Association for Behavior Analysis International

Teaching individuals with autism spectrum disorder who engage in severe problem behavior to tolerate delayed and denied access a necessary skill toward independent living. This skill deficit has resulted in an extensive reinforcement history that has resulted in engagement in severe problem behavior to obtain access to preferred items, specifically access to the iPad. Before teaching tolerance to delayed and denied access, it is important to ensure the participant has the pre-requisite skills, such as functional communication and a tolerance response. While focusing on functional communication training, latency data has been collected between the discriminative stimulus to terminate the iPad and the participant handing the iPad to staff. We will be determining if there is a correlation between decreasing latency of terminating the iPad and increasing use of functional communication, a tolerance response, and eventually delayed and denied access. This program aims to teach the prerequisite skills necessary to tolerate delayed and denied access.

Learning to feed oneself is an important repertoire that services as a pivotal functional skill for future independence. Even though much research has focused on how to accept non-preferred solids and liquids (Piazza et al., 2003), they may still fail to learn how to feed themselves. The current study directly replicates (Kandarpa et al., 2019; Smith et al., 2018) by further evaluating the intervention effects of self-feeding using prompt fading and errorless learning with a 4-year-old boy diagnosed with ASD in his preschool classroom. We used a combinatorial design containing both a multiple baseline design across behavior with an embedded reversal. Results and implications are further discussed in relation to the appropriateness of behavior analysts using prompt fading and errorless learning as an effective way to teach self-feeding skills for children with ASD.

Clinically, renewal occurs when a challenging behavior that was decreased in treatment increases following a change in the treatment context. Identifying methods to mitigate renewal is critical to ensuring that treatments are effective across settings. The present study evaluated the effects of adding a cue (i.e., a stimulus that is associated with treatment) to the environment on challenging behavior and mands. Participants were three children with autism who engaged in challenging behavior maintained by tangibles. In baseline, we measured mands for tangibles and challenging behavior when the tangible was removed in context A. Then, we implemented functional communication training in a different setting (i.e., context B). Once the participant mastered the functional communication response, we added a cue (e.g., wristband) during treatment. When mands and challenging behavior were stable, the participant returned to context A, where sessions with and without the cue alternated. The results showed that, for one participant, the cue mitigated renewal relative to when the cue was not present. For two participants, the cue did not mitigate renewal relative to when it was absent. For all participants, the presence vs. absence of the cue did not differentially impact manding. In summary, our results suggest that the cues used in the study may not have been salient enough to differentially affect renewal.

Play is an imperative part of childhood and aids in the development of language and social skills. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have deficits in play skills, which may contribute to further delays in social development due to a decreased number of social opportunities during play. We analyzed videos of typically developing children’s play to revise data collection and inform the video model scripts. We then examined the effects of a video modeling intervention on independent play using a multiple baseline design across toy sets. Finally, we evaluated whether increases in play resulted in increased social interactions with peers during a socio-dramatic play center.

The endowment effect describes the tendency to assign greater value to an object they possess than they do to the same object when it is not in their possession. Collective bargaining negotiations between unions and employers occur in a context in which the endowment effect is likely to occur. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of delay to changes, magnitude of workload negotiated, and hypothetical group collaboration on the endowment effect. Part of the sample (N = 22) completed the task both as sellers and buyers. The remainder of participants (N = 92) were randomly assigned to either role. Participants were asked to name the minimum salary increase they would accept to work additional hours, or the maximum salary decrease they would accept to work fewer hours. Delay for changes to go into effect, magnitude of workload negotiated, and perceived collaboration with others were manipulated. Results were consistent with the previous literature. Seller prices exceeded buyer prices. The increase in workload being negotiated and hypothetical group size collaborating magnified the WTA-WTP gap. Delay did not influence the WTA-WTP gap.

The opioid epidemic continues to worsen in the United States. It is important that we identify possible supplements to strengthen rehabilitation therapies. The present study uses classically conditioned contextual stimuli to reduce withdrawal symptoms both during and after drug abstinence. Twice daily injections of morphine (10 mg/kg s.c.) were administered to adult male Sprague-Dawley rats until behavioral tolerance was observed in operant responding on variable ratio (VR-4) schedules for water reinforcement. Withdrawal symptoms were determined based on changes in grooming behaviors, completed variable ratios, and amount of defecation relative to non-drug baseline measures. Statistical analysis were performed across the five days of withdrawal. For grooming measures with the context-stimuli group producing a significantly greater number of responses during withdrawal; indicating a drug-opposite response. There was a significant difference (p>0.1) across the 5 days of withdrawal for completed response ratios, with the context-stimulus group having a considerably greater number of responses during withdrawal; indicating a drug-opposite response. For defecation behavior, a significant difference (p=.154) was observed for defecation during the withdrawal between the three groups. No significant difference was observed in grooming behaviors across the withdrawal period. Contextual stimuli may offer a target for procedures that may enhance rehabilitation therapies.

The present study investigated the use of a newly-developed functional process-based interview for use within a school-based functional behavior assessment with a highly verbal child presenting with both autism and emotional/behavioral disorder. This assessment resulted in the creation of a “process map” showing the flow of the participant’s covert behaviors within the four-term contingency. For comparative purposes, the same interview was provided to the client’s teacher. Both participants also responded to a more standard functional assessment interview. Results indicate that there was a profound difference between the student and the teacher’s responses on both the functional assessment interview, and the process-based interview. The process map of the student showed a typically unexplored aspect of interviewee’s environment in regard to the four-term contingency of applied behavior analysis, namely motivating/establishing operations, antecedents, behaviors, and consequences. This case study stands as a pilot study for further research involving participation of the client within their own assessment, and of the assessment of covert behaviors and private events.

