Association for Behavior Analysis International

Playing is generally considered synonymous with having fun because it can provide a steady and rich form of reinforcement, with a relatively low response effort. This form of reinforcement can also contribute to many elements of human development, such as language acquisition, social behavior, and visual perceptual skills. However, some children, especially those with autism, do not engage in play activities in a manner commensurate with their typically developing peers, or their play activities are too excessive and may disrupt the development of other important skills. For these children, a specific intervention program may be necessary to develop age-appropriate play skills. Behavioral approaches to autism treatment are often criticized for failing to adequately incorporate play into their intervention strategies. While this may be true for some older forms of ABA programs, it does not reflect the approaches of more current ABA programs. This symposium will provide a behavioral analysis of what constitutes play, along with ways to assess a child’s play skills, and ways to systematically make use of play to teach other important behaviors, especially verbal and social behaviors.

There are a number of behavioral principles and concepts that are relevant to an analysis of play. The current analysis will suggest that motivating operations, socially mediated reinforcement, and automatic reinforcement are significant variables responsible for establishing and maintaining play skills. There are also a number of additional principles and concepts involved such as stimulus control, generalization, chaining, imitation, conditional discriminations, and verbal behavior. It will be suggested that a behavioral analysis of play can improve our ability to assess and teach the many variations of play behavior. In addition, demonstrations will be provided of how play activities can be used to directly and indirectly teach a number of important skills.

It is often thought that ABA approaches to teaching children with language delays can be dull, repetitive, and sterile, as discrete trial teaching often occurs outside of the natural context. However, developing ways to contrive language opportunities within the context of play can increase overall social engagement and decrease the aversive properties of instructor led teaching. This presentation will provide examples of how to set up fun and engaging play situations that include verbal behavior trials to increase language and develop social play skills.

Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders demonstrate numerous social skills deficits. One notable deficit is a failure to give compliments. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to examine the extent to which a portable video modeling intervention on the iPad was delivered during athletic group play affected the verbal compliments exhibited by five children with autism. Participants were 4 boys and 1 girl between the ages of 8 and 11 years old who played kickball with other children with autism, neurotypical peers, and other volunteers. In baseline, the participants gave few or no compliments to their peers. During intervention, an iPad was used to show participants short video clips of a model demonstrating verbal compliments (e.g., That was a great kick!) in the natural environment during a game of kickball. The portable video modeling intervention quickly increased participants demonstration of verbal compliments. Further, participants used a variety of different compliments and compliments that were not portrayed on the video. These findings provide evidence that portable video modeling, shown within their natural environment, can affect the social behaviors demonstrated by children with autism. The study also provides evidence of the yoking of play and the teaching of verbal behaviors.

Subject-rated measures and drug self-administration represent two of the most commonly used methods of assessing the behavioral effects of drugs in the human laboratory. Although the results from these methods are often consistent, dissociations between subjective and self-administration data have been observed. This presentation will first introduce basic human behavioral pharmacology methods for measuring subjective and reinforcing effects of drugs, focusing on representative data from commonly abused stimulants. Second, correlational and regression analyses that examined the relationships between subjective and reinforcing drug effects will be presented to demonstrate which subjective measures best predict stimulant self-administration. Third, examples of divergence between subjective and reinforcing drug effects will be explored to show how these measures provide different and complementary information about stimulant drug effects. Potential mechanisms underlying this divergence also will be considered. Finally, the implications of these outcomes as they relate to future human laboratory research and intervention development for managing drug-use disorders will be reviewed.

Psychologists, behavior analysts, graduate students, and anyone interested in methods of assessing the behavioral effects of drugs in the human laboratory.

This symposium will examine the newest psychiatric diagnostic manual and the dominant biomedical model of mental disorders from a behavior-analytic viewpoint. Presentations will critique the logic of clustering problematic behaviors into purported mental disorders, the adequacy of data used to define these categories, the internal inconsistency and incoherence of the resulting nosology, and the principal beneficiaries of this classification system. Curious and absurd aspects of the manual will be highlighted. Presenters will also briefly review the low efficacy of drug treatments linked with psychiatric diagnoses, and the immense professional and industrial advertising campaigns that promote the biomedical approach.

This presentation will begin by briefly reviewing the origins of applied behavior analysis in studies conducted in the late 1950s teaching skills to and reducing problem behavior in persons with psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia. It will then examine problems in the current diagnosis of schizophrenia including reliance on questionable data, arbitrary criteria and categorization, inadequate precision for assessment and treatment evaluation, and omission of information on historical and current environmental factors that might have caused and now maintain the psychotic behavior, respectively. Some alternatives to the DSM-5 will be discussed including continuous recording of clients specific problems and goals, and functional assessments and functional analyses. The presentation will discuss how biomedical assumptions implicit in the DSM-5 diverts mental health workers attention from behavioral interventions for mental disorders, thereby perpetuating the biomedical monopoly of mental health services.

