The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of video modeling of contingencies alone and/or combined with direct exposure to the contingencies in the treatment of food selectivity. Treatment procedures included sequentially introducing videos in which models consumed nonpreferred food, were exposed to differential reinforcement, or exposed to escape extinction and differential reinforcement. In addition, participants were exposed to differential reinforcement. Results indicated video modeling of differential reinforcement plus differential reinforcement may be effective at increasing consumption of some nonpreferred foods, but the results were not replicated across all foods. For one participant, consumption of one food increased with video modeling alone.

The current study evaluated the effects of a Behavioral Skills Training (BST) package on parental implementation of escape extinction in a feeding clinic. Three parents of children enrolled in a clinic-based three-week intensive feeding disorder treatment program participated. The goal of the current study was to improve the already existing parent training component of the clinic’s program by utilizing BST to teach the participants critical skills needed to implement the feeding interventions at home. The BST package included verbal instruction, modeling, and role play with feedback. Generalization probes were conducted during parent-child feeding trials. A multiple baseline across behaviors design demonstrated the effectiveness of the BST package for all participants: percentage of steps implemented correctly increased to high levels for each skill. This study was limited by aspects of the experimental design and lack of generalization data. Future research should aim to close the gaps in the feeding disorder literature regarding parent training; additional research is needed in this subject area. / Applied Behavioral Analysis

Binge-eating disorders are a common problem affecting up to 5 percent of the American population in any given 6-month period. Currently, the most widely accepted treatment is some variation of Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Although there is an abundance of research showing positive effects, the abstinence rates following this type of treatment are currently around 50%. A recent study by Bosch, Miltenberger, Gross, Knudson, and Brower-Breitwieser (2008) explored the effects of extinction on binge-eating behavior that was hypothesized to be maintained by relief from negative emotional responding. The study involved four women who engaged in binge-eating behavior, one of whom met the diagnostic criteria for Bulimia Nervosa. The treatment was successful, with three of the four participants obtaining abstinence. To date, this has been the only study examining this procedure and with only four participants. The purpose of the current study was to further evaluate extinction of binge eating maintained by automatic negative reinforcement with women who met diagnostic criteria for Bulimia Nervosa. Four young women enrolled in the study, three of whom met criteria for Bulimia Nervosa. The results showed that the treatment decreased binge eating to zero for all four women, although one dropped out of the study shortly after beginning the intervention.