Fear of falling (FOF) is a major health care concern within the elderly population. The main purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a six-week intervention that used Guided Relaxation and Exercise Imagery (GREI) techniques on lowering FOF rates among community dwelling adults aged 60 and above. A total of 184 older adults (mean age = 73.2) participated in a series of mobility (TUG; SLS) and FOF measures (1QFOF; Short FES-I; ABC Scale; EII). Participants were divided into four groups: two placebo control groups (PCG) and two intervention groups (IG). The intervention groups received instructions to use an audio CD containing a GREI program for 10 minutes a day, two times a week for six weeks. The control group received an audio CD that contained two relaxation tracks and were instructed to listen to music of their choice for five minutes after listening to a relaxation track. Through simple paired t-test and ANCOVA analysis, results revealed that the GREI CD had significant effects in reducing FOF (78%) and significantly increasing exercise imagery rates, efficacy in falls related activities, perceived exercise levels, and reducing time in a mobility test (e.g., TUG). There was also a significant reduction in FOF (20%) and significant increases in exercise imagery rates, efficacy, confidence, and a mobility test (e.g., TUG) for participants who had an FOF pretest and were in PCG. However, participants who were in PCG and did not have an FOF during pretest did not have significant differences in any of the tests except for a significant increase in falls efficacy. Overall, this study revealed that using a GREI CD for six weeks helped decrease levels of FOF for older adults aged 60 and above. GREI was also effective in increasing falls-related efficacy, exercise imagery, and perceived exercise levels. Further exploration of GREI and its effects on psychological variables related to FOF and falls may substantiate its effectiveness as a fear of falling intervention. / Kinesiology

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:17:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Adriana Mesquita Ribeiro Luppi.pdf: 805284 bytes, checksum: 78888461552b8d933563f65c0d80e61e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-05-04 / Behavioral programs for professional guidance provide conditions so that the person learns to emit the choice behavior of your profession from the analysis of variable and the consequences of each professional option to be chosen. The aim of the present research was analyze the behavioral programs of professional guidance, developed and applied by Behavior Analysts, to identify their characteristics and objectives, beside pointing the difficulties found and reached result. For this analysis development were selected six publications which presented and described the intervention programs in professional guidance and had been planned according to Behavior Analysis. The material of analysis used criteria supported in principle of Behavior Analysis: a) clear formulation of objectives to be achieved; b) prerequisite survey; c) evaluation of previous repertoire; d) procedure planning of target behavior installation; e) respect to the rhythm of participant learning; f) planning of maintenance procedure of target behavior and g) planning of generalization procedure of target behavior. Through the result was possible to identify that, despite all the programs have present the effectiveness related to increase of repertoire of behaviors related to choice, most of them did not strictly follow the principles of Behavioral Analysis which must be applied to the planning of a Behavioral Intervention Program. These principles provided a basic structure for a planning program to ensure that the installed behavior could be kept out of the therapeutic environment and possibly get permanently integrated to the individual`s behavioral repertoire. Thus, this effectiveness presented immediately after completion of procedures cannot assure the installed behaviors to be kept after the program completion. Nevertheless, we can`t fail to consider that the proposed programs took an important step to help the youngsters choosing their career, indicating that a behavioral intervention program, planned according to the Behavior Analysis, is a feasible proposal which needs to be improved / O uso de programas comportamentais de orientação profissional proporciona condições para que o indivíduo aprenda a emitir o comportamento de escolha de sua profissão a partir da análise das prováveis variáveis que envolvem cada profissão e das consequências da opção profissional feita. O objetivo da presente pesquisa foi analisar programas comportamentais de orientação profissional, desenvolvidos e aplicados por analistas do comportamento, de modo a identificar suas características e objetivos, além de apontar dificuldades encontradas e resultados alcançados. Para a concretização desta análise foram selecionadas 6 publicações que apresentavam e descreviam os programas de intervenção em Orientação profissional e que tivessem sido planejados a partir da Análise do Comportamento. A análise do material utilizou critérios apoiados em princípios da Análise do Comportamento: a) formulação clara dos objetivos a serem alcançados; b) levantamento de pré-requisitos; c) avaliação de repertório prévio; d) planejamento do procedimento de instalação de comportamento-alvo; e) respeito ao ritmo de aprendizagem do participante; f) planejamento de procedimento de manutenção do comportamento instalado e g) planejamento de procedimento de generalização do comportamento instalado. Como resultado, foi possível identificar que, embora todos os programas tenham apresentado certa efetividade quanto à ampliação do repertório de comportamentos relacionados à escolha, a maioria deles não seguiu rigorosamente os princípios da Análise do Comportamento que devem ser empregados no planejamento de um programa de intervenção comportamental. Estes princípios forneceriam a estrutura básica do planejamento de um programa para garantir que os comportamentos instalados pudessem se manter fora do ambiente terapêutico e possivelmente integrarem de forma permanente o repertório de comportamentos do indivíduo. Assim, esta efetividade apresentada imediatamente após a finalização dos procedimentos não pode garantir que os comportamentos instalados se mantenham após a conclusão do programa. Entretanto, não se pode deixar de considerar que os programas propostos iniciaram um passo importante para ajudar os jovens a escolherem suas profissões, indicando que um programa de intervenção comportamental planejada a partir da Análise do Comportamento é uma proposta viável que precisa ser aprimorada

