Behavioral and linguistic theoretical approaches to language development may have the most influence in terms of treating language deficits experienced with individuals with autism, and contemporary theories of language development provided by stimulus equivalence and Relational Frame Theory may bridge the gap between these two theoretical approaches. The present study evaluated the relationship between an assessment based off of these contemporary behavioral theories with the results gathered from widely used behavioral and linguistic assessments of language functioning with individuals with autism. These correlated assessments included: the Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge Equivalence Pre-Assessment (PEAK-E-PA), the Test of Language Development (TOLD-I:4), and The Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills-Revised (ABLLS-R). The results suggested that there was a strong correlation between the PEAK-E-PA and the TOLD-I:4 (r = 0.93, p < .01) and between the PEAK-E-PA and the ABLLS-R (r = 0.65, p < .01); however, there was only a moderate correlation between the ABLLS-R and the TOLD-I:4 (r = 0.43, p < .01). The results have implications for the assessment, and subsequent treatment of language deficits experienced by individuals with autism.

In attempting to impeach eyewitnesses, attorney's often highlight inconsistencies in the eyewitness's recall. This study examined the differential impact of types of inconsistent testimony on mock-juror decisions. Each of 100 community members and 200 undergraduates viewed one of four versions of a videotaped trial in which the primary evidence against the defendant was the testimony of the eyewitness. I manipulated the types of inconsistent statements given by the eyewitness in the four versions: (1) consistent testimony, (2) information given on-the-stand but not given during the pre-trial investigation, (3) contradictions between on-the-stand and pre-trial statements, and (4) contradictions made on the witness stand. Subjects exposed to any form of inconsistent testimony were less likely to convict and found the defendant less culpable and the eyewitness less effective. These effects were larger for contradictions than for information given on the stand but not during pre-trial investigations.

Poor dietary choices and lack of physical activity are two main contributing factors for the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States. Overweight and obese individuals are at risk for developing major life-threatening diseases. Weight loss is an effective means for reversing these adverse health effects, and smartphone applications (apps) may be an effective means for supporting weight loss outside of formal clinical settings. This study involved identifying factors that contribute to effective weight loss to compare with functionality commonly found in a sample of calorie counter apps. A content analysis was performed using a design framework that included a conceptual model describing the interaction of behaviors for effective weight loss and functional design requirements based upon behavior change and motivation to achieve weight loss. The requirements were used to analyze the presence of features in a sample of popular calorie counting apps, to infer their capability in supporting users' motivation to achieve weight loss. Results indicated that app features might not provide sufficient support to facilitate effective weight loss. Lack of supportive features affects perceived autonomy, relatedness, and competence, reducing motivation. This study provided guidelines to improve the design of calorie counter apps to include more features that support users as they engage in weight loss behaviors. The guidelines may become practical for use in mHealth apps used as part of formal and informal weight management strategies. Implications for future research involving wearable technologies and the use of gamified design strategies are discussed.

Behavior analysts have had much success in affecting behavior change with individuals diagnosed with intellectual disabilities as well as those who would be considered typically developing with a variety of intervention strategies; most of which involve affecting direct acting contingencies. However, the realm of language-based psychopathology has just begun to be addressed within the field through language based, or indirect acting strategies. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is based on the concept of derived stimulus relations and allows for a behavior analytic treatment of language-based psychopathology. The current study was intended to test the efficacy of a brief protocol-delivered ACT intervention with individuals who smoke marijuana. Oral swab drug screens were the primary dependent variable, along with the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire II (AAQ-II). All six ACT components were taught to each subject using a set list of metaphors and exercises and was assessed using a concurrent/non-concurrent multiple baseline across participants design. Results indicate that the brief protocol impacted levels of marijuana consumption with all three participants and that their self-reported levels of struggle (via the AAQ-II) lessened over the course of the training.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine differences in effectiveness and rate of skill acquisition between a recently developed and empirically validated instructional sequence, Motor and Vocal Imitation Assessment (MVIA), and a commonly used instructional sequence in a curriculum guide, Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP). Methods: Children with ASD were randomly assigned to two treatment groups to determine difference in imitation performance. The treatment group followed the instructional sequence proposed in the MVIA. The comparison group followed the instructional sequence proposed in the VB-MAPP. Initial levels of imitation were assessed via the MVIA. The intervention consisted of discrete trial training (DTT). A trained therapist presented a fixed number of stimuli in massed trial format. Prompted and unprompted imitative responses were reinforced using edibles. A most-to-least with a progressive time delay prompting strategy was used to help the learner engage in the target response. Results: Participants in the MVIA treatment group had significantly more skill acquisition than participants in the VB-MAPP comparison group. Participants in the MVIA treatment group also acquired these skills more efficiently, spent less time on skills that never reached mastery and demonstrated higher levels of responding. Additionally, pre-treatment imitation was found to predict autism severity and expressive language. Conclusions: These results indicate that the MVIA protocol provides an appropriate sequence ordered from simple to complex for selecting targets for intervention. These findings suggest that organizing and sequencing skills in increasing difficulty, as with the MVIA protocol, leads to more appropriate target selection. Targeting skills that are appropriate for the child’s current skill level, in turn leads to more effective and efficient intervention. Results also replicate previous findings that demonstrate that imitation performance plays a critical role in other areas of development.

