This research study examined how education service providers conduct functional behavioral assessments and utilize behavior intervention plans to address the social and emotional needs of students with challenging behaviors. The data are based on a 20-item survey administered to educators who identified themselves as working with students diagnosed with emotional and behavioral disorders. The results and implications of the survey are discussed and evaluated to the review of literature conducted prior to the study. Recommendations for future research are also explored.

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Empirical findings on Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS) have been mixed, despite early researchers' claims that BARS were superior to trait ratings and in reliability and resistance to leniency, central tendency, and halo. The study presented compared a BARS format to an independently derived trait scale as measures of secretarial and clerical performance. Though the BARS showed slightly inflated mean ratings, the instruments showed nearly identical variability. Neither demonstrated sufficient resistance to halo. Thus, despite their intuitive appeal and the rigors involved in format development, it did not appear in this instance that BARS were an efficient and psychometrically superior alternative to the traditional trait rating format.

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This study was carried out with the purpose of discovering what factors are predictive of money management behavior; Plan, Implement, and Evaluative Feedback. The data used in this study was subset data collected during 1988, under the NC-167 project entitled "Family Resource Utilization as a Factor in Determining Economic Well Being of Rural Families". Three hundred and seven financial managers in families from Arizona completed and returned the questionnaire used in this study. It was found that (1) the power money attitude, the inadequacy money attitude, and gender were predictor variables of plan behavior; (2) the inadequacy money attitude and age were predictor variables of evaluative feedback.

The current study was designed to further evaluate the usefulness of anecdotal assessments. The goal of this study was to evaluate the overall agreement between multiple respondents on the primary function of aberrant behavior using the Motivation Assessment Scale (MAS) and the Functional Analysis Screening Tool (FAST) and, if agreement was obtained, to assess the effectiveness of treatment based on the outcome of the assessments. Results showed that anecdotal assessments were able to identify the general type of contingency maintaining two participants' problem behavior. However, for one participant the assessments did not correctly identify the specific form of reinforcement (attention or tangible items) that maintained the aberrant behavior.

A utilização do Potencial Evocado Auditivo do Estado Estável na avaliação audiológica infantil tem ampliado, devido à possibilidade de estimulação binaural com tons puros de forte intensidade, além da análise objetiva da resposta. Diversos estudos têm sido realizados a fim de caracterizar a correlação da resposta eletrofisiológica com os limiares comportamentais, contudo, ainda não há um consenso quanto aos valores a serem utilizados para cada frequência pesquisada. Desta forma, o objetivo desse estudo foi correlacionar os limiares dos potenciais evocados auditivos de estado estável com os níveis mínimos de resposta obtidos na audiometria condicionada com reforço visual ou lúdica em crianças com perda auditiva neurossensorial de grau profundo a fim de determinar o fator de correção a ser utilizado na prática clínica. Foram avaliados 88 exames realizados em crianças na faixa etária de seis a 49 meses, totalizando 168 orelhas. Os resultados demonstraram correlação significante entre o limiar do Potencial Evocado Auditivo do Estado Estável e o nível mínimo de resposta apenas para as frequências de 500 e 1000 Hz, não sendo possível estimar o nível mínimo de resposta para as frequências de 2000 e 4000 Hz. Nas frequências de 2000 e 4000 Hz ocorreu presença de resposta eletrofisiológica em forte intensidade, mesmo na ausência de resposta comportamental. Os limiares do Potencial Evocado Auditivo do Estado Estável superestimaram o grau da perda auditiva considerando a classificação da perda auditiva profunda de acordo com Boothroyd (1997). / The use of Auditory Steady-State response in pediatric audiologic assessment has increased, owing to the possibility of binaural stimulation with strong intensity pure tones, besides the objective analysis of the response. Several studies have been carried out so as to correlate the electrophysiological response with behavioral thresholds, nevertheless, there is no consensus on the values to be used for each frequency investigated. Thus, this study aimed at correlating the thresholds of auditory steady-state response with the minimum response levels achieved in the ludic or visually reinforced audiometry in children presented with profound sensorineural hearing loss, in order to determine the correction factor to be used in clinical practice. Eighty-eight exams performed in children aged six to 49 months, totaling 168 ears, were assessed. The results showed a significant correlation between ASSR threshold and the minimum response level only for frequencies of 500 and 1,000 Hz, being impossible to rate the minimum response level for frequencies of 2,000 and 4,000 Hz which showed strong intensity electrophysiological response, even in the absence of behavioral thresholds. ASSR thresholds overestimated the degree of hearing loss, taking into account profound hearing loss rating, according to Boothroyd (1997).