This study was a replication of Baker and LeBlanc's (2011) "Acceptability of Interventions for Aggressive Behavior in Long-Term Care Settings: Comparing Ratings and Hierarchical Selection." The study examined caregivers and staff members acceptability of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for behavioral disturbances in nursing homes residents in Iceland and Norway. Participants were recruited online using a convenience sampling method. Participants were asked to evaluate acceptability of three treatments: (1) Communication Treatment, (2) Light and Sensory Treatment and (3) Pharmacological Intervention. A total of 189 individuals answered the questionnaire. Caregivers in Iceland found the Communication Treatment most acceptable, whereas in Norway the caregivers scored the Light and Sensory Treatment as most acceptable. Staffmembers, rated the Communication- and Light and Sensory Treatment similarly. However, across both countries and groups the pharmacological treatment was rated the least acceptable treatment.

This study used a hypothetical purchase task to investigate how likelihood of purchasing a climate-friendly commodity (rooftop solar) varied with price and descriptions of benefits for purchases. Prior research has shown that consumption for a sustainable commodity varies as a function of price and is well described by an exponential demand function (Kaplan, Gelino, Reed, 2018). Research has also shown that beliefs in consequences of energy investment decisions are related to household choice (Kastner & Stern, 2015). Participants were recruited from Amazon MTurk and N=244 completed the study. Participants rated how likely they would be to purchase home solar panels at 17 prices ranging from $0 to $150000. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups given different statements about benefits of purchasing solar panels: no information, energy independence, cost savings, or climate change benefits. Likelihood of purchase varied as a function of price and was well fit by exponentiated demand functions. Preliminary analyses show similar results across groups in obtained demand intensity (QO) and elasticity, median price at maximum output (Pmax) at $7500 and median breakpoints at $17500-$20000. Future studies will investigate effects of messaging on consumption of commodities with lower prices (i.e., electric vehicles, plant-based burgers).

Functional communication training (FCT; Carr & Durand, 1985) is a commonly used function-based intervention which leads to a reduction in problem behavior by increasing functionally equivalent communicative responses (FCR). Individuals who have been taught functional communication (FC), however, often engage in FCR at much higher rates than feasible for families (Betz et al., 2013). Thus, schedule thinning is considered clinical best practice. Recent research has further indicated combining schedule thinning with terminal probes allows for more efficient FCT (Kranak & Falligant, 2021). Therefore, using a concurrent multiple baseline design, this study analyzed the effectiveness of a terminal probe within a response class for one individual learning FC. Results indicated after schedule thinning and a terminal probe were conducted for one FCR, the terminal probe generalized to two other FCRs in which schedule thinning had and had not been implemented. Implications for clinical practice and future research will also be discussed.

Behavioral interventions to decrease problem behavior typically utilize dense schedules of reinforcement for appropriate behavior. Following reductions in problem behavior, generalization across contexts is programmed to ensure the intervention is effective in the natural environment. However, problem behavior sometimes reemerges as a function of changes in contexts, this is called renewal. Falligant et al. (2021) found that the prevalence of renewal was lower for individuals who experienced denser schedules of reinforcement in the initial training context than those who experienced leaner schedules of reinforcement. The current study extended Falligant et al. (2021) by examining the relationship between the obtained magnitude of reinforcement (i.e., duration or frequency) during the initial training phase and magnitude of renewal during treatment evaluations for individuals admitted to an inpatient unit for severe problem behavior. We re-analyzed 37 treatment applications with context changes across 34 cases identified via a retrospective consecutively controlled case series. The clinical implications of identifying factors that are associated with renewal of problem behavior are discussed.

People with disabilities have a higher prevalence of cigarette smoking than people without disabilities. Moreover, there is a research gap in smoking cessation interventions between people with and without disabilities. This systematic review aimed to identify and evaluate research on tobacco smoking cessation interventions designed to improve outcomes for people with disabilities (e.g., cognitive, hearing, mobility, visual). Electronic searches were conducted in CINAHL Plus (EBSCO), Embase (Ovid), Medline (Ovid), and PsycINFO (Ovid) to identify peer-reviewed studies on tobacco cessation interventions for adults with disabilities in the United States. Two independent coders evaluated all retrieved records. A total of 972 studies were included in title and abstract screening. Forty-six studies were examined in the full text review, of which two studies met inclusion criteria. Both included studies used mindfulness-based procedures to reduce the self-reported number of cigarettes smoked per day in people with mild intellectual disabilities. Additional studies address other disabilities but were not rigorous enough to meet inclusion criteria. Given the breadth of smoking cessation treatments available to the general population, there is a paucity of empirically supported research for those with disabilities. Implications and recommendations for tailored interventions to address the unique needs of people with disabilities are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the emergence and persistence of independent non-target mands displayed by a 4-year-old boy with autism spectrum disorder during treatment (functional communication training; FCT) and treatment disruption (extinction of mands). This study was conducted in three phases. During Phase 1, FCT was conducted within a multiple schedules design across two mand modalities (i.e., picture card; microswitch). During Phase 2, a mand preference assessment (MPA) was conducted within a concurrent schedules design to determine preference for type of mand modality. During Phase 3, extinction was conducted within a multiple schedules design to evaluate the persistence of independent target manding (card touch and microswitch touch). During FCT, independent manding was similarly high for both target mand modalities. A preference for the microswitch over the picture card and higher persistence of target manding in the microswitch condition occurred during the MPA and extinction phases, respectively. During these procedures, two non-targeted mands (vocalizations and manual signing) emerged during FCT, with higher levels associated with the picture card condition. Non-target mands were also observed at relatively high levels during extinction, but without any clear differentiation across target mand modality conditions. Clinical and research implications for these results will be discussed.

