Most recent papers:

• Facilitating the emergence of convergent intraverbals in children with autism.
  Andresa A. DeSouza, Wayne W. Fisher, Nicole M. Rodriguez.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 26, 2018
  --- - |2 Convergent intraverbals represent a specific type of intraverbal in which multiple components of one speaker's verbal behavior control a specific verbal response from another speaker (e.g., Speaker 1: What wooly, horned animal lives in the high country? Speaker 2: Bighorn sheep). To foster the development of advanced language, Sunderbeg and Sundberg (2011) proposed prerequisite skills that may engender the emergence of novel, convergent intraverbals. We used a multiple‐probe design with both nonconcurrent (across participants) and concurrent (across stimulus sets) components to evaluate the effects of training these prerequisite skills on the emergence of convergent intraverbals with four children with autism. Participants showed the emergence of convergent intraverbals at mastery levels after they displayed mastery performance on all of the prerequisite skills identified by Sundberg and Sundberg, lending support to their characterization as prerequisites. We discuss these findings in terms of operant mechanisms that may facilitate the development of generative language. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, EarlyView.
  

  October 26, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.520   open full text
• Acquisition and generative responding following print‐to‐braille construction response training with sighted learners.
  Madelynn A. Lillie, Jeffrey H. Tiger.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 25, 2018
  --- - |2 Previous researchers have taught sighted adults to match braille sample stimuli to print comparisons in a matching‐to‐sample (MTS) format and assessed the emergence of other braille repertoires, such as transcribing and reading braille following this training. Although participants learned to match to sample with braille, they displayed limited emergence of other braille repertoires. Lack of generative responding may have resulted from participants' over‐selective attending to components of compound braille characters during instruction. We taught undergraduates to construct braille characters given a print sample, which required attending to each individual braille symbol, and assessed generative braille responding. Participants met mastery of 378 braille construction responses and demonstrated modestly improved responding compared with previous research. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, EarlyView.
  

  October 25, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.516   open full text
• Comparing forward and backward chaining in teaching Olympic weightlifting.
  James W. Moore, Laura M. Quintero.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 25, 2018
  --- - |2 The popularity of Olympic‐style weightlifting in fitness routines is growing, but participating in these exercises with improper technique places lifters at increased risk for injury. Fitness training professionals have developed multiple teaching strategies, but have not subjected these strategies to systematic evaluation, particularly with novice lifters. Two strategies recommended by professional training organizations are akin to forward and backward chaining, which have been shown effective at teaching other novel, complex behaviors. The present study compared these forward‐ and backward‐chaining‐like strategies to teach novice lifters “the clean” and “the snatch,” two Olympic weightlifting movements frequently incorporated into high‐intensity training programs. Participants performed lifts taught with forward chaining more accurately than lifts taught with backward chaining. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, EarlyView.
  

  October 25, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.517   open full text
• Erratum.
  
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 15, 2018
  --- - - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 4, Page 1011-1011, Fall 2018.
  

  October 15, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.518   open full text
• Issue Information.
  
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 15, 2018
  --- - - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 4, Page 755-756, Fall 2018.
  

  October 15, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.409   open full text
• Shifting preferences for choice‐making opportunities through histories of differential reinforcer quality.
  Melissa A. Drifke, Jeffrey H. Tiger, Margaret R. Gifford.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 10, 2018
  --- - |2 Children of both typical and atypical cognitive development tend to prefer contexts in which their behavior results in a choice of reinforcers rather than a single reinforcer, even when the reinforcer accessed is identical across conditions. The origin of this preference has been attributed speculatively to behavioral histories in which choice making tends to be associated with differentially beneficial outcomes. Few studies have evaluated this claim, and those that have, have yielded mixed results. We provided five preschool‐aged children experiences in which choice‐making and no‐choice contexts were differentially associated with higher preference and larger magnitude reinforcers, and we assessed changes in their preference for choice and no‐choice contexts in which outcomes were equated. These conditioning experiences resulted in consistent and replicable shifts in child preference, indicating that preference for choice is malleable through experience. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, EarlyView.
  

  October 10, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.515   open full text
• Decreasing influence of arbitrarily applicable verbal relations of recreational gamblers: A randomized controlled trial.
  Jordan Belisle, Dana Paliliunas, Mark R. Dixon, Ryan C. Speelman.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 05, 2018
  --- - |2 Twenty‐one recreational gamblers were randomly assigned to two groups; one group was exposed to a conditional discrimination relational training task to bias choice allocation to a black machine presented concurrently with a red machine, and the other group underwent the same relational training task immediately followed by a defusion procedure, designed to expand upon the relations developed in the initial relational task. Both groups completed a simulated slot‐machine task before and after the relational training task, with or without the defusion procedure. Results showed that 9 of 11 participants in the relational training only group showed an increased bias toward the black machine, compared to only 4 of 10 in the relational training plus defusion group; this latter group also showed greater matched responding. Results suggest that expanding verbal–relational networks may reduce the influence of any single verbal relation on gambling choice behavior. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, EarlyView.
  

  October 05, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.511   open full text
• An interest‐based intervention package to increase peer social interaction in young children with autism spectrum disorder.
  Laci Watkins, Mark O'Reilly, Michelle Kuhn, Katherine Ledbetter‐Cho.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 01, 2018
  --- - |2 The literature suggests that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) educated in inclusive settings generally do not interact with typically developing classmates during social activities. This study assessed whether an intervention package consisting of interest‐based structured play activities involving adult instruction, modeling, and response to child questions would result in an increase in social interaction with typically developing peers. A multiple baseline design across four participants with an embedded reversal was used to demonstrate the effects of the intervention on social interaction during structured play sessions. Initiations, responses, and interactive play increased for all participants. Generalization to novel peers was observed, and treatment gains were maintained during 6‐week follow‐up sessions. Recommendations for practitioners working with children with ASD in inclusive settings and potential areas of future research are discussed. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, EarlyView.
  

  October 01, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.514   open full text
• Does the Good Behavior Game evoke negative peer pressure? Analyses in primary and secondary classrooms.
  Emily A. Groves, Jennifer L. Austin.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 27, 2018
  --- - |2 The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is a classroom management system that employs an interdependent group contingency, whereby students work as a team to win the game. Although previous anecdotal data have suggested that this arrangement may promote prosocial behavior, teachers may have concerns about its fairness and potential to evoke negative peer interactions (especially toward students who break the rules). We evaluated disruptive behaviors and social interactions during the GBG in a secondary classroom for students with emotional and behavioral disorders, as well as in a primary classroom for students with mild developmental disabilities. Results indicate that the GBG reduced disruptive behaviors; further, negative peer interactions decreased and positive interactions increased when the game was being played. Social validity results indicate that the majority of students thought the interdependent group contingency was fair. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, EarlyView.
  

  September 27, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.513   open full text
• Evaluation of the accuracy, reliability, efficiency, and acceptability of fast forwarding to score problem behavior.
  Mychal A. Machado, Kevin C. Luczynski, Stephanie A. Hood.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 25, 2018
  --- - |2 Technological advances have allowed professionals to obtain extended recordings of caregiver–client interactions in natural settings, but scoring recorded video at normal speed to identify instances of low‐rate problem behavior is impractical in terms of scoring time. Fast forwarding is a continuous measurement system in which all seconds of an observation are viewed at a speed faster than normal. In Study 1, we evaluated whether three groups of five observers could discriminate problem behavior at three fast‐forwarding speeds across 10‐min observations. We analyzed the efficiency of using fast forwarding compared to continuous scoring, and interobserver agreement across the fast‐forwarding speeds. In Study 2, we compared the accuracy, efficiency, and social acceptability of fast forwarding (3.5x) and momentary time sampling (3.5 s) across 90‐min observations. Results support the use of 3.5x fast forwarding as a viable measurement system of improving the practicality of scoring problem behavior from video. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, EarlyView.
  

  September 25, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.510   open full text
• The rooting reflex as an infant feeding cue.
  Kathryn R. Glodowski, Rachel H. Thompson, Lauren Martel.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 25, 2018
  --- - |2 Experts in infant health and development consider the rooting reflex a cue of a baby's hunger and recommend feeding the infant when this reflex occurs. However, the relation between rooting and infant feeding status has not been well established in the literature. In the current study, seven parents documented the occurrence of their newborns' rooting, crying, and a control reflex (palmar grasp) before, after, and between naturally occurring feedings. For all participants, rooting occurred during a greater percentage of reflex checks prior to feedings, whereas the palmar grasp occurred during a similar percentage of checks across these time periods. These results provide empirical support for the rooting reflex as a feeding cue. However, data for only one dyad suggested a high probability of the rooting reflex occurring without crying during prefeeding checks. Thus, our data do not provide evidence that feeding in response to the rooting reflex would preempt infant crying. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, EarlyView.
  

  September 25, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.512   open full text
• Comparison of components of the Good Behavior Game in a preschool classroom.
  Elizabeth A. Foley, Claudia L. Dozier, Amber L. Lessor.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 24, 2018
  --- - |2 The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is an effective intervention package for decreasing disruptive behavior in various populations and environments. There is, however, limited research evaluating the GBG with preschoolers. Furthermore, few studies have evaluated the effects of components of the GBG, and of those that have, most have done so only after exposure to the GBG package. We evaluated the effects (a) of the GBG on disruptive behavior of preschoolers during group instruction and (b) the major components of the GBG before and after implementation of the GBG package (c) at both the group and individual level. Results suggest that the GBG package was necessary for decreasing disruptive behavior. However, after exposure to the GBG, a response‐independent contingency was effective for maintaining low levels of disruptive behavior at both the group and individual level. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, EarlyView.
  

  September 24, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.506   open full text
• A review of environmental enrichment as treatment for problem behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement.
  Holly C. Gover, Tara A. Fahmie, Ciobha A. McKeown.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 22, 2018
  --- - |2 We reviewed studies that used environmental enrichment as treatment for problem behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement. A search of behavior analytic journals produced 71 publications with a total of 265 applications of environmental enrichment used alone or in conjunction with alternative behavior manipulations (e.g., prompting, reinforcement) and problem behavior manipulations (e.g., blocking, restraint). Environmental enrichment, as a sole intervention, was efficacious in 41% of the sample. Alternative behavior manipulations, problem behavior manipulations, and a combination of both improved the overall efficacy of environmental enrichment. We discuss factors that may influence the efficacy of environmental enrichment, current trends in research on this topic, and implications for both practitioners and researchers. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, EarlyView.
  

  September 22, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.508   open full text
• An evaluation of a punisher assessment for decreasing automatically reinforced problem behavior.
  Amanda L. Verriden, Eileen M. Roscoe.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 20, 2018
  --- - |2 We extended research on the identification and evaluation of potential punishers for decreasing automatically reinforced problem behavior in four individuals with autism spectrum disorder. A punisher selection interview was conducted with lead clinicians to identify socially acceptable punishers. During the treatment evaluation, treatment phases were introduced sequentially and included noncontingent reinforcement (NCR), NCR and differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA), and NCR‐and‐DRA with punishment. During the NCR‐and‐DRA with punishment phase, four to five potential punishers were evaluated using a multielement design. Dependent measures included the target problem behavior, appropriate item engagement, and emotional responding. For all participants, NCR‐and‐DRA was not effective and punishment was necessary. However, the most effective punisher identified in the context of NCR‐and‐DRA differed across participants. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, EarlyView.
  

  September 20, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.509   open full text
• Assessing the generality and durability of interview‐informed functional analyses and treatment.
  Jordan Chusid Rose, Lauren Beaulieu.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 20, 2018
  --- - |2 Due to the limited research demonstrating socially valid outcomes of function‐based treatments in ecologically relevant environments (Santiago, Hanley, Moore, & Jin, 2016), we replicated and extended the effects of the interview‐informed functional analysis and skill‐based treatment procedure described by Hanley, Jin, Vanselow, and Hanratty (2014) with two children diagnosed with autism in a home setting. The assessment and treatment was implemented by a home‐based service provider and treatment was extended to the participants’ parents. Following the interview‐informed functional analyses, we taught the participants functional communication responses and to engage in less‐preferred activities when functional communication outcomes were delayed. We observed large reductions in problem behavior following the introduction of the function‐based treatment. The effects extended to novel settings, stimuli, and caregivers and the results maintained at 6‐week follow‐ups. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, EarlyView.
  

  September 20, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.504   open full text
• Further examination of video‐based preference assessments without contingent access.
  Matthew T. Brodhead, So Yeon Kim, Mandy J. Rispoli.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 20, 2018
  --- - |2 The first purpose of this study was to attempt to replicate previous findings that video‐based preference assessments without access to selected stimuli may accurately predict relative reinforcing efficacy of stimuli. To do this, we conducted a concurrent operant reinforcer assessment in which we evaluated the relative reinforcing value of highly preferred and less preferred items identified in a video‐based preference assessment. The second purpose of this study was to begin to evaluate the potential behavioral mechanisms responsible for the validity of this assessment. To conduct this analysis, we evaluated the relative reinforcing value of those same stimuli depicted in video format and then compared results to results obtained during the reinforcer assessment for tangible stimuli. For all five participants, stimuli identified as highly preferred functioned as reinforcers, and four of five participants, responding during the reinforcer assessment was similar in the presence of tangible stimuli and videos depicting those stimuli. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, EarlyView.
  

  September 20, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.507   open full text
• A comparison of group contingencies on academic compliance.
  Meghan A. Deshais, Alyssa B. Fisher, SungWoo Kahng.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 19, 2018
  --- - |2 We used a reversal design with an embedded multielement design to compare the effects of an independent group contingency and a randomized dependent group contingency on compliance with assigned literacy worksheets in a first‐grade general education classroom. Nine participants were selected based on low levels of compliance in baseline or by teacher identification. Results indicated that both group contingencies increased compliance relative to baseline for the majority of participants. The independent condition produced higher levels of compliance for four students and the randomized dependent condition produced higher levels of compliance for one student. For four students, the two group contingencies were equally effective. A preference assessment indicated that the majority of target students preferred the randomized dependent condition and the majority of nontarget students preferred the independent condition. A number of potential explanations for our preference findings, including the possible role of obtained reinforcement, are discussed. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, EarlyView.
  

  September 19, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.505   open full text
• Assessing and teaching job‐related social skills to adults with autism spectrum disorder.
  Carolyn M. Grob, Dorothea C. Lerman, Channing A. Langlinais, Natalie K. Villante.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 17, 2018
  --- - |2 Few studies have evaluated interventions to improve the job‐related social skills of adults with autism spectrum disorder. In this study, we examined the efficacy of a treatment package for teaching several social skills that are critical to job success, such as responding appropriately to feedback and asking for a task model from the supervisor. Three adults, aged 19 to 27 years, participated. Initial training of each skill consisted of verbal explanations, modeling, and role‐play with feedback, along with stimulus prompts to promote generalization to a different setting. The trainer introduced additional intervention components as needed. We also evaluated generalization across different social skills and evocative situations. Results indicated that the treatment package was generally effective in improving the targeted social skills, and that stimulus prompts may be necessary for generalization to a job setting. However, generalized responding across social skills rarely emerged. These findings have important implications for preparing individuals with autism to function successfully on the job. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, EarlyView.
  

  September 17, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.503   open full text
• Implementation of interventions informed by precursor functional analyses with young children: A replication.
  Audrey N. Hoffmann, Tyra P. Sellers, Hayley Halversen, Sarah E. Bloom.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 11, 2018
  --- - |2 Individuals who engage in problem behavior may also engage in precursor behavior maintained by the same functional reinforcers as the more severe target problem behavior. This study replicates and extends previous research by examining precursor assessments and interventions with three preschool‐aged children. We conducted assessments to identify precursor behavior, and conducted subsequent functional analyses targeting the precursor behavior. We then implemented function‐based interventions to address the precursor behavior, resulting in reductions in precursor behavior and continued low or zero rates of severe problem behavior. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 4, Page 879-889, Fall 2018.
  

  September 11, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.502   open full text
• Nature and scope of synthesis in functional analysis and treatment of problem behavior.
  Jessica D. Slaton, Gregory P. Hanley.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 11, 2018
  --- - |2 Functional analysis (FA) of problem behavior typically includes the contingent delivery of a single reinforcer following problem behavior. However, the FA literature also includes examples of analyses that have delivered multiple reinforcers, arranged multiple establishing operations in one or more test conditions, or both. These analyses have been successfully applied under heterogeneous conditions over several decades and with various synthesized establishing operations and reinforcers, but their qualitative details, outcomes, and contributions to the literature have never been described in a comprehensive manner. The purpose of the current review is to: (a) identify articles that have reported the use of synthesized FAs or treatments; (b) describe the nature and scope of synthesis as it has been applied in the FA literature; (c) analyze outcomes of synthesized FAs and treatments to determine general benefits and disadvantages of synthesis; and (d) offer recommendations for future areas of research. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 4, Page 943-973, Fall 2018.
  

  September 11, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.498   open full text
• Minimizing resurgence of destructive behavior using behavioral momentum theory.
  Wayne W. Fisher, Brian D. Greer, Ashley M. Fuhrman, Valdeep Saini, Christina A. Simmons.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 04, 2018
  --- - |2 The resurgence of destructive behavior can occur during functional communication training (FCT) if the alternative response contacts a challenge (e.g., extinction). Behavioral momentum theory (BMT) suggests that refinements to FCT could mitigate resurgence of destructive behavior during periods of extinction. Following a functional analysis and treatment with FCT, we combined three refinements to FCT (i.e., the use of a lean schedule of reinforcement for destructive behavior during baseline, a lean schedule for the alternative response during FCT, and an increase in the duration of treatment) and compared the magnitude of resurgence relative to a condition in which FCT was implemented in a traditional manner. Results suggested that the combination of these three refinements to FCT was successful in decreasing the resurgence of destructive behavior during an extinction challenge. We discuss the implications of these findings, as well as areas for future research. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 4, Page 831-853, Fall 2018.
  

  September 04, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.499   open full text
• Response to bullying (RTB): Behavioral skills and in situ training for individuals diagnosed with intellectual disabilities.
  Rebecca L. Stannis, Kimberly A. Crosland, Raymond Miltenberger, Diego Valbuena.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 31, 2018
  --- - |2 This study evaluated behavioral skills training (BST) and in situ training (IST) to teach a response to bullying (RtB) to four adults with intellectual disabilities who were victims of bullying. The RtB consisted of refraining from retaliating, stating disapproval, walking away, and telling a staff member. In situ assessments were conducted in the natural setting to assess the effects of BST and IST. BST alone was successful in teaching the RtB to two participants. When BST did not result in the use of the RtB, IST was effective for one participant, and IST plus an incentive was effective for the other participant. The results of this study are consistent with previous BST and IST research. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, EarlyView.
  

  August 31, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.501   open full text
• The Good Behavior Game in preschool classrooms: An evaluation of feedback.
  Katie M. Wiskow, Ashley L. Matter, Jeanne M. Donaldson.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 31, 2018
  --- - |2 The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is a popular group contingency implemented to decrease disruptive behavior in classrooms. However, despite numerous replications of the GBG, there are few direct comparisons evaluating the effectiveness of specific components of the GBG. In the present study, we directly compared the type of feedback delivered during the GBG on the effectiveness of the GBG to reduce disruptive behavior in two preschool classrooms. Results showed that delivering vocal feedback (e.g., “raise your hand”) alone or in combination with visual feedback (i.e., hatch marks) was superior to no feedback or visual feedback alone during the GBG. These results suggest that different variations of the GBG are not equally effective and that a collection of effective procedural variations from which teachers can choose would be beneficial. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, EarlyView.
  

  August 31, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.500   open full text
• Effects of toy removal and number of demands on vocal stereotypy during response interruption and redirection.
  Ozlem Toper‐Korkmaz, Dorothea C. Lerman, Loukia Tsami.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 28, 2018
  --- - |2 Numerous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of response interruption and redirection (RIRD) for reducing vocal stereotypy in children with autism. However, the procedure can be time‐consuming to implement. Results of Saini, Gregory, Uran, and Fantetti (2015) suggested that an abbreviated variation of RIRD was just as effective as the commonly used variation of RIRD, but further research is needed. In addition, no studies have evaluated the role of toy removal on the efficacy of RIRD even though this procedural component is frequently combined with RIRD. We examined the separate and combined effects of RIRD and contingent toy removal when three children with autism were required to respond to one demand versus three demands. One‐demand RIRD was effective for all participants, and the contingent removal of toys alone reduced responding for two of three participants. Findings have important implications for treating vocal stereotypy in relevant settings. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 4, Page 757-768, Fall 2018.
  

  August 28, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.497   open full text
• A translational analysis of ABA and ABC renewal of operant behavior.
  Clare J. Liddon, Michael E. Kelley, Catalina N. Rey, Ashley P. Liggett, Aurelia Ribeiro.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. July 17, 2018
  --- - |2 Following reduction, behavior may recur when organisms are exposed to new or different environments. Such recurrences, called treatment relapse, are characterized by an increase of a previously reduced behavior. Renewal is a type of treatment relapse resulting from changes in stimulus contexts despite the ongoing maintenance of treatment. Renewal types include varying arrangements, such as ABA and ABC renewal, where each letter represents a different context. In the present series of translational analyses, we evaluated both ABA and ABC renewal and assessed whether these two renewal arrangements may be present in a single participant's behavior. Results produced evidence of both ABA and ABC renewal, and both types of renewal were detected in an individual participant's behavior. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 4, Page 819-830, Fall 2018.
  

  July 17, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.496   open full text
• Computer‐based training to detect antecedents and consequences of problem behavior.
  Jelisa Scott, Dorothea C. Lerman, Kally Luck.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. July 16, 2018
  --- - |2 Training teachers and paraprofessionals to detect and record putative antecedents and consequences of problem behavior in the classroom has a number of potential benefits. In this study, we evaluated the outcomes of a computer‐based training program consisting of lectures, models, and practice. A total of 39 teachers and paraprofessionals participated. Participants scored videos of teacher‐student interactions after completing components of the instruction. The study was designed to evaluate the incremental contribution of instruction focused on (a) single exemplars of antecedents and consequences, (b) multiple exemplars of antecedents and consequences, and (c) simultaneously occurring antecedents and consequences. Training to detect simultaneously occurring events was necessary for the majority of participants to reach high levels of performance. The findings support the efficacy of computer‐based training and indicate the necessary and sufficient components of this training. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 4, Page 784-801, Fall 2018.
  

  July 16, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.495   open full text
• Teaching installation and use of child passenger safety restraints.
  Antonia R. Giannakakos, Jason C. Vladescu, Rachel Simon.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. July 13, 2018
  --- - |2 Correctly installed child passenger safety restraints may reduce the risk of child injury and death during accidents. The present study evaluated behavioral skills training and self‐monitoring to teach correct installation and use of a child passenger safety restraint in the rear‐facing position. Extension probes were conducted with untrained installations and harnessing positions. Training was successful in teaching participants all installation methods and harnessing positions. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 4, Page 915-923, Fall 2018.
  

  July 13, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.493   open full text
• Teaching children with autism to identify and respond appropriately to the preferences of others during play.
  Adel C. Najdowski, Megan St. Clair, Jesse A. Fullen, Amelia Child, Angela Persicke, Jonathan Tarbox.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. July 13, 2018
  --- - |2 We observed three children with autism spectrum disorder during structured play dates in which play partners displayed interest or disinterest in the toys with which they were playing. We then taught subjects to identify play partners' preferences and to make appropriate toy offers using a multiple‐exemplar training package consisting of rules, midplay preference questions, prompting, and praise with observed generalization across untrained partners. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 4, Page 890-898, Fall 2018.
  

  July 13, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.494   open full text
• Issue Information.
  
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. July 11, 2018
  --- - - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 441-442, Summer 2018.
  

  July 11, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.408   open full text
• An external review of the conclusions regarding the peak direct training module.
  Benjamin N. Witts.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. July 11, 2018
  --- - |2 Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge—Direct Training Module (PEAK‐DTM) is a commercially available assessment and curriculum for individuals whose language skills are not developmentally adequate. In their review of PEAK‐DTM, Reed and Luiselli (2016) analyzed the extant literature on PEAK‐DTM and concluded that it has a sound and growing body of empirical support on its efficacy, usability, and psychometric properties. Similar conclusions are mirrored in the PEAK‐DTM literature and promotional material. I review these conclusions and contend that many overrate the research that backs them. Suggestions for a more rigorous research agenda on PEAK‐DTM and its related modules are provided. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 719-737, Summer 2018.
  

  July 11, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.491   open full text
• Behavioral treatment of automatically reinforced SIB: 1982 – 2015.
  Griffin W. Rooker, Andrew C. Bonner, Christopher M. Dillon, Jennifer R. Zarcone.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. July 10, 2018
  --- - |2 Some individuals diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities engage in automatically reinforced self‐injurious behavior (SIB). For these individuals, identifying effective treatments may be difficult due to the nature of the reinforcement contingency. The purpose of this study was to review the literature on the treatment of automatically reinforced SIB to determine commonalities in procedures that produced effective and ineffective treatment outcomes, as well as historical trends in the treatment of this class of SIB. Results of this review indicated that there were many high‐quality studies on this topic, but also a wide range in the quality of studies. As for effective treatments, noncontingent reinforcement (the most common treatment component) was found to be more effective when informed by a competing stimulus assessment rather than a preference assessment. Suggestions to improve the quality of the published record and areas in which additional research is needed are discussed. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 4, Page 974-997, Fall 2018.
  

  July 10, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.492   open full text
• Teaching behavior technicians to create publication‐quality, single‐case design graphs in graphpad prism 7.
  Daniel R. Mitteer, Brian D. Greer, Wayne W. Fisher, Victoria L. Cohrs.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. July 04, 2018
  --- - |2 In this investigation, we (a) define the desirable features of publication‐quality, single‐case design graphs based on recommendations in the scholarly literature, (b) suggest GraphPad Prism as a suitable graphing program for creating graphs with those features, and (c) develop and validate a video‐modeling tutorial designed to train behavior technicians to create such graphs. Our review identified nine commonly recommended features, and Prism facilitated the creation of graphs with those features. We evaluated the effects of a video‐modeling tutorial on graphing performance in Prism using a multiple‐baseline design. All four technicians showed mastery‐level graphing accuracy with accompanying increases in efficiency following training, which maintained at follow‐up without direct feedback from an expert behavior analyst. Social‐validity measures found the posttraining graphs to be significantly better than publication quality. We discuss these findings relative to challenges of developing efficient and effective staff‐training tutorials. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 4, Page 998-1010, Fall 2018.
  

