Behavioral temptation to aggress and participant blog responses following a group word unscrambling game were examined in situations of anonymity and positive or negative social modeling. Anonymous participants were more aggressive than non-anonymous participants. Also, social modeling seemed to moderate the effect of anonymity on behavioral temptation to aggress as well as verbal aggression via blog posts. Specifically, anonymous participants responded more aggressively when they viewed aggressive models following failure in a team word unscrambling game. These findings suggest that although anonymity may increase the likelihood that individuals will aggress, social modeling may influence aggressive outcomes.

The conditions that allowed early MFTs the freedom to creatively explore different interventions and theories of change are no longer available in today’s mental health care system. Although there are many benefits to the structure of managed behavioral healthcare organizations, a thorough review of the literature demonstrates that many therapists working in managed care agencies struggle with maintaining their theoretical creativity, claiming third-party payers’ service requirements and paperwork a barrier to their creativity. A phenomenological transcendental research method was utilized to understand the phenomenon of successfully combining creativity and accountability in the practice of marriage and family therapy from the perspective of six creative MFTs who have effectively incorporated creative therapeutic techniques into their work, while adhering to the structured requirements of managed care. The findings and themes of the study were organized into two categories. The themes in the Textural / Content Category (description and purpose of therapeutic creativity at a managed care agency) are: (1) Creatively combining the needs of the clients, the different professional entities, insurance companies and you as a therapist, (2) Translating post-modern information into the medical model language that meets the third-party payers’ requirements, (3) Completing documentation with clients, (4) Incorporating technique from a range of therapy models, (5) Keeping clients engaged through a variety of resources and activities, and (6) Utilizing metaphors and themes to uncover patterns of relational dynamics and behaviors. The themes in the Structural / Supportive Conditions Category (factors that allow the balance of creativity and accountability to occur) are: (1) Systemic understanding of how the therapeutic and business systems of managed behavioral healthcare interact together, (2) Having a supportive network of colleagues, (2a) Supportive group of coworkers within the job setting, (2b) Supportive network of MFT colleagues outside of the work setting, (3) Desire to make a difference in peoples’ lives, (4) Continuous education on all aspects of the mental health field, (5) Employers’ support of creative therapy, (6) Self-reflection, (7) Self-care, and (8) Organization and time management.

Traditional educational reform efforts have relied on standardized testing as the primary indicator of student achievement. Current research is broadening the scope as the impact of shaping positive school climates to support the needs of students is examined (Reynolds, 2016). Positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based system of school-wide reinforcement that provides the groundwork for supportive school climates. The purpose of this study was to determine elements of PBIS programs that facilitated positive school climates. Data collection strategies included focus individual interviews, observation, and document analysis. Triangulation was used to analyze the data. Three iterations were used to develop a process for understanding the elements that positively impact school climates. The first iteration categorized data by actions utilized by stakeholders. The second iteration grouped the actions by the school leader’s impact on school policy in relation to positive school climate. In this iteration, categories were combined from the first iteration based upon their impact on school climate. The third iteration established the role that key stakeholders must attain in order to establish a solid foundation for a positive school climate. The results revealed that in order for a school to maintain a positive school climate, key stakeholders to include the administrator, PBIS coach, community, students and teachers, must work in concert. Study participants identified facilitating teaching and learning expectations through role playing, shaping and maintaining a safe environment and establishing productive relationships as critical elements needed to shape a positive school climate. This was achieved by solidifying consistent rituals and routines grounded in the distinct needs of each site. The consensus across all three sites acknowledges the roles of the PBIS coaches and the building level administrator. As the PBIS coach and the building administrators worked together, they assumed the lead as PBIS work is facilitated, stakeholder support was strengthened. collaborative partnerships were formed to embrace a common vision and common goals

