Low levels of physical activity are correlated with negative health outcomes such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. This is concerning given the current rise in obesity and physical inactivity, especially in young children. Developing assessments that can readily identify variables related to unhealthy patterns of activity might be useful in informing interventions that aim to increase physical activity. The current study extended previous research in the functional analysis of physical activity by Hustyi, Normand, and Larson (2012) by evaluating the utility of a choice assessment procedure to identify participant preference to several common outdoor activity contexts, typically available during school recess. Together, the two assessments strategies were able to identify both healthy and less healthy patterns of responding in four preschool-age children. The information obtained from these assessments could be used to inform behavioral interventions that aim to increase physical activity in young children.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend children engage in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for 60 minutes every day, however, most children in the United States do not meet this recommendation. Previous research has demonstrated MVPA is functionally related to activity contexts. Moreover, the presence of peers may influence MVPA, however this has not been experimentally demonstrated. The purpose of the current study was to experimentally manipulate group composition and assess its influence on children’s MVPA. A second purpose was to assess the influence of activity contexts on MVPA. Results indicated no differences between group and solitary conditions. However, responding did vary within activity contexts. Additionally, MVPA was highest during the fixed-equipment phase.

Physical activity is essential for children and adults to counteract the negative health outcomes related to a sedentary lifestyle. Despite widely publicized recommendation and information about physical activity the problem of excessive physically inactivity prevails in our society. The purpose of this study was to conduct a context functional analysis to identify outdoor activity contexts that engendered higher levels of MVPA and to adopt Dunlap, DePerczel, Clarke, Wilson, Wright, White, and Gomes’ (1994) methodology by utilizing an ABAB reversal design to determine if choice making influences levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in six preschool-aged children. Results of the context functional analysis showed that fixed equipment and open space engendered highest levels of MVPA in most participants. Levels of MVPA in the reversal design indicated that choice did not significantly influence levels of MVPA and that healthy and unhealthy choices varied between and within participants. These results suggest that related to levels of MVPA the type of outdoor activity context chosen is more important than the individual who chooses it.

Modeling, a process by which a learned behavior is observed and imitated, has been demonstrated to be effective in the acquisition of skills. Several factors appear to enhance or detract from the effect a model has on subsequent observer behavior and contradictory findings have been reported based on the type of model used. A less explored factor is the impact of correct and incorrect models as often employed in parent training packages when teaching skills that are to be acquired by the observer. To further investigate, the current study compared the effectiveness of correct and incorrect video models using an empirically supported treatment for child behavior problems: The Incredible Years. Using a fairly minimal, and mostly remote intervention 5 out of 6 participants improved from baseline sessions. Several areas of future research are presented for modeling and parent training to assess effectiveness of model types and treatment programs used.

Consistent high levels of physical activity are necessary for improved health in fitness in all individuals. Children are expected to engage in 60+ minutes a day of physical activity, but most do not meet this level (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). Methods to increase physical activity in these populations via social consequences and environmental manipulations have demonstrated efficacy in the past (Larson, Normand, Morley, and Miller, 2013) though primarily in a one-on-one setting. As most children’s opportunities for physical activity occur in group settings (i.e., recess) this study evaluates a possible observational learning approach to increasing physical activity among small play groups of young children via contingent delivery of praise. This study will evaluate the effects of contingent delivery of praise to one child on the physical activity of the entire group. The information obtained may be useful for the development of more effective methods of increasing physical activity in recess settings. Results, their implications, and potential future directions of research are discussed.

The purpose of the current study was to systematically evaluate the effect of individualized, normative feedback on college students' self-reported alcohol consumption and estimated peers' consumption using an ABC multiple baseline across participants design. Due to significant attrition, only four college students completed the study. These students self-reported their alcohol consumption and their peers' estimated alcohol consumption twice per week for an average of 14 weeks using Google Form ® . Participants were sent two feedback emails throughout the study: a control statement praising them for their efforts in the study, and an intervention statement containing normative, albeit arbitrary, feedback. Two participants lowered their estimates of peers' consumption, and to a lesser extent their own consumption, after receiving the control statement, suggesting that any type of feedback, regardless of content, has the potential to influence self-report. However, these conclusions are limited by a small sample size and the lack of control participants.

Critical thinking is emphasized as a desirable and important ability across disciplines, occupations, governments, and cultures. Experts describe critical thinking as a collection of individually quantifiable skills that should be directly trained; however, existing interventions for improving critical thinking skills can be time consuming. Equivalence-based instruction reliably yields rapid and efficient acquisition of a variety of academic skills. The ability to identify logical fallacies was selected as a subset of critical thinking skills and compared across 30 college undergraduates who received either equivalence-based instruction, self-instruction, or no instruction in a pretest-train-posttest group design. Equivalence-based instruction resulted in greater mean score increases with shorter instructional duration than self-instruction and no instruction; however, mean session length and Ennis-Weir Critical Thinking Essay Test scores did not differ between groups.

Objective:The present study examined mothers’ emotion socialization of 3-year–old children with behavior problems, to determine whether emotion socialization practices, as well as the relation between these practices and child functioning, varied across ethnicities. Method: Participants were 156 preschoolers with behavior problems. Mothers were European American (n = 98), Latina American (n = 40; predominately Puerto Rican), and African American (n = 18). Audio taped mother-child interactions were coded for emotion socialization behaviors. Results: Overall, this study provided evidence for both differences and similarities across ethnicities on parental emotion socialization practices. Ethnic differences in use of emotion socialization practices were only found for mothers’ emotion focused reactions, minimizing reactions, and non-responses to negative affect. However, ethnic differences emerged in the relations between emotion socialization practices and child functioning. Several emotion socialization parental behaviors were differentially related to current child internalizing and externalizing problems across ethnic groups. Conclusions: Results provide some support for the existence of cultural differences in emotion socialization practices and their associated child outcomes.

Adults that do not engage in the recommended amount of physical activity each week are at a higher risk for many noncommunicable diseases. Many different interventions have been developed with researchers relying heavily on self-report measures to assess the effectiveness. Inaccuracies on self-report measures have been correlated with social desirability. The purpose of the current study was to identify whether two commonly employed interventions, educational information and goal setting, evoked socially desirable responding in four University employees using a multiple baseline across subjects design. Results were inconsistent and varied across participants, suggesting a need for further research on the variables that influence responding on self-report measures.

This study attempted to measure mental health status of Vietnamese refugees in Utah County, Utah. The test instrument used was the Cornell Medical Index (CMI). Two subproblems were considered: First, to see if refugee complaints on the CMI were predominantly physiological or psychological. Second, to see if there was a relationship between CMI scores and a related list of demographic variables.Results showed the mean CMI score for the sample under study was well above the suggested score indicative of possible psychological dysfunction. For 80% of participants, psychological complaints were predominant over physical complaints. The only variables showing a relationship to CMI score were age, feelings about life in the U.S., location of spouse, amd relationship with sponsor.