  July 04, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.483   open full text
• Evaluating competing activities to enhance functional communication training during reinforcement schedule thinning.
  Ashley M. Fuhrman, Brian D. Greer, Amanda N. Zangrillo, Wayne W. Fisher.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. June 29, 2018
  --- - |2 Arranging periods in which requests for reinforcement are denied in a multiple schedule may result in increased destructive behavior during these periods for individuals who receive functional communication training (FCT) as treatment for severe destructive behavior. Providing access to competing activities during periods of reinforcer unavailability has been shown to minimize destructive behavior. We evaluated methods to identify effective competing activities for use when thinning reinforcement availability in a multiple schedule and compared competing activities embedded within the multiple schedule using an alternating‐treatments design. Results suggested at least one competing activity facilitated favorable treatment outcomes for each participant. We discuss building on this empirical approach to identify effective competing activities for use during reinforcement schedule thinning. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 4, Page 931-942, Fall 2018.
  

  June 29, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.486   open full text
• Effects of reinforcement without extinction on increasing compliance with nail cutting: A systematic replication.
  Art Dowdy, Matt Tincani, Timothy Nipe, Mary Jane Weiss.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. June 17, 2018
  --- - |2 Personal hygiene routines, such as nail cutting, are essential for maintaining good health. However, individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities often struggle to comply with essential, personal hygiene routines. We conducted a systematic replication of Schumacher and Rapp (2011), Shabani and Fisher (2006), and Bishop et al. (2013) to evaluate an intervention that did not require escape extinction for increasing compliance with nail cutting. With two adolescents diagnosed with ASD who resisted nail cutting, we evaluated the effects of delivering a preferred edible item contingent on compliance with nail cutting. Results indicated that the treatment reduced participants' escape responses and increased their compliance with nail cutting. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 4, Page 924-930, Fall 2018.
  

  June 17, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.484   open full text
• The effects of high‐p and low‐p instruction similarity on compliance among young children.
  Joshua L. Lipschultz, David A. Wilder, Hallie Ertel, Amy Enderli.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. June 17, 2018
  --- - |2 The high‐probability (high‐p) instructional sequence involves the delivery of a series of high‐probability instructions immediately before delivery of a low‐probability or target instruction. It has been shown to be efficacious for treating noncompliance among children and individuals with intellectual disabilities. Previous research (Esch & Fryling, ) has suggested that matching the topography of the response required to comply with high‐p instructions with the topography of the response required to comply with the low‐p instruction in the sequence may lead to greater increases in compliance with the low‐p instruction. In this study, we compared high‐p instructions that required both similar and dissimilar responses to two topographies of low‐p instructions (motor and vocal) among two young children. Results suggested that the topography of the response required by the high‐p instructions did not affect levels of compliance with low‐p instructions for either participant. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 4, Page 866-878, Fall 2018.
  

  June 17, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.482   open full text
• The effects of noncontingent music and response interruption and redirection on vocal stereotypy.
  Ashley R. Gibbs, Christopher A. Tullis, Raven Thomas, Brittany Elkins.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. June 17, 2018
  --- - |2 Vocal stereotypy is a commonly occurring challenging behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that is frequently maintained by automatic reinforcement and often interferes with skill acquisition. Matched stimulation (MS), and response interruption and redirection (RIRD) are two interventions that have been demonstrated to be effective in reducing the occurrence of vocal stereotypy with participants with ASD. The current study sought to determine if the combination of MS (noncontingent music) and RIRD was more effective at reducing vocal stereotypy than RIRD alone and if the parents of children with ASD found the combination of MS and RIRD more socially valid than RIRD alone. The results suggested that the combined intervention resulted in greater suppression of vocal stereotypy and increased occurrences of on‐task behavior in both participants. Additionally, RIRD required fewer implementations and had a shorter duration when combined with MS. Results suggest that the combination of MS and RIRD may be an effective intervention outside of highly controlled settings. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 4, Page 899-914, Fall 2018.
  

  June 17, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.485   open full text
• Observational learning and children with autism: discrimination training of known and unknown stimuli.
  Jaime A. DeQuinzio, Bridget A. Taylor, Brittany J. Tomasi.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. June 17, 2018
  --- - |2 We extended past observational learning research by incorporating stimuli already known to participants into training. We used a multiple‐baseline design across three participants to determine the effects of discrimination training on the discrimination of consequences applied to modeled responses using both known and unknown pictures. During baseline, participants were exposed to modeled correct and incorrect picture labels and were observed to imitate modeled responses that were incorrect and followed by negative feedback. During discrimination training, we taught participants to label known pictures regardless of observed responses and consequences. With unknown pictures, we taught participants to imitate correct and reinforced modeled responses, and to say, “I don't know,” when modeled responses were incorrect and received negative feedback. Test sessions measured responding to known and unknown pictures and showed acquisition over baseline levels. Generalization to pictures not associated with training was variable. Implications for teaching observational learning to children with autism are discussed. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 4, Page 802-818, Fall 2018.
  

  June 17, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.481   open full text
• Comparing procedures on the acquisition and generalization of tacts for children with autism spectrum disorder.
  Lauren K. Schnell, Jason C. Vladescu, Tiffany Kodak, Casey L. Nottingham.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. June 17, 2018
  --- - |2 Generalization is a critical outcome for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who display new skills in a limited range of contexts. In the absence of proper planning, generalization may not be observed. The purpose of the current study was to directly compare serial to concurrent multiple exemplar training using total training time per exemplar, mean total training time, and exposures to mastery across three children diagnosed with ASD. Additionally, we assessed the efficiency of presenting secondary targets in the antecedent and consequence portions of learning trials and evaluated generalization to tacts not associated with direct teaching. Results suggested that all training conditions produced acquisition and generalization for trained and untrained exemplars. However, the serial multiple exemplar training condition was more efficient for two participants, whereas the instructive feedback condition was the most efficient for the third. Findings are discussed considering previous studies and areas for future research. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 4, Page 769-783, Fall 2018.
  

  June 17, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.480   open full text
• A progressive model for teaching children with autism to follow gaze shift.
  Kristin V. Gunby, John T. Rapp, Melissa M. Bottoni.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. June 06, 2018
  --- - |2 Gunby, Rapp, Bottoni, Marchese and Wu (2017) taught three children with autism spectrum disorder to follow an instructor's gaze shift to select a specific item; however, Gunby et al. used different types of prompts with each participant. To address this limitation, we used a progressive training model for increasing gaze shift for three children with autism spectrum disorder. Results show that each participant learned to follow an adult's shift in gaze to make a correct selection. In addition, two participants displayed the skill in response to a parent's gaze shift and with only social consequences; however, the third participant required verbal instruction and tangible reinforcement to demonstrate the skill outside of training sessions. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 694-701, Summer 2018.
  

  June 06, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.479   open full text
• Sound attenuation and preferred music in the treatment of problem behavior maintained by escape from noise.
  Tracy L. Kettering, Wayne W. Fisher, Michael E. Kelley, Robert H. LaRue.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. June 06, 2018
  --- - |2 We examined the extent to which different sounds functioned as motivating operations (MO) that evoked problem behavior during a functional analysis for two participants. Results suggested that escape from loud noises reinforced the problem behavior for one participant and escape from arguing reinforced problem behavior for the other participant. Noncontingent delivery of preferred music through sound‐attenuating headphones decreased problem behavior without the use of extinction for both participants. We discuss the results in terms of the abolishing effects of the intervention. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 687-693, Summer 2018.
  

  June 06, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.475   open full text
• Teaching children with autism spectrum disorder to tact olfactory stimuli.
  Tina K. Dass, April N. Kisamore, Jason C. Vladescu, Kenneth F. Reeve, Sharon A. Reeve, Catherine Taylor‐Santa.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 28, 2018
  --- - |2 Research on tact acquisition by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has often focused on teaching participants to tact visual stimuli. It is important to evaluate procedures for teaching tacts of nonvisual stimuli (e.g., olfactory, tactile). The purpose of the current study was to extend the literature on secondary target instruction and tact training by evaluating the effects of a discrete‐trial instruction procedure involving (a) echoic prompts, a constant prompt delay, and error correction for primary targets; (b) inclusion of secondary target stimuli in the consequent portion of learning trials; and (c) multiple exemplar training on the acquisition of item tacts of olfactory stimuli, emergence of category tacts of olfactory stimuli, generalization of category tacts, and emergence of category matching, with three children diagnosed with ASD. Results showed that all participants learned the item and category tacts following teaching, participants demonstrated generalization across category tacts, and category matching emerged for all participants. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 538-552, Summer 2018.
  

  May 28, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.470   open full text
• Renewal during functional communication training.
  Valdeep Saini, William E. Sullivan, Emily L. Baxter, Nicole M. DeRosa, Henry S. Roane.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 21, 2018
  --- - |2 Functional communication training (FCT) is one of the most commonly prescribed interventions for the treatment of severe destructive behavior exhibited by individuals with intellectual disabilities. Although highly effective, FCT has been shown to fail in some cases when treatment is introduced into the child's typical environment. Basic and translational research on renewal provides a model for studying the relapse of destructive behavior following successful response to treatment in clinic settings using FCT. In the present study, we evaluated whether relapse of destructive behavior could be attributed to the discriminative control of the home context, which was historically correlated with reinforcement for destructive behavior. We implemented baseline contingencies in the home setting with caregivers acting as interventionists (i.e., Context A). We then implemented FCT in a treatment clinic with trained therapists (i.e., Context B). Finally, we introduced FCT in the home setting with caregivers implementing the treatment procedures (i.e., return to Context A). For three of four participants we observed the relapse of destructive behavior consistent with operant renewal. We discuss the implications of these findings with respect to strategies designed to promote generalization of FCT across settings during the treatment of severe destructive behavior. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 603-619, Summer 2018.
  

  May 21, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.471   open full text
• Identifying predictive behavioral markers: A demonstration using automatically reinforced self‐injurious behavior.
  Louis P. Hagopian, Griffin W. Rooker, Gayane Yenokyan.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 21, 2018
  --- - |2 Predictive biomarkers (PBioMs) are objective biological measures that predict response to medical treatments for diseases. The current study translates methods used in the field of precision medicine to identify PBioMs to identify parallel predictive behavioral markers (PBMs), defined as objective behavioral measures that predict response to treatment. We demonstrate the utility of this approach by examining the accuracy of two PBMs for automatically reinforced self‐injurious behavior (ASIB). Results of the analysis indicated both functioned as good to excellent PBMs. We discuss the compatibility of this approach with applied behavior analysis, describe methods to identify additional PBMs, and posit that variables related to the mechanisms of problem behavior and putative mechanism of treatment action hold the most promise as potential PBMs. We discuss how this technology could guide individualized treatment selection, inform our understanding of problem behavior and mechanisms of treatment action, and help determine the conditional effectiveness of clinical procedures. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 443-465, Summer 2018.
  

  May 21, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.477   open full text
• Teaching social perception skills to adolescents with autism and intellectual disabilities using video‐based group instruction.
  Tiffany A. Stauch, Joshua B. Plavnick, Sudha Sankar, Annie C. Gallagher.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 17, 2018
  --- - |2 Few interventions focus on teaching social skills to adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disabilities (ID) that are consistently used during interactions with peers ( Carter et al., 2014). The present study evaluated the effects of video‐based group instruction (VGI) on the acquisition of social perception skills of five adolescents with ASD or ID in a public school setting. Social perception involves observing affective behaviors of others, discriminating relevant environmental stimuli, and differentially reinforcing the affective behavior of another person. Typically developing peers supported VGI implementation as social partners for participants. A multiple probe design across behaviors demonstrated the effectiveness of VGI for teaching social perception skills. Four of five participants acquired and maintained the targeted social perception skills, and we observed some transfer to a nontreatment setting. Results of this study suggest VGI may support the acquisition of social perception among adolescents with ASD or ID. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 647-666, Summer 2018.
  

  May 17, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.473   open full text
• Prevalence of resurgence of destructive behavior when thinning reinforcement schedules during functional communication training.
  Adam M. Briggs, Wayne W. Fisher, Brian D. Greer, Ryan T. Kimball.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 17, 2018
  --- - |2 Functional communication training is a well‐established treatment for socially reinforced destructive behavior that typically includes differential reinforcement of the functional communication response (FCR) in combination with extinction of destructive behavior. However, when the schedule of reinforcement for the FCR is thinned, destructive behavior may resurge (e.g., Greer, Fisher, Saini, Owen, & Jones, 2016). Currently, data are unavailable on the prevalence and characteristics of resurgence during reinforcement schedule thinning. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence of resurgence during reinforcement schedule thinning on a per‐case and per‐schedule‐step basis and also evaluated the magnitude of resurgence in relation to the functions of destructive behavior. We observed resurgence in 19 of the 25 (76%) applications of reinforcement schedule thinning. In some cases, the magnitude of resurgence exceeded the mean levels of destructive behavior observed in baseline. We discuss these results relative to prior translational and applied research on resurgence. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 620-633, Summer 2018.
  

  May 17, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.472   open full text
• Evaluation of video self‐instruction for implementing paired‐stimulus preference assessments.
  Candice Hansard, Ellie Kazemi.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 17, 2018
  --- - |2 We trained four undergraduate students who reported no prior experience implementing behavior‐analytic procedures to conduct a paired‐stimulus preference assessment using a video self‐instruction package. The package was composed of several components from prior research (i.e., a voice‐over script, written instructions, multiple video models per step, and instructions for the trainee to rehearse throughout the video presentation). We used a nonconcurrent, multiple‐baseline‐across‐participants design and found that all participants accurately implemented the preference assessment with a simulated client after viewing the video once. We discuss the contributions of the current results and directions for future research on video self‐instruction for staff (i.e., maintenance, generalization, social validity). - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 675-680, Summer 2018.
  

  May 17, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.476   open full text
• Teaching preschool children to report suspicious packages to adults.
  Michael E. May, Ashley M. Shayter, Ayla Schmick, Becky Barron, Meghan Doherty, Matthew Johnson.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 16, 2018
  --- - |2 Law enforcement agencies stress that public reporting of terror‐related crime is the predominant means for disrupting these actions. However, schools may be unprepared because the majority of the populace may not understand the threat of suspicious materials or what to do when they are found on school grounds. The purpose of this study was to systematically teach preschool children to identify and report suspicious packages across three experiments. In the first experiment, we used multiple exemplar training to teach children to identify the characteristics of safe and unsafe packages. In the second experiment, we taught participants to identify the locations where packages should be considered unsafe. Finally, in the third experiment, we used behavioral skills training to teach participants to avoid touching unsafe packages, leave the area where they were located, and report their discovery to an adult. Results suggest the participants quickly developed these skills. Implications for safety skills in young school children are discussed. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 571-589, Summer 2018.
  

  May 16, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.478   open full text
• Behavioral contrast: Research and areas for investigation.
  Megan A. Boyle, Audrey N. Hoffmann, Joseph M. Lambert.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 16, 2018
  --- - |2 Behavioral contrast occurs when a change in reinforcement rate in one context results in a change in behavior in the opposite direction in an unchanged context. Despite decades of study by basic researchers, behavioral contrast has remained largely an unstudied phenomenon among applied researchers. The purpose of this paper is to occasion translational and applied research on behavioral contrast with the aim of predicting and controlling socially significant behavior in unchanged contexts. We present a brief history of contrast and related definitions, review research with human and nonhuman subjects, and suggest future directions for applied and translational researchers. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 702-718, Summer 2018.
  

  May 16, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.469   open full text
• An evaluation of group activity schedules to promote social play in children with autism.
  Jessica S. Akers, Thomas S. Higbee, Kristina R. Gerencser, Azure J. Pellegrino.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 14, 2018
  --- - |2 Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have deficits in social skills and may avoid engaging in play activities with typically developing peers. The purpose of this study was to identify the utility of activity schedules, with embedded scripts, to teach three children with ASD to play a complex social game. Specifically, children with ASD were taught to play hide‐and‐seek with typically developing peers. Once the activity schedules were introduced, participants began engaging in independent hide‐and‐seek behaviors. A secondary purpose of this study was to systematically fade the activity schedules to the least intrusive version. We faded all of the scripts and the majority of activity schedule components for the three participants. Participants continued to play hide‐and‐seek with the faded versions of the schedules in a novel environment and 2 weeks after treatment concluded. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 553-570, Summer 2018.
  

  May 14, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.474   open full text
• Shaping complex functional communication responses.
  Mahshid Ghaemmaghami, Gregory P. Hanley, Joshua Jessel, Robin Landa.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 14, 2018
  --- - |2 Response efficiency plays an important role in the initial success of functional communication training (FCT). Although low‐effort functional communication responses (FCRs) have been shown to be most effective in replacing problem behavior; more developmentally advanced FCRs are favored later in the treatment process. Attempts to teach these more complex FCRs, however, often lead to the resurgence of problem behavior. In this study, we provide a detailed description of an effective shaping process applied within a changing criterion design to develop complex FCRs from simple FCRs without resurgence of problem behavior. Four children with various language and intellectual abilities participated in this study. A practical shaping procedure, suitable for typical teaching contexts, is described for two participants in Experiment 1. The necessity and efficacy of the shaping process are demonstrated with the participants in Experiment 2. Implications for practice and research are discussed. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 502-520, Summer 2018.
  

  May 14, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.468   open full text
• A comparison of prompts and feedback for promoting handwashing in university restrooms.
  Boyoon Choi, Kyehoon Lee, Kwansu Moon, Shezeen Oah.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 14, 2018
  --- - |2 We compared the effects of prompts versus feedback on handwashing behavior across six restrooms at a large university. We evaluated the effects using two separate multiple baseline designs across three men's and three women's restrooms. Results indicate that feedback was more effective for increasing handwashing. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 667-674, Summer 2018.
  

  May 14, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.467   open full text
• Recurrence of phonetic responding.
  Joshua Garner, Nancy A. Neef, Ralph Gardner.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 14, 2018
  --- - |2 This study determined if previously reinforced academic responding recurred when alternative responses were differentially reinforced and subsequently placed on extinction, and whether the magnitude of resurgence was related to the rate of differential reinforcement for the alternative behavior. Three kindergarten students read Greek letters aloud as arbitrary consonant–vowel blends. Resurgence was reliably demonstrated within and across participants, and the magnitude of resurgence was related to the prior rate of differential reinforcement of alternative behavior. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 596-602, Summer 2018.
  

  May 14, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.465   open full text
• Retrospective analysis of changes in response topographies of escape‐maintained aggressive behavior during functional analyses.
  Varsovia Hernández, Jonathan K. Fernand, Timothy R. Vollmer, Sarah K. Slocum.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 13, 2018
  --- - |2 We observed changes in the rates of response topographies during the demand condition of functional analyses for participants who demonstrated problem behavior maintained by escape. Over the course of the functional analysis for each participant, the number of topographies decreased from the first to the last session. Additionally, after the first session of the demand condition the rate of responding for one topography increased or remained at high levels while the rates of all other topographies decreased. The implications of these results when conducting functional analysis are discussed. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 521-527, Summer 2018.
  

  May 13, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.464   open full text
• Resurgence with and without an alternative response.
  Ryan T. Kimball, Michael E. Kelley, Christopher A. Podlesnik, Alex Forton, Brandy Hinkle.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 10, 2018
  --- - |2 Resurgence is the reemergence of a previously reinforced response that occurs after the elimination or reduction of reinforcement for an alternative response. Resurgence is problematic in the context of treatment because the reemergence of a previously reinforced destructive response could be detrimental to treatment gains. In the current translational study, we examined a modified resurgence procedure in which the alternative response was either present or absent during extinction. Four participants were exposed to three phases that consisted of (1) reinforcement of a target response, (2) extinction of the target response and differential reinforcement of an alternative response, and (3) extinction of both responses. Results for four out of five assessments showed greater resurgence when the alternative response was absent during Phase 3. Results suggest that more robust resurgence might occur if the alternative response is not available as opposed to the alternative response contacting extinction. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 4, Page 854-865, Fall 2018.
  

  May 10, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.466   open full text
• A comparison of analysis methods to estimate contingency strength.
  Blair P. Lloyd, Johanna L. Staubitz, Jon T. Tapp.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 09, 2018
  --- - |2 To date, several data analysis methods have been used to estimate contingency strength, yet few studies have compared these methods directly. To compare the relative precision and sensitivity of four analysis methods (i.e., exhaustive event‐based, nonexhaustive event‐based, concurrent interval, concurrent+lag interval), we applied all methods to a simulated data set in which several response‐dependent and response‐independent schedules of reinforcement were programmed. We evaluated the degree to which contingency strength estimates produced from each method (a) corresponded with expected values for response‐dependent schedules and (b) showed sensitivity to parametric manipulations of response‐independent reinforcement. Results indicated both event‐based methods produced contingency strength estimates that aligned with expected values for response‐dependent schedules, but differed in sensitivity to response‐independent reinforcement. The precision of interval‐based methods varied by analysis method (concurrent vs. concurrent+lag) and schedule type (continuous vs. partial), and showed similar sensitivities to response‐independent reinforcement. Recommendations and considerations for measuring contingencies are identified. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 738-753, Summer 2018.
  

  May 09, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.463   open full text
• A demonstration of higher‐order response class development in children.
  Mark R. Dixon, Brandon E. McCord, Jordan Belisle.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. April 26, 2018
  --- - |2 We evaluated a procedure for teaching two children, one typically developing and one with autism, a higher‐order generalized operant response class of unscrambling sight words. The procedures were efficacious in teaching the participants to unscramble words appearing in isolation and in the context of a sentence, with 98% of the presented discriminative stimuli novel to the participants. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 590-595, Summer 2018.
  

  April 26, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.456   open full text
• Functional analysis screening for multiple topographies of problem behavior.
  Marlesha C. Bell, Tara A. Fahmie.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. April 23, 2018
  --- - |2 The current study evaluated a screening procedure for multiple topographies of problem behavior in the context of an ongoing functional analysis. Experimenters analyzed the function of a topography of primary concern while collecting data on topographies of secondary concern. We used visual analysis to predict the function of secondary topographies and a subsequent functional analysis to test those predictions. Results showed that a general function was accurately predicted for five of six (83%) secondary topographies. A specific function was predicted and supported for a subset of these topographies. The experimenters discuss the implication of these results for clinicians who have limited time for functional assessment. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 528-537, Summer 2018.
  

  April 23, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.462   open full text
• Telehealth and in‐person training outcomes for novice discrete trial training therapists.
  Layla A. Sump, David M. Richman, Anna Marie Schaefer, Laura M. Grubb, Adam T. Brewer.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. April 23, 2018
  --- - |2 The efficacy and efficiency of telehealth and in‐person training were compared while teaching seven undergraduate students to implement components of discrete trial training. A multiple‐baseline design across skills with elements of multiple probe and delayed multiple baseline combined with an alternating‐treatments design was used to evaluate the effects of behavioral skills training (BST) on (a) implementing a multiple stimulus without replacement preference assessment, (b) setting up an instructional context, (c) delivering antecedent prompts, and (d) delivering consequences for accurate and inaccurate responding. Two skills were trained via telehealth and two skills were trained in‐person using BST procedures with a mock student. All participants provided high acceptability ratings for both training procedures. Results also showed that telehealth training was as efficacious and efficient as in‐person training for all skills across all participants. Five of six participants showed high levels of maintenance of the newly acquired skills; these five also exhibited the skills during a novel instructional task. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 466-481, Summer 2018.
  

  April 23, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.461   open full text
• Stimulus presentation order in receptive identification tasks: A systematic replication.
  Kiley A. Schneider, Bailey Devine, Gabriella Aguilar, Anna Ingeborg Petursdottir.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. April 19, 2018
  --- - |2 Conflicting recommendations exist in the literature regarding the optimal order of stimulus presentation when teaching auditory–visual conditional discriminations. The present study examined the generality of a previously demonstrated advantage of presenting the auditory sample before visual comparisons (sample‐first condition) over the reverse sequence (comparison‐first condition). Participants were four typically developing 5‐ and 6‐year‐old boys. The procedures of Petursdottir and Aguilar (2016) were systematically replicated with the addition of a prompted error correction trial following each incorrect response. Overall, there were more instances of quicker mastery in the sample‐first condition (four of seven evaluations) than in the comparison‐first condition (two of seven evaluations). A comparison‐first advantage was associated with slower acquisition in both conditions than in the remaining evaluations, and an analysis of stimulus and position bias yielded tentative evidence for unwanted sources of stimulus control. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 634-646, Summer 2018.
  

  April 19, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.459   open full text
• Using an abbreviated assessment to identify effective error‐correction procedures for individual learners during discrete‐trial instruction.
  Regina A. Carroll, Jennifer Owsiany, Jessica M. Cheatham.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. April 19, 2018
  --- - |2 Previous research comparing the effectiveness of error‐correction procedures has involved lengthy assessments that may not be practical in applied settings. We used an abbreviated assessment to compare the effectiveness of five error‐correction procedures for four children with autism spectrum disorder or a developmental delay. During the abbreviated assessment, we sampled participants' responding with each procedure and completed the assessment before participants reached our mastery criterion. Then, we used the results of the abbreviated assessment to predict the most efficient procedure for each participant. Next, we conducted validation assessments, comparing the number of sessions, trials, and time required for participants to master targets with each procedure. Results showed correspondence between the abbreviated assessment and validation assessments for two of four participants and partial correspondence for the other two participants. Findings suggest that a brief assessment may be a useful tool for identifying the most efficient error‐correction procedure for individual learners. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 482-501, Summer 2018.
  

  April 19, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.460   open full text
• Effects of therapist‐worn protective equipment during functional analysis of aggression.
  Manuella E. Oropeza, Jennifer N. Fritz, Melissa A. Nissen, Amy S. Terrell, Lauren A. Phillips.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. March 25, 2018
  --- - |2 The effects of therapist‐worn protective equipment (PE) on functional analysis (FA) outcomes for aggression were evaluated. Independent FAs with and without PE were conducted concurrently. Both FAs showed the same function of aggression for all participants. These results suggest that therapists may wear PE during FAs of aggression to reduce risk without altering the interpretation of the analysis. - Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Volume 51, Issue 3, Page 681-686, Summer 2018.
  