A large majority of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have one or more special interests, i.e. interests that they find to be extremely motivating and engaging. Also, students with ASD often struggle to focus in classroom settings, as academic assignments are typically not as motivating as their special interests. Previous research has shown that special interests can be used to increase academic on-task behavior for young children with ASD but is lacking in terms of academic on-task behavior in adolescents. In this study, a multiple-baseline across participants was used to determine whether altering academic assignments to match individuals’ special interests would increase on-task behaviors in three high school students with ASD. The intervention proved to be effective, as on-task behavior increased in all three participants. Although altering assignments did require some time from teachers this is likely justifiable, given the positive effects for the students. / En övervägande majoritet av ungdomar med autismspektrumtillstånd (AST) har ett eller flera specialintressen; intressen som de tycker är extremt motiverande och engagerande. Dessutom uppvisar elever med AST ofta svårigheter med att fokusera i klassrumsmiljöer, eftersom akademiska uppgifter vanligtvis upplevs vara mindre motiverande än deras specialintressen. Tidigare forskning har visat att specialintressen kan användas för att öka akademiskt on-task-beteende hos små barn med AST, med det saknas forskning gällande detta område hos ungdomar. I den här studien användes en multipel baslinje-design för att undersöka hur inkluderandet av specialintressen i skoluppgifter påverkade akademiskt on-task beteende hos tre gymnasieelever med AST. Interventionen visade sig vara effektiv, då on-task-beteendet ökade hos alla tre deltagare. Trots att denna typ av anpassning av uppgifter är tidskrävande för lärare, är tidsåtgången sannolikt befogad utifrån de positiva effekter det hade för eleverna.

This qualitative multiple case study addresses kindergarten teachers’ and transitional kindergarten teachers’ self-perceived abilities to meet the needs of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who participate in early intervention behavior therapy (EIBT) programs. Systems thinking was used to examine the participants’ interactions with the school site-based and EIBT-based support systems within which they were expected to operate. Personal interviews conducted at three intervals during the first five months of the 2015-16 school year rendered three emergent themes: participants initially reported feeling more confident meeting the academic versus the social/behavioral needs of their EIBT students, but that position reversed for two participants during the course of the study; participants reported in-class support aides provided by EIBT agencies were superior to aides provided by their school districts, and; participants preferred having a single ‘go-to’ support person at their school site to having a robust, wide-ranging support system. Contains recommendations for establishing subsystems that foster inner- and intra-support system communication and raising ASD awareness.

