Principles Of Behavior Analysis Research Articles

Aspectos históricos da Terapia Analítico-comportamental a partir da contribuição de Skinner e Ferster

O presente artigo retomou dois conjuntos de trabalhos que discutiram a terapia durante a segunda metade doséculo XX com o objetivo de demonstrar que alguns princípios fundamentais da prática do analista docomportamento não foram abandonadas e estão presentes na prática clínica atual, principalmente na brasileira.O primeiro conjunto refere-se a uma revisão das principais análises de B. F. Skinner sobre terapia ao longo desua obra; o segundo descreve os dois trabalhos de C. B. Ferster sobre a atuação em consultório. Os temasdiscutidos pelos dois autores constituem elementos críticos para algumas práticas terapêuticas analíticocomportamentais(TAC), em especial a terapia analítico-comportamental brasileira. Alguns dos temas ganhamimportância particular por sua atualidade, enquanto outros se constituíram como ponto de partida paradesenvolvimentos atuais. Foi apresentado, também, um breve histórico da terapia comportamental como elafoi descrita pela literatura estrangeira e como essa análise se relaciona com a história brasileira. A retomadados trabalhos permitiu demonstrar que alguns elementos ainda são presentes em propostas terapêuticas, emespecial a TAC, como construir uma explicação (em termos de contingências) para o comportamento docliente, ensiná-lo a observar o próprio comportamento, intervenção direta durante uma sessão, entre outras.Foi possível, assim, demonstrar que alguns elementos das bases da Análise do Comportamento ainda sãopresentes em propostas terapêuticas, em especial na TAC brasileira.

Speech therapy intervention in a teenager with autism spectrum disorder: a case report

ABSTRACT Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects socio-communicative and behavioral abilities. In the language aspect, there is a greater impairment at the pragmatic level and in non-verbal aspects. The objective of this study was to characterize the severity of Autism Spectrum Disorder in an adolescent, pre-and post-speech-language therapy, and describe the process of speech-language intervention using Picture Exchange Communication System allied to the principles of behavioral analysis applied to language. The Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist with the parents was applied. Then, a therapeutic program of 14 sessions of 50 minutes was developed, one per week, and then the questionnaire was reapplied. In the course of the therapeutic process, it was possible to observe an increase in the number of figure exchanges independently, an increase in the number of vocalizations with communicative intention or functional speech, longer time of visual contact and social smile, reduction of inappropriate behaviors with a significant improvement in the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist score.

The Special Issue on the Education of Behavior Analysts: Common Themes.

The goal of Behavior Analysis in Practice's special issue on the education of behavior analysts is to highlight a variety of works on the topic of teaching and mentoring students in behavior analysis. The special issue is composed of empirical studies that evaluated teaching procedures aimed at the effective training of behavior analysts; surveys focusing on the content of training programs, including common readings and other components; and commentaries on topics pertaining to teaching and mentoring behavior analysts. Several themes emerged across the issue, including (a) a focus on knowledge of basic principles of behavior analysis, (b) the direct application of operant-based principles in the teaching and mentorship of behavior analysis students, and (c) a significant emphasis on the meaningful application of behavior analysis.

Personalized technology-enhanced training for people with cognitive impairment

Today, ICT technology offers mobile, customized user-friendly environments to support learning and stimulate an individual’s potential. However, technology-enhanced learning tools are usually designed without accessibility in mind, undermining the inclusion of people with special needs. To reduce this gap, we have created a Web platform for delivering accessible games to individuals who may benefit from cognitive training, such as people with down syndrome (DS). The platform offers a personalized environment for learning and training that applies the principles of behavioral analysis. We used participatory design, involving special-needs teachers and psychologists in both design and development phases, to better understand user requirements and create attractive and effective games. A group of 11 children and young adolescents with DS were recruited from ONLUS AIPD (Italian Association of People with Down Syndrome) to test the platform’s usability, observe participants’ responses, and evaluate the limits and strong points of this educational approach. The findings of this study highlight the importance of motivation and flexibility in personalizing content, difficulty levels, and pace for people with DS. Based on this experience, a few basic guidelines have been proposed to refine protocols for accessibility tests with people with DS to maximize engagement, increase usability and collect more feedback to help researchers in designing usable tools/games. Crucial aspects of computerized cognitive training are personalization, system adaptability and monitoring. Strengthening these features could improve user motivation, ensuring continuity of the intervention, making tele-rehabilitation tools usable and beneficial not only for people with DS but also for a broader audience.