Play skills are critical to a child’s development and well-being. Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, however, are often unable to adequately engage with items; because of this, they are at a severe disadvantage for acquiring essential skills necessary for their success within educational and social situations. Previous research has focused on multiple procedures including peer modeling, video modeling, and arbitrary reinforcers for increasing toy engagement, however, results have demonstrated varied success. The competing stimulus assessment (CSA), typically used for individuals that engage in self-injurious behaviors, has shown to be a reliable procedure for increasing toy engagement. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effects of the CSA for increasing play skills for a two-year-old boy diagnosed with Down Syndrome that did not engage in self-injurious behaviors. Results from the CSA identified four items that the participant would reliably and appropriately engage with suggesting that the CSA may be a useful alternative for increasing toy engagement for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who do not engage in self-injurious behavior.

The importance of teaching caregivers to identify functional variables surrounding problematic behaviors in daily life is widely recognized within behavior analytic caregiver training literature (e.g., Bearss et al., 2018; Lerman et al., 2013; Shayne & Miltenburger, 2013). One way to build this skill is to coach parents in collecting data on problematic behaviors when they occur outside of treatment sessions. However, barriers to reliable data collection are common challenges to caregiver training (Sanders, 2009). Presented is a case example of a simple, electronic data collection system designed for parents, which was used to guide treatment focus and demonstrate outcomes from parent training sessions. Procedures were conducted in the Complex Behavior Program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders. The participant was a 7-year-old male diagnosed with autism who engaged in severe aggression, self-injurious behaviors, and property destruction. Initial sessions involved behavioral skills training in data collection procedures. Parent training was delivered weekly, involving data review and in vivo training of function-based procedures. Parents provided weekly data on behavioral events involving target behaviors. These data were graphed, analyzed, and used to assess progress on established treatment goals. Results demonstrate an initial 87% decrease in behavioral events per week from baseline. Low effort data collection across six questions averaging 3 minutes and 43 seconds per submission, can help guide treatment to produce clinically significant results in behavior reduction.

Intervention support technologies are being produced rapidly, and there is a critical need for frameworks and procedures to systematically evaluate their compliance with applied behavior analysis (ABA). Here, we present a systematic evaluation of the ability of the core components of ABA intervention to be implemented within the constraints of a particular technology, Floreo Virtual Reality. Specifically, this framework evaluates the implementation of the three-term antecedent-behavior-consequence contingency, including therapist control over activation of antecedents, determination and evaluation of specific target behavior responses of the learner, and implementation of consequences which are behaviorally contingent and immediate. We also evaluate the ability to implement standard prompting, prompt fading, and error correction procedures. Finally, we determine whether or not and how manual and automated trial-by-trial data can be collected and analyzed. Application of this evaluation framework indicates that a number of Floreo lessons are fully compliant with the core teaching procedures of ABA, and that the most common challenges to ABA compliance of Floreo lessons relate to digital data collection and error correction procedures. Therefore, this framework appears to be useful for both confirming the ABA-compliance of technology-based lessons and determining areas of need for securing ABA-compliance of said technologies for ABA practice.

Behavior analytic providers prioritize socially significant behaviors to improve independence and quality of life for the vulnerable populations we serve. In most interventions, functional communication and tolerance of delayed reinforcement skills are incorporated as goals. In the current study, Functional Communication Training (FCT) was implemented with an adolescent diagnosed with multiple developmental disabilities to increase tolerance of delayed reinforcement. It was socially significant for the client to be taught communication skills to obtain her needs and wants appropriately. Maladaptive behaviors were also a significant concern to the caregiver due to the high frequency of occurrences. The intervention was effective in increasing delayed tolerance, increasing accurate mands (use of two or more vocal words), and decreasing maladaptive behaviors (aggression and property destruction). There were limitations regarding hormonal fluctuations as they affected her mood and motivation during intervention. However, the client was taught communication skills which have been maintained and increased her access to needs and wants in the environment.

The neurodiversity movement is gaining ground as more and more advocates are speaking out in favor for inclusion. Discussions in the field of behavior analysis are steadily increasing. Organizations such as the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) has deployed a task force to interact with such discussions regarding neurodiversity and other related topics. Since 2020, several papers are advocating for more representation and inclusion of the perspectives of individuals of marginalized backgrounds, including neurodiverse populations (Collins et al., 2020). The purpose of this presentation is then to highlight the prevalence of presentations whose authors focused on topics associated with the neurodiversity movement across ABAI affiliated conferences for the last few years. This will be completed with two hopes. First, we hope to spark conversation and highlight what has been done, and what potentially could be done to aid in the inclusion of the movement and the perspectives within our behavior analytic community and beyond. Second, we will describe the efforts and open invitation for others to contribute to this and other diversity related causes. Viewers will be exposed to an interactive conversation with opportunities to contribute.

Decision about how much time to dedicate to certain behaviors can depend on both the cost for engaging in the behavior and its associated benefits. Past research has demonstrated the feasibility of hypothetical purchase tasks in measuring the relative demand for reinforcers such as alcohol and prescription drugs. However, the application of hypothetical purchase tasks to understand behavior related to scholarships has not been previously explored. In this study, hypothetical purchase tasks were used to examine the relative reinforcing efficacy of scholarships of varying amounts anchored to either academics or athletics. Specifically, students indicated how much time they would study/train per day if they were offered 100%, 90%, 80%, 70%,...0% academic/athletic scholarships. We received 86 valid academic scholarship responses and 43 valid athletic scholarship responses. All indices of demand were higher for academic scholarships than athletic scholarships. The specific fit of demand indices with this dataset and whether purchases in terms of time dedicated toward specific activities can be usefully incorporated into standard behavioral economic models are discussed.