  March 25, 2018   doi: 10.1002/jaba.457   open full text
• Teaching children with autism to request help with difficult tasks.
  Nicole M. Rodriguez, Megan A. Levesque, Victoria L. Cohrs, Jessica J. Niemeier.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 26, 2017
  We taught three children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder to request help using an interrupted chain procedure during which we manipulated task materials such that the child was either incapable or capable of independently completing a link of a behavior chain. We initially observed undesirable generalization of requests for help during capable trials when teaching was introduced during incapable trials for two participants and to a lesser extent for the third participant. However, with repeated exposure to differential prompting and reinforcement across incapable and capable trials, differential responding was observed across EO‐present and EO‐absent trials for all three participants during both teaching sets and one generalization set that was never exposed to teaching procedures. These findings suggest that it is important to consider the antecedent conditions under which the response should occur when teaching children to request help.

  September 26, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.420   open full text
• Transfers of stimulus function during roulette wagering.
  Mark R. Dixon, Mary Rachel Enoch, Jordan Belisle.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 25, 2017
  Twenty‐five recreational gamblers were initially asked to place bets on either red or black positions on a roulette board in a simulated casino setting. Each participant was then exposed to a stimulus pairing observing procedure which attempted to develop equivalence classes between one color (black or red) and traditionally positive words (e.g., love, happy, sex) and another color (black or red) and traditionally negative words (e.g., death, cancer, taxes), in the absence of consequence manipulations. Twenty‐one of the twenty‐five participants demonstrated greater response allocation to the color position on the roulette board that participated in a relational network with the positive words. Variations in sequencing of experimental conditions had no impact on poststimulus‐pairing wagers, but did impact tests for equivalence accuracy.

  September 25, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.417   open full text
• Go/no‐go procedure with compound stimuli with children with autism.
  Rafael Augusto Silva, Paula Debert.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 21, 2017
  The go/no‐go with compound stimuli is an alternative to matching‐to‐sample to produce conditional and emergent relations in adults. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of this procedure with two children diagnosed with autism. We trained and tested participants to respond to conditional relations among arbitrary stimuli using the go/no‐go procedure. Both learned all the trained conditional relations without developing response bias or responding to no‐go trials. Participants demonstrated performance consistent with symmetry, but not equivalence.

  September 21, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.421   open full text
• Parent‐implemented behavioral skills training of social skills.
  Rebecca K. Dogan, Melissa L. King, Anthony T. Fischetti, Candice M. Lake, Therese L. Mathews, William J. Warzak.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 20, 2017
  Impairment in social skills is a primary feature of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Research indicates that social skills are intimately tied to social development and negative social consequences can persist if specific social behaviors are not acquired. The present study evaluated the effects of behavioral skills training (BST) on teaching four parents of children with ASDs to be social skills trainers. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across parent–child dyads was employed and direct observation was used to assess parent and child behaviors Results demonstrated substantial improvement in social skills teaching for all participants for trained and untrained skills. Ancillary measures of child performance indicated improvement in skills as well. High levels of correct teaching responses were maintained at a 1 month follow‐up. This study extends current literature on BST while also providing a helpful, low‐effort strategy to modify how parents can work with their children to improve their social skills.

  September 20, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.411   open full text
• A method to establish stimulus control and compliance with instructions.
  John G. Borgen, F. Charles Mace, Brenna M. Cavanaugh, Kenneth Shamlian, Keith R. Lit, Jillian B. Wilson, Stephanie L. Trauschke.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 20, 2017
  We evaluated a unique procedure to establish compliance with instructions in four young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who had low levels of compliance. Our procedure included methods to establish a novel therapist as a source of positive reinforcement, reliably evoke orienting responses to the therapist, increase the number of exposures to instruction–compliance–reinforcer contingencies, and minimize the number of exposures to instruction–noncompliance–no reinforcer contingencies. We further alternated between instructions with a high probability of compliance (high‐p instructions) with instructions that had a prior low probability of compliance (low‐p instructions) as soon as low‐p instructions lost stimulus control. The intervention is discussed in relation to the conditions necessary for the development of stimulus control and as an example of a variation of translational research.

  September 20, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.419   open full text
• Teaching metaphorical extensions of private events through rival‐model observation to children with autism.
  Mark R. Dixon, Jordan Belisle, Bridget E. Munoz, Caleb R. Stanley, Kyle E. Rowsey.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 20, 2017
  The study evaluated the efficacy of observational learning using the rival‐model technique in teaching three children with autism to state metaphorical statements about emotions when provided a picture, as well as to intraverbally state an appropriate emotion when provided a scenario and corresponding metaphorical emotion. The results provide a preliminary evaluation of how an observational teaching strategy may be effective in teaching children with autism to correctly tact emotions when given metaphors.

  September 20, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.418   open full text
• Effects of response‐contingent stimulus pairing on vocalizations of nonverbal children with autism.
  Tracy L. Lepper, Anna Ingeborg Petursdottir.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 13, 2017
  Research on stimulus–stimulus pairing to induce novel vocalizations in nonverbal children has typically employed response‐independent pairing (RIP) procedures to condition speech sounds as reinforcers. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of a response‐contingent pairing (RCP) procedure on the vocalizations of three nonverbal boys diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. During RCP, adult‐delivered sounds that were either paired with a preferred item (target sounds) or not (nontarget sounds) were presented contingent on a button‐press response. In Experiment 1, RCP was compared with an RIP procedure, in which the timing of sound presentations was yoked to the preceding RCP session. RCP produced a greater effect on all participants' target vocalizations than RIP. Experiment 2 demonstrated the effects of differential reinforcement of the vocalizations induced in Experiment 1. The results suggest that RCP may develop vocalizations more reliably than RIP procedures.

  September 13, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.415   open full text
• Teaching children with autism to respond to disguised mands.
  Adel C. Najdowski, Ryan Bergstrom, Jonathan Tarbox, Megan St. Clair.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 13, 2017
  Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have difficulty inferring the private events of others, including private verbal behavior (e.g., thoughts), private emotional responses, and private establishing operations, often referred to as “perspective taking” by the general psychology community. Children with ASD also have difficulty responding to disguised mands. Skinner's description of the “disguised mand” is verbal behavior wherein the speaker's mand directly describes neither its reinforcer nor the corresponding establishing operations. Appropriate responding to disguised mands is required for successful social interaction, making it a social skill worth teaching to children with ASD. We used a nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants design to investigate the effects of a multiple exemplar training package consisting of rules, role play, and feedback for teaching three boys with ASD to respond to disguised mands. The intervention was effective and generalization to novel disguised mands and people was observed.

  September 13, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.413   open full text
• Effects of mastery criterion on the emergence of derived equivalence relations.
  Daniel M. Fienup, Julia Brodsky.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 13, 2017
  In this study, we manipulated mastery criterion form (rolling or block) and stringency (across 6 or 12 trials) and measured the emergence of derived relations. College students learned neuroanatomy equivalence classes and experienced one of two rolling mastery criteria (6 or 12 consecutive correct responses) or a block mastery criterion (12 trials in a block) during training. The study found that block and rolling mastery criteria produced similar outcomes. Effectiveness was hampered when the criterion was less stringent.

  September 13, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.416   open full text
• Evaluating increased effort for item disposal to improve recycling at a university.
  Jennifer N. Fritz, Danielle L. Dupuis, Wai‐Ling Wu, Ashley E. Neal, Lisa A. Rettig, Renée E. Lastrapes.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 13, 2017
  An evaluation of increased response effort to dispose of items was conducted to improve recycling at a university. Signs prompting individuals to recycle and notifying them of the location of trash and recycling receptacles were posted in each phase. During the intervention, trashcans were removed from the classrooms, and one large trashcan was available in the hallway next to the recycling receptacles. Results showed that correct recycling increased, and trash left in classrooms increased initially during the second intervention phase before returning to baseline levels.

  September 13, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.405   open full text
• A Monte Carlo evaluation of masked visual analysis in response‐guided versus fixed‐criteria multiple‐baseline designs.
  John M. Ferron, Seang‐Hwane Joo, Joel R. Levin.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 09, 2017
  We developed masked visual analysis (MVA) as a structured complement to traditional visual analysis. The purpose of the present investigation was to compare the effects of computer‐simulated MVA of a four‐case multiple‐baseline (MB) design in which the phase lengths are determined by an ongoing visual analysis (i.e., response‐guided) versus those in which the phase lengths are established a priori (i.e., fixed criteria). We observed an acceptably low probability (less than .05) of false detection of treatment effects. The probability of correctly detecting a true effect frequently exceeded .80 and was higher when: (a) the masked visual analyst extended phases based on an ongoing visual analysis, (b) the effects were larger, (c) the effects were more immediate and abrupt, and (d) the effects of random and extraneous error factors were simpler. Our findings indicate that MVA is a valuable combined methodological and data‐analysis tool for single‐case intervention researchers.

  September 09, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.410   open full text
• Teaching conversational speech to children with autism spectrum disorder using text‐message prompting.
  Denise Grosberg, Marjorie H. Charlop.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 04, 2017
  The present study was designed to teach conversational speech using text‐message prompts to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in home play settings with siblings and peers. A multiple baseline design across children was used. Children learned conversational speech through the text‐message prompts, and the behavior generalized across peers and settings. Maintenance of treatment gains was seen at 1‐month follow‐up probes. Social validity measures indicated that parents of typically developing children viewed the participants' conversational speech as much improved after the intervention. Results are discussed in terms of the efficacy of text‐message prompts as a promising way to improve conversational speech for children with ASD.

  September 04, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.403   open full text
• The effects of receptive and expressive instructional sequences on varied conditional discriminations.
  Shimin Bao, Kristin T. Sweatt, Sarah A. Lechago, Sarah Antal.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 21, 2017
  Many Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) curricula recommend teaching receptive responding before targeting expressive responding (Leaf & McEachin, 1999; Lovaas, 2003). However, a small literature base suggests that teaching expressive responses first may be more efficient when teaching children with ASD and other developmental disabilities (Petursdottir & Carr, 2011). The present study employed an alternating treatments design to compare the effects of three instructional sequences to teach feature, function, and class to three children diagnosed with ASD: (a) receptive–expressive, (b) expressive–receptive, and (c) mixed. The results suggested that expressive–receptive was the most efficient training sequence for all three participants. Additionally, greater emergent responding was observed with the expressive–receptive training sequence.

  August 21, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.404   open full text
• Step it up! Using the good behavior game to increase physical activity with elementary school students at recess.
  Leslie A. Galbraith, Matthew P. Normand.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 12, 2017
  We evaluated the effects of a modified version of the Good Behavior Game (GBG) on the number of steps taken by students during school recess. We divided a class into two teams, and awarded the team with the highest step counts at the end of each game raffle tickets for a school‐wide lottery. The GBG was compared to recess periods without the game using an alternating‐treatments design. Students took more steps while playing the GBG than they did during recess periods without the game.

  August 12, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.402   open full text
• Renewed behavior produced by context change and its implications for treatment maintenance: A review.
  Christopher A. Podlesnik, Michael E. Kelley, Corina Jimenez‐Gomez, Mark E. Bouton.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. June 13, 2017
  Behavioral treatment gains established in one setting do not always maintain in other settings. The present review examines the relevance of basic and translational research to understanding failures to maintain treatment gains across settings. Specifically, studies of the renewal effect examine how transitioning away from a treatment setting could evoke a return of undesirable behavior, rather than newly trained appropriate behavior. Studies of renewal typically arrange three phases, with a response trained and reinforced under a particular set of contextual stimuli in the first phase. Next, that response is extinguished, often under a different set of contextual stimuli. Finally, that response returns despite extinction remaining in effect upon returning to the original training context or transitioning to a novel context. Thus, removing the extinction context is sufficient to produce a recurrence of the response. The findings suggest treatment effects can become specific to the context in which the treatment was delivered. This literature offers promising methods for systematically assessing the factors contributing to treatment maintenance and improving generalization of treatment gains across contexts. Therefore, the present review suggests basic and translational research on renewal provides an empirical literature to bring greater conceptual systematization to understanding generalization and maintenance of behavioral treatment.

  June 13, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.400   open full text
• Outcome summaries of latency‐based functional analyses conducted in hospital inpatient units.
  Joseph M. Lambert, John E. Staubitz, Jessica Torelli Roane, Nealetta J. Houchins‐Juárez, A. Pablo Juárez, Kevin B. Sanders, Zachary E. Warren.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 29, 2017
  Latency‐based functional analysis (FA) may be a viable alternative to the standard, rate‐based, FA when frequently evoking problem behavior is not advisable. We conducted 18 latency‐based FAs of the problem behavior of children diagnosed with autism in inpatient hospital settings and identified functional relations during 44.4% (8 of 18) of latency‐based FAs. Implications for conducting FAs of severe problem behavior are discussed.

  May 29, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.399   open full text
• Data presentation options to manage variability in physical activity research.
  Diego Valbuena, Bryon G. Miller, Andrew L. Samaha, Raymond G. Miltenberger.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 29, 2017
  This paper presents seven tactics for managing the variability evident in some physical activity data. High levels of variability in daily step‐count data from pedometers or accelerometers can make typical visual inspection difficult. Therefore, the purpose of the current paper is to discuss several strategies that might facilitate the visual interpretation of highly variable data. The seven strategies discussed in this paper are phase mean and median lines, daily average per week, weekly cumulative, proportion of baseline, 7‐day moving average, change point detection, and confidence intervals. We apply each strategy to a data set and discuss the advantages and disadvantages.

  May 29, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.397   open full text
• An analysis of procedures that affect response variability.
  Joseph D. Dracobly, Claudia L. Dozier, Adam M. Briggs, Jessica F. Juanico.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 17, 2017
  Response variability is sensitive to antecedent and consequent manipulations. Researchers have investigated inducement, direct production through reinforcement, and stimulus control of response variability. Recently, researchers have shown that lag reinforcement schedules reliably increase variability but may also produce higher‐order stereotypy. There has been limited investigation of appropriate variability levels and alternation between repetition and variation. In a three‐part study, we evaluated levels of variability across a group of children, the effects of various procedures on producing response variability and novelty, and the use of schedule‐correlated stimuli for producing rapid alternation between repetition and variation. In Study 1, there was a nearly bimodal distribution of children emitting either low or high variability. In Study 2, for most children, fixed lag 4 and variable lag 4 schedules produced the highest levels of variability and novelty. In Study 3, responding was brought under control of schedule‐correlated stimuli, allowing for rapid alternation between repetition and variation.

  May 17, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.392   open full text
• Noncontingent reinforcement without extinction plus differential reinforcement of alternative behavior during treatment of problem behavior.
  Jennifer N. Fritz, Lynsey M. Jackson, Nicole A. Stiefler, Barbara S. Wimberly, Amy R. Richardson.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 17, 2017
  The effects of noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) without extinction during treatment of problem behavior maintained by social positive reinforcement were evaluated for five individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. A continuous NCR schedule was gradually thinned to a fixed‐time 5‐min schedule. If problem behavior increased during NCR schedule thinning, a continuous NCR schedule was reinstated and NCR schedule thinning was repeated with differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) included. Results showed an immediate decrease in all participants’ problem behavior during continuous NCR, and problem behavior maintained at low levels during NCR schedule thinning for three participants. Problem behavior increased and maintained at higher rates during NCR schedule thinning for two other participants; however, the addition of DRA to the intervention resulted in decreased problem behavior and increased mands.

  May 17, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.395   open full text
• Toward meaningful outcomes in teaching conversation and greeting skills with individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
  Stephanie A. Hood, Kevin C. Luczynski, Daniel R. Mitteer.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 13, 2017
  We identified greeting and conversation deficits based on a parent interview and semistructured direct assessment for one child and two adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. We taught the greeting and conversation skills using behavioral skills training and within‐session corrective feedback. A multiple baseline across conversation and greeting skills demonstrated experimental control over the effects of the teaching on acquisition and generalization to novel adults. We also conducted embedded reversals to assess maintenance of the acquired skills. Teaching produced robust acquisition, generalization, maintenance, and treatment extension for 15 of the 16 targeted skills across participants. Participant and parent reports indicated high levels of social validity for the intervention and outcomes. The results support individualized assessment and intervention for improving greeting and conversation skills during unscripted interactions, which are requisite for more extended and complex social interactions.

  May 13, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.388   open full text
• An evaluation of interdependent and independent group contingencies during the good behavior game.
  Emily A. Groves, Jennifer L. Austin.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 13, 2017
  The Good Behavior Game (GBG) uses an interdependent group contingency to improve classroom behavior. Despite the wealth of research on the effectiveness of the GBG, some teachers may have concerns about their students’ abilities to work in teams, particularly if they have a history of poor social skills. We used an alternating treatments design to compare the relative effectiveness of the GBG with interdependent and independent group contingencies in a classroom for children with emotional and behavioral disorders. Our results showed that both versions of the GBG reduced verbal disruptions, inappropriate sitting, and off‐task behaviors for all children. However, the majority of children preferred the interdependent arrangement. We discuss how these results may promote more widespread use of the GBG with children with substantial behavioral challenges.

  May 13, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.393   open full text
• Teaching mands for information using ‘when’ to children with autism.
  Robin K. Landa, Bethany Hansen, M. Alice Shillingsburg.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. April 28, 2017
  Previous research has evaluated contrived motivating operations to teach mands for information. However, literature evaluating acquisition of the mand when? is comparatively limited. As an extension of Shillingsburg, Bowen, Valentino, & Pierce (2014), we taught three children with autism to engage in mands for information using when under alternating conditions in which a contrived establishing operation was present (EOP) or absent (EOA). Following training with a constant prompt delay, all participants acquired the mand for information and demonstrated correct use of the provided information and a decrease in inappropriate attempts to access restricted items.

  April 28, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.387   open full text
• Intercontinental telehealth coaching of therapists to improve verbalizations by children with autism.
  Ana Barkaia, Trevor F. Stokes, Tamar Mikiashvili.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. April 24, 2017
  This study examined the effects of intercontinental telehealth coaching on the mastery of therapists’ skills and improvements in verbalizations by children with autism, testing whether telehealth can be a solution for underserved communities in developing countries such as Georgia‐Sakartvelo in Eastern Europe. Three therapists delivering and three children with autism receiving early‐intervention services from the nongovernmental organization Children of Georgia in Tbilisi participated. Experimenters provided coaching from Virginia, USA to therapists in Georgia‐Sakartvelo. Observers in Georgia‐Sakartvelo and in Virginia conducted the behavioral observations. We used inexpensive communications technology to provide the coaching and a multiple‐baseline design across participants to evaluate the effects of the intervention. Therapists demonstrated improvements in two classes of behaviors: correct command sequences and positive consequences. The children demonstrated improvements with echoics and mands. The study demonstrated that telehealth can be a good model for delivering early‐intervention services to children with autism in underserved and distant regions of the world.

  April 24, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.391   open full text
• Effects of programmed teaching errors on acquisition and durability of self‐care skills.
  Maeve G. Donnelly, Amanda M. Karsten.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. April 24, 2017
  This investigation sheds light on necessary and sufficient conditions to establish self‐care behavior chains among people with developmental disabilities. First, a descriptive assessment (DA) identified the types of teaching errors that occurred during self‐care instruction. Second, the relative effects of three teaching errors observed during the DA were evaluated across two behavior chains for three participants. Third, the effects of individual teaching errors were studied with a third behavior chain per participant. Teaching errors included prompting steps out of order, delivering the reinforcer at times other than immediately following correct completion of the training step, and failing to prompt completion of all steps within a teaching trial. All teaching errors included in the evaluation interfered with skill acquisition and disrupted performance of mastered skills. Results are discussed in terms of future research on the components of efficacious treatment packages for disseminating effective practices.

  April 24, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.390   open full text
• Effects of student pairing and public review on physical activity during school recess.
  Heather M. Zerger, Bryon G. Miller, Diego Valbuena, Raymond G. Miltenberger.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. April 17, 2017
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of student pairing and feedback during recess on children's step counts. During baseline, participants wore a sealed pedometer during recess. During intervention, we paired participants with higher step counts with participants with lower step counts. We encouraged teams to compete for the highest step count each day and provided feedback on their performance during each recess session. Results showed a large mean increase in step count from baseline to intervention. These results suggest that children's steps during recess can be increased with a simple and cost‐effective intervention.

  April 17, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.389   open full text
• Evaluation of interactive computerized training to teach parents to implement photographic activity schedules with children with autism spectrum disorder.
  Kristina R. Gerencser, Thomas S. Higbee, Jessica S. Akers, Bethany P. Contreras.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. March 28, 2017
  Training parents of children with autism spectrum disorder can be a challenge due to limited resources, time, and money. Interactive computerized training (ICT)—a self‐paced program that incorporates instructions, videos, and interactive questions—is one method professionals can use to disseminate trainings to broader populations. This study extends previous research on ICT by assessing the effect of ICT to teach three parents how to implement a photographic activity schedule using a systematic prompting procedure with their child. Following ICT, all parents increased their fidelity to implementation of an activity schedule during role‐play sessions with an adult. Fidelity remained high during implementation with their child and maintained during a 2‐week follow‐up.

  March 28, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.386   open full text
• Teaching identity matching of braille characters to beginning braille readers.
  Karen A. Toussaint, Mindy C. Scheithauer, Jeffrey H. Tiger, Kathryn J. Saunders.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. March 23, 2017
  We taught three children with visual impairments to make tactile discriminations of the braille alphabet within a matching‐to‐sample format. That is, we presented participants with a braille character as a sample stimulus, and they selected the matching stimulus from a three‐comparison array. In order to minimize participant errors, we initially arranged braille characters into training sets in which there was a maximum difference in the number of dots comprising the target and nontarget comparison stimuli. As participants mastered these discriminations, we increased the similarity between target and nontarget comparisons (i.e., an approximation of stimulus fading). All three participants’ accuracy systematically increased following the introduction of this identity‐matching procedure.

  March 23, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.382   open full text
• Improving the interview skills of college students using behavioral skills training.
  Corey S. Stocco, Rachel H. Thompson, John M. Hart, Heidi L. Soriano.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. March 23, 2017
  Obtaining a job as a college graduate is partly dependent on interview performance. We used a multiple baseline design across skills to evaluate the effects of behavioral skills training with self‐evaluation for five college students. Training effects were evaluated using simulated interviews as baseline and posttraining assessments. All participants acquired targeted skills, but we observed some individual differences. Participants were satisfied with training outcomes and rated the procedures as acceptable. Furthermore, ratings from university staff who provide interview training indicated that training improved performance across several skills for the majority of participants.

  March 23, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.385   open full text
• Interview‐informed functional analyses: A comparison of synthesized and isolated components.
  Jessica D. Slaton, Gregory P. Hanley, Katherine J. Raftery.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. March 17, 2017
  Hanley, Jin, Vanselow, and Hanratty (2014) described a functional analysis (FA) format that relied on a synthesis of multiple contingencies described by caregivers during open‐ended interviews. These interview‐informed synthesized contingency analyses (IISCA) provided effective baselines from which to develop socially validated treatments, but the synthesis precluded a precise understanding of individual contingencies influencing problem behavior. We conducted IISCAs and standard FAs (Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, & Richman, 1982/1994) for nine children with autism to evaluate the likelihood of differentiation given a number of synthesized versus isolated variables. The IISCA was differentiated for all. The standard FA was differentiated for four; this number increased to six when we included precursors in the standard FA. We then compared treatments based on sets of differentiated analyses for four children. Treatment based on the IISCA was effective for all four; treatments based on the standard FA were effective for two. The role of synthesis in analysis is discussed.

  March 17, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.384   open full text
• Application of the matching law to pitch selection in professional baseball.
  David J. Cox, Jacob Sosine, Jesse Dallery.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. March 09, 2017
  This study applied the generalized matching equation (GME) to pitch selection in professional baseball. The GME was fitted to the relation between pitch selection and hitter outcomes for five professional baseball pitchers during the 2014 Major League Baseball season. The GME described pitch selection well. Pitch allocation varied across different game contexts such as inning, count, and number of outs in a manner consistent with the GME. Finally, within games, bias decreased for four of the five pitchers and the sensitivity parameter increased for three of the five pitchers. The results extend the generality of the GME to multialternative natural sporting contexts, and demonstrate the influence of context on behavior in natural environments.

  March 09, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.381   open full text
• Preference and reinforcer efficacy of high‐ and low‐tech items: A comparison of item type and duration of access.
  Audrey N. Hoffmann, Andrew L. Samaha, Sarah E. Bloom, Megan A. Boyle.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. March 09, 2017
  This study examined the interactions of stimulus type (high‐ vs. low‐tech) and magnitude (duration of access) on preference and reinforcer efficacy. Two preference assessments were conducted to identify highly preferred high‐tech and low‐tech items for each participant. A subsequent assessment examined preference for those items when provided at 30‐s and 600‐s durations. We then evaluated reinforcer efficacy for those same items when provided for a range of durations using progressive‐ratio schedules. Results suggested item type and access duration interacted to influence preference and reinforcer efficacy. Participants preferred high‐tech items at longer durations of access and engaged in more responding when the high‐tech item was provided for long durations, but these patterns were reversed for the low‐tech item. In addition, participants engaged in less responding when the high‐tech item was provided for short durations and when the low‐tech item was provided for long durations.

  March 09, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.383   open full text
• Persistence during and resurgence following noncontingent reinforcement implemented with and without extinction.
  Valdeep Saini, Wayne W. Fisher, Maegan D. Pisman.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. March 09, 2017
  Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) is typically implemented with extinction (EXT) for destructive behavior reinforced by social consequences and without EXT for destructive behavior reinforced by sensory consequences. Behavioral momentum theory (BMT) predicts that responding will be more persistent, and treatment relapse in the form of response resurgence more likely, when NCR is implemented without EXT due to the greater overall rate of reinforcement associated with this intervention. We used an analogue arrangement to test these predictions of BMT by comparing NCR implemented with and without EXT. For two of three participants, we observed more immediate reductions in responding during NCR without EXT. However, for all participants, NCR without EXT produced greater resurgence than NCR with EXT when we discontinued all reinforcers during an EXT Only phase, although there was variability in response patterns across and within participants. Implications for treatment of destructive behavior using NCR are discussed.