User-Centered Design of Learn to Quit, a Smoking Cessation Smartphone App for People With Serious Mental Illness.

BackgroundSmoking rates in the United States have been reduced in the past decades to 15% of the general population. However, up to 88% of people with psychiatric symptoms still smoke, leading to high rates of disease and mortality. Therefore, there is a great need to develop smoking cessation interventions that have adequate levels of usability and can reach this population.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to report the rationale, ideation, design, user research, and final specifications of a novel smoking cessation app for people with serious mental illness (SMI) that will be tested in a feasibility trial.MethodsWe used a variety of user-centered design methods and materials to develop the tailored smoking cessation app. This included expert panel guidance, a set of design principles and theory-based smoking cessation content, development of personas and paper prototyping, usability testing of the app prototype, establishment of app’s core vision and design specification, and collaboration with a software development company.ResultsWe developed Learn to Quit, a smoking cessation app designed and tailored to individuals with SMI that incorporates the following: (1) evidence-based smoking cessation content from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and US Clinical Practice Guidelines for smoking cessation aimed at providing skills for quitting while addressing mental health symptoms, (2) a set of behavioral principles to increase retention and comprehension of smoking cessation content, (3) a gamification component to encourage and sustain app engagement during a 14-day period, (4) an app structure and layout designed to minimize usability errors in people with SMI, and (5) a set of stories and visuals that communicate smoking cessation concepts and skills in simple terms.ConclusionsDespite its increasing importance, the design and development of mHealth technology is typically underreported, hampering scientific innovation. This report describes the systematic development of the first smoking cessation app tailored to people with SMI, a population with very high rates of nicotine addiction, and offers new design strategies to engage this population. mHealth developers in smoking cessation and related fields could benefit from a design strategy that capitalizes on the role visual engagement, storytelling, and the systematic application of behavior analytic principles to deliver evidence-based content.

Dialectical behavior therapy skills training: Paving the way to healthy relationships

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a comprehensive multiple mode cognitive-behavioral treatment. It includes weekly individual therapy, weekly group skills training, and as-needed phone coaching along with therapist consultation team meetings. DBT skills training is a central component of DBT effectiveness. Skills training programs have been reported to be effective in different populations, such as health care professionals, caregivers of the elderly, and college students. Skills training has also been effective to treat individuals with a range of mental disorders. The overall objective of the workshop is to describe a set of behavioral, cognitive and dialectical skills which can facilitate the development and maintenance of healthy relationships. Participants will be able to apply the principles of dialects, validation and behavioral analysis to their thoughts and actions; be able to develop effective communication; and find a kernel of truth in other people’s views. The skills presented are important for individuals with or without a diagnosis of mental disorder, and they can be helpful in any relationship. There are three skill sets: dialectics, validation, and behavior change strategies. Taken together, the skills focus on balancing our own priorities with the demands of others in interpersonal relationships. During the ninety-minute interactive workshop, skills will be presented alongside individual and small group exercises given by one presenter. The language of the workshop will be English, however questions can be asked in French, Spanish or Portuguese and will be answered in English.

A Glossary of Behavior Analytic Terms for Speech-Language Pathologists' Considerations for Augmentative and Alternative Communication

At its core, productive collaboration between speech-language pathologists and behavior analysts requires effective communication between both parties. Successful communication can be gained in par...

行動倫理学の確立に向けて : EST時代の行動分析の倫理( 行動分析と倫理)

行動倫理学の確立に向けて : EST時代の行動分析の倫理( 行動分析と倫理)

Walden Two: Uma sociedade utópica não aversiva?

