enjoy video games because of their busy schedule of work and at the same time his
teachers punished him for not listening and paying attention on class by which he had to escape
from a class as a punishment, therefore he would avoid doing academic based tasks while his
attention is easily maintained during games and other activities.

It was due to this reason that the study did not aim to increase attention alone but also aimed to
enhance the ability of the individual to be able to read, write and understand. This would lower
the levels of frustration caused due to regular punishments and inattentive behavior by parents
thus leading the individual to avoid the given task altogether. This was also observed during
sentence completion activity where the individual was able to answer all the sentences with
different intervals and long duration and in which he was losing his attention again and again
when it’s about to write the answers of it but what he needed was attention from someone who
can sit praise and constantly giving feedback on his small efforts which helped him during
intervention phase to complete that activity.

Reinforcing higher rates of attention has shown to be effective for increasing the attention span
of the individual using external motivation. But in addition to this, increased attention can also
be linked to the results of the second technique which helped the individual to develop his
academic skills through verbal reinforcements, praise and by giving prompts which certainly
decreased the frustration and avoidance of the task while enhancing the individual’s self-esteem
as well.

As the treatment phase ended, a relative decrease in attention was observed due to removal of
reinforcements, although the reinforcements were gradually removed as the intervention phase
came near the end, replacing it with verbal and gestural prompts and then completely removing
them. Moreover, it suggests that his attention span could be increased if this type of learning
continued. Hence the effectiveness of the techniques used are supported by the results of this
study.
 CONCLUSION
The data representation of the results of a one-month treatment program designed to enhance
attention span and decrease inattention of a 12-year-old child, using the differential
reinforcement of high rate behavior and technique of shaping, was analyzed and it is concluded
that the study has been successful in yielding the desired results, that is the attention span of the
individual increased significantly enabling him to focus well. The outcome of this study supports
the underlying construct of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and effectiveness of its
techniques in modifying behaviors and learning the new ones.
 RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the findings of the study following recommendations are made:

 Reinforcement of higher rate behavior (DRH) led to increase attention span, this
finding presents a wide range of research possibilities and must be tested with other
individuals.
 Reinforcement of (DRH) has a positive effect on maintaining attention span and this
can be implemented by his tutors in daily routine to help him focus on academics.
 Application of these techniques in a variety of settings that is at home, school and
tuitions together can yield rapid improvement in results of the individual.
 Parents should set aside time for their child—at least an hour—during which they
should support his accomplishments and help him fill in any gaps by praising him and
employing some suggested ABA strategies, cues and prompts.
 REFRENCES

 Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2007). Applied behavior analysis.
 Rahman, A. F., & Agustina, A. (2021). Therapist’s efforts in raising children’s autistic
attention in their letter-recognition studies. Journal of Cultura and Lingua, 2(1), 39-48.
 Pettit, M. J. (2013). The effects of positvitve reinforcment on non-compliant
behavior (Doctoral dissertation, Doctoral dissertation, Northwest Missouri State
University).
 Asprilia, T., Qodariah, L., & Purba, F. (2020, December 30). First Grader’s Attention
Span During In-Class Activity. ResearchGate.
 Bandura, A. (2007). Social learning theory. Warszawa, Poland: PWN
 DuPaul, G. J., McGoey, K. E., Eckert, T. L., & Van Brakle, J. V. (2001). Preschool
children with ADHD: Impairments in behavioral, social and school functioning.
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 508-515.
(2001, August). Journal of Attention Disorders, 5(1), 55–56.
 Mack, A., Pappas, Z., Silverman, M., & Gay, R. (2002, December 1). What we see:
Inattention and the capture of attention by meaning. Consciousness and Cognition.
APPENDIX
FBA SHEET
During Observation Phase: on the last day of observation phase even the child was not interested in
coloring and he was loosing his attention very frequently.
During intervention phase: snippets from his final days of intervention, during which the child was
becoming more focused and exhibiting interest in his academic work.