  March 09, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.380   open full text
• A multidisciplinary treatment for encopresis in children with developmental disabilities.
  Nathan A. Call, Joanna Lomas Mevers, Barbara O. McElhanon, Mindy C. Scheithauer.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. February 17, 2017
  Achieving continence of one's bowel movements is a key step in development and failure to do so leads to many negative consequences. Treatments for encopresis appearing in the literature have employed behavioral strategies; medications such as suppositories, laxatives, or enemas; and in some studies a combination of these approaches. To date, attempts to extend successful treatments for encopresis in typically developing children to those with developmental disabilities have been limited. The current study included three participants diagnosed with developmental disabilities who had a history of encopresis. None of the participants had a continent bowel movement under baseline conditions. Continent bowel movements increased during treatment that included the addition of suppositories to elicit continent bowel movements. Two participants began having independent continent bowel movements (i.e., without requiring suppositories) and medication was successfully faded out for the remaining participant. Treatment took between 13 and 21 days.

  February 17, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.379   open full text
• Instructive feedback embedded within group instruction for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
  Justin B. Leaf, Joseph H. Cihon, Aditt Alcalay, Erin Mitchell, Donna Townley‐Cochran, Kevin Miller, Ronald Leaf, Mitchell Taubman, John McEachin.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. February 17, 2017
  The present study evaluated the effects of instructive feedback embedded within a group discrete trial teaching to teach tact relations to nine children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder using a nonconcurrent multiple‐baseline design. Dependent variables included correct responses for: primary targets (directly taught), secondary targets (taught via instructive feedback), primary observational targets (directly taught to other members of the group), and secondary observational targets (taught via instructive feedback provided to other members of the group). Results showed that all nine participants reached the mastery criterion for the primary targets, as well as acquired the secondary and observational targets without direct teaching. Clinical implications and areas for future research are provided.

  February 17, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.375   open full text
• Internet‐based self‐tailored deposit contracts to promote smoking reduction and abstinence.
  Brantley P. Jarvis, Jesse Dallery.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. February 17, 2017
  Deposit contracting may reduce costs and increase efficacy in contingency management interventions. We evaluated two Internet‐based deposit contract arrangements for smoking. In Experiment 1, nine participants deposited self‐selected amounts that could be earned back for meeting goals. During treatment, participants were reimbursed for breath samples with less than or equal to 6 parts per million carbon monoxide and met the criterion for 47% of samples compared to 1% during baseline. In Experiment 2, 10 participants’ deposits were matched up to $50. No samples met the criterion during baseline but 41.5% met it during treatment. The average deposit was $82 in Experiment 1 and $49 in Experiment 2. Participants rated the intervention favorably and sample submission rates were high. These experiments suggest that Internet‐based self‐tailored deposits are acceptable, feasible, and can promote brief reduction and abstinence in some smokers. Future research should investigate individual and intervention factors that affect long‐term cessation and uptake of deposit contracts.

  February 17, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.377   open full text
• Noncontingent reinforcement for the treatment of severe problem behavior: An analysis of 27 consecutive applications.
  Cara L. Phillips, Julia A. Iannaccone, Griffin W. Rooker, Louis P. Hagopian.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. February 08, 2017
  Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) is a commonly used treatment for severe problem behavior displayed by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The current study sought to extend the literature by reporting outcomes achieved with 27 consecutive applications of NCR as the primary treatment for severe problem behavior. All applications of NCR were included regardless of treatment outcome to minimize selection bias favoring successful cases. Participants ranged in age from 5 to 33 years. We analyzed the results across behavioral function and with regard to the use of functional versus alternative reinforcers. NCR effectively treated problem behavior maintained by social reinforcement in 14 of 15 applications, using either the functional reinforcer or alternative reinforcers. When we implemented NCR to treat problem behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement, we often had to add other treatment components to produce clinically significant effects (five of nine applications). Results provide information on the effectiveness and limitations of NCR as treatment for severe problem behavior.

  February 08, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.376   open full text
• A microswitch‐based program for promoting initial ambulation responses: An evaluation with two girls with multiple disabilities.
  Fabrizio Stasolla, Alessandro O. Caffò, Viviana Perilli, Adele Boccasini, Anna Stella, Rita Damiani, Vincenza Albano, Concetta Damato.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. January 27, 2017
  We assessed the use of a microswitch‐based program for promoting ambulation responses by two children with multiple disabilities. The goals of the study were to: (a) evaluate the importance of the contingency between the target behavior (forward step) and the programmed consequence (preferred stimuli), (b) measure effects of the intervention on indices of happiness, and (c) assess the social validation of the procedure using 20 physiotherapists as external raters. The intervention involved the automatic delivery of preferred stimuli contingent on forward steps. Results showed that both participants improved their performance (forward steps and indices of happiness) during contingent reinforcement phases compared to baseline and noncontingent reinforcement phases. Moreover, physiotherapists rated the intervention as socially valid.

  January 27, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.374   open full text
• Teaching complex verbal operants to children with autism and establishing generalization using the peak curriculum.
  Mark R. Dixon, Jacqueline Peach, Jacob H. Daar, Cindy Penrod.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. January 27, 2017
  The present study evaluated the feasibility of the PEAK Relational Training System's Generalization Module (Dixon, 2014b) to teach and establish generalization of autoclitic mands, distorted tacts, and creative path finding in three children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Using a multiple‐baseline design across behaviors, each participant was provided with differential reinforcement and a least‐to‐most prompting hierarchy for correct responses to a subset of stimuli, and responses to other similar stimulus sets were probed for emergent generalization. Following training, each participant successfully acquired the directly trained behaviors and demonstrated generalization to the nonreinforced test exemplars. These data support the utility of Skinner's (1957) analysis to teach complex forms of verbal operants, and suggest that a manualized curriculum such as PEAK may have utility for promoting skill development and generalization for front line staff and caregivers of children with autism.

  January 27, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.373   open full text
• An assessment of differential reinforcement procedures for learners with autism spectrum disorder.
  Kate A. Johnson, Jason C. Vladescu, Tiffany Kodak, Tina M. Sidener.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. January 19, 2017
  Differential reinforcement procedures may promote unprompted correct responding, resulting in a quicker transfer of stimulus control than nondifferential reinforcement. Recent studies that have compared reinforcement arrangements have found that the most effective arrangement may differ across participants. The current study conducted an assessment of differential reinforcement arrangements (i.e., quality, schedule, and magnitude) and nondifferential reinforcement to identify the most effective arrangement for each participant. The assessment phase showed that the quality arrangement was the most efficient for all participants during auditory‐visual matching. Next, a validation phase was conducted to evaluate whether the assessment would predict the most effective arrangement across multiple skills. The results from the assessment phase were validated for all participants for the same skill. However, the results were only validated for one participant during the other skills (i.e., tact and intraverbal). The results are discussed in light of previous research and future areas of research.

  January 19, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.372   open full text
• Evaluation of a telehealth training package to remotely train staff to conduct a preference assessment.
  William J. Higgins, Kevin C. Luczynski, Regina A. Carroll, Wayne W. Fisher, Oliver C. Mudford.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. January 16, 2017
  Recent advancements in telecommunication technologies make it possible to conduct a variety of healthcare services remotely (e.g., behavioral‐analytic intervention services), thereby bridging the gap between qualified providers and consumers in isolated locations. In this study, web‐based telehealth technologies were used to remotely train direct‐care staff to conduct a multiple‐stimulus‐without‐replacement preference assessment. The training package included three components: (a) a multimedia presentation; (b) descriptive feedback from previously recorded baseline sessions; and (c) scripted role‐play with immediate feedback. A nonconcurrent, multiple‐baseline‐across‐participants design was used to demonstrate experimental control. Training resulted in robust and immediate improvements, and these effects maintained during 1‐ to 2‐month follow‐up observations. In addition, participants expressed high satisfaction with the web‐based materials and the overall remote‐training experience.

  January 16, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.370   open full text
• When things are not the same: A review of research into relations of difference.
  Siri Ming, Ian Stewart.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. January 11, 2017
  Responding to stimuli as same and different can be considered a critical component of a variety of language and academic repertoires. Whereas responding to “sameness” and generalized identity matching (i.e., coordination) have been studied extensively, there appears to be a significant gap in behavior analytic research and educational programs with regard to nonmatching relations or relations of difference. We review research on difference relations from a variety of domains, including comparative psychology, as well as experimental, and translational behavior analysis. We examine a range of studies, including research on the perception of difference and oddity responding, as well as investigations on establishing relational frames of distinction. We present suggestions for future research and describe potential methods for teaching skills related to relations of difference.

  January 11, 2017   doi: 10.1002/jaba.367   open full text
• Further analysis of subtypes of automatically reinforced SIB: A replication and quantitative analysis of published datasets.
  Louis P. Hagopian, Griffin W. Rooker, Jennifer R. Zarcone, Andrew C. Bonner, Alexander R. Arevalo.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. December 29, 2016
  Hagopian, Rooker, and Zarcone (2015) evaluated a model for subtyping automatically reinforced self‐injurious behavior (SIB) based on its sensitivity to changes in functional analysis conditions and the presence of self‐restraint. The current study tested the generality of the model by applying it to all datasets of automatically reinforced SIB published from 1982 to 2015. We identified 49 datasets that included sufficient data to permit subtyping. Similar to the original study, Subtype‐1 SIB was generally amenable to treatment using reinforcement alone, whereas Subtype‐2 SIB was not. Conclusions could not be drawn about Subtype‐3 SIB due to the small number of datasets. Nevertheless, the findings support the generality of the model and suggest that sensitivity of SIB to disruption by alternative reinforcement is an important dimension of automatically reinforced SIB. Findings also suggest that automatically reinforced SIB should no longer be considered a single category and that additional research is needed to better understand and treat Subtype‐2 SIB.

  December 29, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.368   open full text
• Reducing overselective stimulus control with differential observing responses.
  Rachel S. Farber, Chata A. Dickson, William V. Dube.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. November 11, 2016
  Overselective stimulus control refers to discriminative control in which the number of controlling stimuli is too limited for effective behavior. Experiment 1 included 22 special‐education students who exhibited overselective stimulus control on a two‐sample delayed matching task. An intervention added a compound identity matching opportunity within the sample observation period of the matching trials. The compound matching functioned as a differential observing response (DOR) in that high accuracy verified observation and discrimination of both sample stimuli. Nineteen participants learned to perform the DOR and two‐sample delayed matching accuracy increased substantially for 16 of them. When the DOR was completely withdrawn after 10 sessions, accuracy declined. In Experiment 2, a more gradual withdrawal of DOR requirements showed that highly accurate performance could be maintained with the DOR on only a proportion of trials for most participants. The results show that DOR training may lead to a general improvement in observing behavior.

  November 11, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.363   open full text
• Using awareness training to decrease nervous habits during public speaking.
  Claire Spieler, Raymond Miltenberger.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 21, 2016
  This study evaluated the effectiveness of awareness training for the reduction of three nervous habits that manifest during public speaking: filled pauses, tongue clicks, and inappropriate use of the word “like.” Four university students delivered short speeches during baseline and assessment sessions. Awareness training resulted in meaningful reductions in target behaviors for all participants. Booster awareness training sessions were necessary for all participants to achieve further reductions in target behaviors. Generality probes conducted in front of a small audience indicated that treatment effects generally maintained. Social validity scores indicated that the treatment was acceptable, and participants indicated not only decreased use of verbal fillers, but also improved overall public speaking ability posttreatment.

  October 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.362   open full text
• Comparison of arousal and preference assessment outcomes for sex offenders with intellectual disabilities.
  Jorge R. Reyes, Timothy R. Vollmer, Astrid Hall.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 20, 2016
  We compared outcomes of arousal and preference assessments for five adult male alleged sexual offenders with intellectual disabilities. Arousal assessments involved the use of the penile plethysmograph to measure changes in penile circumference to both deviant (males and females under the age of 18) and nondeviant (males and females over the age of 18) video clips. Paired‐stimulus preference assessments were arranged to present still images from the video clips used in the arousal assessments. Results showed correspondence between the assessments for four out of the five participants. Implications are discussed for the use of preference assessment methodology as a less intrusive assessment approach for sexual offender assessments.

  October 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.364   open full text
• Establishing derived categorical responding in children with disabilities using the PEAK‐E curriculum.
  Mark R. Dixon, Jordan Belisle, Caleb R. Stanley, Ryan C. Speelman, Kyle E. Rowsey, Dena Kime, Jacob H. Daar.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 20, 2016
  The purpose of the study was to evaluate a procedure to generate derived categorical responding by three children with disabilities and to promote the emergence of untrained intraverbal categorical responses. In the study, three 4‐member equivalence classes including three stimuli (A, B, and C) and a category name (D) for each class were trained using a match‐to‐sample procedure. Test probes were conducted for categorical responding, including both a trained (D‐A) and two derived (D‐B, D‐C) relational responses, as well as the emergence of untrained intraverbal categorical responding (D‐A/B/C) throughout the study. Relational training was effective at promoting the emergence of categorical responding, and two of the three participants demonstrated the emergence of additional intraverbal responding without prior training. The results provide further evidence supporting the practical utility of stimulus equivalence as well as the PEAK‐E curriculum.

  October 20, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.355   open full text
• A quantitative review of overjustification effects in persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
  Allison Levy, Iser G. DeLeon, Catherine K. Martinez, Nathalie Fernandez, Nicholas A. Gage, Sigurdur Óli Sigurdsson, Michelle A. Frank‐Crawford.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 14, 2016
  The overjustification hypothesis suggests that extrinsic rewards undermine intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic rewards are common in strengthening behavior in persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities; we examined overjustification effects in this context. A literature search yielded 65 data sets permitting comparison of responding during an initial no‐reinforcement phase to a subsequent no‐reinforcement phase, separated by a reinforcement phase. We used effect sizes to compare response levels in these two no‐reinforcement phases. Overall, the mean effect size did not differ from zero; levels in the second no‐reinforcement phase were equally likely to be higher or lower than in the first. However, in contrast to the overjustification hypothesis, levels were higher in the second no‐reinforcement phase when comparing the single no‐reinforcement sessions immediately before and after reinforcement. Outcomes consistent with the overjustification hypothesis were somewhat more likely when the target behavior occurred at relatively higher levels prior to reinforcement.

  October 14, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.359   open full text
• Establishing motion control in children with autism and intellectual disability: Applications for anatomical and functional MRI.
  Alison D. Cox, Javier Virues‐Ortega, Flavia Julio, Toby L. Martin.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 14, 2016
  Excessive motion makes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) extremely challenging among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The medical risks of sedation establish the need for behavioral interventions to promote motion control among children with ASD undergoing MRI scans. We present a series of experiments aimed at establishing both tolerance of the MRI environment and a level of motion control that would be compatible with a successful MRI. During Study 1, we evaluated the effects of prompting and contingent reinforcement on compliance with a sequence of successive approximations to an MRI using a mock MRI. During Study 2, we used prompting and progressive differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO) to promote motion control in a mock MRI for increasing periods of time. Finally, during Study 3, some of the participants underwent a real MRI scan while a detailed in‐session motion analysis informed the quality of the images captured.

  October 14, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.351   open full text
• Comparing fixed‐amount and progressive‐amount DRO Schedules for tic suppression in youth with chronic tic disorders.
  Matthew R. Capriotti, Jennifer E. Turkel, Rachel A. Johnson, Flint M. Espil, Douglas W. Woods.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 13, 2016
  Chronic tic disorders (CTDs) involve motor and/or vocal tics that often cause substantial distress and impairment. Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) schedules of reinforcement produce robust, but incomplete, reductions in tic frequency in youth with CTDs; however, a more robust reduction may be needed to affect durable clinical change. Standard, fixed‐amount DRO schedules have not commonly yielded such reductions, so we evaluated a novel, progressive‐amount DRO schedule, based on its ability to facilitate sustained abstinence from functionally similar behaviors. Five youth with CTDs were exposed to periods of baseline, fixed‐amount DRO (DRO‐F), and progressive‐amount DRO (DRO‐P). Both DRO schedules produced decreases in tic rate and increases in intertic interval duration, but no systematic differences were seen between the two schedules on any dimension of tic occurrence. The DRO‐F schedule was generally preferred to the DRO‐P schedule. Possible procedural improvements and other future directions are discussed.

  October 13, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.360   open full text
• Programming a randomized dependent group contingency and common stimuli to promote durable behavior change.
  Tom Cariveau, Tiffany Kodak.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 05, 2016
  Low levels of academic engagement may impede students’ acquisition of skills. Intervening on student behavior using group contingencies may be a feasible way to increase academic engagement during group instruction. The current study examined the effect of a randomized dependent group contingency on levels of academic engagement for second‐grade participants receiving small‐group reading and writing instruction. The results showed that a randomized dependent group contingency increased the academic engagement of primary participants and several of the other participants during small‐group instruction. The findings also showed that high levels of academic engagement were maintained when common stimuli were present and the dependent group contingency was withdrawn.

  October 05, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.352   open full text
• Evaluation of a preliminary method to examine antecedent and consequent contributions to noncompliance.
  Lina M. Majdalany, David A. Wilder, Jesse Allgood, Latasha Sturkie.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 04, 2016
  We evaluated a preliminary method for examining the antecedent and consequent contributions to noncompliance exhibited by two children with disabilities. In Phase 1, we assessed whether noncompliance was a result of a skill deficit. For one participant, we then conducted a functional analysis to determine the variables maintaining noncompliance in Phase 2. In Phase 3, we conducted a treatment evaluation to increase compliance for each participant. We identified the antecedent and consequent variables responsible for noncompliance and developed an effective intervention for both participants.

  October 04, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.353   open full text
• Can pictures promote the acquisition of sight‐word reading? An evaluation of two potential instructional strategies.
  Amy R. Richardson, Dorothea C. Lerman, Melissa A. Nissen, Kally M. Luck, Ashley E. Neal, Shimin Bao, Loukia Tsami.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 30, 2016
  Sight‐word instruction can be a useful supplement to phonics‐based methods under some circumstances. Nonetheless, few studies have evaluated the conditions under which pictures may be used successfully to teach sight‐word reading. In this study, we extended prior research by examining two potential strategies for reducing the effects of overshadowing when using picture prompts. Five children with developmental disabilities and two typically developing children participated. In the first experiment, the therapist embedded sight words within pictures but gradually faded in the pictures as needed using a least‐to‐most prompting hierarchy. In the second experiment, the therapist embedded text‐to‐picture matching within the sight‐word reading sessions. Results suggested that these strategies reduced the interference typically observed with picture prompts and enhanced performance during teaching sessions for the majority of participants. Text‐to‐picture matching also accelerated mastery of the sight words relative to a condition under which the therapist presented text without pictures.

  September 30, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.354   open full text
• Within‐subject analysis of a prevention strategy for problem behavior.
  Tara A. Fahmie, Brian A. Iwata, Sarah C. Mead.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 17, 2016
  Although decades of research on functional analysis methodology have identified common contingencies that maintain problem behavior and effective interventions, relatively little research has been conducted on strategies to prevent the initial development of problem behavior. We conducted a 2‐part case study, the purposes of which were to illustrate the use of sensitivity tests as the bases for intervention (Study 1) and subsequently to assess the efficacy of a prevention strategy using a single‐subject design (Study 2). Results showed that the sensitivity tests identified establishing operations that may set the occasion for the development of problem behavior and that interventions based on differential reinforcement prevented increases in the severity of problem behavior relative to untreated and control baselines. Benefits and limitations to this individualized approach to prevention are discussed.

  August 17, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.343   open full text
• Effects of multiple versus chained schedules on stereotypy and item engagement.
  Jessica D. Slaton, Gregory P. Hanley.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 17, 2016
  We evaluated rates of automatically reinforced stereotypy and item engagement for 2 children with autism under multiple and chained schedules in a multielement design. Each schedule included components during which stereotypy was blocked (S–) or allowed (S+), and we used colored cards as schedule‐correlated stimuli. We report rates of stereotypy and item engagement during S– and S+ components, as well as the percentage of component time that elapsed before the first instances of stereotypy and item engagement. We observed less stereotypy and more consistent item engagement during chained‐schedule sessions, and stimulus control of stereotypy and item engagement was established with the chained schedule. A subsequent concurrent‐chains analysis revealed participant preference for the chained schedule. These results highlight the importance of contingent access to stereotypy when therapists attempt to gain stimulus control of stereotypy and increase functional item engagement.

  August 17, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.345   open full text
• Assessing the efficacy of pictorial preference assessments for children with developmental disabilities.
  Megan R. Heinicke, James E. Carr, Sacha T. Pence, Danika R. Zias, Amber L. Valentino, John M. Falligant.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 16, 2016
  Past research has demonstrated that pictorial preference assessments can predict subsequent reinforcement effects for individuals with developmental disabilities only when access to the selected stimulus is provided contingent on a pictorial selection. The purpose of the present investigation was to assess more comprehensively the feasibility of the pictorial format with children with developmental disabilities. In Experiment 1, prerequisite skill assessments were conducted, and the role of a contingent reinforcer was assessed by comparing the results from the pictorial assessment without contingent access to a reinforcer assessment. If contingent access was found to be necessary, the effects of schedule thinning were evaluated to determine whether a pictorial format could be made more practical in Experiment 2. The pictorial format without contingent access was successful with only some participants. However, schedule thinning was found to be an effective method to establish conditioned reinforcement properties for pictorial stimuli to create a more practical assessment for a subset of participants.

  August 16, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.342   open full text
• Preference assessment training via self‐instruction: A replication and extension.
  Marnie Shapiro, Ellie Kazemi, Meline Pogosjana, Denice Rios, Melissa Mendoza.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 16, 2016
  We examined the effects of a self‐instructional and feedback package on participants’ implementation of a paired‐stimulus preference assessment. Specifically, in Experiment 1, we used a multiple baseline design across participants to replicate and extend the results of Graff and Karsten (2012) by evaluating the effectiveness of their self‐instructional manual. A majority of the participants (i.e., 5 of 7 undergraduate students and 4 of 5 in‐home behavior technicians) achieved mastery with the self‐instructional package. The remaining participants met the mastery criterion after brief modeling and feedback sessions. In Experiment 2, we identified the most effective component of the feedback condition from Experiment 1 when a self‐instructional package was not sufficient. Brief feedback sessions in which participants received a list of the targeted responses plus information regarding accuracy of emitted responses was sufficient for 5 of 6 participants to achieve mastery.

  August 16, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.339   open full text
• Teaching multiply controlled intraverbals to children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders.
  April N. Kisamore, Amanda M. Karsten, Charlotte C. Mann.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 09, 2016
  Reciprocal conversations, instructional activities, and other social interactions are replete with multiply controlled intraverbals, examples of which have been conceptualized in terms of conditional discriminations. Although the acquisition of conditional discriminations has been examined extensively in the behavior‐analytic literature, little research has evaluated procedures to establish multiply controlled intraverbals. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of procedures based on conditional discrimination training on the acquisition of multiply controlled intraverbals with 7 participants who had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. We evaluated the effects of prompt delay with error correction, a differential observing response (DOR), and a DOR plus blocked trials on the acquisition of intraverbals using a multiple baseline design. Accuracy of intraverbal performance increased for at least 1 set of stimuli for all participants under prompt delay with error correction conditions; however, 4 participants required additional teaching (i.e., DOR, modified DOR, modified prompt delay with error correction). Based on these findings, when prompt delay with error correction is not sufficient to establish multiply controlled intraverbals, prompted DORs may be an effective alternative.

  August 09, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.344   open full text
• The use of matrix training to promote generative language with children with autism.
  Sarah E. Frampton, Sarah C. Wymer, Bethany Hansen, M. Alice Shillingsburg.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. July 29, 2016
  Matrix training consists of planning instruction by arranging components of desired skills across 2 axes. After training with diagonal targets that each combine 2 unique skill components, responses to nondiagonal targets, consisting of novel combinations of the components, may emerge. A multiple‐probe design across participants was used to evaluate matrix training with known nouns (e.g., cat) and verbs (e.g., jumping) with 5 children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Following baseline of Matrix 1 and a generalization matrix, diagonal targets within Matrix 1 were trained as noun–verb combinations (e.g., cat jumping). Posttests showed recombinative generalization within Matrix 1 and the generalization matrix for 4 participants. For 1 participant, diagonal training across multiple matrices was provided until correct responding was observed in the generalization matrix. Results support the use of matrix training to promote untrained responses for learners with ASD and offer a systematic way to evaluate the extent of generalization within and across matrices.

  July 29, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.340   open full text
• Use of a latency‐based demand assessment to identify potential demands for functional analyses.
  Nathan A. Call, Sarah J. Miller, Joslyn Cynkus Mintz, Joanna Lomas Mevers, Mindy C. Scheithauer, Julie E. Eshelman, Gracie A. Beavers.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. July 29, 2016
  Unlike potential tangible positive reinforcers, which are typically identified for inclusion in functional analyses empirically using preference assessments, demands are most often selected arbitrarily or based on caregiver report. The present study evaluated the use of a demand assessment with 12 participants who exhibited escape‐maintained problem behavior. Participants were exposed to 10 demands, with aversiveness measured by average latency to the first instance of problem behavior. In subsequent functional analyses, results of a demand condition that included the demand with the shortest latency to problem behavior resulted in identification of an escape function for 11 of the participants. In contrast, a demand condition that included the demand with the longest latency resulted in identification of an escape function for only 5 participants. The implication of these findings is that for the remaining 7 participants, selection of the demand for the functional analysis without using the results of the demand assessment could have produced a false‐negative finding.

  July 29, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.341   open full text
• A comparison of a modified sequential oral sensory approach to an applied behavior‐analytic approach in the treatment of food selectivity in children with autism spectrum disorder.
  Kathryn M. Peterson, Cathleen C. Piazza, Valerie M. Volkert.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. July 23, 2016
  Treatments of pediatric feeding disorders based on applied behavior analysis (ABA) have the most empirical support in the research literature (Volkert & Piazza, 2012); however, professionals often recommend, and caregivers often use, treatments that have limited empirical support. In the current investigation, we compared a modified sequential oral sensory approach (M‐SOS; Benson, Parke, Gannon, & Muñoz, 2013) to an ABA approach for the treatment of the food selectivity of 6 children with autism. We randomly assigned 3 children to ABA and 3 children to M‐SOS and compared the effects of treatment in a multiple baseline design across novel, healthy target foods. We used a multielement design to assess treatment generalization. Consumption of target foods increased for children who received ABA, but not for children who received M‐SOS. We subsequently implemented ABA with the children for whom M‐SOS was not effective and observed a potential treatment generalization effect during ABA when M‐SOS preceded ABA.