A ficção Walden Two (Skinner, 1948/1975) retrata uma sociedade cujas práticas sociais são baseadas em princípios científicos da Análise do Comportamento. A proposta envolve basicamente o uso de reforço positivo em contraste, com as sociedades reais, nas quais o controle aversivo seria um traço quase onipresente. Seria Walden Two de fato uma sociedade culturalmente planejada apenas em contingências de reforçamento positivo? O controle aversivo estaria ausente das relações sociais? O presente trabalho teve como objetivo geral investigar sistematicamente a presença ou não de controle aversivo no livro Walden Two. A obra foi examinada identificando-se os trechos que continham palavras-chave relacionadas ao controle aversivo. Observou-se que em três momentos específicos o controle aversivo é prescrito. Discute-se o uso inapropriado de Walden Two como um representante de uma sociedade não coercitiva assim como a necessidade de se reavaliar o papel (científico e ético) do próprio controle aversivo nas relações sociais, planejadas ou não.

Pivotal response treatment for autism spectrum disorder: current perspectives.

Pivotal response treatment (PRT) is an evidence-based behavioral intervention based on applied behavior analysis principles aimed to improve social communication skills in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). PRT adopts a more naturalistic approach and focuses on using a number of strategies to help increase children’s motivation during intervention. Since its conceptualization, PRT has received much empirical support for eliciting therapeutic gains in greater use of functional social communication skills in individuals with ASD. Building upon the empirical evidence supporting PRT, recent advancements have increasingly turned to using interdisciplinary research integrating neuroimaging techniques and behavioral measures to help identify objective biomarkers of treatment, which have two primary purposes. First, neuroimaging results can help characterize how PRT may elicit change, and facilitate partitioning of the heterogeneous profiles of neural mechanisms underlying similar profile of behavioral changes observed over PRT. Second, neuroimaging provides an objective means to both map and track how biomarkers may serve as reliable and sensitive predictors of responder profiles to PRT, assisting clinicians to identify who will most likely benefit from PRT. Together, a better understanding of both mechanisms of change and predictors of responder profile will help PRT to serve as a more precise and targeted intervention for individuals with ASD, thus moving towards the goal of precision medicine and improving quality of care. This review focuses on the recent emerging neuroimaging evidences supporting PRT, offering current perspectives on the importance of interdisciplinary research to help clinicians better understand how PRT works and predict who will respond to PRT.

EFFECTS OF TOOTLING ON CLASSWIDE DISRUPTIVE AND ACADEMICALLY ENGAGED BEHAVIOR OF GENERAL‐EDUCATION HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Considered the opposite of tattling, Tootling is a positive peer‐reporting procedure in which students report their classmates’ positive prosocial behavior instead of inappropriate behavior and employs other well‐established behavior analytic principles. This study examined the effects of Tootling on students’ behavior in three general‐education high school classrooms. Students wrote and then submitted tootles into a marked container. Teachers recorded the number of tootles on publicly posted progress charts, and read a sample of tootles at the end of the class period. An interdependent group contingency procedure was used along with a class goal of the number of tootles needed to earn the class a reward. An A‐B‐A‐B withdrawal design with follow‐up found decreases in classwide disruptive behavior and increases in academically engaged behavior across classrooms. Results suggest that Tootling can provide high school teachers a method for positively reinforcing students’ prosocial behavior, and function as a preventative measure against disruptive behavior. Issues related to social validity and directions for future research are discussed.

Behavior analysis vs. medical care : The principles of behavior analysis

Behavior analysis vs. medical care : The principles of behavior analysis

Uma interpretação analítico-comportamental de contingências estabelecidas pelo Programa Bolsa Família.

O presente estudo visou descrever algumas das variáveis relacionadas às contingências estabelecidas pelo Programa Bolsa Família (PBF), e fazer uma análise do efeito do estabelecimento de regras/leis sobre o comportamento de “ir à escola” de crianças, adolescentes e jovens, com base em princípios da Análise do Comportamento. Para isso, realizou-se uma revisão sobre o conceito de regras e sobre as características do PBF. O Governo, enquanto agência controladora, faz 
 uso de leis que visam determinar os comportamentos dos cidadãos: o PBF é uma estratégia do Governo brasileiro para extinguir os comportamentos da população, como o de não ir à escola, dentre outros. Concluiu-se que o comportamento de “ir à escola” pode tornar-se insensível às contingências quando as pessoas passam a seguir a regra independentemente das consequências naturais desses comportamentos, e que variáveis motivacionais devem ser cuidadosamente analisadas 
 e manejadas.