While many established delay discounting models fit observed indifference point data closely, more attention is needed to assess whether models are sufficiently specified such that data generated from these models closely resembles human data. Nonlinear least squares (NLS) is the most widely used approach to fit indifference points to models because it adheres closely to observed data. The common strategy of considering data with normally distributed residuals is flawed here, because such models can produce invalid indifference points above the larger later amount or below zero. This indicates that the models we rely on are not fully specified in an adequate manner so as to describe human-like patterns of behavior. Thus, the class of Monte Carlo simulation techniques (useful for everything from sample size calculations to comparative assessment of completing analytical techniques) is not fully reliable since data produced via simulations do not resemble human data adequately. We introduce a class of nonlinear beta regression models that provide excellent fit to discounting data and also improve simulation based approaches due to their ability to honor bounds on indifference point data.

Basic studies within the field of stimulus equivalence often arrange training phases with gradual thinning of programmed consequences before test for emerged relations. One reason for this is to prepare the participant for responding in extinction during test. At the same time, a gradual training procedure increases the minimum number of trials and time spent in conditional discrimination training. Sidman (1994) suggested that procedures in the applied setting need not be as austere as in the laboratory. 30 adult participants, 17 women and 13 men, were randomly assigned to (a) gradual thinning of programmed consequences, (b) no thinning phases before test, and (c) overtraining. Overtraining was arranged to control for differences in minimum trials required in the two other conditions. Results showed that most participants formed equivalence classes in gradual thinning and overtraining, but no significant results were obtained. Furthermore, baseline relations were marginally better maintained in overtraining than in gradual thinning indicating that number of trials in baseline training was a core variable for class formation in these participants. Further research on the role of gradual thinning of consequences and number of trials is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.

Choice bundling (when a single choice produces repeating consequences over time) has been shown to increase valuation of larger later (LL) rewards in cigarette smokers. However, no prior work has investigated the effects of choice bundling in individuals in recovery from substance use disorders (SUDs). In this replication of Stein et al (2022), 194 participants from the International Quit & Recovery Registry, were randomized to complete delay discounting tasks for either monetary gains or losses. Participants completed a six-trial task to establish Effective Delay 50 (ED50; the delay required for an outcome to lose half of its value) and three adjusting-amount tasks with bundle sizes of 1, 3, and 9 rewards per choice (order counterbalanced). Differences in discounting gains and losses were controlled using ED50 individual values to set the LL amount. ED50 values were not significantly different between losses and gains (p=0.526). Choice bundling significantly increased valuation of LL gains and losses (p<0.001), with significantly greater effects in ascending losses (p<0.01) and descending gains (p<0.05) compared to ascending gains. Future research examining the role of remission status on choices may elucidate the potential clinical utility of choice bundling in SUD treatment.

An observing response (OR) is a response that produces access to discriminative conditions. In typical matching-to-sample arrangements, ORs are made to the sample stimulus, which then produce the comparison array. Previous research suggests that ORs may facilitate or be necessary to produce or maintain matching performances. The current study sought to extend prior research on ORs in a gamified human operant arrangement hosted in Minecraft Education Edition. In this study, undergraduate students completed identity matching-to-sample trials in which the 12-stimulus comparison array was immediately visible. An OR was possible, but not required, which produced the sample. The OR requirement varied across sessions (FR 1, FR 5, or FR 10), as well as the number of duplicate comparison stimuli. Given the sample, the probability of selecting the target comparison changed from 1.0 to .08 across trials as the number of unique comparison stimuli decreased. Participant’s total number of ORs per trial was measured. The OR requirement and number of unique comparison stimuli were shown to be functionally related to the participant’s emission of the OR. Implications for ORs in matching-to-sample arrangements in applied settings will be discussed.

Effective note-taking is a critical skill that may enhance learning outcomes for students across age and disability status. Note-taking is also a form of mediation which may be directly observed. Frampton et al. (in press) found that the inclusion of a stimulus fading package to teach note-taking in the form of a graphic organizer (GO) resulted in moderately high equivalence yields with young adults. The present study utilized a pre-training treatment package to teach young adults to construct a GO during matching-to-sample baseline relations training (MTS-BRT). The package included video illustration, voice-over instructions, and feedback when practiced with familiar stimuli. Following pre-training, a non-concurrent multiple probe design across participants was used to evaluate the effects of MTS-BRT with arbitrary stimuli in three five-member classes. The participants engaged in GO construction during MTS-BRT and efficiently acquired the trained relations. Both participants passed the posttest on the first attempt, though neither drew a GO with integrity during the posttest. These results extend prior findings suggesting that effective note-taking may facilitate learning of the baseline relations and result in high yields. The voluntary demonstration of notetaking by both participants during MTS-BRT suggests this may be a beneficial addition to equivalence-based instruction.

Laboratory research has a long history of contributing to applied psychology. Behavior analytic gambling research has been largely experimental and translational, informing applied work. Previous data from the Rider Gambling Laboratory has shown that venue and laboratory data are comparable in behavioral factors of number of bets and time spent gambling. The data suggested that, generally, people gamble more and longer at the venue than in the laboratory. The previous data were collected from people already at the venue and people who participated in research form a university population. In this study, to further examine the setting effect, leisure gamblers gambled in the laboratory setting and in the venue setting in different sessions in a single case experimental design ABAB fashion. Consistent with the observational data, generally participants gambled more and longer at the venue than the laboratory. Participants also were given a self-directed gambling intervention, after which gambling generally reduced across the settings, though gambling reduction in the laboratory was less pronounced.