  July 23, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.332   open full text
• Contingencies promote delay tolerance.
  Mahshid Ghaemmaghami, Gregory P. Hanley, Joshua Jessel.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. July 23, 2016
  The effectiveness of functional communication training as treatment for problem behavior depends on the extent to which treatment can be extended to typical environments that include unavoidable and unpredictable reinforcement delays. Time‐based progressive delay (TBPD) often results in the loss of acquired communication responses and the resurgence of problem behavior, whereas contingency‐based progressive delay (CBPD) appears to be effective for increasing tolerance for delayed reinforcement. No direct comparison of TBPD and CBPD has, however, been conducted. We used single‐subject designs to compare the relative efficacy of TBPD and CBPD. Four individuals who engaged in problem behavior (e.g., aggression, vocal and motor disruptions, self‐injury) participated. Results were consistent across all participants, and showed lower rates of problem behavior and collateral responses during CBPD than during TBPD. The generality of CBPD treatment effects, including optimal rates of communication and compliance with demands, was demonstrated across a small but heterogeneous group of participants, reinforcement contingencies, and contexts.

  July 23, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.333   open full text
• A preliminary investigation on improving functional communication training by mitigating resurgence of destructive behavior.
  Ashley M. Fuhrman, Wayne W. Fisher, Brian D. Greer.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. July 23, 2016
  Despite the effectiveness and widespread use of functional communication training (FCT), resurgence of destructive behavior can occur if the functional communication response (FCR) contacts a challenge, such as lapses in treatment integrity. We evaluated a method to mitigate resurgence by conducting FCT using a multiple schedule of reinforcement prior to extinction. After functional analyses of 2 boys’ destructive behavior and treatment with FCT (Study 1), we compared levels of resurgence during an extinction challenge either after a typical FCT sequence or after exposure to schedule thinning in the context of a multiple‐schedule arrangement (Study 2). Results for both participants suggested that schedule thinning using discriminative stimuli in a multiple schedule mitigated the resurgence of destructive behavior.

  July 23, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.338   open full text
• Evaluating a humane alternative to the bark collar: Automated differential reinforcement of not barking in a home‐alone setting.
  Alexandra Protopopova, Dmitri Kisten, Clive Wynne.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. July 11, 2016
  The aim of this study was to develop a humane alternative to the traditional remote devices that deliver punishers contingent on home‐alone dog barking. Specifically, we evaluated the use of remote delivery of food contingent on intervals of not barking during the pet owner's absence. In Experiment 1, 5 dogs with a history of home‐alone nuisance barking were recruited. Using an ABAB reversal design, we demonstrated that contingent remote delivery of food decreased home‐alone barking for 3 of the dogs. In Experiment 2, we demonstrated that it is possible to thin the differential‐reinforcement‐of‐other‐behavior (DRO) schedule gradually, resulting in a potentially more acceptable treatment. Our results benefit the dog training community by providing a humane tool to combat nuisance barking.

  July 11, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.334   open full text
• Assessing generative braille responding following training in a matching‐to‐sample format.
  Brittany C. Putnam, Jeffrey H. Tiger.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. June 30, 2016
  We evaluated the effects of teaching sighted college students to select printed text letters given a braille sample stimulus in a matching‐to‐sample (MTS) format on the emergence of untrained (a) construction of print characters given braille samples, (b) construction of braille characters given print samples, (c) transcription of print characters given braille sample sentences, and (d) vocal reading given braille sample passages. The results demonstrated the generative development of these repertoires given MTS instruction.

  June 30, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.330   open full text
• Interactive computer training to teach discrete‐trial instruction to undergraduates and special educators in Brazil: A replication and extension.
  Thomas S. Higbee, Ana Paula Aporta, Alice Resende, Mateus Nogueira, Celso Goyos, Joy S. Pollard.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. June 17, 2016
  Discrete‐trial instruction (DTI) is a behavioral method of teaching young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) that has received a significant amount of research support. Because of a lack of qualified trainers in many areas of the world, researchers have recently begun to investigate alternative methods of training professionals to implement behavioral teaching procedures. One promising training method is interactive computer training, in which slides with recorded narration, video modeling, and embedded evaluation of content knowledge are used to teach a skill. In the present study, the effectiveness of interactive computer training developed by Pollard, Higbee, Akers, and Brodhead (2014), translated into Brazilian Portuguese, was evaluated with 4 university students (Study 1) and 4 special education teachers (Study 2). We evaluated the effectiveness of training on DTI skills during role‐plays with research assistants (Study 1) and during DTI sessions with young children with ASD (Studies 1 and 2) using a multiple baseline design. All participants acquired DTI skills after interactive computer training, although 5 of 8 participants required some form of feedback to reach proficiency. Responding generalized to untaught teaching programs for all participants. We evaluated maintenance with the teachers in Study 2, and DTI skills were maintained with 3 of 4 participants.

  June 17, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.329   open full text
• Using token reinforcement to increase walking for adults with intellectual disabilities.
  Haley Krentz, Raymond Miltenberger, Diego Valbuena.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. June 10, 2016
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of token reinforcement, using an ABAB reversal design, for increasing distance walked for adults with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities at an adult day‐training center. Five participants earned tokens for walking 50‐m laps and exchanged tokens for back‐up reinforcers that had been identified through preference assessments. Token reinforcement resulted in a substantial increase from baseline in laps walked for 4 participants.

  June 10, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.326   open full text
• An evaluation of toy quality for increasing self‐control in typically developing preschool children.
  Jessica F. Juanico, Claudia L. Dozier, Steven W. Payne, Julie A. Ackerlund Brandt, Erica S. Jowett Hirst.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. June 09, 2016
  Children often make impulsive choices, and previous research has shown that access to activities during the delay may enhance self‐control (e.g., Newquist, Dozier, & Neidert, 2012). The purpose of the current study was to extend the results of Newquist et al. (2012) by comparing the effects of access to low‐preference, moderate‐preference, and high‐preference toys during delays. Results showed that (a) all toys increased self‐control for 2 participants when toys were available for all choice options and (b) high‐preference toys (and sometimes moderate‐preference toys) increased self‐control for 3 participants when the toys were available only for large delayed choices.

  June 09, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.320   open full text
• Adult attention and interaction can increase moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity in young children.
  Heather M. Zerger, Matthew P. Normand, Verena Boga, Rutvi R. Patel.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 27, 2016
  Evidence suggests that physical inactivity is prevalent among young children. To combat this, one recommendation for caregivers is to become actively involved in their child's physical activities. However, this general recommendation does not specify how or when a parent should become involved. The purpose of the current study was to conduct a functional analysis to identify a social consequence that would increase the moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA) exhibited by preschool‐aged children, and then to compare the effects of that social consequence when it was provided contingent on MVPA and when provided independent of MVPA. The results of the functional analyses indicated that 3 of 7 children were most active when attention or interactive play was provided contingent on MVPA. Results of the intervention analysis suggested that caregivers of young children should provide attention or interactive play contingent on MVPA when those consequences are identified as reinforcers in a functional analysis.

  May 27, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.317   open full text
• Evaluation of increasing antecedent specificity in goal statements on adherence to positive behavior‐management strategies.
  Corey M. Cohrs, Mark D. Shriver, Raymond V. Burke, Keith D. Allen.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 26, 2016
  We evaluated the impact of antecedent specificity in goal statements on adherence to positive behavior‐management strategies. Teaching staff were recruited from 2 different school settings where there were routine expectations to use behavior‐specific praise in the classroom, but adherence was poor. In a concurrent multiple baseline design, the use of behavior‐specific praise by 4 participants was found to be unaffected by goal statements that increasingly specified the behavior to be used and the conditions under which the behavior should occur. However, adherence by 3 of the 4 participants did change when goal statements included teacher‐specified frequencies with which the behavior should occur. Results were systematically replicated in a second study in which, in a concurrent multiple baseline design, 3 participants showed marked increases in adherence when goal statements specified the target behavior, the conditions under which it should occur, and the frequency with which it should occur.

  May 26, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.321   open full text
• The effects of intertrial interval and instructional format on skill acquisition and maintenance for children with autism spectrum disorders.
  Tom Cariveau, Tiffany Kodak, Vincent Campbell.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 26, 2016
  We replicated and extended the study by Koegel, Dunlap, and Dyer (1980) by examining the effects of 3 intertrial‐interval (ITI) durations on skill acquisition in 2 children with autism spectrum disorders. Specifically, we compared the effect of short (2 s), progressive (2 s to 20 s), and long (20 s) ITIs on participants’ mastery of tacts or intraverbals presented in massed‐trial and varied‐trial instructional formats. We also measured (a) stereotypic and problem behavior during the ITI, (b) maintenance of skills, and (c) responding to novel adults and settings. Results showed that short ITIs in a varied‐trial format produced the most efficient acquisition of skills; however, most ITI durations produced more efficient skill acquisition in a varied format compared to a massed format. The trial format and ITI duration associated with the lowest levels of stereotypic and problem behavior during the ITI and responding during maintenance and novel adult and setting probes differed across participants.

  May 26, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.322   open full text
• Parametric analysis of delayed primary and conditioned reinforcers.
  Yanerys Leon, John C. Borrero, Iser G. DeLeon.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 13, 2016
  We examined the effects of delayed reinforcement on the responding of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Three conditions were evaluated: (a) food reinforcement, (b) token reinforcement with a postsession exchange opportunity, and (c) token reinforcement with a posttrial exchange opportunity. Within each condition, we assessed responding given (a) a no‐reinforcement baseline, (b) immediate reinforcement, and (c) delayed reinforcement, in which responses produced a reinforcer after 1 of 6 delays. Results suggest that delayed food produced greater response persistence than did delayed tokens.

  May 13, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.311   open full text
• Evaluation of a lag schedule of reinforcement in a group contingency to promote varied naming of categories items with children.
  Katie M. Wiskow, Jeanne M. Donaldson.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 13, 2016
  We compared the effects of Lag 0 and Lag 1 schedules of reinforcement on children's responses naming category items in a group context and subsequent responses emitted during individual testing in which the schedule of reinforcement remained Lag 0. Specifically, we measured response variability and novel responses to categories for 3 children who demonstrated the lowest level of variability during an initial individual Lag 0 testing session. An additional 3 children who emitted a high level of variability during initial individual Lag 0 testing sessions served as peers during group sessions. Results showed that participants conformed to the Lag 1 schedule and were more likely to repeat peer responses in the group and during individual testing in the Lag 1 condition. Furthermore, the reinforcement schedule in effect during group sessions affected participants’ varied responses during individual testing, during which the reinforcement schedule remained unchanged.

  May 13, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.307   open full text
• A survey of publication practices of single‐case design researchers when treatments have small or large effects.
  William R. Shadish, Nicole A. M. Zelinsky, Jack L. Vevea, Thomas R. Kratochwill.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 13, 2016
  The published literature often underrepresents studies that do not find evidence for a treatment effect; this is often called publication bias. Literature reviews that fail to include such studies may overestimate the size of an effect. Only a few studies have examined publication bias in single‐case design (SCD) research, but those studies suggest that publication bias may occur. This study surveyed SCD researchers about publication preferences in response to simulated SCD results that show a range of small to large effects. Results suggest that SCD researchers are more likely to submit manuscripts that show large effects for publication and are more likely to recommend acceptance of manuscripts that show large effects when they act as a reviewer. A nontrivial minority of SCD researchers (4% to 15%) would drop 1 or 2 cases from the study if the effect size is small and then submit for publication. This article ends with a discussion of implications for publication practices in SCD research.

  May 13, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.308   open full text
• Interview‐informed synthesized contingency analyses: Thirty replications and reanalysis.
  Joshua Jessel, Gregory P. Hanley, Mahshid Ghaemmaghami.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 13, 2016
  The speed with which a functional analysis (FA) provides a convincing demonstration of the variables that influence problem behavior may be termed efficiency. Multiple FA formats have been developed to improve analytic efficiency while the core components of the Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, and Richman (1982/1994) procedures are maintained. We attempted to illustrate an alternative efficient process for conducting FAs of problem behavior that relied on modifying those core components. In Study 1, we describe 30 applications of the interview‐informed synthesized contingency analysis (Hanley, Jin, Vanselow, & Hanratty, 2014), which required an average of 25 min of analysis. The first sessions of these analyses were reanalyzed in Study 2 to determine if contingencies that controlled problem behavior could be identified in only 3 to 5 min. This was the case in 80% of analyses.

  May 13, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.316   open full text
• Comparisons of synthesized and individual reinforcement contingencies during functional analysis.
  Wayne W. Fisher, Brian D. Greer, Patrick W. Romani, Amanda N. Zangrillo, Todd M. Owen.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 13, 2016
  Researchers typically modify individual functional analysis (FA) conditions after results are inconclusive (Hanley, Iwata, & McCord, 2003). Hanley, Jin, Vanselow, and Hanratty (2014) introduced a marked departure from this practice, using an interview‐informed synthesized contingency analysis (IISCA). In the test condition, they delivered multiple contingencies simultaneously (e.g., attention and escape) after each occurrence of problem behavior; in the control condition, they delivered those same reinforcers noncontingently and continuously. In the current investigation, we compared the results of the IISCA with a more traditional FA in which we evaluated each putative reinforcer individually. Four of 5 participants displayed destructive behavior that was sensitive to the individual contingencies evaluated in the traditional FA. By contrast, none of the participants showed a response pattern consistent with the assumption of the IISCA. We discuss the implications of these findings on the development of accurate and efficient functional analyses.

  May 13, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.314   open full text
• Examination of efficacious, efficient, and socially valid error‐correction procedures to teach sight words and prepositions to children with autism spectrum disorder.
  Tiffany Kodak, Vincent Campbell, Samantha Bergmann, Brittany LeBlanc, Eva Kurtz‐Nelson, Tom Cariveau, Shaji Haq, Patricia Zemantic, Jacob Mahon.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 06, 2016
  Prior research shows that learners have idiosyncratic responses to error‐correction procedures during instruction. Thus, assessments that identify error‐correction strategies to include in instruction can aid practitioners in selecting individualized, efficacious, and efficient interventions. The current investigation conducted an assessment to compare 5 error‐correction procedures that have been evaluated in the extant literature and are common in instructional practice for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Results showed that the assessment identified efficacious and efficient error‐correction procedures for all participants, and 1 procedure was efficient for 4 of the 5 participants. To examine the social validity of error‐correction procedures, participants selected among efficacious and efficient interventions in a concurrent‐chains assessment. We discuss the results in relation to prior research on error‐correction procedures and current instructional practices for learners with ASD.

  May 06, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.310   open full text
• A comparison of preference‐assessment methods.
  Amanda L. Verriden, Eileen M. Roscoe.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. April 01, 2016
  In Study 1, we evaluated preference stability across 4 preference‐assessment methods for 6 individuals, 5 of whom had autism spectrum disorder and 1 of whom had traumatic brain injury. We also measured participants’ problem behavior as a corollary measure during all assessment methods. The highest mean correlation coefficients and Kendall rank coefficients of concordance across administrations were observed for the paired‐stimulus and multiple‐stimulus‐without‐replacement methods. Lower correspondence across administrations was observed for the free‐operant and response‐restriction methods. Although differentially higher levels of problem behavior did not occur with a single method, lower levels were consistently observed with the free‐operant method. During Study 2, we evaluated the implications of lower coefficients on reinforcer efficacy by comparing an initially identified and an immediately identified high‐preference stimulus in a reinforcer assessment. Initially identified and immediately identified high‐preference stimuli were equally effective reinforcers, suggesting that fluctuations in preference do not necessarily affect reinforcer efficacy in practice.

  April 01, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.302   open full text
• Teaching social play skills to adults and children with autism as an approach to building rapport.
  Molly L. Shireman, Dorothea C. Lerman, Conrad B. Hillman.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. March 15, 2016
  Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and no intellectual disabilities were taught to increase the social play skills of children with ASD as part of a vocational training program. Participants included 3 adults, aged 21 to 27 years, and 6 children with ASD. Probes conducted throughout the study evaluated whether play skills training affected a measure of rapport between the adult and child. Results demonstrated the effectiveness of behavioral skills training for teaching the adult participants the appropriate play skills. In addition, the children's social engagement increased. Finally, rapport probes showed that play skills training increased levels of proximity, our measure of rapport, between the adults and children.

  March 15, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.299   open full text
• An integrated model for guiding the selection of treatment components for problem behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement.
  Wendy K. Berg, David P. Wacker, Joel E. Ringdahl, Jason Stricker, Kelly Vinquist, Anuradha Salil Kumar Dutt, Danielle Dolezal, Jeffrey Luke, Lisa Kemmerer, Jayme Mews.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. March 15, 2016
  We evaluated the usefulness of 2 assessments to guide treatment selection for individuals whose prior functional analysis indicated that automatic reinforcement maintained their problem behavior. In the 1st assessment, we compared levels of problem behavior during a noncontingent play condition and an alone or ignore condition. In the 2nd, we assessed participants’ relative preferences for automatic reinforcement and social reinforcers in a concurrent‐operants arrangement. We used the results of these 2 assessments to assign 5 participants to a treatment based on noncontingent access to social reinforcers or to a treatment based on differential access to social reinforcers. We conducted monthly probes with the participants over 10 to 12 months to evaluate the effects of the treatment procedures. All participants showed reductions in problem behavior over this period.

  March 15, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.303   open full text
• Multiple schedules in practical application: Research trends and implications for future investigation.
  Valdeep Saini, Scott A. Miller, Wayne W. Fisher.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. March 15, 2016
  Researchers began studying multiple schedules in basic laboratories, but recent advances have extended research on multiple schedules to a wide variety of socially significant applications, especially during the last decade. Applied researchers have used multiple schedules to (a) promote stimulus control over high‐rate appropriate behaviors, (b) thin the schedule of reinforcement following functional communication training, and (c) obtain stimulus control over problem behaviors maintained by automatic reinforcement. In the current paper, we reviewed 31 studies with 147 applications identified through a search of the applied literature on multiple schedules. Using these studies, we (a) reviewed the empirical literature on multiple schedules, (b) recommended multiple‐schedule procedures that serve as best practice guidelines for applied behavior analysts, (c) identified the generality and boundaries of current knowledge about the effectiveness of multiple schedules, and (d) critically analyzed the literature to provide directions for future multiple‐schedule research.

  March 15, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.300   open full text
• A translational evaluation of transitions.
  Joshua Jessel, Gregory P. Hanley, Mahshid Ghaemmaghami.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. February 24, 2016
  Transitions with nonhuman animals are typically framed as inescapable changes in signaled reinforcement schedules that result in a pause in responding unique to switches from rich to lean schedules. Pausing is considered to be a function of the aversive qualities of the contrasting reinforcement schedules. Transitions are typically framed in applied research as physical changes in location that evoke problem behavior maintained by the escape of an aversive event or resumption of a preferred event. We attempted to extend the basic framing of transitions to behaviors and contexts of social significance and evaluate a novel treatment for the problem of dawdling by 3 boys who had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder during rich‐to‐lean transitions. Dawdling during physical transitions was most readily observed when transitioning to lean contexts in Experiment 1. We then shortened transition duration in Experiment 2 by programming unsignaled and probabilistic rich reinforcement in the upcoming context.

  February 24, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.283   open full text
• Efficacy of and preference for reinforcement and response cost in token economies.
  Erica S. Jowett Hirst, Claudia L. Dozier, Steven W. Payne.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. February 24, 2016
  Researchers have shown that both differential reinforcement and response cost within token economies are similarly effective for changing the behavior of individuals in a group context (e.g., Donaldson, DeLeon, Fisher, & Kahng, 2014; Iwata & Bailey, 1974). In addition, these researchers have empirically evaluated preference for these procedures. However, few previous studies have evaluated the individual effects of these procedures both in group contexts and in the absence of peers. Therefore, we replicated and extended previous research by determining the individual effects and preferences of differential reinforcement and response cost under both group and individualized conditions. Results demonstrated that the procedures were equally effective for increasing on‐task behavior during group and individual instruction for most children, and preference varied across participants. In addition, results were consistent across participants who experienced the procedures in group and individualized settings.

  February 24, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.294   open full text
• A sorting‐to‐matching method to teach compound matching to sample.
  Rachel S. Farber, William V. Dube, Chata A. Dickson.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. February 04, 2016
  Individuals with developmental disabilities may fail to attend to multiple features in compound stimuli (e.g., arrays of pictures, letters within words) with detrimental effects on learning. Participants were 5 children with autism spectrum disorder who had low to intermediate accuracy scores (35% to 84%) on a computer‐presented compound matching task. Sample stimuli were pairs of icons (e.g., chair–tree), the correct comparison was identical to the sample, and each incorrect comparison had one icon in common with the sample (e.g., chair–sun, airplane–tree). A 5‐step tabletop sorting‐to‐matching training procedure was used to teach compound matching. The first step was sorting 3 single pictures; subsequent steps gradually changed the task to compound matching. If progress stalled, tasks were modified temporarily to prompt observing behavior. After tabletop training, participants were retested on the compound matching task; accuracy improved to at least 95% for all children. This procedure illustrates one way to improve attending to multiple features of compound stimuli.

  February 04, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.290   open full text
• Use of an explicit rule decreases procrastination in university students.
  Paul E. Johnson, Christopher J. Perrin, Allen Salo, Elyssa Deschaine, Beth Johnson.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. January 27, 2016
  The procrastination behavior of students from a small rural university was decreased by presenting them with a rule indicating that a sooner final due date for a writing assignment would be contingent on procrastination during earlier phases of the paper. A counterbalanced AB BA design was used to measure the effects of the rule‐based treatment across 2 introductory psychology classes (N = 33). Overall, participants engaged in less procrastination, missed fewer deadlines, and produced higher quality writing in the treatment condition.

  January 27, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.287   open full text
• Reinforcer choice as an antecedent versus consequence.
  Charles Peterson, Dorothea C. Lerman, Melissa A. Nissen.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. January 21, 2016
  Four children with autism received opportunities to choose among several preferred stimuli either immediately before or after task responding. The response requirement for reinforcement systematically increased within each session. Two children engaged in higher levels of responding when reinforcement choice was provided as an antecedent to task completion, and 3 of the 4 children showed a preference for the antecedent choice condition.

  January 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.284   open full text
• Caregiver preference for reinforcement‐based interventions for problem behavior maintained by positive reinforcement.
  Anne M. Gabor, Jennifer N. Fritz, Christopher T. Roath, Brittany R. Rothe, Denise A. Gourley.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. January 21, 2016
  Social validity of behavioral interventions typically is assessed with indirect methods or by determining preferences of the individuals who receive treatment, and direct observation of caregiver preference rarely is described. In this study, preferences of 5 caregivers were determined via a concurrent‐chains procedure. Caregivers were neurotypical, and children had been diagnosed with developmental disabilities and engaged in problem behavior maintained by positive reinforcement. Caregivers were taught to implement noncontingent reinforcement (NCR), differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA), and differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO), and the caregivers selected interventions to implement during sessions with the child after they had demonstrated proficiency in implementing the interventions. Three caregivers preferred DRA, 1 caregiver preferred differential reinforcement procedures, and 1 caregiver did not exhibit a preference. Direct observation of implementation in concurrent‐chains procedures may allow the identification of interventions that are implemented with sufficient integrity and preferred by caregivers.

  January 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.286   open full text
• Inserting mastered targets during error correction when teaching skills to children with autism.
  Lauren Plaisance, Dorothea C. Lerman, Courtney Laudont, Wai‐Ling Wu.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. January 21, 2016
  Research has identified a variety of effective approaches for responding to errors during discrete‐trial training. In one commonly used method, the therapist delivers a prompt contingent on the occurrence of an incorrect response and then re‐presents the trial so that the learner has an opportunity to perform the correct response independently. Some authors recommend inserting trials with previously mastered targets between the prompted response and opportunities to respond independently, but no studies have directly examined the benefits of this approach. In this study, we manipulated the placement of trials with mastered targets during discrete‐trial training to compare the effectiveness of error correction with and without this recommended insertion procedure. Four children with autism participated, and each was taught 18 targets across 3 target sets. Results indicated that embedding trials with mastered targets into error correction may not confer benefits for most children and that doing so may lead to less efficient instruction.

  January 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.292   open full text
• Effects of treatment‐integrity failures on a response‐cost procedure.
  Claire C. St. Peter, Jeffrey D. Byrd, Sacha T. Pence, Apral P. Foreman.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. January 21, 2016
  Effects of incorrect or partial implementation (poor treatment integrity) on response cost are largely unknown. We evaluated reduced treatment integrity during response cost on rates of 2 concurrently available responses. College students earned points by clicking on either a black circle or a red circle on a computer screen. Experiment 1 compared 2 types of treatment‐integrity failures (omission and commission errors) across 2 levels of integrity (20% and 50%). Compared to 100% integrity conditions, omission errors did not suppress responding to the same extent, and commission errors reduced target responding but also decreased rates of alternative behavior. Experiment 2 compared the effects of 20% and 50% omission errors within subjects. Implementation at 50% integrity adequately suppressed responding, but treatment effects were lost at 20% integrity. There may be a critical level at which response cost must be implemented to suppress responding, which has important implications for application.

  January 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.291   open full text
• Evaluation of multiple schedules with naturally occurring and therapist‐arranged discriminative stimuli following functional communication training.
  Kenneth D. Shamlian, Wayne W. Fisher, Mark W. Steege, Brenna M. Cavanaugh, Kristina Samour, Angie C. Querim.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. January 21, 2016
  Many studies have shown that (a) functional communication training (FCT) is effective for reducing problem behavior, and (b) multiple schedules can facilitate reinforcer schedule thinning during FCT. Most studies tha have used multiple schedules with FCT have included therapist‐arranged stimuli (e.g., colored cards) as the discriminative stimuli (SDs), but recently, researchers have evaluated similar multiple‐schedule training procedures with naturally occurring SDs (e.g., overt therapist behavior). The purposes of the current study were to compare the effects of arranged and naturally occurring SDs directly during (a) acquisition of discriminated functional communication responses (FCRs) and (b) generalization of discriminated FCRs when we introduced the multiple schedules in novel contexts in which the naturally occurring stimuli were either relatively easy or difficult to discriminate. Results showed that (a) 2 of 3 participants acquired discriminated responding of the FCR more rapidly with arranged than with naturally occurring stimuli, (b) 2 of 3 participants showed resurgence of problem behavior , and (c) 2 of 3 participants showed greater generalization of discriminated responding to novel contexts with arranged stimuli than with naturally occurring stimuli. We discuss these results relative to the conditions under which naturally occurring and arranged SDs may promote rapid and generalized treatment gains.