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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

An estimated 1.3 billion tons of food is lost or wasted every year, adding to the growing problem of CO2 emissions and global warming. Consequently, there is an urgent need to address this issue. However, while a lot of research in Human-Computer-Interaction has been conducted about food waste in private households, there is still a lack of research about people’s food waste at a retail level in restaurants. This paper explores the potential of gamification in the design of apps intended to support more sustainable food consumption behavior. This study is centered on the existing Too Good To Go app and examines current user behavior and perception through quantitative and qualitative methods. Then through employment of design frameworks and iterative prototype cycles the potential to encourage active sustainable food consumption is examined. Findings show that there are many challenges stopping users from actively using the current app more often.  Findings also suggest that gamification has the potential to increase users’ motivation to use the app beyond reasons of only saving food. The implications of this paper could present new opportunities for applying gamification to reduce food waste that could inspire researchers and practitioners to explore the theme further.

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L’intervention comportementale intensive (ICI) est l’intervention offerte par les services publics du Québec aux jeunes enfants diagnostiqués d’un trouble du spectre de l’autiste (TSA). Plusieurs organismes nationaux de santé considèrent l’ICI comme une intervention établie et de nombreuses méta-analyses soutiennent son efficacité. Cependant, les effets varient grandement d’un enfant à l’autre. Alors que certains enfants progressent significativement dans plusieurs sphères du développement, d’autres ne retirent qu’une modeste amélioration. Cette réponse différentielle à l’intervention demeure mal comprise : à l’heure actuelle, il n’y a pas de consensus sur la fiabilité des prédicteurs d’efficacité de l’ICI. L’objectif général de cette thèse est donc d’étudier la réponse différentielle à l’ICI dans un contexte québécois. Le premier article de cette thèse visait à évaluer les effets de l’ICI sur le fonctionnement adaptatif et les symptômes autistiques des enfants qui la reçoivent, de vérifier si les progrès se maintenaient dans le temps et d’identifier des prédicteurs d’efficacité. Les résultats ont révélé un changement non linéaire du fonctionnement adaptatif, caractérisé par une amélioration significative pendant la période d’intervention et un maintien des gains pendant la période de suivi, ainsi qu’une légère diminution linéaire des symptômes autistiques tout au long de l’étude. L’intensité de l’intervention, l’âge, le QI et les symptômes autistiques étaient associés soit à des progrès pendant la période d’intervention, soit à un maintien pendant la période de suivi. Le deuxième article investiguait la présence de sous-groupes plus homogènes (c.-à-d. des profils latents) chez les participants sur la base de leurs caractéristiques lors de leur entrée dans les services, examinait les prédicteurs sociodémographiques de l’appartenance à un profil particulier et vérifiait si l’appartenance aux profils était associée à une réponse différentielle à l’ICI. Nous avons trouvé quatre profils dans notre échantillon. Seul le revenu familial annuel prédisait l’appartenance au profil. Tous les profils ont progressé pendant de la période d’intervention, avec des changements d’ampleur variable. Au cours de la période de suivi, les profils ayant les manifestations les plus sévères ont montré une stabilité ou une amélioration du fonctionnement adaptatif, tandis que les deux profils ayant les manifestations les plus légères ont montré une légère diminution du fonctionnement adaptatif. Finalement, le dernier article visait à vérifier si l’apprentissage automatique (angl. machine learning) pouvait soutenir l’estimation du pronostic des enfants recevant de l’ICI. Pour ce faire, nous avons comparé la précision des prédictions (progrès versus pas de progrès) faites par cinq algorithmes et une assignation aléatoire. Les résultats indiquaient que les prédictions de tous les algorithmes étaient meilleures que l’assignation aléatoire. En conclusion, cette thèse discute des retombées des résultats la recherche, la pratique et pour le domaine de la psychoéducation. / Early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) is the intervention offered by public services in Quebec to young children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Several national health organizations consider EIBI as an established intervention and numerous meta-analyzes support its efficacy. However, its effects vary greatly from one individual to another. While some children progress significantly in several areas of development, others make only modest improvement. This differential response to intervention remains poorly understood: there is no consensus on the reliability of predictors of the efficacy of EIBI. Thus, the main purpose of this thesis is to study the differential response to EIBI in the Quebec context. The first article of this thesis aimed to assess the effects of EIBI on adaptive functioning and autistic symptoms in children with ASD, to verify whether the changes are maintained over time and to identify predictors of efficacy. The results revealed a non-linear change in adaptive functioning, characterized by a significant improvement during the intervention period and maintenance of gains during the follow-up period, as well as a marginal linear decrease in autistic symptoms from baseline to follow-up. Intervention intensity, age, IQ, and autistic symptoms were associated with either progress during the intervention or maintenance during follow-up. The second article investigated the presence of more homogeneous subgroups (i.e., latent profiles) among participants based on their characteristics when entering services, examined socio-demographic predictors of profile membership and assessed whether profile membership was associated with a differential response to EIBI. We found four profiles in our sample. Only annual family income predicted profile membership. All profiles progressed during the intervention period, with changes of varying magnitude. During follow-up, the profiles with the most severe manifestations showed stability or improvement in adaptive functioning, while the two profiles with the milder manifestations showed a marginal decrease in adaptive functioning. Finally, the last article aimed to test whether machine learning could support prognosis estimation for children receiving EIBI. To this end, we compared the accuracy of the predictions (progress versus no progress) made by five algorithms and a random assignment. The results showed that the predictions of all algorithms were better than random assignment. In conclusion, this thesis discusses the implications of the results for research, practice and the field of psychoeducation.

Training parents of a child with autism to increase the frequency of their child's social behavior may improve the quality of parent-child interactions. The purpose of this methodological study was to develop a direct observation method for rapidly sampling social harmony between parents and their toddlers with autism during parent training interactions. The current study used a pre and post probe design, with benchmark comparisons to test the discriminability of the measurement protocol across two sets of data. The first set of data came from pre and post training videos from a parent training program for children with a diagnosis of autism or at risk for a diagnosis. The second set of data came from videos of typically developing toddlers and their parents. The results of the study show that the measurement system differentiated in the level of harmonious engagement between the benchmark sample and the sample including children diagnosed with autism. The results are discussed in the context of future directions and the utility of the measurement system for behavior analytic practices in parent training and other settings where rapport and complex interactional behaviors are an intervention priority.