Positive practice overcorrection (PPOC) is a commonly used punishment procedure within a variety of settings. Early research on PPOC was conducted within academic, clinical, and home settings (e.g., Doleys et al., 1976; Carey & Bucher, 1983; Cole et al., 2000); however, it seems necessary and important to make the connection between applied and basic realms to fully understand the mechanisms underlying PPOC’s effectiveness. This study is designed to examine the mechanisms underlying the effects of PPOC procedures using an animal model (e.g., subjects are pigeons). First, it is unclear if the work requirement or timeout (TO) from positive reinforcement is responsible for behavior suppression. Second, the baseline through which we compare punishment effects is a crucial consideration when designing an experiment that not only is in line with previous basic punishment research, but also has translational outcomes. In Experiment 1 (single reinforcement key), there is only one source of reinforcement; the same response produces reinforcement and PPOC/TO. In Experiment 2 (concurrent), there is an alternative source of reinforcement without PPOC/TO. In Experiments 1 and 2, the average duration to complete the terminal PPOC ratio is yoked to a TO to disentangle the confounded components of PPOC.

Gender role refers the set of behaviors and expectations that should govern the way women and men are, feel and act (González, 1999). In this way, the goal of this study is to assess if gender roles influence the Pavlovian conditioning of behaviors that occur in situations of street harassment. Forty participants (18-30 years old) completed the Gender Attitude Scale (GRAS), and were later exposed to a Pavlovian experimental task. In the Training Phase (30 trials), vignettes of neutral interaction between a man and a woman, and street harassment with a geometric figure were presented, each of these paired with appetitive or aversive stimuli. In the following phase (Test Phase, 3 trials), participants were asked about the association of the previously-presented vignettes. Our results showed some evidence that people with lower scores on the GRAS tended to have greater difficulty in appetitive conditioning street harassment and greater ease in aversive conditioning; whereas, people with high scores tended to have the opposite results. Altogether, gender roles might play an important function in people's ability to identify risky behaviors for themselves.

There have been numerous studies that have assessed the effectiveness of self-management strategies for on-task behaviors. However, many of these studies focus on increasing on-task behaviors in younger populations. This current study was conducted to increase on-task behaviors in an applied behavior analysis graduate intern (myself), while completing internship assignments in a shared office space. A changing criteria design was used to increase time spent on-task and momentary sampling was used to assess if on-task behaviors occurred during each interval. The criteria for on-task behavior increased, until the final goal time of 25 minutes was met. Based on the results, it was concluded that this intervention effectively increased on-task behaviors. Additionally, during the maintenance trials, on-task behavior remained consistent with the final goal criteria. This shows that the effects of the treatment remained consistent 3 months after conclusion of the intervention.

Temporal discounting is an important measure of impulsivity associated with a variety of behavioural problems. Sosa and Santos (2018) proposed that impulsivity demonstrated in a temporal discounting task may reflect the overlap between the primary and secondary reinforcers for the immediate and delayed choice. If so, they argued that less discounting should be observed if the immediate and delayed reinforcers were different to each other. University students (n = 320) completed an online discounting task in which the immediate and delayed reinforcers were either the same or different to each other in a 2x2 fully randomised between-groups design. The two reinforcers employed were a subscription for varying lengths of time to either a music streaming (music) or food-delivery service (meal). When the delayed reinforcer was a meal, shallower discounting was obtained when music was the immediate reinforcer as predicted by Sosa and Santos. However, there was no difference between the two conditions in which music was the delayed reinforcer. These results provide some support for Sosa and Santos, but a more detailed consideration of cues associated with reinforcement in humans may be required before this account can be fully evaluated.

The purpose of this study was to assess changes in visual scanning behavior as a function of stimulus equivalence training. Four adult participants completed three stimulus-association training sessions and a follow-up stimulus equivalence test. Eight stimuli were employed. Each stimulus contained a Girl Face, a Boy Face, a Man Face, or a Woman Face paired with three fish shapes differing in color. Participants were trained to correctly match the color of the fish with a given face. Each training session consisted of 12 trials. After the training sessions a 6-trial equivalence test was given. Across training trials, there was a significant decrease in the number of fixations and fixation duration to the stimulus components; and visual response latencies became faster to the correct stimulus association. Participants’ attending behavior became more selective, suggesting greater volitional control, and less influenced by stimulus salience features that guide perception. In summary, visual scanning measures should provide a superior direct assessment of an individual’s attending behavior to stimulus features (over-selectivity or under-selectivity) and the rate of stimulus comparisons, which should better serve the behavior analyst in the designing and implementation of appropriate intervention schemes for higher order learning in at-risk and non-verbal populations.

The purpose of the current investigation was to evaluate whether within-session exposure to high-probability of winning during a gambling game produces tolerance-like behaviors, e.g. progressively increased bet size, and if such behavior is maintained when exposed to low-probability win conditions. Participants were assigned to either an experimental or control group. Each group played 10 practice hands of blackjack. The experimental group played 25 hands of blackjack where winning outcomes occurred on 80% of hands, followed by 25 hands in which the winning outcomes occurred on 20% of hands. The control group played 25 hands consisting of only the 20% winning condition and each participant was started with a bankroll equal to an experimental participant bankroll prior to the low-winning condition. To evaluate tolerance development, a dependent T-Test was used to compare the experimental group's average bet size in the high-winning condition with the low-winning condition. A one-way ANOVA compared the experimental group's average bet size to the control group’s in the low-winning condition, i.e. establishing whether or not decreases in bet size are a function of the prior winning history. Results of these analysis provide implications for the establishment of within-session tolerance and the development of potential exposure treatment exercises.