  January 21, 2016   doi: 10.1002/jaba.293   open full text
• A component analysis of toilet‐training procedures recommended for young children.
  Brian D. Greer, Pamela L. Neidert, Claudia L. Dozier.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. December 23, 2015
  We evaluated the combined and sequential effects of 3 toilet‐training procedures recommended for use with young children: (a) underwear, (b) a dense sit schedule, and (c) differential reinforcement. A total of 20 children participated. Classroom teachers implemented a toilet‐training package consisting of all 3 procedures with 6 children. Of the 6 children, 2 showed clear and immediate improvements in toileting performance, and 3 showed delayed improvements. Teachers implemented components of the training package sequentially with 12 children. At least 2 of the 4 children who experienced the underwear component after baseline improved. Toileting performance did not improve for any of the 8 children who were initially exposed to either the dense sit schedule or differential reinforcement. When initial training components were ineffective, teachers implemented additional components sequentially until toileting performance improved or all components were implemented. Toileting performance often improved when underwear or differential reinforcement was later added.

  December 23, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.275   open full text
• The use of a discrimination‐training procedure to teach mand variability to children with autism.
  Matthew T. Brodhead, Thomas S. Higbee, Kristina R. Gerencser, Jessica S. Akers.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. December 23, 2015
  We investigated the effects of a script‐fading and discrimination‐training procedure on mand variability in preschoolers with autism. Participants were taught to vary their vocal mands in the presence of written scripts, a green placemat, and a lag schedule of reinforcement. They were also taught to engage in repetitive mands in the presence of the same written scripts and a red placemat. When the scripts were removed, all 3 participants continued to engage in varied manding in the presence of the green placemat and lag schedule, and they continued to engage in repetitive manding in the presence of the red placemat. When the lag schedule was also removed, 2 of the 3 participants continued to engage in varied responding in the presence of the green placemat and repetitive responding in the presence of the red placemat. Finally, all 3 participants demonstrated generalization and maintenance of mand variability during snack sessions with their peers.

  December 23, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.280   open full text
• Effects of episodic future thinking on discounting: Personalized age‐progressed pictures improve risky long‐term health decisions.
  Brent A. Kaplan, Derek D. Reed, David P. Jarmolowicz.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. December 17, 2015
  Many everyday choices are associated with both delayed and probabilistic outcomes. The temporal attention hypothesis suggests that individuals' decision making can be improved by focusing attention on temporally distal events and implies that environmental manipulations that bring temporally distal outcomes into focus may alter an individual's degree of discounting. One such manipulation, episodic future thinking, has shown to lower discount rates; however, several questions remain about the applicability of episodic future thinking to domains other than delay discounting. The present experiments examine the effects of a modified episodic‐future‐thinking procedure in which participants viewed age‐progressed computer‐generated images of themselves and answered questions related to their future, on probability discounting in the context of both a delayed health gain and loss. Results indicate that modified episodic future thinking effectively altered individuals' degree of discounting in the predicted directions and demonstrate the applicability of episodic future thinking to decision making of socially significant outcomes.

  December 17, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.277   open full text
• Using lag schedules to strengthen the intraverbal repertoires of children with autism.
  Bethany P. Contreras, Alison M. Betz.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. December 14, 2015
  Previous research has demonstrated the utility of using lag schedules of reinforcement to increase response variability of children with autism. However, little research has evaluated whether the lag schedule promotes variability from within an already‐established repertoire or expands the current repertoire by promoting the use of new responses (i.e., those not previously demonstrated). Thus, the purpose of the current study was to evaluate the extent to which lag schedules of reinforcement produced already‐established intraverbal responses or novel responses for 3 children with autism. Results showed that lag schedules alone were sufficient to increase the number of different responses emitted for 2 participants, whereas brief variability training was needed for 1 participant. Further, some participants emitted novel responses throughout the experiment, suggesting that lag schedules may be an effective method for expanding a response class.

  December 14, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.271   open full text
• Using video feedback to improve horseback‐riding skills.
  Heather Kelley, Raymond G. Miltenberger.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. December 14, 2015
  This study used video feedback to improve the horseback‐riding skills of advanced beginning riders. We focused on 3 skill sets: those used in jumping over obstacles, dressage riding on the flat, and jumping position riding on the flat. Baseline consisted of standard lesson procedures. Intervention consisted of video feedback in which a recorded attempt at the target behavior was immediately shown to the rider and the instructor. The rider and instructor reviewed the video while the instructor delivered feedback. After the lesson, experimenters scored riding position according to checklists that corresponded to each skill. For all participants, video feedback increased their correct riding skills.

  December 14, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.272   open full text
• Changing preference from tangible to social activities through an observation procedure.
  Justin B. Leaf, Misty L. Oppenheim‐Leaf, Donna Townley‐Cochran, Jeremy A. Leaf, Aditt Alcalay, Christine Milne, Alyne Kassardjian, Kathleen Tsuji, Stephanie Dale, Ronald Leaf, Mitchell Taubman, John McEachin.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. December 14, 2015
  Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have qualitative impairments in social interaction and often prefer food or tangible reinforcement to social reinforcement. Thus, therapists who work with children with ASD often use food or tangible items as reinforcers to increase appropriate behaviors or decrease problem behaviors. The goal of the present study was to shift children's preferences from a highly preferred tangible item to an initially nonpreferred social reinforcer using an observational conditioning procedure. Participants observed a known peer engage in a simple task and select the social reinforcer that was not preferred by the participant. This procedure resulted in a shift of preference toward the social reinforcer by all participants. Maintenance data showed that although the preference change did not maintain for 1 of the participants, it was quickly reestablished with additional observational trials. Results provide further support for the use of observational procedures to alter preferences.

  December 14, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.276   open full text
• Increasing the vocalizations of individuals with autism during intervention with a speech‐generating device.
  Cindy Gevarter, Mark F. O'Reilly, Michelle Kuhn, Kasey Mills, Raechal Ferguson, Laci Watkins, Jeff Sigafoos, Russell Lang, Laura Rojeski, Giulio E. Lancioni.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. December 06, 2015
  This study aimed to teach individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and limited vocal speech to emit target vocalizations while using a speech‐generating device (SGD). Of the 4 participants, 3 began emitting vocal word approximations with SGD responses after vocal instructional methods (delays, differential reinforcement, prompting) were introduced. Two participants met mastery criterion with a reinforcer delay and differential reinforcement, and 1 met criterion after fading an echoic model and prompt delay. For these participants, vocalizations initiated before speech outputs were shown to increase, and vocalizations generalized to a context in which the SGD was absent. The 4th participant showed high vocalization rates only when prompted. The results suggest that adding vocal instruction to an SGD‐based intervention can increase vocalizations emitted along with SGD responses for some individuals with ASD.

  December 06, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.270   open full text
• Order of stimulus presentation influences children's acquisition in receptive identification tasks.
  Anna Ingeborg Petursdottir, Gabriella Aguilar.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 28, 2015
  Receptive identification is usually taught in matching‐to‐sample format, which entails the presentation of an auditory sample stimulus and several visual comparison stimuli in each trial. Conflicting recommendations exist regarding the order of stimulus presentation in matching‐to‐sample trials. The purpose of this study was to compare acquisition in receptive identification tasks under 2 conditions: when the sample was presented before the comparisons (sample first) and when the comparisons were presented before the sample (comparison first). Participants included 4 typically developing kindergarten‐age boys. Stimuli, which included birds and flags, were presented on a computer screen. Acquisition in the 2 conditions was compared in an adapted alternating‐treatments design combined with a multiple baseline design across stimulus sets. All participants took fewer trials to meet the mastery criterion in the sample‐first condition than in the comparison‐first condition.

  October 28, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.264   open full text
• Functional communication training during reinforcement schedule thinning: An analysis of 25 applications.
  Brian D. Greer, Wayne W. Fisher, Valdeep Saini, Todd M. Owen, Jamie K. Jones.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 20, 2015
  Two principal goals of functional communication training (FCT) are (a) to eliminate destructive behavior and (b) to establish a more acceptable, yet functionally equivalent, communication response (FCR). A related and critically important goal is to thin the schedule of reinforcement for the FCR to levels that can be reasonably managed by caregivers. Researchers have described several approaches to thinning FCT reinforcement schedules. We summarize the results of 25 consecutive applications (among 20 cases) in which schedule‐thinning procedures employed discriminative stimuli to signal when the FCR would and would not produce reinforcement (i.e., using multiple schedules, response restriction, or chained schedules). Results suggest that schedule‐thinning procedures that use discriminative stimuli can maintain the effectiveness of FCT while they minimize the need for punishment or other supplemental procedures.

  October 20, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.265   open full text
• A statewide survey assessing practitioners' use and perceived utility of functional assessment.
  Eileen M. Roscoe, Katurri M. Phillips, Maureen A. Kelly, Rachel Farber, William V. Dube.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 28, 2015
  The field of applied behavior analysis emphasizes the importance of conducting functional assessment before treatment development for problem behavior. There is, however, little information regarding the extent to which practitioners are using functional assessment in applied settings for individuals with developmental disabilities (DD). The purpose of the current study was to conduct a survey to assess the degree to which various types of functional assessment are implemented in agencies that serve individuals with DD in Massachusetts. Practitioners were asked to indicate their perception about and use of the various categories of functional assessment (e.g., indirect assessment, descriptive assessment, and functional analysis). From the 205 respondents who completed the survey, the most frequently used functional assessment was descriptive assessment. Results indicated that although the majority (67.8%) of practitioners believe functional analysis to be the most informative assessment tool for selecting behavioral treatment, only 34.6% of respondents indicated that they typically use functional analysis to inform the development of a behavior plan.

  September 28, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.259   open full text
• A survey of functional behavior assessment methods used by behavior analysts in practice.
  Anthony C. Oliver, Leigh A. Pratt, Matthew P. Normand.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 28, 2015
  To gather information about the functional behavior assessment (FBA) methods behavior analysts use in practice, we sent a web‐based survey to 12,431 behavior analysts certified by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Ultimately, 724 surveys were returned, with the results suggesting that most respondents regularly use FBA methods, especially descriptive assessments. Moreover, the data suggest that the majority of students are being formally taught about the various FBA methods and that educators are emphasizing the range of FBA methods in their teaching. However, less than half of the respondents reported using functional analyses in practice, although many considered descriptive assessments and functional analyses to be the most useful FBA methods. Most respondents reported using informant and descriptive assessments more frequently than functional analyses, and a majority of respondents indicated that they “never” or “almost never” used functional analyses to identify the function of behavior.

  September 28, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.256   open full text
• The efficiency and efficacy of equivalence‐based learning: A randomized controlled trial.
  Tracy E. Zinn, M. Christopher Newland, Katie E. Ritchie.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 28, 2015
  Because it employs an emergent‐learning framework, equivalence‐based instruction (EBI) is said to be highly efficient, but its presumed benefits must be compared quantitatively with alternative techniques. In a randomized controlled trial, 61 college students attempted to learn 32 pairs of proprietary and generic drug names using computer‐based match‐to‐sample presentations of auditory and written drug names. Students who received EBI experienced pairings based on stimulus equivalence theory, and they mastered the material quickly. Control‐group students practiced relations drawn at random from those that the EBI group learned via training or emergence. Students in the criterion‐control group required many more trials to achieve the same accuracy as the EBI group. By way of a yoking procedure, students in the trial‐control group received the same number of trials as the EBI students but achieved poorer accuracy and little mastery. Thus, EBI was more efficient and effective than unstructured presentation.

  September 28, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.258   open full text
• Relations between rate of negative reinforcement and the persistence of task completion.
  Patrick W. Romani, Joel E. Ringdahl, David P. Wacker, Nicole H. Lustig, Kelly M. Vinquist, John Northup, Alexandra M. Kane, Deva P. Carrion.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 28, 2015
  Research has shown that differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) can be an effective intervention to address problem behavior maintained by negative reinforcement emitted by young children. However, few studies have evaluated the variables that are related to long‐term maintenance (i.e., persistence) of treatment effects. Research on behavioral persistence predicts that the rate of reinforcement provided for a target behavior is correlated with its persistence when challenged. There were 2 purposes of the current investigation. First, we evaluated the effects of the rate of negative reinforcement on the persistence of task completion. Second, we applied the findings regarding rate of reinforcement to a treatment context for 3 participants who engaged in destructive behavior that was reinforced by escape from demands. Results were evaluated within a multielement design and indicated that the rate of negative reinforcement had a moderate influence on the persistence of task completion. These results contribute to the existing literature by extending analyses of persistence to treatment contexts.

  September 28, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.252   open full text
• Further investigation of a rapid restraint analysis.
  Meghan A. Deshais, Alyssa B. Fisher, Nicole L. Hausman, SungWoo Kahng.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 28, 2015
  Research related to the use of mechanical restraint devices (e.g., arm splints) has been limited despite the frequency with which they are used in the clinical treatment of severe and dangerous self‐injurious behavior (SIB). Wallace, Iwata, Zhou, and Goff (1999) used a rapid restraint analysis (RRA) to evaluate the effects of different levels of arm‐splint flexion on rates of hand‐to‐head SIB and adaptive behavior. The goal of the current study was 3‐fold: (a) to extend previous research on RRA by reporting RRA results for 10 participants and investigating post‐RRA outcomes, (b) to investigate whether the RRA might have the potential to eliminate the need for restraint fading altogether for some individuals, and (c) to investigate whether the RRA might help to identify a starting point for restraint fading for individuals for whom fading is necessary. Results suggested that the RRA helped to eliminate the need for restraint fading for 6 participants. With respect to the identification of a starting point for restraint fading, results were mixed. Overall, 8 of the 10 participants were discharged from the inpatient unit at a less restrictive level of flexion or at the same level of flexion identified by the RRA. Implications for adoption of the RRA are discussed.

  September 28, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.251   open full text
• Teaching observational learning to children with autism.
  Jacquelyn MacDonald, William H. Ahearn.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 24, 2015
  Observational learning (OL) is critical for the acquisition of social skills and may be an important skill for learning in traditional educational settings. Although OL occurs during early childhood in the typically developing population, research suggests that it may be limited in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of the present study was to develop an assessment to test for the presence of OL across a variety of tasks. If OL was deficient, we sought to teach it by training specific skills. Six participants who had been diagnosed with ASD demonstrated deficits in OL. After an initial assessment, a multiple‐probe design across OL tasks showed that training produced acquisition of these skills across multiple exemplars. After training, 5 of the 6 participants engaged in OL across multiple tasks and task variations, demonstrating generalization. For 1 participant, generalization of performance did not occur across tasks but did occur within task variations.

  September 24, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.257   open full text
• Serial alternative response training as intervention for target response resurgence.
  Joseph M. Lambert, Sarah E. Bloom, Andrew L. Samaha, Elizabeth Dayton, Andrew M. Rodewald.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 24, 2015
  Failure to reinforce appropriate behavior could result in resurgence of previously extinguished problem behavior and degradation of previously effective treatments such as differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA). We analyzed arbitrary responses (i.e., switch flipping) exhibited by 3 adults with developmental disabilities to compare the effect of a traditional DRA intervention against the effect of a serial DRA intervention on the magnitude of target response resurgence using a 2‐component multiple schedule. The target response served as an analogue to problem behavior, and alternative responses served as analogues to socially appropriate alternative responses. In all cases, the percentage of total responding allocated toward target response resurgence was less in the serial DRA component than in the traditional DRA component. Furthermore, we observed both reversion and recency for 2 of 3 subjects. Our data provide preliminary evidence suggesting that serial DRA may produce more durable and desirable outcomes than traditional DRA.

  September 24, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.253   open full text
• Teaching statistical variability with equivalence‐based instruction.
  Leif Albright, Kenneth F. Reeve, Sharon A. Reeve, April N. Kisamore.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 22, 2015
  In the present study, equivalence‐based instruction was used to teach 2 4‐member classes representing high and low statistical variability to 10 college students. Computerized equivalence‐based instruction with multiple‐exemplar training was used to teach the classes. A pretest–training–posttest design evaluated performances on both computer‐based tests and written multiple‐choice tests. Scores improved from pretest to posttest on both the computerized and the multiple‐choice tests for all students following equivalence‐based instruction. Class‐consistent selections also generalized from training to novel stimuli and to a novel context (i.e., written test). Finally, class‐consistent performances maintained 1 week after equivalence‐based instruction was completed. The study demonstrated that equivalence‐based instruction can be used to teach labeling of statistical variability and that a selection‐based teaching protocol administered on a computer can promote the emergence of responses to a written selection‐based testing protocol.

  September 22, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.249   open full text
• Interactions between behavior function and psychotropic medication.
  Alison D. Cox, Javier Virues‐Ortega.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 22, 2015
  We reanalyzed published studies that reported functional analyses conducted in the presence and absence of medication. In Analysis 1, we assessed the overall effect of psychotropic medication on problem behavior. Medication had a reductive effect in 29 of the 37 sets of functional analyses reviewed. The magnitude of the effect was associated with the baseline level of responding according to a rate‐dependency function. Analysis 2 examined medication‐induced changes in behavior function. The introduction of medication was followed by the emergence of a new function (1), a change in functions (1), the subtraction of one function in multiply controlled problem behavior (2), and near‐zero levels of responding (6). Thus, in 4 of 37 cases reviewed, medication may have induced function‐specific changes in problem behavior. We discuss the implications of these findings for a closer collaboration between behavior analysts and prescribing professionals in the treatment of problem behavior.

  September 22, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.247   open full text
• Using multiple schedules during functional communication training to promote rapid transfer of treatment effects.
  Wayne W. Fisher, Brian D. Greer, Ashley M. Fuhrman, Angie C. Querim.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 18, 2015
  Multiple schedules with signaled periods of reinforcement and extinction have been used to thin reinforcement schedules during functional communication training (FCT) to make the intervention more practical for parents and teachers. We evaluated whether these signals would also facilitate rapid transfer of treatment effects across settings and therapists. With 2 children, we conducted FCT in the context of mixed (baseline) and multiple (treatment) schedules introduced across settings or therapists using a multiple baseline design. Results indicated that when the multiple schedules were introduced, the functional communication response came under rapid discriminative control, and problem behavior remained at near‐zero rates. We extended these findings with another individual by using a more traditional baseline in which problem behavior produced reinforcement. Results replicated those of the previous participants and showed rapid reductions in problem behavior when multiple schedules were implemented across settings.

  September 18, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.254   open full text
• Effects of script training on the peer‐to‐peer communication of children with autism spectrum disorder.
  Katherine Ledbetter‐Cho, Russell Lang, Katy Davenport, Melissa Moore, Allyson Lee, Alexandria Howell, Christine Drew, Dana Dawson, Marjorie H. Charlop, Terry Falcomata, Mark O'Reilly.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 24, 2015
  A multiple baseline design across participants was used to demonstrate the effects of a script‐training procedure on the peer‐to‐peer communication of 3 children with autism spectrum disorder during group play with peers. Both scripted and unscripted initiations as well as responses to peers increased for all 3 participants. Stimulus generalization across novel toys, settings, and peers was observed. Novel unscripted initiations, responses, and appropriate changes in topics during peer‐to‐peer exchanges were analyzed by considering the cumulative frequency of these behaviors across phases of the study. Treatment gains were maintained during 4‐week follow‐up sessions. Results are discussed in terms of recommendations for practitioners, response variability, and potential future avenues of research.

  August 24, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.240   open full text
• Teaching children with autism to respond to conversation partners’ interest.
  Lindsay C. Peters, Rachel H. Thompson.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 06, 2015
  Successful conversation requires that the speaker's behavior is sensitive to nonvocal listener responses. We observed children with autism spectrum disorder during conversation probes in which a listener periodically displayed nonvocal cues that she was uninterested in the conversation. We used behavioral skills training to teach conversation skills. First, we taught participants to tact nonvocal listener behavior (interested or uninterested), but this was insufficient to improve responding aimed at regaining listener interest. Participants were then taught to ask a question (Experiments 1 and 2) or change the topic (Experiment 2) when the listener was uninterested. Responding persisted over time and with changes in the stimulus conditions. The behavior change was also deemed socially valid by blind observers. In Experiment 3, participants learned to shift to the other trained response when exposed to extinction. This study illustrates a set of procedures for bringing speaker behavior under control of nonvocal listener cues.

  August 06, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.235   open full text
• Teaching discriminated social approaches to individuals with Angelman syndrome.
  Caitlin S. Fichtner, Jeffrey H. Tiger.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 06, 2015
  Angelman syndrome is a neurogenetic disorder characterized by intellectual and developmental disability. Common behavioral characteristics of this disorder include a heightened interest in social interactions and frequent bids to initiate interaction. These bids can be problematic, for instance, when a child attempts to hug strangers in public places. The current study evaluated a discrimination training program to teach 3 boys with Angelman syndrome to discriminate appropriate from inappropriate times to initiate interactions. During baseline, we alternated periods in which attention was delivered following social initiations on a continuous reinforcement schedule with periods in which initiations were placed on extinction. We then implemented discrimination training by presenting a salient discriminative stimulus, prompting the occurrence of initiations, and providing reinforcement during reinforcement periods and withdrawing the stimulus during extinction periods. This resulted in discriminated approaches for each of the 3 participants; these results were replicated across caregivers and extended to the participants' homes.

  August 06, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.237   open full text
• Evaluation of treatment integrity errors on mand acquisition.
  Sacha T. Pence, Claire C. St. Peter.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 03, 2015
  Manding allows individuals to access reinforcers in their environment. Caregivers may not implement mand‐training programs as designed, which could result in decreased mand proficiency. This study evaluated the effects of delivery of the incorrect item (Experiment 1) and response‐independent item delivery (Experiment 2) across 4 levels of treatment integrity (0%, 40%, 70%, and 100%) on mand acquisition with individuals with developmental disabilities. During Experiment 1, 2 of the 3 participants acquired the mand fastest during 100% integrity. Delivery of the incorrect item was detrimental to acquisition, but effects were idiosyncratic. During Experiment 2, all participants acquired the mand trained with 100% integrity fastest, followed by the mand trained with 70% integrity. None of the participants acquired the mands trained with 40% and 0% integrity, suggesting that delivery of the item independent of responding was detrimental to acquisition. For mand training to be most effective, caregivers must implement mand training with high levels of integrity.

  August 03, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.238   open full text
• Delineating subtypes of self‐injurious behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement.
  Louis P. Hagopian, Griffin W. Rooker, Jennifer R. Zarcone.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. July 29, 2015
  Self‐injurious behavior (SIB) is maintained by automatic reinforcement in roughly 25% of cases. Automatically reinforced SIB typically has been considered a single functional category, and is less understood than socially reinforced SIB. Subtyping automatically reinforced SIB into functional categories has the potential to guide the development of more targeted interventions and increase our understanding of its biological underpinnings. The current study involved an analysis of 39 individuals with automatically reinforced SIB and a comparison group of 13 individuals with socially reinforced SIB. Automatically reinforced SIB was categorized into 3 subtypes based on patterns of responding in the functional analysis and the presence of self‐restraint. These response features were selected as the basis for subtyping on the premise that they could reflect functional properties of SIB unique to each subtype. Analysis of treatment data revealed important differences across subtypes and provides preliminary support to warrant additional research on this proposed subtyping model.

  July 29, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.236   open full text
• Decreasing transition times in elementary school classrooms: Using computer‐assisted instruction to automate intervention components.
  Jeffrey F. Hine, Scott P. Ardoin, Tori E. Foster.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. July 29, 2015
  Research suggests that students spend a substantial amount of time transitioning between classroom activities, which may reduce time spent academically engaged. This study used an ABAB design to evaluate the effects of a computer‐assisted intervention that automated intervention components previously shown to decrease transition times. We examined the effects of the intervention on the latency to on‐task behavior of 4 students in 2 classrooms. Data also were collected on students' on‐task behavior during activities and teachers' use of prompts and praise statements. Implementation of the intervention substantially decreased students' latencies to on‐task behavior and increased on‐task behavior overall. Further, the 2 teachers used fewer prompts to cue students to transition and stay on task and provided more praise during intervention phases. We discuss how automating classroom interventions may affect student and teacher behavior as well as how it may increase procedural fidelity.

  July 29, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.233   open full text
• Optimizing equivalence‐based instruction: Effects of training protocols on equivalence class formation.
  Daniel M. Fienup, Nicole A. Wright, Lanny Fields.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. July 28, 2015
  Two experiments evaluated the effects of the simple‐to‐complex and simultaneous training protocols on the formation of academically relevant equivalence classes. The simple‐to‐complex protocol intersperses derived relations probes with training baseline relations. The simultaneous protocol conducts all training trials and test trials in separate portions of the protocol. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants formed 4 3‐ and 4‐member neuroanatomy classes, respectively. When trained with the simple‐to‐complex protocol, 100% of participants immediately formed the 3‐ or 4‐member classes. When trained with the simultaneous protocol, the 3‐ and 4‐member classes were formed immediately by 75% and 42% of participants, respectively. Thus, the immediate emergence of equivalence classes was an interactive function of training protocol and class size. The remaining participants eventually formed classes after a few cycles of retraining. The incorporation of these training and testing parameters could optimize the use of equivalence‐based instruction for teaching college‐level course content.

  July 28, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.234   open full text
• Using behavioral skills training and video rehearsal to teach blackjack skills.
  Ryan C. Speelman, Seth W. Whiting, Mark R. Dixon.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. July 14, 2015
  A behavioral skills training procedure that consisted of video instructions, video rehearsal, and video testing was used to teach 4 recreational gamblers a specific skill in playing blackjack (sometimes called card counting). A multiple baseline design was used to evaluate intervention effects on card‐counting accuracy and chips won or lost across participants. Before training, no participant counted cards accurately. Each participant completed all phases of the training protocol, counting cards fluently with 100% accuracy during changing speed criterion training exercises. Generalization probes were conducted while participants played blackjack in a mock casino following each training phase. Afterwards, all 4 participants were able to count cards while they played blackjack. In conjunction with count accuracy, total winnings were tracked to determine the monetary advantages associated with counting cards. After losing money during baseline, 3 of 4 participants won a substantial amount of money playing blackjack after the intervention.

