Research on impulsivity has focused on the choices between sooner, smaller stimuli versus larger later stimuli. More recent methods that have studied health choices compared temporal and probability discounting tasks between control groups and a comparison group such as smokers, obese individuals, alcoholics, etc. While correlations have been derived between responses on discounting tasks and selection of actual monetary reinforcers, research has not been expanded to question choices pertaining directly to the targeted problem. A technology that reliably assesses choices directly related to these illnesses has yet to be developed. The current study attempted to expand on the technology of discounting by applying it to choices related to healthy eating. 11 participants completed a cross commodity health discounting survey and average proportion area under the curve (AUC) was calculated for survey 1 (M = .41) and survey 2 (M = .21) Correlations between weight and proportion AUC (r = 0.69), income and proportion AUC (r = -0.32), and age and proportion AUC (r = -0.40) were determined. Methodological error that altered 2 variables (hypothetical weight and weight loss option) between surveys limited direct comparisons between survey. Implications of data derived from such error were discussed.

The present study examined the effects of engagement in both low-preferred and high-preferred concurrent activities during self-control training, and determined the activities' differential effects on participants' tolerance to delayed reinforcement. Three children with autism were given a choice between a small immediate reinforcer and a large delayed reinforcer. During baseline, all three participants consistently selected the smaller reinforcer, and the immediate choice. Two training conditions, including a progressive delay to reinforcement with either a preferred or non-preferred concurrent activity, were first alternately and then simultaneously presented. Two of the three participants reversed response allocation from 100% for the sooner smaller reinforcer to over 90% for the larger later reinforcer, and maintained almost exclusive allocation for the preferred activity. All three participants increased delay tolerance by at least 250% of average natural baseline duration.

The current study sought to add to the literature on applying interdependent group-oriented contingency systems with randomized components to academic performance. This study expanded previous work, which has only examined effects on elementary classrooms and students with disabilities, by implementing a similar intervention within a general education, secondary classroom. Given the restricted time that teachers have to learn and implement interventions, while simultaneously carrying out all their additional responsibilities in the classroom, it is necessary for school psychologists to consider these limitations when recommending interventions. In previous work involving interdependent group-oriented contingencies, the delivery of reinforcement has been relatively immediate. While this is an ideal arrangement, it may be infeasible for middle and high school teachers to ensure reinforcement of academic performance occurs immediately within the class period. This study examined whether the delivery of reinforcement can be delayed within an interdependent group-oriented contingency system and still improve the academic performance of students in the classroom, which will allow the teacher more time for evaluating the quality of student work and, in turn, impact the acceptability of the intervention. One middle school, general education classroom served as the setting for this study. Academic performance data, including in-class work completion and accuracy rates, were collected class-wide and data on social behavior variables were gathered for 3 students exhibiting moderate to high levels of off-task behavior, based on teacher perception. An alternating treatments design was employed with two intervention conditions: one condition included immediate reinforcement and the other involved delivering reinforcement to students a day later. The interdependent group-oriented contingency intervention implemented included procedures for randomly selecting target behaviors, criteria, and reinforcers.

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Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:18:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Paulo A B Panetta.pdf: 2725022 bytes, checksum: 647e2f895cbc2bf81fd00346a8f0e9ab (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-05-07 / Fifteen rats were randomized to one of the five following groups (with three rats in each group) to examine the effects of different durations of light ( delay signal ) upon the response acquisition and maintenance of lever press with delayed reinforcement, on the absence of shaping. Two phases construct the experiment, with fifteen experimental sessions and two sessions in extinction on each phase. For the rats randomized to Chain II Group, when Phase 1 was initiated, the duration of the light was initially the same of the delay, but was reduced gradually across phase until it was no longer present with the delay period. For rats randomized to Chain III Group, there was no delay signal initially, but its duration was increased across phase until it equalized the duration of the programmed delay (4 s). The duration of the delay signal was always the same of the delay for the rats employed on Chain I Group, while the was no delay signal for rats randomized to Tand Group. With the rats randomized to the Control Group there was no delay on reinforcement. Within subjects, response rates where higher as the duration of the delay signal increased, with the highest acceleration when its duration was minimal. Response rates where higher also to prior rates when the duration of the delay signal was reduced, with the highest acceleration when its duration was minimal. The findings are discussed in terms of the conditioned reinforcement of the delay signal by reduction the delay between its onset and the reinforcer / Quinze ratos foram distribuídos em cinco grupos com o objetivo de avaliar os efeitos de diferentes durações de luz, que eram apresentadas durante o período de atraso, sobre a aquisição e manutenção da resposta de pressão à barra com atraso de reforço, sem modelagem dessa resposta. O estudo foi dividido em duas fases com dezessete sessões cada (quinze sessões experimentais e duas em extinção). Na Fase 1, para os sujeitos do Grupo Encadeado III, a luz não estava presente nas sessões iniciais. Com o decorrer das sessões, a duração da luz foi aumentada gradualmente até que a sua duração cobrisse todo o período de atraso. Para os sujeitos do Grupo Encadeado II, duração da luz equivalia à totalidade do período de atraso nas sessões iniciais, sendo reduzida gradualmente a sua duração ao longo das sessões até não haver luz durante o período. Nas sessões dos sujeitos do Grupo Tandem não havia luz durante o período de atraso, enquanto nas sessões dos sujeitos do Grupo Encadeado I a duração luz sempre cobria a totalidade do período. Já nas sessões dos sujeitos do Grupo Controle não havia atraso de reforço. Decorrida a Fase 1, o período de atraso foi aumentado de 4 s para 8 s e iniciou-se a Fase 2, idêntica à anterior. Foi observada, em ambas as fases, um aumento na taxa de emissões e de reforços produzidos pelos sujeitos do Grupo Encadeado III na medida que a duração da luz era aumentada, com um aumento maior em ambas as fases quando a luz tinha sua duração mínima. Do mesmo modo, foi notado um pequeno aumento na taxa de emissões e de reforços produzidos pelos sujeitos do Grupo Encadeado II a partir da redução na duração da luz, com aumento maior quando a duração da luz era mínima. Os resultados do presente estudo foram discutidos a partir da noção de reforçador condicionado e da hipótese da redução do atraso proposta por Fantino (1969, 1977)