Stacy L. Carter

A Comparison of Various Forms of Reinforcement with and without Extinction as Treatment for Escape-Maintained Problem Behavior.

The present investigation compared the effects of reinforcing compliance with either positive or negative reinforcement for a participant who displayed escape-maintained problem behavior. The results indicated that positive reinforcement in the form of a highly preferred edible or leisure item produced higher levels of compliance and lower levels of problem behavior when compared to negative reinforcement in the form of escape from demands. In addition, an extinction procedure was unnecessary to achieve high levels of compliance.

The development of an instrument to evaluate treatment intrusiveness for individuals with severe and challenging behavior

The current study examined the use of an instrument designed to evaluate the intrusiveness of treatments for addressing problem behaviors. Participants read case vignettes with proposed treatments and then completed a checklist of factors that could influence the degree of treatment intrusiveness. Results indicated that the participants were capable of using the instrument to differentiate among treatments that were considered to have varying levels of treatment intrusiveness. Implications of using a systematic method for evaluating the intrusiveness of treatments are discussed.

Graphic Feedback, Performance Feedback, and Goal Setting Increased Staff Compliance With a Data Collection Task at a Large Residential Facility

ABSTRACT Because of budgetary constraints, human service organizations frequently expect consultants to recommend methods to enhance staff performance that require little or no additional funding. The current study utilized a multiple baseline across settings design to evaluate and compare the effects of a single intervention and a packaged intervention including graphic feedback and goal setting on approximately 200 direct care staff as a group, to improve the data collection procedure at a residential treatment facility. The single intervention showed some improvement, whereas the packaged intervention yielded substantial improvements and was maintained.

Enhancing Foreign Language Competency Using the Cover, Copy, Compare Technique: An Exploratory Evaluation

This study is a novel utilization of the cover, copy, compare (CCC) technique for teaching a foreign language. In particular, this study examines the efficacy of CCC procedures for enhancing the acquisition of foreign language vocabulary for three 15-year-old students diagnosed with a learning disability in reading. Data were collected through an assessment of the accurate translation of three sets of Spanish words to their English equivalences. The results demonstrated that as the three participants became more fluent in utilizing the CCC procedures, their rate of foreign language vocabulary acquisition increased. The findings suggest that CCC may be a good self-instructional strategy for increasing acquisition of foreign language vocabulary.

An Evaluation of Interteaching in an Asynchronous Online Graduate-Level Behavior Analysis Course

Interteaching (IT) has demonstrated more effective and durable learning than traditional lecture-style teaching. Whereas IT’s effectiveness has been established in traditional face-to-face courses, there is a need to extend the evaluation of IT to increasingly common course delivery modalities such as online courses. The purpose of the present study was to compare IT and traditional online course delivery across two sections of the same graduate-level course. IT was adapted by having students form pairs to video chat synchronously about comprehension questions, submit a teaching record, and then listen to the instructor’s recorded follow-up lecture to address the questions from the paired discussion. Results showed that students in the IT section performed better on average on quizzes and most assignments.

Evaluating the readiness of special education doctoral students to apply the standards of evidence‐based practice to single‐case research

How well doctoral students in special education are prepared to evaluate research as evidence-based practice (EBP) is likely to impact their careers, as well as the teachers they will train. In developing a method for evaluating the readiness of small cohort groups of doctoral students to apply a research-based model of EBP, an instrument and procedure were refined in a pilot evaluation and implemented within a multiple baseline design across participants. Participants’ independent and instrument-guided performance in rating published research was compared to the ratings of two experts in single-case research design, yielding proportions of agreement across evaluation conditions. Results indicated group readiness to independently conduct the EBP evaluation and individual differences in readiness indicating the need for remediation.

Applied Behavior Analysis in Early Childhood Education : An Introduction to Evidence-based Interventions and Teaching Strategies

Preface Acknowledgements Chapter 1. Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis: Understanding the Role of the Environment Chapter 2. Creating Supportive Environments Chapter 3. Supporting Communication in the Early Years Chapter 4. Understanding Behavior at the Individual Level Chapter 5. Supporting Pre-academic Skills for all Children Chapter 6. Multi-tiered Systems of Support Chapter 7. Successful Toileting Strategies Chapter 8. Working through Common and Uncommon Feeding Issues Chapter 9. Teaching Social Skills and Addressing Antisocial Behavior Chapter 10. Working with Anxieties and Phobias Chapter 11. Putting it all Together: Connecting with Parents Chapter 12. Creating an ABA Classroom: Working with Assistants Appendices References Index

Literature Review of Multicultural Instrumentation.

Demographic changes at the national level emphasize a critical need for multicultural education to be included as part of undergraduate education. This critical review of the literature examines 10 multicultural instruments that are suitable for use in K–12 or higher education institutions. This is a novel literature review in that it is the first such review to investigate the contribution of each instrument to five multicultural components in educational settings (e.g., teaching, efficacy, attitudes, school climate, and personality). The results reveal the need for a “back to the basics” approach in instrument development as more emphasis has recently been placed on advanced analyses and less emphasis on item generation and selection. This trend in instrument development has produced some advantages, but also several limitations to existing instruments used in educational settings. Directions for future research and recommendations are discussed.

Improving the Importance of Treatment Effects

When evaluating the importance of treatment effects with respect to social validity, clinical effects need to be considered along with social effects. Treatments may be considered to have clinical effectiveness when they are determined to have a causal relationship with changes in behavior that are supported by data. This type of clinical effectiveness may not be sufficient to ensure that the behavior changes are valued by consumers. A treatment that increases on-task behavior at a clinically significant level may not be appreciated by consumers unless the on-task behavior is accurate and efficient to the overall relevance of the task. A child whose behavior is frequently off task may be taught to demonstrate high rates of on-task behavior, but unless the on-task behavior produces some quality product, consumers may consider the treatment to be only minimally important. Determining the importance of the effects of a treatment involves the social influences associated with the outcome of a treatment. These influences have been referred to as social importance or social impact and encompass a multitude of changes in social experiences resulting from changes in individual behavior. These measures of social impact may be considered secondary to the primary purpose of a behavior change program, but may be a highly critical component of achieving a socially valid intervention.

Enhancing the Appropriateness of Treatment Procedures

When developing a treatment or program which will potentially have high social validity, planning should begin as soon as a referral is accepted. Consideration should be given as to how the social validity information will be used, as well as who will be using the information. Social validity information may only be needed to ensure the satisfaction of a treatment for those closely connected to the treatment, to evaluate the acceptability of an innovative procedure, or in order to develop a database to share with others. In addition, the individuals who will be using the information may influence the extent to which social validity data is collected. If the information is only to be used by the consultant who is developing the treatment, data collection may be less extensive than if the data is to be used by a human subject board or by a school system. Depending on how the information will be used and who will use the information, the data may need to include rigorous measures of validity and reliability. The extent to which social validity data may be considered convincing may depend upon adherence to a certain conceptualization of social validity. The reliability of the information may be considerably more difficult to ensure, due to the apparent perpetually changing aspects of this construct. The aim for reliability may be to provide a representative sample which could be considered reliable within a certain period of time. Each of these preliminary factors will be discussed, followed by more specific suggestions for enhancing the potential social validity of a treatment or program.