Análise comportamental de estratégias de redução brusca de peso de judocas em período de competição

No judô, atletas geralmente reduzem o peso para competirem em uma categoria inferior à do seu peso padrão. O objetivo do estudo foi investigar as estratégias utilizadas por atletas de judô que visam reduzir o peso. Participaram da pesquisa nove atletas federados de judô de ambos os sexos e de categorias competitivas diferentes, com idades entre 14 e 22 anos. Todos os participantes estavam acima dos pesos de suas categorias um mês antes da competição. Além de serem submetidos à pesagem um mês e também 24 horas antes da competição, os participantes responderam a dois questionários. O primeiro (pré-competição) que visava à caracterização dos participantes e à rotina diária e de treinamento deles e o segundo (pós-competição), com questões que se referiam aos métodos utilizados pelos participantes e aos resultados obtidos referentes à perda de peso. As estratégias de perda rápida de peso dos participantes são analisadas em termos de reforçamento intermitente e impulsividade. Estratégias e técnicas com base nos princípios da análise do comportamento são propostas, com vistas a promover o comportamento autocontrolado.

A crisis in comparative psychology: where have all the undergraduates gone?

Comparative psychology can generally be defined as the branch of psychology that studies the similarities and differences in the behavior of organisms. Formal definitions found in textbooks and encyclopedias disagree whether comparative psychologists restrict their work to the study of animals or include the study of human behavior. This paper offers an opinion on the major problem facing comparative psychology today—where we will find the next generation of comparative psychology students. Something must be done before we lose access to an entire generation of psychology undergraduates. It is not enough to say that comparative psychology is being “absorbed” in other academic units such as “integrative biology,” “integrative study of animal behavior,” “evolutionary psychology,” “comparative cognition,” or “animal cognition.” Indeed, many of these topics are not primarily studied in psychology departments, wherein comparative psychology students have traditionally received joint training in the principles of behavior and comparative analysis, as applied to both humans and other animals. Consider, for example, the difference between comparative psychology and comparative cognition. Comparative cognition includes features of comparative psychology, but they are not identical. Comparative cognition represents a very specific theoretical position whose validity is based on certain suppositions such as the belief (by definition) that the internal cognitive process of non-human animals can be studied scientifically. It is unclear whether the study of behavior in comparative perspective, without reference to cognition, would fit within this endeavor at all. Conversely, comparative psychology represents a broader scientific field encompassing any number of theoretical perspectives that can be employed to make inter-species phenotypic comparisons (e.g., behaviorist, cognitive, physiological, and evolutionary). Therefore, to reduce comparative psychology to comparative cognition would foreclose upon a large portion of possible theory space. Moreover, given that undergraduates are heavily influenced in their choice of discipline by the existence of curricular specializations, the increasing paucity of opportunities to undertake a program of comparative psychology is likely driving students—and psychology majors in particular—away from engagement with this important field. Comparative psychology as a separate and distinct discipline was a vital and important branch of psychology and can be so once again if we act soon. Comparative psychology has much to offer undergraduate students with regard to the development of critical thinking skills, personal exploration, cultivating a comprehensive view of the world around them, and the ability to apply their skills in both academic and applied fields (Moran, 1987; White, 2007). Many contemporary problems such as racism and gender bias would be better addressed by using the methods of comparative psychology (Abramson and Lack, 2014). Comparative psychologists are specifically trained to make valid comparisons and to expose those that are invalid. Training in comparative psychology is a fine example of the importance of a liberal arts education. Many authors have commented on the problems associated with comparative psychology. These include the use of a restricted number of species (Beach, 1950; Bitterman, 1965), lack of an appreciation of evolutionary theory (Lockard, 1968; Hodos and Campbell, 1969; Kalat, 1983), decline in the number of animal facilities available for comparative research (Gallup and Eddy, 1990), scientists who begin their career as comparative psychologists only to change disciplines (Dewsbury, 1990), the expense and resources needed to fund a comparative program (Dewsbury, 1992; Varnon and Abramson, 2013), few articles containing more than one species (Lester, 1973), whether animals are needed for psychological research (Bowd, 1980; Robinson, 1990), and a lack of jobs (Dewsbury, 1990). All of these issues have contributed to the crises we now face.