  July 14, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.225   open full text
• Data analysis of response interruption and redirection as a treatment for vocal stereotypy.
  Kara L. Wunderlich, Timothy R. Vollmer.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. July 14, 2015
  Vocal stereotypy, or repetitive, noncontextual vocalizations, is a problematic form of behavior exhibited by many individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Recent research has evaluated the efficacy of response interruption and redirection (RIRD) in the reduction of vocal stereotypy. Research has indicated that RIRD often results in reductions in the level of vocal stereotypy; however, many previous studies have only presented data on vocal stereotypy that occurred outside RIRD implementation. The current study replicated the procedures of previous studies that have evaluated the efficacy of RIRD and compared 2 data‐presentation methods: inclusion of only data collected outside RIRD implementation and inclusion of all vocal stereotypy data from the entirety of each session. Subjects were 7 children who had been diagnosed with ASD. Results indicated that RIRD appeared to be effective when we evaluated the level of vocal stereotypy outside RIRD implementation, but either no reductions or more modest reductions in the level of vocal stereotypy during the entirety of sessions were obtained for all subjects. Results suggest that data‐analysis methods used in previous research may overestimate the efficacy of RIRD.

  July 14, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.227   open full text
• An evaluation of resistance to change with unconditioned and conditioned reinforcers.
  Kristina K. Vargo, Joel E. Ringdahl.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. June 29, 2015
  Several reinforcer‐related variables influence a response's resistance to change (Nevin, 1974). Reinforcer type (i.e., conditioned or unconditioned) is a reinforcer‐related variable that has not been studied with humans but may have clinical implications. In Experiment 1, we identified unconditioned and conditioned reinforcers of equal preference. In Experiments 2, 3, and 4, we reinforced participants' behavior during a baseline phase using a multiple variable‐interval (VI) 30‐s VI 30‐s schedule with either conditioned (i.e., token) or unconditioned (i.e., food; one type of reinforcement in each component) reinforcement. After equal reinforcement rates across components, we introduced a disruptor. Results of Experiments 2 and 3 showed that behaviors were more resistant to extinction and distraction, respectively, with conditioned than with unconditioned reinforcers. Results of Experiment 4, however, showed that when prefeeding disrupted responding, behaviors were more resistant to change with unconditioned reinforcers than with conditioned reinforcers.

  June 29, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.226   open full text
• Classroom‐based interdependent group contingencies increase children's physical activity.
  Sarah Kuhl, Eric H. Rudrud, Benjamin N. Witts, Kimberly A. Schulze.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. June 22, 2015
  This study investigated the effects of 2 interdependent group contingencies (individual vs. cumulative classroom goal setting) on the number of pedometer‐recorded steps taken per day. Thirty third‐grade students in 2 classrooms participated. An ABACX design was conducted in which the X phase referred to a replication of the most successful phase (i.e., B or C). Results indicated that individual goal setting, rather than cumulative classroom goal setting, was more effective in increasing the number of steps taken per day on average. Results suggest that individual feedback may be an important factor in attaining desired results.

  June 22, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.219   open full text
• Further evaluation of the high‐probability instructional sequence with and without programmed reinforcement.
  David A. Wilder, Lina Majdalany, Latasha Sturkie, Lindsay Smeltz.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 22, 2015
  In 2 experiments, we examined the effects of programmed reinforcement for compliance with high‐probability (high‐p) instructions on compliance with low‐probability (low‐p) instructions. In Experiment 1, we compared the high‐p sequence with and without programmed reinforcement (i.e., edible items) for compliance with high‐p instructions. Results showed that the high‐p sequence increased compliance with low‐p instructions only when compliance with high‐p instructions was followed by reinforcement. In Experiment 2, we examined the role of reinforcer quality by delivering a lower quality reinforcer (praise) for compliance with high‐p instructions. Results of Experiment 2 showed that the high‐p sequence with lower quality reinforcement did not improve compliance with low‐p instructions; the addition of a higher quality reinforcer (i.e., edible items) contingent on compliance with high‐p instructions did increase compliance with low‐p instructions.

  May 22, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.218   open full text
• Improving in‐kennel presentation of shelter dogs through response‐dependent and response‐independent treat delivery.
  Alexandra Protopopova, Clive D. L. Wynne.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 20, 2015
  In a sequence of studies, we evaluated 2 behavioral interventions designed to decrease undesirable in‐kennel behaviors of shelter dogs. In Experiment 1, we compared the efficacy of a simple pairing of person with food (response‐independent treat delivery) to an increasing interval differential‐reinforcement‐of‐other‐behavior (DRO) procedure and a control condition. Both procedures decreased the median percentage of undesirable behavior from baseline (88.13%, interquartile range [IQR] = 52.78% and 66.43%, IQR = 89.06% respectively), and the control condition increased behavior by 15.13% (IQR = 32.08%), H(2) = 6.49, p = .039. In Experiment 2, we assessed the efficacy of a response‐independent procedure on the whole shelter population. We found a 68% decrease from baseline in the number of dogs that behaved undesirably (U = –4.16, p < .001). Our results suggest that a response‐independent procedure is equivalent in efficacy to a DRO procedure to decrease undesirable in‐kennel behavior of shelter dogs.

  May 20, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.217   open full text
• A comparison of positive and negative reinforcement for compliance to treat problem behavior maintained by escape.
  Sarah K. Slocum, Timothy R. Vollmer.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 13, 2015
  Previous research has shown that problem behavior maintained by escape can be treated using positive reinforcement. In the current study, we directly compared functional (escape) and nonfunctional (edible) reinforcers in the treatment of escape‐maintained problem behavior for 5 subjects. In the first treatment, compliance produced a break from instructions. In the second treatment, compliance produced a small edible item. Neither treatment included escape extinction. Results suggested that the delivery of a positive reinforcer for compliance was effective for treating escape‐maintained problem behavior for all 5 subjects, and the delivery of escape for compliance was ineffective for 3 of the 5 subjects. Implications and future directions related to the use of positive reinforcers in the treatment of escape behavior are discussed.

  May 13, 2015   doi: 10.1002/jaba.216   open full text
• Effects of and preference for conditions of token earn versus token loss.
  Jeanne M. Donaldson, Iser G. DeLeon, Alyssa B. Fisher, Sungwoo Kahng.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 21, 2014
  The effects of earning and losing tokens on the disruptive behavior of 12 first‐grade students were evaluated under symmetrical contingencies of earn and loss. Both contingencies produced decreases in disruptive behavior. For some participants, more consistent decreases were observed during the loss contingency. In addition, participants generally earned or kept more tokens during the loss contingency. When offered a choice of contingencies, most participants preferred the loss contingency. The results showed some consistency with behavioral economic principles of loss aversion and the endowment effect.

  May 21, 2014   doi: 10.1002/jaba.135   open full text
• Effects of fixed‐time reinforcement schedules on resurgence of problem behavior.
  Tonya M. Marsteller, Claire C. St. Peter.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 21, 2014
  Resurgence of problem behavior following the discontinuation of differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) may be prevented by response‐independent reinforcer delivery. In basic research, response‐independent reinforcer delivery following DRA prevented resurgence of the initially reinforced response and maintained alternative responding (Lieving & Lattal, 2003, Experiment 3). We evaluated the generality of these results by assessing if fixed‐time (FT) reinforcer delivery following DRA would prevent resurgence of problem behavior and maintain appropriate behavior with 4 children with disabilities. For all participants, extinction following DRA produced resurgence of previously reinforced problem behavior and reduced appropriate requests, but FT reinforcer delivery following DRA mitigated resurgence of problem behavior and maintained appropriate requests.

  May 21, 2014   doi: 10.1002/jaba.134   open full text
• Improving accuracy of portion‐size estimations through a stimulus equivalence paradigm.
  Nicole L. Hausman, John C. Borrero, Alyssa Fisher, SungWoo Kahng.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 20, 2014
  The prevalence of obesity continues to increase in the United States (Gordon‐Larsen, The, & Adair, 2010). Obesity can be attributed, in part, to overconsumption of energy‐dense foods. Given that overeating plays a role in the development of obesity, interventions that teach individuals to identify and consume appropriate portion sizes are warranted. Specifically, interventions that teach individuals to estimate portion sizes correctly without the use of aids may be critical to the success of nutrition education programs. The current study evaluated the use of a stimulus equivalence paradigm to teach 9 undergraduate students to estimate portion size accurately. Results suggested that the stimulus equivalence paradigm was effective in teaching participants to make accurate portion size estimations without aids, and improved accuracy was observed in maintenance sessions that were conducted 1 week after training. Furthermore, 5 of 7 participants estimated the target portion size of novel foods during extension sessions. These data extend existing research on teaching accurate portion‐size estimations and may be applicable to populations who seek treatment (e.g., overweight or obese children and adults) to teach healthier eating habits.

  May 20, 2014   doi: 10.1002/jaba.139   open full text
• An evaluation of the generalization and maintenance of functional communication and self‐control skills with preschoolers.
  Kevin C. Luczynski, Gregory P. Hanley, Nicole M. Rodriguez.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 14, 2014
  The preschool life skills (PLS) program (Hanley, Heal, Tiger, & Ingvarsson, 2007; Luczynski & Hanley, 2013) involves teaching social skills as a means of decreasing and preventing problem behavior. However, achieving durable outcomes as children transition across educational settings depend on the generalization and long‐term maintenance of those skills. The purpose of this study was to evaluate procedures for promoting generalization and long‐term maintenance of functional communication and self‐control skills for 6 preschool children. When the children's social skills decreased across repeated observations during a generalization assessment, we incorporated modifications to the teaching procedures. However, the effects of the modifications were variable across skills and children. Satisfactory generalization was observed only after the teacher was informed of the target skills and teaching strategies. Maintenance of most social skills was observed 3 months after teaching was discontinued. We discuss the importance of improving child and teacher behavior to promote generalization and maintenance of important social skills.

  May 14, 2014   doi: 10.1002/jaba.128   open full text
• Analysis of the interaction between experimental and applied behavior analysis.
  Javier Virues‐Ortega, Camilo Hurtado‐Parrado, Alison D. Cox, Joseph J. Pear.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 11, 2014
  To study the influences between basic and applied research in behavior analysis, we analyzed the coauthorship interactions of authors who published in JABA and JEAB from 1980 to 2010. We paid particular attention to authors who published in both JABA and JEAB (dual authors) as potential agents of cross‐field interactions. We present a comprehensive analysis of dual authors' coauthorship interactions using social networks methodology and key word analysis. The number of dual authors more than doubled (26 to 67) and their productivity tripled (7% to 26% of JABA and JEAB articles) between 1980 and 2010. Dual authors stood out in terms of number of collaborators, number of publications, and ability to interact with multiple groups within the field. The steady increase in JEAB and JABA interactions through coauthors and the increasing range of topics covered by dual authors provide a basis for optimism regarding the progressive integration of basic and applied behavior analysis.

  May 11, 2014   doi: 10.1002/jaba.124   open full text
• Functional communication training in the treatment of problem behavior maintained by access to rituals.
  Mandy Rispoli, Síglia Camargo, Wendy Machalicek, Russell Lang, Jeff Sigafoos.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 11, 2014
  This study evaluated the assessment and treatment of problem behaviors related to rituals for children with autism. After functional analyses, we used a multiple‐probe design to examine the effects of functional communication training (FCT) plus extinction and schedule thinning as a treatment package for problem behavior and appropriate communication for 3 children. Results of the functional analyses suggested that problem behavior was maintained by reinstatement of the interrupted routine for all participants, and the treatment package reduced problem behavior. Generalization across activities was observed for 1 participant.

  May 11, 2014   doi: 10.1002/jaba.130   open full text
• Distributed and accumulated reinforcement arrangements: Evaluations of efficacy and preference.
  Iser G. DeLeon, Julie A. Chase, Michelle A. Frank‐Crawford, Abbey B. Carreau‐Webster, Mandy M. Triggs, Christopher E. Bullock, Heather K. Jennett.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. April 30, 2014
  We assessed the efficacy of, and preference for, accumulated access to reinforcers, which allows uninterrupted engagement with the reinforcers but imposes an inherent delay required to first complete the task. Experiment 1 compared rates of task completion in 4 individuals who had been diagnosed with intellectual disabilities when reinforcement was distributed (i.e., 30‐s access to the reinforcer delivered immediately after each response) and accumulated (i.e., 5‐min access to the reinforcer after completion of multiple consecutive responses). Accumulated reinforcement produced response rates that equaled or exceeded rates during distributed reinforcement for 3 participants. Experiment 2 used a concurrent‐chains schedule to examine preferences for each arrangement. All participants preferred delayed, accumulated access when the reinforcer was an activity. Three participants also preferred accumulated access to edible reinforcers. The collective results suggest that, despite the inherent delay, accumulated reinforcement is just as effective and is often preferred by learners over distributed reinforcement.

  April 30, 2014   doi: 10.1002/jaba.116   open full text
• The effects of variable‐time versus contingent reinforcement delivery on problem behavior maintained by escape.
  Joanna E. Lomas Mevers, Wayne W. Fisher, Michael E. Kelley, Laura D. Fredrick.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. April 25, 2014
  Results of previous research indicate that the delivery of positive reinforcement (e.g., food) for an appropriate, alternative target response (e.g., compliance) or delivery of food on a time‐based schedule can decrease problem behavior reinforced by escape, even when problem behavior continues to produce negative reinforcement (e.g., Lalli et al., 1999; Lomas, Fisher, & Kelley, 2010). In this study, we compared the levels of both compliance and problem behavior when food and praise were delivered either contingent on compliance or on a time‐based schedule. Results for 3 of the 4 participants showed that contingent delivery of preferred edible items and praise was more effective in both reducing problem behavior and increasing compliance compared to variable‐time delivery of these same items. These findings are discussed in the context of motivating operations and competition between positive and negative reinforcement.

  April 25, 2014   doi: 10.1002/jaba.110   open full text
• An evaluation of interrupted and uninterrupted measurement of vocal stereotypy on perceived treatment outcomes.
  Regina A. Carroll, Tiffany Kodak.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. April 25, 2014
  The type of procedure used to measure a target behavior may directly influence the perceived treatment outcomes. In the present study, we examined the influence of different data‐analysis procedures on the outcomes of two commonly used treatments on the vocal stereotypy of 2 children with an autism spectrum disorder. In Study 1, we compared an interrupted and uninterrupted data‐analysis procedure to measure vocal stereotypy during the implementation of response interruption and redirection (RIRD). The results showed that the interrupted data‐analysis procedure overestimated the effectiveness of RIRD. In Study 2, we examined the influence of different data‐analysis procedures on the interpretation of the relative effects of 2 different treatments for vocal stereotypy. Specifically, we compared interrupted and uninterrupted data‐analysis procedures during the implementation of RIRD and noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) as a treatment for vocal stereotypy. The results showed that, as in Study 1, the interrupted data‐analysis procedure overestimated the effectiveness of RIRD; however, this effect was not apparent with NCR. These findings suggest that different types of data analysis can influence the perceived success of a treatment.

  April 25, 2014   doi: 10.1002/jaba.118   open full text
• Using audio script fading and multiple‐exemplar training to increase vocal interactions in children with autism.
  Elena Garcia‐Albea, Sharon A. Reeve, Kevin J. Brothers, Kenneth F. Reeve.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. April 25, 2014
  Script‐fading procedures have been shown to be effective for teaching children with autism to initiate and participate in social interactions without vocal prompts from adults. In previous script and script‐fading research, however, there has been no demonstration of a generalized repertoire of vocal interactions under the control of naturally occurring relevant stimuli. In this study, 4 boys with autism were taught to initiate a conversation in the presence of toys through the use of a script and script‐fading procedure. Training with multiple categories and exemplars of toys was used to increase the likelihood of generalization of vocal interactions across novel toys. A multiple‐probe design across participants was used to assess the effects of these procedures. The intervention successfully brought interactions by children with autism under the control of relevant stimuli in the environment. Future research pertaining to the specific implementation of these procedures (e.g., fading, script placement, participant characteristics) is discussed.

  April 25, 2014   doi: 10.1002/jaba.125   open full text
• Further evaluation of a functional analysis of moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity in young children.
  Tracy A. Larson, Matthew P. Normand, Allison J. Morley, Bryon G. Miller.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. April 25, 2014
  Inadequate physical activity increases the risks related to several health problems in children; however, increasing physical activity mitigates these risks. In this study, we examined the relations between moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and several environmental conditions (attention, interactive play, alone, escape) with 4 preschool children. We compared the experimental conditions to a control condition and a naturalistic baseline according to a combined multielement and reversal design. Results indicated that all participants were most active in the interactive play condition and that the percentage of MVPA varied across experimental and control conditions. In addition, the frequency and duration of bouts of MVPA were greatest in the interactive play condition. The current study presents a methodology for the identification of environmental contingencies that support increased levels of MVPA in young children, and it holds promise for improving our understanding of the variables related to physical activity.

  April 25, 2014   doi: 10.1002/jaba.127   open full text
• Measurement scale influences in the evaluation of sight‐word reading interventions.
  Jared Yaw, Christopher H. Skinner, Jean Delisle, Amy L. Skinner, Kristin Maurer, David Cihak, Brian Wilhoit, Joshua Booher.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. April 25, 2014
  Working with elementary students with disabilities, we used alternating treatment designs to evaluate and compare the effects of 2 computer‐based flash card sight‐word reading interventions, 1 with 1‐s response intervals and another with 5‐s response intervals. In Study 1, we held instructional time constant, applying both interventions for 3 min. Although students completed 6 learning trials per word during each 1‐s session and 2 trials per word during each 5‐s session, results showed similar acquisition rates for 1‐s and 5‐s words. During Study 2, we held learning trials constant (3 per word) and allowed instructional time to vary. When we measured learning using cumulative instructional sessions, the interventions appeared to cause similar increases in acquisition rates. When the same learning data were measured and plotted using cumulative instructional seconds, all participants showed greater learning rates under the 1‐s intervention. Discussion focuses on how measurement scales can influence comparative effectiveness studies.

  April 25, 2014   doi: 10.1002/jaba.126   open full text
• A laboratory comparison of two variations of differential‐reinforcement‐of‐low‐rate procedures.
  Joshua Jessel, John C. Borrero.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. April 17, 2014
  We compared 2 variations of differential‐reinforcement‐of‐low‐rate (DRL) procedures: spaced‐responding DRL, in which a reinforcer was delivered contingent on each response if a specified interval had passed since the last response, and full‐session DRL, in which a reinforcer was presented at the end of an interval if the response rate was below criterion within the specified interval. We used a human‐operant procedure and analyzed within‐session responding to assess any similarities or differences between procedures. Data revealed a positive contingency between responding and reinforcement under the spaced‐responding DRL schedule and a negative contingency under the full‐session DRL schedule. Furthermore, 60% of the participants discontinued responding by the last full‐session DRL session. Implications for the appropriate procedural and taxonomical usage of both DRL schedules are discussed.

  April 17, 2014   doi: 10.1002/jaba.114   open full text
• Preliminary efficacy of prize‐based contingency management to increase activity levels in healthy adults.
  Wendy Donlin Washington, Kelly M. Banna, Amanda L. Gibson.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. April 17, 2014
  An estimated 30% of Americans meet the criteria for obesity. Effective, low‐cost interventions to increase physical activity are needed to prevent and treat obesity. In this study, 11 healthy adults wore Fitbit accelerometers for 3 weeks. During the initial baseline, subjects earned prize draws for wearing the Fitbit. During intervention, percentile schedules were used to calculate individual prize‐draw criteria. The final week was a return to baseline. Four subjects increased step counts as a result of the intervention. A bout analysis of interresponse times revealed that subjects increased overall step counts by increasing daily minutes active and within‐bout response rates and decreasing pauses between bouts of activity. Strategies to improve effectiveness are suggested, such as modification of reinforcement probability and amount and identification of the function of periods of inactivity.

  April 17, 2014   doi: 10.1002/jaba.119   open full text
• Evaluation of assessment methods for identifying social reinforcers.
  Maureen A. Kelly, Eileen M. Roscoe, Gregory P. Hanley, Kevin Schlichenmeyer.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. March 07, 2014
  Although researchers have evaluated assessment methods for identifying preferred tangible and edible items for children with developmental disabilities, few have evaluated assessment methods for identifying preferred topographies of attention. In the current study, indirect and direct assessments were conducted to identify 7 topographies of attention to include in subsequent preference and reinforcer assessments. Two different assessment formats were evaluated until reliable results were achieved with 1 of them. In both formats, a therapist presented photos that depicted the topographies of attention included in the stimulus array, and a control card (resulting in no consequence) was included. After evaluation of the 2 formats, a reinforcer assessment was conducted with a socially relevant target behavior (i.e., mands) to determine the predictive validity of the preference assessments.

  March 07, 2014   doi: 10.1002/jaba.107   open full text
• A comparison of gateway in‐street sign configuration to other driver prompts to increase yielding to pedestrians at crosswalks.
  Miles K. Bennett, Hana Manal, Ron Van Houten.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. March 07, 2014
  Increasing motorists' yielding of the right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks reduces the number of collisions between motorists and pedestrians. In this study we examined a gateway in‐street sign configuration (1 in‐street sign installed between the 2 travel lanes in each direction, and 1 on both edges of the roadway in each direction) on multilane roads. The first experiment compared the efficacy of adding multiple in‐street signs used in a gateway configuration with a single sign between the 2 travel lanes in each direction. The second experiment compared the gateway in‐street sign configuration with a more expensive pedestrian hybrid beacon. The third experiment compared the gateway in‐street sign configuration with the more expensive rectangular rapid flashing beacon. The results demonstrated that the gateway in‐street sign configuration produced very high levels of driver yielding, and that it was as effective as the 2 more expensive treatments.

  March 07, 2014   doi: 10.1002/jaba.103   open full text
• Producing meaningful improvements in problem behavior of children with autism via synthesized analyses and treatments.
  Gregory P. Hanley, C. Sandy Jin, Nicholas R. Vanselow, Laura A. Hanratty.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. February 25, 2014
  Problem behaviors like self‐injury, aggression, or disruption will likely require intervention at some point in the life of a person diagnosed with autism. Behavioral intervention has been proven to be effective for addressing these problems, especially when a functional assessment is conducted. Comprehensive treatment for problem behavior is, however, often fractured across studies, resulting in a dearth of studies that show socially validated improvements in these problem behaviors or illustrate the assessment and treatment process from start to finish. In this article, we describe an effective, comprehensive, and parent‐validated functional assessment and treatment process for the severe problem behaviors of 3 children with autism. After an 8‐ to 14‐week outpatient clinic consultation, no problem behavior was observed at the clinic and in the home. Furthermore, behavior that did not occur during baseline (e.g., functional communication, delay and denial tolerance, and compliance with instructions) occurred with regularity.

  February 25, 2014   doi: 10.1002/jaba.106   open full text
• An evaluation of computerized behavioral skills training to teach safety skills to young children.
  Nicholas R. Vanselow, Gregory P. Hanley.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. February 17, 2014
  Previous research has demonstrated the efficacy of behavioral skills training (BST) and in situ training (IST) for teaching children to protect themselves. However, BST may be resource intensive and difficult to implement on a large scale. We evaluated a computerized version of BST (CBST) to teach safety skills and determined the extent to which safety skills generalized across different dangers. In Study 1, 11 children learned, via CBST and IST, to respond safely when asked to leave with a stranger. In Studies 2 and 3, IST was implemented with 16 children for 1 or 2 dangers after exposure to CBST for 3 dangers. Participants correctly self‐protected from dangers after CBST and IST, and performance generalized to similar dangers for which participants did not receive IST. CBST may be an acceptable substitute for BST when combined with IST to improve efficiency and maintain efficacy in a comprehensive safety skills program.

  February 17, 2014   doi: 10.1002/jaba.105   open full text
• Mands for information using “who?” and “which?” in the presence of establishing and abolishing operations.
  M. Alice Shillingsburg, Crystal N. Bowen, Amber L. Valentino, Laura E. Pierce.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. February 12, 2014
  Treatments designed to teach mands for information have included prompting and differential reinforcement, as well as procedures to manipulate the relevant establishing operation (EO). However, previous studies have not included relevant abolishing operation (AO) conditions to ensure that the mand is under relevant antecedent control. Data on listener responses (i.e., use of the information) are also absent in the literature. The current study shows differential responding under EO and AO conditions and reports listener responses that demonstrate use of the provided information. Three participants, diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, learned to mand for information using “who?” and “which?” questions exclusively under EO conditions. In addition, each participant responded to the information provided to access a preferred item. Generalization of the “which?” mand for information was also demonstrated across novel stimuli.

  February 12, 2014   doi: 10.1002/jaba.101   open full text
• Parameters of reinforcement and response‐class hierarchies.
  Gracie A. Beavers, Brian A. Iwata, Meagan K. Gregory.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. February 05, 2014
  Shabani, Carr, and Petursdottir (2009) examined the effects of a response–response relation (effort) on the development of a response‐class hierarchy using a laboratory model. Response–reinforcer relations may have similar influences. Using a similar translational approach, we examined the effects of reinforcer rate, quality, delay, and magnitude in a series of separate experiments conducted with 8 individuals with intellectual disabilities. Response‐class hierarchies emerged along the dimension of rate for 3 of 6 subjects, quality for 5 of 5 subjects, delay for 2 of 8 subjects, and magnitude for 5 of 6 subjects.

  February 05, 2014   doi: 10.1002/jaba.102   open full text
• Utility of the multiple‐stimulus without replacement procedure and stability of preferences of older adults with dementia.
  Paige B. Raetz, Linda A. LeBlanc, Jonathan C. Baker, Laura C. Hilton.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 15, 2013
  Paired‐stimulus preference assessments have been used effectively with individuals with dementia to identify stimuli to increase engagement and to minimize negative affect and problem behavior. We evaluated whether a multiple‐stimulus without replacement preference assessment could be used with older adults with dementia and whether preferences remained stable over time. Seven participants completed preference assessments and confirmatory engagement analyses every few weeks for 3 to 5 months; 1 participant failed to complete any preference assessments. Five of the 7 remaining participants displayed higher levels of engagement with the highest ranked stimuli than with the lowest ranked stimuli, confirming the hierarchy in the preference assessment. For the other 2 participants, lowest ranked items resulted in higher levels of engagement than the highest ranked items. Four participants exhibited stable patterns of preference over 3 to 5 months with correlation coefficients exceeding r = .5, suggesting that preferences may remain stable for some individuals with dementia.