The COVID pandemic forced an abrupt transition to distance learning, but the initial diagnoses show that strategy was not very successful. In Mexico, the Human Capital Project identifies that not only hundreds of students abandoned their studies, but those who stayed lost knowledge equivalent to two years of schooling. Despite these discouraging results, we cannot abandon distance learning as it may still a useful tool in today's world. One way distance learning can be improved is by using collaborative tasks because in them students engage more quickly in effective social networks. In this context, we tested a remote and synchronized collaborative task in which complexity level served as independent variable. Six teams of 5 members of fourth-semester Psychology students participated. Each member worked remotely, but simultaneously on two shared documents (google docs and google slides, respectively). The task consisted of five exercises, each one developed on a different complexity (i.e repetition vs inference). The dependent variables, frequency and duration of completed trials, showed differences by complexity level. The possibilities for structuring remote tasks that allow complex and structured learning that go beyond memorization and repetition tasks are discussed.

For individuals with automatically maintained self-injurious behavior (SIB), it is best practice to conduct a competing stimulus assessment to identify stimuli associated with reductions in SIB. Notably, individuals with Subtype 2 and 3 SIB are more likely to be treatment resistant to common interventions established as effective for individuals with Subtype 1 SIB, and thus often require additional tactics to reduce SIB. Hagopian et al. (2020) found that augmenting the CSA (A-CSA) by incorporating response promotion and disruption tactics can assist with identifying high competition stimuli (HCS) to reduce SIB. In this study, we replicated procedures from Hagopian et al. for an 8-year-old male diagnosed with autism who engaged in head-directed SIB (H-SIB) classified as Subtype 2. Various stimuli were assessed across Free Access (FA) and Response Promotion and Response Disruption (RP+RD) conditions until multiple HCS were identified. The largest number of HCS for reducing SIB, 8, were only identified after RP+RD tactics were included; 6 of these 8 HCS were associated with greater than 50% engagement. During the Repeated Free Access condition, when disruption tactics were removed, only 1 stimulus met the criteria to be a HCS. Clinical recommendations for practitioners and implications for future research will be discussed.

For most studies, assessing the recurrence of socially-compatible or -incompatible behavior requires the training of a target, and an alternative response while the former is under extinction. Once both behaviors are under extinction conditions, target responding increases (i.e., resurgence is observed). Training more than one alternative response could reduce the probability of resurgence once all responding is placed in extinction. Furthermore, alternative-response recurrence could be observed as a result training primacy or recency. Using PORTL, undergrad students were exposed to a modified-resurgence procedure. Spinning a toy was established as target responding for all students. During the second phase, students had to shake, slide, pile and turn-over different toys; spinning was not reinforced. During the third phase, target and all alternative responses were under extinction. For most of the students, as alternative responses were trained, target and previously-trained alternative responding decreased to near-zero responses. During the third phase, target and all previously-trained alternative responding increased. However, target responding was never greater than any of the alternative responses. These results suggest that resurgence can be prevented by training more than a single alternative response.

Establishing and evolving narrative skills is an important factor in a child's development and future academic and personal success. Story Champs is a multi-tiered language intervention curriculum whose main purpose is to develop language skills systematically. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of a newly translated Story Champs curriculum targeting the Basic Story Structure – Retell, with three adolescents in a special education setting using multiple probe design across participants. Participants were exposed to 12 simple stories with five training phases within each lesson, targeting five components within a story: Character, Problem, Action, Feeling, and Ending. Results suggest that overall basic story structure retell narrative skills increased for all students. Retell narrative skills for two students were maintained over a month period and above baseline for one. Notably, since basic story structure narrative skills are complex, many variables within the environment and participants' history can affect the presentation of each component in students' retell. This is the first experiment in Iceland where the effect of Story Champs is studied. Further research should focus on evaluating each phase of the lesson plan and if setting mastery criteria before phase change will further affect the generalization probe. Keywords: Narrative Skills, Story Champs, Macrostructure, Story Grammar Components, Retell, Special Education.

Precision Teaching (PT) is a highly effective system for accelerating learning and promoting fluency across academic skills (Gist & Bulla, 2020; McTiernan et al., 2021). Despite this, its use in public schools is minimal (Gist & Bulla, 2020). Setting achievable implementation goals for teachers may be one means to increase the impact of PT in public schools. Although 100% treatment fidelity is ideal it is not necessarily achievable in non-experimental settings like busy classrooms, and may not always be necessary (Brand et al., 2019). This project aimed to explore the perspectives of experts in the field of PT in relation to (a) their understanding of treatment fidelity in practice, (b) common implementation errors that occur when implementing PT and (c) the perceived impact that these errors have on learner outcomes. This study employed qualitative research methods. Nine experts participated in semi-structured interviews with the primary investigator. Data was analysed using template thematic analysis (King & Brooks 2017; 2018). Codes and themes include components of the PT system, error type such as omission and commission errors and impact on learner outcomes.

This research builds on the past 3 years of running the Ready Set School program. The program endeavours to assess and teach skills to young learners with complex needs. Further, work with the school team to ensure generalization and maintenance of these skills once school starts. This research will use evidence-based applied behaviour analytic programs including, Preschool Life Skills Curriculum (Hanley, 2007), a verbal behaviour approach (Barbera & Rasmussen, 2007), and Socially Savvy (Ellis & Almedia, 2015) to teach the skills that may be less well developed in young learners with complex neurodiverse needs. The Ages and Stages Questionnaire (Squires et al., 2015) is completed with each family and a service plan created that will guide the family and school with recommendations for next steps. The intervention included 14 subjects with complex needs identified in the transition to school process. The participants were between ages 3 and 5 years and were integrating into a full day education setting. The program took place over 8 intervention sessions during the summer with follow up with the family and school team to ensure a smooth transition into a fully inclusive Kindergarten classroom in the fall.