Contribuições dos manuais diagnósticos para a avaliação e o tratamento do transtorno desafiador-opositor na infância: a importância da topografia através de um estudo de caso.

Tópico: A aproximação da Psiquiatria à Terapia Analítico-comportamental através da utilização do Manual Diagnóstico e Estatístico dos Transtornos Mentais 5ª edição (DSM-V). Objetivo: discorrer sobre a utilização de critérios diagnósticos à luz da teoria behaviorista. Tese sob análise: os princípios analítico-comportamentais orientam não focar apenas na topografia dos comportamentos. Os manuais diagnósticos e estatísticos focam apenas na topografia dos sintomas, utilizando uma abordagem não baseada em teoria específica. Apesar de aparentemente discrepantes, é possível aproximar conceitos da teoria comportamental com conceitos de nosologia psiquiátrica. Fontes usadas: bibliografia publicada e estudo de um caso clínico de uma criança de 9 anos com o diagnóstico de transtorno desafiador-opositor segundo o DSM-V. Conclusões: a utilização de manuais diagnósticos pode ser uma estratégia para o terapeuta que utiliza os princípios da Análise do Comportamento para nortear sua prática. Esta utilização pode ter impactos positivos na avaliação, na programação e na eficácia do tratamento.

PARENT TRAINING FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

From a behavioral perspective, culture is the full range of learned human behavior patterns (Samadi&McConkey, 2011). Considering this definition, ABA in itself has its own culture (Miller, 2006). However, minimal research has been conducted specifically on the role of immigrant families and providing culturally sensitive ABA based parent training. Behavior analytic principles and interventions originated in the United States, and seem more efficiently applied to the mainstream cultural values in the United States (Samadi&McConkey, 2011).

Financial Education, Financial Competence, and Consumer Welfare

We introduce the concept of financial competence, a measure of the extent to which individuals’ financial choices align with those they would make if they properly understood their opportunity sets. Unlike existing measures of the quality of financial decision making, the concept is firmly rooted in the principles of choice-based behavioral welfare analysis; it also avoids the types of paternalistic judgments that are common in policy discussions. We document the importance of assessing financial competence by demonstrating, through an example, that an educational intervention can appear highly successful according to conventional outcome measures while failing to improve the quality of financial decision making. Specifically, we study a simple intervention concerning compound interest that significantly improves performance on a test of conceptual knowledge (which subjects report operationalizing in their decisions), and appears to counteract exponential growth bias. However, financial competence (welfare) does not improve. We trace the mechanisms that account for these seemingly divergent findings.

An Analysis of Feedback from a Behavior Analytic Perspective.

The present paper presents a systematic analysis from a behavior analytic perspective of procedures termed feedback. Although feedback procedures are widely reported in the discipline of psychology, including in the field of behavior analysis, feedback is neither consistently defined nor analyzed. Feedback is frequently treated as a principle of behavior; however, its effects are rarely analyzed in terms of well-established principles of learning and behavior analysis. On the assumption that effectiveness of feedback procedures would be enhanced when their use is informed by these principles, we sought to provide a conceptually systematic account of feedback effects in terms of operant conditioning principles. In the first comprehensive review of this type, we compare feedback procedures with those of well-defined operant procedures. We also compare the functional relations that have been observed between parameters of consequence delivery and behavior under both feedback and operant procedures. The similarities observed in the preceding analyses suggest that processes revealed in operant conditioning procedures are sufficient to explain the phenomena observed in studies on feedback.

Motivation and Contingency Management Treatments for Substance Use Disorders.

Contingency management (CM) is a highly efficacious psychosocial treatment for substance use disorders based on the principles of behavioral analysis. CM involves delivering a tangible positive reinforcer following objective evidence of submission of a drug-negative urine sample. Although CM interventions primarily involve applying extrinsic rewards, a patient's intrinsic motivation to change substance use behavior may also be impacted by CM. This chapter provides an introduction to CM interventions for substance use disorders and examines the impact of CM on intrinsic motivation . It also addresses applications of this intervention to other conditions and patient populations.