  October 15, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.88   open full text
• Interval sampling methods and measurement error: A computer simulation.
  Oliver Wirth, James Slaven, Matthew A. Taylor.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 11, 2013
  A simulation study was conducted to provide a more thorough account of measurement error associated with interval sampling methods. A computer program simulated the application of momentary time sampling, partial‐interval recording, and whole‐interval recording methods on target events randomly distributed across an observation period. The simulation yielded measures of error for multiple combinations of observation period, interval duration, event duration, and cumulative event duration. The simulations were conducted up to 100 times to yield measures of error variability. Although the present simulation confirmed some previously reported characteristics of interval sampling methods, it also revealed many new findings that pertain to each method's inherent strengths and weaknesses. The analysis and resulting error tables can help guide the selection of the most appropriate sampling method for observation‐based behavioral assessments.

  October 11, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.93   open full text
• An evaluation of factors that influence children's instruction following.
  Jolene R. Sy, Jeanne M. Donaldson, Timothy R. Vollmer, Eliana Pizarro.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. October 11, 2013
  Behavior that resembles instruction following might sometimes be under stimulus control of extraneous variables. We evaluated the effects of some of these variables (i.e., presence of relevant objects, associations between instructions and object sets) with 3 children with intellectual disabilities. In Experiment 1, we assessed whether subjects were more likely to follow instructions that required object manipulation and whether subjects were more likely to follow these instructions when only relevant objects were present. All subjects were more likely to follow instructions that required object manipulation when only relevant objects were present. In Experiment 2, we evaluated whether instruction following would be less likely if the same object set was associated with multiple instructions, and found this to be the case for 2 of 2 subjects. Findings highlight the need to train instruction following under different conditions to ensure that responding comes under stimulus control of the instructions.

  October 11, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.94   open full text
• Effectiveness of using noncontingent escape for general behavior management in a pediatric dental clinic.
  Keith D. Allen, Dustin P. Wallace.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 30, 2013
  In a randomized controlled trial, 151 children 2 to 9 years old were exposed to either usual behavior management or to a fixed‐time schedule of brief breaks (noncontingent escape) from ongoing dental treatment. Results demonstrated that the routine delivery of scheduled breaks from treatment significantly reduced the vocal and physical disruptive behavior and the need for restraint in a nonclinical sample of children undergoing restorative dental treatment. In addition, the treatment did not add significantly to the typical time spent on behavior management by dentists. Together with findings from previous studies, these results suggest that using brief breaks from ongoing dental treatment has good efficacy, acceptability, and generality and may be a useful management tool, both in everyday dental practice and in more demanding instances of specialized need.

  September 30, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.82   open full text
• Caregiver‐ and staff‐conducted functional analysis outcomes: A summary of 52 cases.
  Patricia F. Kurtz, Jill C. Fodstad, John M. Huete, Louis P. Hagopian.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 30, 2013
  In the present study, caregivers were trained as therapists to conduct functional analyses (FAs) after staff‐conducted FAs were inconclusive with 52 participants. Caregiver‐conducted FAs identified at least 1 function for problem behavior when staff‐conducted FAs were undifferentiated. When results of the staff‐conducted FAs were questionable, subsequent caregiver‐conducted FAs resulted in an exact match with staff‐conducted FA in about 68% of cases but identified new functions in about 30% of cases. Function‐based treatments based on caregiver‐conducted FAs were effective in reducing problem behavior by an average of 96% relative to baseline. Results suggest that when staff‐conducted FA outcomes yield inconclusive findings, using caregivers to conduct FAs is likely to produce differentiated results and ultimately result in the development of effective treatments.

  September 30, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.87   open full text
• Internet‐based contingency management to promote smoking cessation: A randomized controlled study.
  Jesse Dallery, Bethany R. Raiff, Michael J. Grabinski.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 30, 2013
  We evaluated an Internet‐based contingency management intervention to promote smoking cessation. Participants in the contingent group (n = 39) earned vouchers contingent on video confirmation of breath carbon monoxide (CO) ≤ 4 parts per million (ppm). Earnings for participants in the noncontingent group (n = 38) were independent of CO levels. Goals and feedback about smoking status were provided on participants' homepages. The median percentages of negative samples during the intervention in the noncontingent and contingent groups were 25% and 66.7%, respectively. There were no significant differences in absolute CO levels or abstinence at 3‐ and 6‐month follow‐ups. Compared to baseline, however, participants in both groups reduced CO by an estimated 15.6 ppm during the intervention phases. The results suggest that the contingency for negative COs promoted higher rates of abstinence during treatment, and that other elements of the system, such as feedback, frequent monitoring, and goals, reduced smoking.

  September 30, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.89   open full text
• Assessing stimulus control and promoting generalization via video modeling when teaching social responses to children with autism.
  JoAnna Jones, Dorothea C. Lerman, Sarah Lechago.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 20, 2013
  We taught social responses to young children with autism using an adult as the recipient of the social interaction and then assessed generalization of performance to adults and peers who had not participated in the training. Although the participants' performance was similar across adults, responding was less consistent with peers, and a subsequent probe suggested that the recipient of the social behavior (adults vs. peers) controlled responding. We then evaluated the effects of having participants observe a video of a peer engaged in the targeted social behavior with another peer who provided reinforcement for the social response. Results suggested that certain irrelevant stimuli (adult vs. peer recipient) were more likely to exert stimulus control over responding than others (setting, materials) and that video viewing was an efficient way to promote generalization to peers.

  September 20, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.81   open full text
• Effects of two variations of differential reinforcement on prompt dependency.
  Catia Cividini‐Motta, William H. Ahearn.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. September 03, 2013
  Prompt dependency is an often referenced but little studied problem. The current study evaluated 2 iterations of differential reinforcement (DR) for overcoming prompt dependency and facilitating skill acquisition with 4 individuals who had been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Preference and reinforcer assessments were conducted to determine moderately and highly preferred reinforcers for each participant. Three sets of word–picture relations were taught to each of the participants using 1 of 3 DR procedures. Reinforcement for independent responses entailed delivery of the highest preference stimulus across all 3 procedures. Consequences for prompted responses entailed delivery of the highest preference stimulus (no DR), delivery of the moderately preferred stimulus (DR high/moderate), or no delivery of reinforcers (DR high/extinction). Results indicated that the DR high/moderate condition was most effective for 3 of 4 participants, whereas the DR high/extinction condition was most effective for the remaining participant.

  September 03, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.67   open full text
• Effects of dictation‐taking and match‐to‐sample training on listing and spelling responses in adults with intellectual disabilities.
  Andresa A. De Souza, Ruth Anne Rehfeldt.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 23, 2013
  Several studies have demonstrated that conditions can be arranged to promote increases in a nontargeted verbal operant following instruction of another verbal operant. In the current study, we used a multiple baseline design to evaluate the effects of 2 instructional protocols on nontargeted verbal repertoires (listing of synonyms and vocal spelling of these synonyms) in adults with intellectual disabilities. In Experiment 1, participants were instructed in taking dictation and were tested for the vocal spelling of the words taught during instruction. In Experiment 2, participants were taught to match printed words to their printed synonyms and tested for the vocal spelling and listing of synonyms. In both experiments, interventions promoted increases in nontargeted verbal skills.

  August 23, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.75   open full text
• Functional communication training with and without alternative reinforcement and punishment: An analysis of 58 applications.
  Griffin W. Rooker, Joshua Jessel, Patricia F. Kurtz, Louis P. Hagopian.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 22, 2013
  Functional communication training (FCT) is an empirically supported treatment for problem behavior displayed by individuals with intellectual disabilities. Hagopian, Fisher, Sullivan, Acquisto, and LeBlanc (1998) analyzed 25 applications of FCT and showed that extinction was a necessary component of FCT, but sometimes punishment was needed to maintain low levels of problem behavior. The current consecutive case series summarized data from 58 applications of FCT in more recent cases. This analysis extended and updated Hagopian et al. by examining FCT when used in combination with alternative reinforcement (noncontingent and differential reinforcement) and multiple schedules during schedule thinning. Although it is difficult to make direct comparisons with the 1998 study, the results of the current case series analysis suggest that FCT can be enhanced when used in combination with alternative reinforcement and when multiple schedules are used during schedule thinning.

  August 22, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.76   open full text
• Monetary incentives to reinforce engagement and achievement in a job‐skills training program for homeless, unemployed adults.
  Mikhail N. Koffarnus, Conrad J. Wong, Michael Fingerhood, Dace S. Svikis, George E. Bigelow, Kenneth Silverman.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 12, 2013
  The current study examined whether monetary incentives could increase engagement and achievement in a job‐skills training program for unemployed, homeless, alcohol‐dependent adults. Participants (n = 124) were randomized to a no‐reinforcement group (n = 39), during which access to the training program was provided but no incentiveswere given; a training reinforcement group (n = 42), during which incentives were contingent on attendance and performance; or an abstinence and training reinforcement group (n = 43), during which incentives werecontingent on attendance and performance, but access was granted only if participants demonstrated abstinence from alcohol. abstinence and training reinforcement and training reinforcement participants advanced further in training and attended more hours than no‐reinforcement participants. Monetary incentives were effective in promoting engagement and achievement in a job‐skills training program for individuals who often do not take advantage of training programs.

  August 12, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.60   open full text
• Peer presence and the emergence of conditioned reinforcement from observation.
  Jessica Singer‐Dudek, Mara Oblak.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 12, 2013
  We examined the effects of peer presence on the conditioning of new reinforcers via observation. At the outset, strings and toothpicks did not reinforce maintenance or acquisition responses for 3 preschoolers with and without developmental delays. In the first intervention, the stimuli were placed in a cup in front of an empty chair next to the participant, and the participant was denied access to those stimuli. The second intervention was identical to the first, except that a peer was present. Postintervention tests revealed that only the peer intervention was successful in conditioning neutral stimuli as reinforcers for both maintenance and acquisition responses for all 3 participants. The presence of a peer appears to facilitate the conditioning of reinforcers by observation.

  August 12, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.72   open full text
• Some indirect effects of positive practice overcorrection.
  Lindsay C. Peters, Rachel H. Thompson.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 12, 2013
  We evaluated the effects of positive practice overcorrection (PP OC) on levels of motor stereotypy and appropriate engagement in the activity practiced during treatment with 3 young men with autism. We also measured preference for the practiced activities during preference probes to determine if these activities might acquire aversive properties as a result of the frequent pairing with PP OC. Treatment reduced motor stereotypy for all 3 participants, and engagement increased for 2 of the 3 participants. Relative preference for the activities was not disrupted by the implementation of PP OC, although overall contact with the activities decreased for 1 participant. Results from 1 participant suggest that PP OC may be less effective when stereotypy results in access to a more highly preferred activity.

  August 12, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.63   open full text
• Effects of peer mediation on preschoolers' compliance and compliance precursors.
  Lauren Beaulieu, Gregory P. Hanley, Aleasha A. Roberson.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 12, 2013
  We used a multiple baseline design across participants to evaluate the effects of teaching 4 typically developing preschoolers to attend to their names and to a group call (referred to as precursors) on their compliance with typical classroom instructions. We then measured the extent to which the effects on both precursors and compliance were maintained when the teaching procedures were removed. Levels of compliance eventually decreased for all children. A multiple baseline design across participants was then used to evaluate the effects of peer mediation on the maintenance of precursors and compliance. Peer mediation involved teaching the children to either remind one another to engage in a precursor or praise one another for engaging in a precursor. Compliance improved with all children as a function of teaching precursors, and these changes were maintained through the use of peer mediation.

  August 12, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.66   open full text
• An assessment of error‐correction procedures for learners with autism.
  Anna C. McGhan, Dorothea C. Lerman.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 12, 2013
  Prior research indicates that the relative effectiveness of different error‐correction procedures may be idiosyncratic across learners, suggesting the potential benefit of an individualized assessment prior to teaching. In this study, we evaluated the reliability and utility of a rapid error‐correction assessment to identify the least intrusive, most effective procedure for teaching discriminations to 5 learners with autism. The initial assessment included 4 commonly used error‐correction procedures. We compared the total number of trials required for the subject to reach the mastery criterion under each procedure. Subjects then received additional instruction with the least intrusive procedure associated with the fewest number of trials and 2 less effective procedures from the assessment. Outcomes of the additional instruction were consistent with those from the initial assessment for 4 of 5 subjects. These findings suggest that an initial assessment may be beneficial for identifying the most appropriate error‐correction procedure.

  August 12, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.65   open full text
• Effects of alternative responses on behavior exposed to noncontingent reinforcement.
  Javier Virues‐Ortega, Brian A. Iwata, Tara A. Fahmie, Jill M. Harper.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 12, 2013
  Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) may decrease the frequency of behavior by either inducing satiation or terminating the response–reinforcer contingency (extinction). Another possibility is that the target behavior is replaced by other behaviors maintained by preexisting contingencies. We conducted 2 experiments in which we allowed access to a target response and several alternatives. In Experiment 1, NCR, preceded by contingent reinforcement (CR) for the target, produced a reduction in the target and an increase in the alternatives in 2 subjects with intellectual disabilities. To separate the effects of NCR from the availability of alternative responses, we presented CR conditions to 4 subjects in Experiment 2 with and without the availability of alternatives. The availability of alternatives decreased the target in only 1 subject. Subsequent manipulations showed that reductions in the target were solely a function of NCR for the other 3 subjects. Thus, response competition may have marginal effects on response suppression during NCR.

  August 12, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.61   open full text
• Increasing instructional efficiency by presenting additional stimuli in learning trials for children with autism spectrum disorders.
  Jason C. Vladescu, Tiffany M. Kodak.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 09, 2013
  The current study examined the effectiveness and efficiency of presenting secondary targets within learning trials for 4 children with an autism spectrum disorder. Specifically, we compared 4 instructional conditions using a progressive prompt delay. In 3 conditions, we presented secondary targets in the antecedent or consequence portion of learning trials, or in the absence of prompts and reinforcement. In the fourth condition (control), we did not include secondary targets in learning trials. Results replicate and extend previous research by demonstrating that the majority of participants acquired secondary targets presented in the antecedent and consequent events of learning trials.

  August 09, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.70   open full text
• Teaching “how?” mand‐for‐information frames to children with autism.
  Sarah A. Lechago, Amber Howell, Mia N. Caccavale, Charles W. Peterson.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 09, 2013
  The current study extends the mand‐for‐information literature by examining a method to teach mand‐for‐information frames, targeting 2 frames for the “How?” mand (“How do I?” and “How many?”). Using separate behavior chains to target the 2 frames, we taught 3 children with autism to emit mands for information with 1 behavior chain and assessed generalization with the remaining behavior chains. Behavior chains that the participants were unable to perform independently and that produced a desirable outcome for the participant (e.g., tornado water) were used to contrive the relevant motivating operation. For all 3 participants, mands for information generalized across motivating operations and response topographies.

  August 09, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.71   open full text
• Internet‐based contingency management increases walking in sedentary adults.
  Allison N. Kurti, Jesse Dallery.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. August 01, 2013
  Despite the link between inactivity and premature mortality, most adults exercise less than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) recommends; thus, interventions to increase exercise are needed. The present study employed an Internet‐based intervention to increase walking in 12 sedentary adults over 50 years of age. In Experiment 1, participants received monetary consequences for meeting an increasing series of step goals on at least 3 days during consecutive 5‐day blocks. Across participants, steps increased 182% from screening to the end of the intervention, and 87% of step goals were met. In Experiment 2, goals were set using the same schedule as in Experiment 1, but no monetary consequences were provided for meeting them. Across participants, steps increased 108%, and 52% of goals were met. Across both studies, 11 of 12 participants increased their steps according to experimenter‐arranged criteria. These results support the efficacy of an Internet‐based intervention to increase walking in sedentary adults.

  August 01, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.58   open full text
• Quantifying Contingent Relations From Direct Observation Data: Transitional Probability Comparisons Versus Yule's Q.
  Blair P. Lloyd, Craig H. Kennedy, Paul J. Yoder.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. June 21, 2013
  Measuring contingencies or sequential associations may be applied to a broad range of response–stimulus, stimulus–stimulus, or response–response relations. Within behavior analysis, response–stimulus contingencies have been quantified by comparing 2 transitional probabilities and plotting them in contingency space. Within and outside behavior analysis, Yule's Q has become a recommended statistic used to quantify sequential associations between 2 events. In the current paper, we identify 2 methods of transitional probability comparisons used in the behavior‐analytic literature to estimate contingencies in natural settings. We compare each of these methods to the more established Yule's Q statistic and evaluate relations between each pair of indices. Advantages and disadvantages of each method are identified, with recommendations as to which approach may be most appropriate for measuring contingencies.

  June 21, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.45   open full text
• Performance Pay Improves Engagement, Progress, And Satisfaction In Computer‐Based Job Skills Training Of Low‐Income Adults.
  Mikhail N. Koffarnus, Anthony DeFulio, Sigurdur O. Sigurdsson, Kenneth Silverman.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. June 21, 2013
  Advancing the education of low‐income adults could increase employment and income, but adult education programs have not successfully engaged low‐income adults. Monetary reinforcement may be effective in promoting progress in adult education. This experiment evaluated the benefits of providing incentives for performance in a job‐skills training program for low‐income, unemployed adults. Participants worked on typing and keypad programs for 7 months. Participants randomly assigned to Group A (n = 23) earned hourly and productivity pay on the typing program (productivity pay), but earned only equalized hourly pay on the keypad program (hourly pay). Group B (n = 19) participants had the opposite contingencies. Participants worked more on, advanced further on, and preferred their productivity pay program. These results show that monetary incentives can increase performance in a job‐skills training program, and indicate that payment in adult education programs should be delivered contingent on performance in the training program instead of simply on attendance.

  June 21, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.51   open full text
• Prevention Of Problem Behavior By Teaching Functional Communication And Self‐Control Skills To Preschoolers.
  Kevin C. Luczynski, Gregory P. Hanley.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. June 21, 2013
  We evaluated the effects of the preschool life skills program (PLS; Hanley, Heal, Tiger, & Ingvarsson, 2007) on the acquisition and maintenance of functional communication and self‐control skills, as well as its effect on problem behavior, of small groups of preschoolers at risk for school failure. Six children were taught to request teacher attention, teacher assistance, and preferred materials, and to tolerate delays to and denial of those events during child‐led, small‐group activities. Teaching strategies included instruction, modeling, roleplay, and differential reinforcement. Six additional children randomly assigned to similarly sized control groups participated in small‐group activities but did not experience the PLS program. Within‐subject and between‐groups designs showed that the PLS teaching procedures were functionally related to the improvements and maintenance of the skills and prevention of problem behavior. Stakeholder responses on a social acceptability questionnaire indicated that they were satisfied with the form of the targeted social skills, the improvements in the children's performance, and the teaching strategies.

  June 21, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.44   open full text
• An Evaluation Of Programmed Treatment‐Integrity Errors During Discrete‐Trial Instruction.
  Regina A. Carroll, Tiffany Kodak, Wayne W. Fisher.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 23, 2013
  This study evaluated the effects of programmed treatment‐integrity errors on skill acquisition for children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during discrete‐trial instruction (DTI). In Study 1, we identified common treatment‐integrity errors that occur during academic instruction in schools. In Study 2, we simultaneously manipulated 3 integrity errors during DTI. In Study 3, we evaluated the effects of each of the 3 integrity errors separately on skill acquisition during DTI. Results showed that participants either demonstrated slower skill acquisition or did not acquire the target skills when instruction included treatment‐integrity errors.

  May 23, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.49   open full text
• Some Guidelines For Conducting Research In Applied Behavioral Pharmacology.
  Frans van Haaren, Marc Weeden.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 20, 2013
  The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA) has published a number of articles on the behavioral effects of psychomotor stimulant drugs in individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Some additional JABA publications have included investigations of the behavioral effects of other drugs. However, a review of these articles revealed many methodological differences among studies, which makes it difficult to evaluate the relative contribution of each research effort to the overall database. In this context, we offer some guidelines to solidify the methodological rigor of behavior pharmacological research published in JABA.

  May 20, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.47   open full text
• Training Adults With An Autism Spectrum Disorder To Conduct Discrete‐Trial Training For Young Children With Autism: A Pilot Study.
  Dorothea C. Lerman, Lynn Hawkins, Rachel Hoffman, Mia Caccavale.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 20, 2013
  We evaluated a behavioral skills training program for adults with autism spectrum disorder and mild or no intellectual disabilities who were interested in learning the skills used by behavior therapists to work with young children with autism and other developmental disabilities. Four adults, aged 21 to 30 years, participated. We trained each individually using verbal and written instructions, modeling, and role play with feedback to teach 2 basic skills to an adult who played the role of a young child with autism. We evaluated generalization of the discrete‐trial training skills by having the participant (a) teach the adult confederate 2 additional targets that we had not included in training and (b) teach a new skill to a young child with autism. Results indicated that 3 of the 4 participants rapidly acquired discrete‐trial training skills and that these skills generalized to new targets with the confederate adults and to teaching an actual child with autism.

  May 20, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.50   open full text
• Evaluation Of Some Components Of Choice Making.
  Tyra P. Sellers, Sarah E. Bloom, Andrew L. Samaha, Elizabeth Dayton, Joseph M. Lambert, Alice A. Keyl‐Austin.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 20, 2013
  Providing access to choice‐making opportunities is a useful addition to behavioral interventions, although the critical features of choice making may differ greatly across individuals. In this study, results of an initial 3‐choice concurrent‐operants preference assessment with 4 subjects with autism spectrum disorder suggested that 2 subjects preferred the choice‐making condition and participated in subsequent assessments to examine the potential influences of reinforcer variability and differential access to high‐preference reinforcers on their preferences for choice making. Two other subjects did not prefer the choice‐making condition and participated in subsequent assessments to explore conditions under which they might prefer choice‐making opportunities. Results suggested that a wide range of variables influenced preference for choice‐making conditions.

  May 20, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.46   open full text
• On The Efficacy Of A Computer‐Based Program To Teach Visual Braille Reading.
  Mindy C. Scheithauer, Jeffrey H. Tiger, Sarah J. Miller.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 20, 2013
  Scheithauer and Tiger (2012) created an efficient computerized program that taught 4 sighted college students to select text letters when presented with visual depictions of braille alphabetic characters and resulted in the emergence of some braille reading. The current study extended these results to a larger sample (n = 81) and compared the efficacy and efficiency of the instructional program using 2 different response modalities. One variation of the program required a response in a multiple‐choice format, and the other variation required a keyed response. Both instructional programs resulted in increased braille letter identification and braille reading. These skills were maintained at a follow‐up session 7 to 14 days later. The mean time needed to complete the program was 22.8 min across participants. Implications of these results for future research, as well as practical implications for teaching the braille alphabet, are discussed.

  May 20, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.48   open full text
• Treating Stereotypy In Adolescents Diagnosed With Autism By Refining The Tactic Of “Using Stereotypy As Reinforcement”.
  Jacqueline N. Potter, Gregory P. Hanley, Matotopa Augustine, Casey J. Clay, Meredith C. Phelps.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 16, 2013
  Use of automatically reinforced stereotypy as reinforcement has been shown to be successful for increasing socially desirable behaviors in persons with intellectual disabilities (Charlop, Kurtz, & Casey, 1990; Hanley, Iwata, Thompson, & Lindberg, 2000; Hung, 1978). A component analysis of this treatment was conducted with 3 adolescents who had been diagnosed with autism, and then extended by (a) progressively increasing the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the response requirement to earn access to stereotypy, (b) arranging objective measures of client preference for contingent access to stereotypy compared to other relevant treatments for their automatically reinforced stereotypy, and (c) assessing the social validity of this treatment with other relevant stakeholders. Implications for addressing stereotypy and increasing the leisure skills of adolescents with autism are discussed.

  May 16, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.52   open full text
• An Evaluation Of Generalization Of Mands During Functional Communication Training.
  Terry S. Falcomata, David P. Wacker, Joel E. Ringdahl, Kelly Vinquist, Anuradha Dutt.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 09, 2013
  The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the generalization of mands during functional communication training (FCT) and sign language training across functional contexts (i.e., positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement). A secondary purpose was to evaluate a training procedure based on stimulus control to teach manual signs. During the treatment evaluation, we implemented sign language training in 1 functional context (e.g., positive reinforcement by attention) while continuing the functional analysis conditions in 2 other contexts (e.g., positive reinforcement by tangible item; negative reinforcement by escape). During the generalization evaluation, we tested for the generalization of trained mands across functional contexts (i.e., positive reinforcement; negative reinforcement) by implementing extinction in the 2 nontarget contexts. The results suggested that the stimulus control training procedure effectively taught manual signs and treated destructive behavior. Specific patterns of generalization of trained mands and destructive behavior also were observed.

  May 09, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.37   open full text
• On The Representativeness Of Behavior Observation Samples In Classrooms.
  Jeffrey H. Tiger, Sarah J. Miller, Joanna Lomas Mevers, Joslyn Cynkus Mintz, Mindy C. Scheithauer, Jessica Alvarez.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 09, 2013
  School consultants who rely on direct observation typically conduct observational samples (e.g., 1 30‐min observation per day) with the hopes that the sample is representative of performance during the remainder of the day, but the representativeness of these samples is unclear. In the current study, we recorded the problem behavior of 3 referred students for 4 consecutive school days between 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. using duration recording in consecutive 10‐min sessions. We then culled 10‐min, 20‐min, 30‐min, and 60‐min observations from the complete record and compared these observations to the true daily mean to assess their accuracy (i.e., how well individual observations represented the daily occurrence of target behaviors). The results indicated that when behavior occurred with low variability, the majority of brief observations were representative of the overall levels; however, when behavior occurred with greater variability, even 60‐min observations did not accurately capture the true levels of behavior.

  May 09, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.39   open full text
• Effects Of A Reduced Time‐Out Interval On Compliance With The Time‐Out Instruction.
  Jeanne M. Donaldson, Timothy R. Vollmer, Theresa M. Yakich, Carole Van Camp.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis / Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis. May 09, 2013
  Time‐out is a negative punishment procedure that parents and teachers commonly use to reduce problem behavior; however, specific time‐out parameters have not been evaluated adequately. One parameter that has received relatively little attention in the literature is the mode of administration (verbal or physical) of time‐out. In this study, we evaluated a procedure designed to reduce problem behavior and increase compliance with the verbal instruction to go to time‐out. Specifically, we reduced the time‐out interval contingent on compliance with the time‐out instruction. Six preschool‐aged boys participated in the study. Time‐out effectively reduced the problem behavior of all 6 participants, and the procedure to increase compliance with the time‐out instruction was effective for 4 of 6 participants.

  May 09, 2013   doi: 10.1002/jaba.40   open full text