Le trouble du spectre de l’autisme (TSA) est un trouble neurodéveloppemental caractérisé par des déficits importants de la communication sociale et des interactions sociales ainsi que par la présence de comportements ou d'intérêts restreints et répétitifs. Les données empiriques suggèrent que les interventions découlant de l’analyse appliquée du comportement (AAC) sont les plus efficaces pour intervenir auprès des personnes ayant un TSA. Néanmoins, certaines lacunes en lien avec les interventions découlant de l’analyse du comportement existent. Notamment, le manque d’accessibilité aux services, le manque de connaissances quant aux facteurs sous-jacents à l’efficacité des interventions et les perceptions divergentes de l’AAC freinent son adoption à plus grande échelle. Cette thèse comprend trois études qui mettent à profit la technologie pour mieux comprendre ou améliorer ces enjeux entourant l’AAC. Dans le cadre ma première étude, les effets d’une formation interactive en ligne qui vise à enseigner aux parents des stratégies découlant de l’AAC pour réduire les comportements problématiques de leur enfant ont été évalués à l’aide d’un devis randomisé contrôlé avec liste d’attente. Les résultats de cette étude soutiennent le potentiel et l’efficacité de la formation pour augmenter la fréquence d’utilisation de stratégies d’intervention découlant de l’AAC par les parents ainsi que pour réduire l’occurrence et la sévérité des comportements problématiques de leur enfant. En revanche, aucune différence significative n’a été observée pour la mesure des pratiques parentales. Certains enjeux éthiques et pratiques entourant la dissémination de la formation en ligne complètement auto-guidées sont discutés. La deuxième étude de ma thèse doctorale visait donc à montrer comment utiliser des algorithmes d’apprentissage automatique pour identifier les personnes qui sont plus enclines à observer des améliorations suivant une intervention. Plus spécifiquement, l’utilisation de quatre algorithmes d’apprentissage automatique pour prédire les participants ayant pris part à la première étude de cette thèse qui étaient les plus propices à rapporter une diminution des comportements problématiques de leur enfant est démontrée. Cette étude soutient que des algorithmes d’apprentissage automatique peuvent être utilisés avec de petits échantillons pour soutenir la prise de décision des cliniciens et des chercheurs. La troisième étude cette thèse visait à quantifier l’information sur l’AAC publiée dans quatre sous-forums d’un forum internet, une ressource en ligne souvent utilisée par les familles pour identifier des interventions à utiliser après de leur enfant. Pour atteindre cet objectif, une procédure de forage de données a été réalisée. Les analyses de cette étude appuient que les parents qui fréquentent le forum sont exposés à une proportion importante de messages présentant une désapprobation de l’AAC pour intervenir auprès des personnes ayant un TSA ou bien une description inexacte des principes, méthodes, procédures ou interventions qui en découlent. Ensemble, les études effectuées dans le cadre de ma thèse doctorale mettent en évidence les bienfaits de la technologie pour l’intervention psychosociale, tant au niveau de l’évaluation que de l’intervention et du transfert de connaissances. Comme souligné dans les trois études de cette thèse, chacun des outils utilisés présente des limites et doit donc être utilisé pour soutenir les cliniciens et les chercheurs, et non pour remplacer leurs interventions et leur jugement clinique. Les études futures doivent continuer à s’intéresser à l’efficacité des outils technologiques, mais également aux facteurs sous-jacents qui favoriseront leur utilisation et aux considérations éthiques liées à leur emploi. / Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant deficits in social communication and social interactions and by the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors or interests. Empirical evidence suggests that interventions based on applied behavior analysis (ABA) are the most effective for treating individuals with ASD. Nevertheless, interventions based on behavior analysis present some issues. In particular, intervention services are hard to access, knowledge about the underlying factors of the effectiveness of interventions is lacking and divergent perceptions about of ABA hamper the adoption of the science. This dissertation includes three studies in which technology is used to better understand or improve these issues regarding ABA. As part of my first study, the effects of a fully self-guided interactive web training (IWT) developed for teaching parents of children with ASD ABA-derived strategies to reduce their child's challenging behaviors were evaluated using a randomized waitlist trial. The results of this study support the effectiveness of the IWT for increasing the frequency of parents’ use of behavioral interventions as well as for reducing the frequency and severity of their child’s challenging behaviors. In contrast, no significant difference was observed for the measurement of parenting practices. Ethical and practical consideration regarding the dissemination of fully self-guided online trainings are discussed. The second study of my doctoral thesis aimed to show how to use machine learning algorithms to predict individuals who were most likely to improve following an intervention. Specifically, a demonstration of how to implement four machine learning algorithms to predict the participants from my first study who were the most likely to report a decrease in their child's iv challenging behaviors. This study argues that machine learning algorithms can be used with small samples to support clinicians’ and researchers’ decision making. The third study of my dissertation aimed to quantify the information about ABA published on four subforums of an internet forum; an online resource often used by families to identify potential interventions for their child. This goal was achieved through the use of a data mining procedure. The analyses showed that parents who visited the forum were exposed to a significant proportion of messages that disapproved of ABA for individuals with ASD or that inaccurately described its underlying principles, methods, procedures, or interventions. Together, the studies carried out as part of my doctoral dissertation highlight the benefits of technology to support assessments, interventions, and knowledge gains or transfer within psychosocial practices. As highlighted in the three studies of this dissertation, each of the tools used presents limitations and should therefore be used to support clinicians and researchers, and should not replace their interventions and clinical judgment. Future studies should continue to focus on the effectiveness of technological tools and on the underlying factors that will promote their use. Finally, researchers must reflect on the ethical considerations related to use of technology when working with humans.

Geller’s Actively Caring Survey (ACS) was theorized to measure person states deemed necessary to “Actively Care” or act altruistically toward others. Empirical research of the ACS has been limited, and this researcher sought to evaluate its reliability, validity, and factorial consistency. Undergraduate students (n = 1,095) completed the measure online. Hypotheses were partially supported. Unrotated primary component analysis found the ACS to be a unitary measure with 73.3% of the items loading onto the first factor. The ACS showed excellent internal consistency. Convergent and divergent validity with existing measures (i.e., the Big 5 Personality, Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability, Cognitive Failures Questionnaire, Barratt Impulsiveness, and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Venturesomeness scales) was found in 88.9% of the predicted relationships; the ACS was negatively correlated with social desirability. An abbreviated ACS revision produced similar findings. Future studies should evaluate the measure in nonstudent populations, use clinical and industrial settings, and explore predictive validity.

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