Front-line staff training in trauma-informed care is vital when supporting individuals with a trauma history to avoid re-traumatization and ensure their safety is prioritized. It is specifically an area of focus in group homes for individuals with dual diagnoses as their likelihood of experiencing trauma in their lifetime is higher than the typical population. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of behaviour skills training (BST) in increasing staff competency of trauma-informed care across two group homes using an A-B Design (pre-post test). The results of the study indicate that BST is effective at increasing staff competency of trauma-informed care.

School refusal is a problem in Iceland and if non-attendance goes over certain criteria child protective services (CPS) must be contacted. The School-Refusal Assessment Scale- Revised (SRAS-R) is a scale that assesses school refusal behaviors with a function-based approach. The present study investigated the effects of a function-based intervention on children ‘s school refusal behavior in Iceland. Participants were 3 children who emitted school refusal behaviors prior to school in the mornings. Parents, children, and their teachers did an open- ended interview, and parents and their children answered the SRAS-R to assess the function of the school refusal behaviors. The results from the open-ended interviews and SRAS-R were used to formulate an individualized intervention package for each participant. Every participant got a contingency contract with a visual schedule connected to a token system. In addition, parents got a list of how to respond to each school refusal behavior emitted by their child in the mornings. Finally, one participant got a changed after-school routine and a list of tasks to help him communicate to peers. School refusal behavior for all participants decreased after the intervention package was introduced. Parents and their children answered a social validity questionnaire after the study and reported that the intervention was easy to implement, fun for the children and resulted in a better morning routine and that the children felt better after receiving the intervention.

A cornerstone of behavior analysis the assessment and treatment through function-based approach. These principles can be applied to a wide-range of challenging behaviors. However, there appears to be limited research analyzing the use of functional assessments and function-based treatments for students with emotional disorders. Students with emotional behavior disorders are at a higher risk for poor academic outcomes, poor social outcomes, and contacting the school-to-prison pipeline. The current study seeks to identify and synthesize empirically supported literature pertaining to function-based interventions for students with or at-risk for an emotional or behavior disorders across educational environments. This research seeks to identify current practices in the area of functional assessment and function-based interventions for this population to be used by researchers and clinicians to make improvements in these areas of weakness.

Eighty adults (M age = 32.6, SD = 8.28) completed 100 delayed match-to-sample trials via a web-based program. Participants were required to match 10 multi-colored visual stimuli generated by the DALL•E AI software package to 10 CVC words. Participants were randomly assigned to either a static array or dynamic array condition. Error correction during static array trials presented stimuli using the same comparison array arrangement seen during the initial trial, while error correction during dynamic array trials presented the comparison array arrangement in a randomized order. A one-tailed t-test was conducted with results showing that participants in the static array condition emitted fewer errors during initial trial presentations (M = 48.15, SD = 24.43) compared to participants in the dynamic array condition (M = 71.35, SD = 46.73), t(58) = 2.0, p < .05. Participation time was also significant with participants in the static array group spending an average of 22.11 min (SD = 4.531) to complete all trials compared to 30.35 min (SD = 17.03) required by participants in the dynamic array group, t(58) = 2.1, p < .05. These results suggest that array manipulation during error correction trials may influence program efficiency.

Behavior Skills Training is a widely researched and highly effective training program. However, it is timely and oftentimes irrelevant in school improvement training sessions (Reid et. al, 2019). This research looks at the efficacy of behavior skills training on paraprofessional treatment fidelity when done in smaller, more accessible chunks for educators. It also simultaneously measures student behavior progress related to staff fidelity.

Northern Illinois University’s Project Prevent and Address Bullying Behavior at All Tiers (PPABB) is a collaboration between the Specialist in School Psychology Program and the Special Education M.S.Ed. Specialization in Behavior Analysis Program at NIU. The project provides specialized cross-disciplinary training to prevent and address bullying behavior in schools. Scholars from both school psychology and special education receive specialized training and shared coursework. A coordinated interdisciplinary practicum occurs during the final semester of training. Graduates of the project will be licensed school psychologists and BCBA special educators with expertise in applied behavior analysis and specialized interdisciplinary training in addressing bullying across all tiers of support. This poster describes the implementation of a multi-tiered approach to addressing bullying behavior in a public-school setting. Practical strategies are described to assist school-based practitioners with 1) implementing universal practices to prevent bullying, 2) developing and implementing effective behavior analytic bullying interventions at the class wide and specific setting level, 3) using data to determine youth who may need more targeted supports, 4) conducting functional behavioral assessments of bullying behavior to develop and implement individualized function-based interventions for students with more intensive needs.Finally, the first author will describe obstacles and barriers to effective implementation, as well as strategies for overcoming common barriers.

In recent years, research related to the acceptability, feasibility, efficiency, and effectiveness of school based-teleconsultation has emerged in the literature. Although data are encouraging in that teleconsultation may be a viable alternative or adjunct to traditional consultation, concerns exist. Specifically, concerns related to connectivity issues, cost, feasibility, acceptability, and efficiency exist. The purpose of the current study was to explore the use of different technology that can be used to facilitate school-based teleconsultation. We evaluated the feasibility, efficiency, and acceptability of different types of technology that can be used to facilitate school-based consultation. Pre-service clinicians used three different types of technology (web cameras, Swivls, and telepresence robots) during mock consultation sessions and rated each technology on a variety of factors. Participants expressed a slight preference for the Swivl, shown in their overall scores from the follow-up surveys despite issues with audio connectivity. The strengths and limitations for each technology will be reported as well as guidelines for utilizing each in teleconsultation.