Sibling relationships are central to the lives of American children and, for many of them, they are the longest lasting relationships they will have in their lifetimes. Interactions with siblings often serve as training grounds for other interpersonal relationships, making them particularly important for children who may not have stable adult figures in their lives. Drawing on data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study when children were nine and 15 years of age, this study examines how family contexts are associated with the quality of sibling relationships, how sibling relationships are related to children and youth’s behavioral trajectories, and whether positive sibling relationships are protective in terms of children’s behaviors. A secondary goal of this study was to understand the importance of sibling relationships in the context of other family relationships, such as the mother-child relationship and the father-child relationships. Finally, increases in family fluidity and complexity have led to the increase in many different types of sibling configurations in children’s homes, including half- and stepsiblings. This study sought to understand if there were differential effects of sibling type in terms of relationship quality and its impact on children’s behavior outcomes. Results from this study indicated that sibling relationships were more positive in single-parent households compared to married-parent households when no other factors other than family structure were taken into consideration. Furthermore, sibling relationship conflict was significantly lower in single-parent households compared to married-parent households when the child was nine. There was strong evidence to support that high sibling relationship conflict was associated with more child-reported and mother-reported problem behaviors, such as engagement in criminal activities toward others, drug and substance use, and engaging in theft and vandalism. Above and beyond the effects of living in a single-parent household or living in a household with high family instability, having highly conflictual sibling relationships were strongly associated with poor behavior outcomes for nine year olds. Slightly different results emerged for when the child was 15. Although having positive sibling relationships was generally associated with a reduced likelihood of engaging in behaviors such as criminal activities toward others, theft, vandalism and drug and substance use, the buffer of having a positive sibling relationship was not enough to counter the negative impact of living in particular family environments. In examining the quality of sibling relationships and also the effect of sibling relationships on children’s behavior outcomes, one of the most consistent predictors was the child’s report of closeness with his or her mother and father. Close mother-child relationships were consistently associated with more positive and less conflictual sibling relationships, and, to a lesser degree, close father-child relationships. The goal of this study was to add to the growing body of empirical research on the importance and relevance of sibling relationships. Findings from this study can be used to inform family-based intervention programs for adolescents; intervention programs that aim to increase prosocial behaviors and reduce problem behaviors for at-risk youth should more frequently involve siblings, as targeting sibling pairs to improve social competencies such as conflict and aggression management might have promising outcomes.

Orientador: Jair Lopes Junior / Banca: Marcelo Frota Lobato Benvenuti / Banca: Kester Carrara / Resumo: Atualmente se tem salientado a importância de investir em pesquisas que busquem identificar e analisar as contingências de reforço presentes na sala de aula, considerando tanto os desempenhos e tarefas que são exigidos dos alunos, cmo os procedimentos de ensino adotados pelo professor, para fundamentar intervenções que garantam um melhor desempenho dos alunos no ensino formal. Fazer isso requer adotar recursos metodológicos que permitam visualizar relações de dependência funcional entre as respostas dos alunos e as práticas de ensino dispostas pelo professor, considerando as peculiaridades dessa interação. Pensando nisso, o presente projeto teve como objetivo investigar possíveis contribuições de adaptações de dois recursos presentes na literatura da Análise do Comportamento, a saber, o modelo de quantificação de registros utilizados na avaliação funcional descritiva, denominado espaço de contingência, e a teoria de coerência de topografia de controle de estímulo. Considerando o contexto de ensino das escolas públicas no Brasil, adotou-se como objeto de análise, respostas dos alunos representativas de alguns descritores de desempenho priorizados por um sistema de avaliação da Educação Básica no Estado de São Paulo, denominado SARESP. Para isso, foram selecionados para análise seis episódios em vídeo correspondentes a cinco atividades de ensino. A seleção desses episódios foi feita com base nas informações disponibilizadas em materiais eleaborados pela Secretaria de Educação. Para a análise dos episódios em vídeo, optou-se por fazer uma transição dos eventos de cada episódio no modelo de registro ABC, para depois, fazer a categorização das respostas dos alunos e dos principais eventos antecedentes e subsequentes (respostas da professora). Essa categorização... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Currently it has been emphasized the importance of investing in researches that seeks to identify and analyse natural contingencies of reinforcement occurring in mainstreamed classrooms, including the behavior and skills that are required of the students, as so the practices adopted by the teacher. The results of these studies could be used to support interventions that would ensure regular classroom success. To do this, it's necessary to adopt methodological resources that are able to demonstrated functional relations between student's and teacher's behavior, considering the peculiarities of this interaction. Thinking about it, this project aimed to investigate possible contributions from adaptations of two analytic-resources present in the literature of Behavior Analysis, which are the contingency space analysis and the stimulus control topography coherence theory. Considering the context of public schools in Brazil, it was adopted as object of analysis student's reponses related to academic measures prioritized by a system of school evaluation present in the state of São Paulo, Know as SARESP. To that end, it was selected for analysis six episodes on vídeo of five learning activities. The selection of these episodes was made based on information available in materials elaborated by the Bureau of Education which regulates the evaluation system of the State of São Paulo. To the analysis of these video episodes, first it was done the transcription of the events tha composes each one of these episodes in the recording format ABC. Then, the responses of the students and the main antecedents and consequent events (teacher's responses) were categorized. This categorization was made selecting analytic-strategy that proposes assessing the student's responses by the type of performance requested by... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre