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Obesity is a very complex problem involving dietary, psychological, social, and behavioral factors. Although behavioral treatment for obesity has been found to be effective for weight loss during treatment, results of studies to date on the prediction of long-term weight loss maintenance have been mixed and inconsistent. This study was conducted as a follow-up to a behavioral study by Zegman (1983) in an attempt to identify potential predictors of short- and long-term weight loss. Dietary, cognitive, and behavioral variables were examined by multiple regression analyses as possible predictors of short- and long-term weight loss were identified. Methodological questions were raised concerning sample size and the psychometric properties of the instruments used for measurement.

There is a need to find effective ways to treat depression, due to its high incidence and to the severity of its consequences. The first psychological treatment of depression came with the advent of psychoanalysis, but today the theories dealing with the etiology and treatment of depression range from genetic and biological approaches to an existential conceptualization. While briefly reviewing these various current approaches, the primary purpose of this paper is to present the behavioral/social learning approach to the understanding and treatment of depression. The specific theoretical formulations, methods of assessment and treatment approaches characteristic of the behavioral/social learning approach will be reviewed. Illustrative clinical and research studies concerning therapeutic outcomes are evaluated. The results indicate that while behavioral approaches appear to be effective in the treatment of depression, additional systematic research must be conducted before final judgments can be made as to whether behavioral treatment of depression will become the treatment of choice.

Performance feedback has been shown to be an effective behavior change technique in a variety of settings, across a broad spectrum of behaviors, and with subjects differing on a number of important dimensions. This study investigated the effects of publicly posted process behavior feedback with goal setting on process behaviors (i.e., behaviors intended to produce a specific outcome) and on the outcomes intended. Conversely, the effects of outcome feedback with goal setting on the outcomes intended and the related process behaviors were examined. Daily patient orientation scores (i.e., outcomes intended) were obtained for a 20% sample of 235 patients on five separate wards in a psychogeriatric hospital over a 22 week period. The number of patient contacts with staff in group reality orientation sessions (i.e., process behaviors) were collected over the same period of time. Process behavior feedback was provided daily to staff on two of the wards while staff on two different wards received feedback on the outcomes intended. Staff of the fifth ward received no feedback for either process behaviors or outcomes intended, thus serving as a comparison group. The results indicated that process behavior feedback with goal setting was effective in increasing the number of patient contacts in reality orientation groups, but had no effect on the outcomes intended (i.e., patient orientation scores). Outcome feedback with goal setting provided to staff members concerning daily patient orientation produced no effect on either the outcomes intended or process behaviors. Process and outcome measures for the control ward remained stable throughout the duration of the study. The results of a post experimental questionnaire assessing staff and patient satisfaction with the intervention are presented. The results of the study are discussed from the perspective of Gilbert's (1978) performance engineering model. Implications concerning the design of feedback programs within human service and production oriented agencies are presented. Limitations of the study are described and recommendations are made for future research in the area. / Ph. D.

Many people use negative feedback in inducing behavior change, but it may arouse defensiveness in recipients. In this study three types of negative interpersonal feedback were used to induce behavior change. In descriptive feedback speakers describe the behavior they have observed in recipients of the feedback. In descriptive-impact feedback speakers describe the behavior and add a statement about their own reaction to the behavior. In evaluative feedback speakers evaluate the behavior observed and relate their evaluation as feedback. College students wrote passages about themselves, exchanged passages with same-sex partners, and wrote feedback comments about the information in their partners' passages. However, subjects actually received bogus passages and feedback. While all the bogus feedback requested more self-disclosure, the feedback was either descriptive, descriptive-impact, or evaluative. Control subjects received no feedback. Bogus information and feedback cycles were repeated as were ratings made by subjects on questionnaire items reflecting their emotional reactions to their partners. Dependent variables were breadth and depth of self-disclosure for all passages and feedback comments and ratings on Halo Factor, derived via factor analyses of the questionnaire items. Hypotheses held that defensiveness, and thus negative emotional reactions on Halo Factor, would be greatest for evaluative subjects, followed respectively, by descriptive, descriptive-impact, and control subjects. On self-disclosure measures, no hypotheses were made for control subjects, but the least self-disclosure was expected from evaluative subjects followed, respectively, by descriptive and descriptive-impact subjects. Major results indicated: 1) For depth of self-disclosure on passages, on both post-manipulation occasions, the greatest self-disclosure occurred for descriptive-impact subjects, followed, respectively, by evaluative, descriptive, and control subjects. 2) Across occasions, depth of self-disclosure on passages and feedback increased, breadth of self-disclosure on passages decreased, and ratings of partners became more negative. 3) Females disclosed more than males for depth of self-disclosure on passages and for breadth of self-disclosure on passages and feedback, but males rated their partners more positively. Results seemed to reflect the self-disclosure paradigm used more than the experimental manipulations. / Ph. D.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 120-132).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-132). Also available in print.

The present study utilized multiple-baseline and multi-probe across participants designs to measure both fidelity and efficacy of caregivers as primary interventionists when using trial-based functional analysis (TBFA) procedures. Participants included any caregiver of a child with a medical or educational diagnosis of autism and challenging behavior. Caregiver fidelity of implementation of TBFA procedures was measured across three phases: baseline, training, and independent implementation or generalization. Within the implementation phase, caregivers independently conducted TBFAs on their respective children within the home setting. Fidelity, efficacy, and social validity across each participant were measured. Each caregiver was able to reach fidelity during the training phase, and three out of five caregivers were able to identify a clear behavior function for their child's behavior within the implementation phase of the study. Social validity was evaluated. Results indicate that caregivers may be able to supplement traditional interventionists during the TBFA process. Implications for future practice are reviewed.

Several empirical studies have suggested that self-monitoring is an effective strategy to increase appropriate behavior in children and adults with developmental disabilities. Results of a comprehensive review of self-monitoring research with people who have developmental disabilities revealed that 71% of the participants were trained by researchers. However, researchers are not typical intervention agents. To ensure that people who are typically in the participant’s environment (e.g., teachers, parents, caregivers) can effectively teach people with developmental disabilities to self-monitor and that this in turn will change the participant’s behavior, it is important that research examine the effectiveness of self-monitoring when the training is provided by typical intervention agents. Thus, the purpose of this dissertation study was to investigate the effects of a self-monitoring intervention package on both teacher and student behavior in the classroom. The self-monitoring intervention package consisted of training teachers to use self-monitoring, providing feedback on the self-monitoring intervention developed by the teacher, providing feedback to teachers while training the student to self-monitor, and providing feedback to teachers while they implemented the self-monitoring intervention in the classroom. During intervention, the researchers provided feedback to teachers to ensure that teachers were correctly instructing the students to self-monitor. Teachers then implemented the self-monitoring intervention without researcher feedback (maintenance). Teachers required very little to no feedback after the self-monitoring training, feedback on the self-monitoring intervention they developed, and student self-monitoring training. The researcher provided immediate feedback during the first session when the self-monitoring intervention was implemented in the classroom to ensure the teachers implemented the self-monitoring intervention with fidelity. Rate of inappropriate sitting decreased for all students after the self-monitoring intervention was introduced, and the percentage of non-overlapping data metric values indicated that the self-monitoring interventions were highly effective for three participants and effective for one participant. Some teachers and some students generalized the use of self-monitoring interventions to other activities, students, and target behaviors. Social validity measures indicate that self-monitoring interventions for young children with developmental disabilities are socially important. / text