ABA-Based therapies are considered among the most effective and evidenced-based strategies for supporting individuals with autism across of number of clinical and educational domains. Despite these successes, the public education system has been slow to adapt ABA strategies or to allow for the ABA services as “related services” within the Individualized Education Support Plans of those with Autism eligibilities. The purpose of the current study was to explore the experiences and perspectives of behavior analytic professionals who supported individuals attending public schools. Participants responded to an online survey containing questions regarding their current practice, the types of clients they serve, successes and difficulties in providing services within the school system, and in the types of training that participants received to prepare them for school-based services. Of 277 participants who responded to the survey, the behavior analytic professionals overwhelmingly indicated frequent difficulties in providing services in the schools, including lack of buy in from school professionals, administrative obstacles, lack of funding mechanisms, and lack of follow through with respect to behavior change procedures. Additionally, most participants reported limited pre-service training in school-based implementation. These data suggest several areas for improvement in the relationship between behavior analysts and special education programs, training of consultant skills for behavior analysts, and priorities for policy advocacy.

Behaviors that may be associated to higher perceived quality-of-life, such as the opportunity to participate in meaningful activities, expressing wants and needs, and socializing with others, may be negatively affected in individuals with a neurocognitive disorder (NCD, i.e., Alzheimer´s Disease). Due to deterioration of executive functions, such as taking initiative and lack of motivation, there is an increased risk of in-activity for individuals with NCD. Also, if the setting in which the person is does not actively support participation and activity engagement, in-activity may become even more apparent. Previous studies have shown that by training employees, activity attendance and engagement, and communication may be increased in NCD residents living in geriatric care units. The current study analyzed the effects of behavioral management skills training to increase positive communication and engagement of three certified nursing assistants (CNS) with residents with NCDs at the unit. Results from a multiple baseline across target participants showed an increase in positive communication and engagement with the residents by an average of 81.3% in CNA A, by 65.7% in CNA B, and 26.7% in CNA C. Both CNA A and CNA B had a notable increase in engagement with residents from baseline. However, CNA C had the least increase from baseline.

ABA providers who serve individuals that engage in severe problem behavior may be at particularly high risk of injury. However, there is little research on the prevalence or severity of staff injuries among these providers, nor on best-practice strategies to prevent or mitigate staff’s risk of injury. The Neurobehavioral Unit (NBU), at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, is the nation’s first ABA-based hospital program to assess and treat severe behavior disorders. The purpose of this study is to describe the NBU’s behavior-based safety approach to reporting and monitoring staff injuries and utilization of personal protective equipment (PPE) and share examples of ways to visually depict staff injuries through the use of body images to denote injury locations, cumulative records of injury severity across admission, as well as types of behaviors resulting in injury. A case example will be provided depicting how these graphs are utilized to more effectively monitor and enact plans to reduce injuries among staff. Future directions, such as modifying staff training and hospital practices, to wide-scale implications for other ABA providers will be discussed.

This theoretical analysis examines the relationship behavior analysts have with language and definitions. The use of operational definitions and the impact of various wording is explored in relation to its potential, and probable, impact on responses of behavior analysts. A field rich in jargon should consider the relevant stimuli within the operational definition of terms. The mere use of jargon within the operational definition may lead a behavior analyst to select a nonsense term simply based on the presence of technical terms often paired with behavior analytic definitions. This is important to the field of behavior analysis as a BCBAs should be able to recognize linkages between definitions and the terms they describe. The failure to conditionally discriminate between terminology utilized in behavior analysis could lead behavior analysts to toward technical drift in making recommendations. Furthermore, this paper examines the potential for behavior analysts to display a bias toward some third-wave behavior analytic terms including those related with acceptance and commitment training. If such a bias exists, this could be hugely impactful to the field as behavior analysts may refuse to adopt empirically supported strategies and solutions that may be appropriate for addressing the challenges that impact those individuals with more advanced language and cognition. Currently, the ongoing scholarly debate among behavior analytic academia regarding terminology poses a significant threat to practitioners who are appropriately trained to provide empirically supported interventions.

A web-based version of Holland and Skinner’s (H&S) self-instruction program was developed for teaching behavioral principles in an undergraduate program. Students were exposed to a total of 36 modules. Pre- and Post-evaluations occurred at the beginning of the program and once 12 modules were completed. Each module had different number of fil-in-the-blank sentences which were presented altogether, or as three per trial (Full and Partial groups, respectively). As modules were completed, correct responding increased within for all groups. Similarly, Pre- and Post-evaluations showed an increase in the number of correct responses among evaluations. Nevertheless, students in the Full Group showed a better performance in contrast to those in the Partial Group. Future research should consider the use of scoreboard and re-exposure to incorrect sentences. These changes should give information about student’s performance in real-time, as well as to provide the required response before testing. Altogether, these findings will allows us to recover H&S self-instruction program and teach behavioral principles to new generations through the use of technology.

For decades, basic and applied research on relational framing has focused on large patterns of functional changes to verbal networks that occur during and after relational training (e.g., Rehfeldt et al., 2007). To date, investigators have paid little attention to the way individuals frame relationally during naturalistic conversation (Tannen, 1993). It remains unclear whether framing in naturalistic contexts expands after repeated or prolonged exposure to content that requires complex relational framing. Said differently, changes in real-world performance may or may not mirror results from tests conducted in relational training environments. To date, a molecular evaluation of conversational data has not been advanced. In this session, we describe a novel procedure for the measurement of relational framing that occurs during conversation in small work groups over the course of a graduate school semester before and after an intervention that targets hierarchical and analogical framing. Additionally, we discuss skill acquisition among investigators trained to code relational framing in context. Finally, we review our process for improving the measurement system and procedures for training ABA research assistants to code relational framing that occurs during naturalistic conversation.