Despite a mutual interest in disordered behavior, the psychological approaches of individual differences and behaviorism historically have had little common research or discourse. Moreover, over time, both fields independently have developed methods of assessment and treatment that--despite being broadly applicable across populations--exist only in parallel. This also is despite the facts that (1) individual differences frequently are defined by specific types of behavior (or lack thereof), and (2) behavioral analyses may include "organism" variables that share features with temperament variables. The primary goal of the current study is to examine relations between broad temperament factors and the function of problem behavior(s) identified through formal clinical assessment. The proposed model hypothesizes unique contributions of extraversion/surgency/positive affectivity (E/SPA) and neuroticism/negative affectivity (NNA) to the behavior functions of attention and escape, respectively. Subsidiary goals of the study included replicating previously identified temperament factors in this sample and assessing relations among temperament scales and behavioral form(s). Fifty-three children and their caregivers were recruited from 4 behavior treatment clinics at the University of Iowa. Caregivers were asked to complete two measures of temperament/personality: the Children's Behavior Questionnaire Short Form (CBQ) and the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality--Other Report Form (SNAP-ORF). Children also underwent behavior assessment procedures as part of their scheduled clinic appointment, and these records were subsequently accessed to code function, form, frequency, and severity of problem behaviors. Results showed significant, positive relations between E/S-PA and measures of attention function. These findings were consistent across several (though not all) measures of E/S/PA and attention function. In contrast, no significant relation between N-NA and either escape or attention was found. Structural modeling of temperament/personality was broadly consistent with the three factors proposed by the CBQ and SNAP-ORF. Several unique findings at the lower order trait level also were noted and are discussed. The results from the current study provide an important first step in linking behavior and personality with regard to function in addition to behavioral form. Implications for the definitions of traits and function used in this project are discussed. Future research should expand on these preliminary findings to replicate and clarify relations among individual differences and behavioral functions.

Although much of the current literature in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has focused on illuminating their biological underpinnings or identifying effective treatment approaches, very little research has integrated these two areas of study and examined the neurobiological outcomes associated with various autism interventions. The proposed study will use functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (fcMRI) to measure changes in resting state connectivity associated with an intensive behavioral intervention for young children with ASD. Independent component analysis and t-tests will be used to determine if 20 children receiving a behavioral intervention experience greater changes in connectivity than 20 children (matched for sex and developmental age) in a control group receiving treatment as usual (TAU). / text

The present study examined the use of manipulating activity presentation formats and the use of interactions to increase activity engagement in eight older adults with Alzheimer's disease (AD) living in a special care unit of a nursing home. Three experiments, each using an alternating treatments design, were conducted. Experiment 1 compared two sets of activities (i.e., standard and novel) on engagement. The set of activities that produced the highest mean percentage of engagement (novel activities) was used throughout the subsequent two experiments. Experiment 2 evaluated the effects of three different activity presentation formats - providing single activities, providing activity choices, and providing multiple activities - on engagement. Results showed that providing multiple activities to participants produced the highest mean percentage of engagement when compared to providing a single activity or a choice of two activities. Experiment 3 assessed the effects of various levels of interactions on engagement. Minimal and typical amounts of interaction were provided to participants. Results from Experiment 3 revealed that engagement was higher when minimal interactions were provided for all participants than when a typical amount of interactions was provided. Results from these three experiments extended the literature on use of choice interventions and the amount of interactions to provide to nursing home residents in order to increase activity engagement. A behavior analytic account of the results is presented, implications are discussed, and future research in the area is recommended.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Hailey Williams, for the Master’s Degree in Behavior Analysis, presented on 7/8/16, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: TEACHING EQUIVALENCE RELATIONS THROUGH DRAWING USING THE PEAK-E CURRICULUM MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Mark R. Dixon The purpose of this study was to observe the formation of equivalence response classes using drawing to demonstrate the transformation of stimulus function from arbitrary textual words to simple drawings. Two children with Autism were taught directly trained relations, which paired together three stimuli from three separate class formations. The children were taught to relate A-B and B-C relations in trial blocks, and then tested with B-A and C-A relations. This train-test method was used to see if derived relations had emerged. Both participants demonstrated adequate learning in achieve mastery criteria in all the directly trained and derived relations from this study. The data is represented in a multiple baseline graph with an embedded multiple probe design. The outcome of this study indicates that the use of drawing and other creative behaviors have value in both relation frame theory and PEAK. There are also several implications of the study addressed here, including drawing as a verbal behavior and the role of internal events and covert behaviors in learning.

Online instruction is becoming increasingly common at universities; however, there is little single subject research concerning the effectiveness of the online lecture format. We investigated whether online lecture could replace in-class lecture in two sections of an undergraduate Introduction to Behavior Analysis course without detrimentally affecting student learning. Using an adapted alternating treatments design, online and in-class lecture formats were counterbalanced across the two course sections. Experimenters collected data on lecture attendance/access, percent correct on the weekly quiz, and student report on lecture format preference. The data show that, within the context of this class, students performed equally in the weekly quiz regardless of lecture format; further, that this is consistent when looking at individual student data and mean data. However, although students stated a preference for online lecture in the questionnaire, a greater percentage of students attended in-class lecture than accessed online lecture.