The public’s attitude toward the principles and practice of behavior analysis tends to range from complete unawareness to misguided hostility. The result is that the field is often marginalized, even as it becomes potentially ever more valuable as a means of addressing difficult, widespread problems in society in important behavior-related domains, including education, population, health, economics, and climate change. The public’s ignorance, misperceptions, and apprehensions about behavior analysis stem in part to a long history of prominent antagonism toward the field on the parts of those invested in alternative and generally less effective approaches to dealing with behavior. But the problem also has been exacerbated by a sharp failure on the part of the field, dating back to B. F. Skinner himself, to present itself in ways likely to resonate with the public. Meanwhile, leaders in what might be considered “rival” fields have often been, and continue to be, highly effective in doing so, sometimes to behavior analysis’s detriment. Ironically, behavior analysis’s fidelity to the rigors of scientific evidence has worked against the field in this regard. This rigor has produced effective treatments, but leaves lay people cold when it comes to understanding and appreciating this effectiveness, given that most of the public has little feel or empathy for scientific rigor, and is instead easily swayed by emotional and narrative appeal. The challenge that therefore lies before the field is this: Can and should behavior analysis present itself to an often gullible and easily misled public in a more resonant, less scientifically stiff way that wins it more appreciation and thus opportunity to achieve impact? It almost certainly could, and it’s worth considering possible approaches for doing so, as well as weighing the potential costs.

Psychologists, behavior analysts, graduate students, and anyone interested in learning about the perception of behavior analysis.

Behavioral Gerontology research continues to expand our understanding of how older adults with dementia learn and respond to environmental contingencies. Over the past decade, this research has expanded to preference assessments, reinforcer assessments, and the possibility to impact both activity engagement as well as learning (both relearning existing information, as well as learning new information). This symposium will include three such demonstrations. One study evaluated the stability of preference among older adults with dementia, looking at preference over a six-month period of time. Another study evaluated using Skinner's Analysis of Verbal Behavior and teaching Mand repertoires to older adults with dementia, including an evaluation of the role of motivating operations, preference assessment, and contingency specifying stimuli. The final study used spaced retrieval to evaluate recall of items over increasing periods of time among older adults with dementia, looking at recall within session and across days using single subject design. The implications of these studies and the future directions for behavioral gerontology research will be discussed.

Individuals with dementia gradually decline in activity engagement as the cognitive impairment progresses, which may occur due to difficulties initiating leisure activities independently, communicating needs, and caregivers may not be accurate in predicting activity preference. To address these difficulties, preference assessments (PA) have been effectively used to determine likes and dislikes among this population. This study examined the utility of PA as a strategy to identify preferred leisure activities and assessed the stability of preferences over time (i.e., one and six months after the initial assessment) in eight older adults in a memory care setting. Initial assessment data have been collected for all participants, and two participants have completed the initial plus one month assessments, and assessments have been scheduled for the remaining participants. Results to date: Participant 1 Jill has demonstrated stability between the initial and one month assessment (r = 0.83, p < 0.042) (Figure 1). No stability was found in Participant 2 Marys preferences (r = 0.143, p > 0.787) (Figure 2). Results suggest that the stability of preferences varies across individuals. Clinical implications of these findings and recommendations for the frequency of administered PA in this population will be discussed.

Spaced retrieval (SR) is a well-developed memory enhancement intervention for older adults with cognitive impairment. Information is presented over increasing or decreasing time intervals depending upon participant performance under the guise of a social visit. In previous research, SR has been used to target name-face associations for family members and staff (Cherry, Hawley, Jackson, & Boudreaux, 2009; Cherry, Walvoord, & Hawley, 2010; Haslam et al., 2011; Hawley & Cherry, 2004), naming of objects (Cherry et al., 1999; Cherry & Simmons-DGerolamo, 2005; Hochhalter, Bakke, Holub, & Overmier, 2004), and use of external memory aids (Bourgeois, 2003; Camp et al., 1996; Ozgis, Rendell, & Henry, 2009). The current study sought to extend previous research by training a 79-year-old woman with memory impairment to recall clinically relevant stimuli using SR within a multiple probe design across three stimulus sets. The participant was able to increase recall within and across stimuli for the first stimulus set (orientation to time), increase recall within session for the second stimulus set (orientation to place), yet struggled to recall the third set of stimuli within or across trials (daily functioning/well-being). Implications for targeting multiple stimuli during psychotropic medication changes for an older adult with memory deficits are discussed.

The current symposium will present theoretical and applied work advancing the literature in instructional design. Brown and Alavosius will provide an overview of the literature relevant to Interteaching. While Interteaching is an effective and progressive teaching method, many empirical questions still remain. Ward et al's presentation will provide an overview of an applied study on the prevention of student procrastination in an online PSI course. The latter study replicates and extends a recent study by Perrin, et al. (2011) in JABA. While Perrin et al. focused on a small number of college students and one specific type of assignment, Ward expands the focus to a variety of assignments in an online course that forms part of a BCBA course sequence.

The current study replicates and extends a recent study published by Perrin, et al. (2011) in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. Whereas Perrin et al examined a small number of college students' procrastination rates with respect to one assignment type, the current study greatly expands the population size and diversity. In addition, the current study examines procrastination in an online course in a Personalized System of Instruction format across a variety of assignment types. Results suggest that a relatively simple intervention -- making future assignments available contingent on the completion of previous assignments -- served to prevent student procrastination. The current study will also present data concerning ancillary effects of the intervention on student-staff interactions as well as carry-over effects of the intervention into the semester following the intervention.

When embarking on the endeavor to design a successful behavior analysis private practice it is advantageous to examine different segments of the health care industry. Medical practitioners, as an example, experienced a momentous shift in their operating practices due to the introduction of universally accepted standards of practice and the involvement of third party funding sources. These key variables required practitioners to either join the ranks of large health care organizations (i.e., hospitals and medical research centers) or design and operate efficient private practices. Practitioners could no longer just deliver high quality health care in their community and expect their practice to survive. Just as the introduction of these variables required medical professionals to become knowledgeable of best business practices (e.g., finance, management, human resources), so too has the implementation of evidence-based practice guidelines for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and health insurance reform made similar demands on professional behavior analysts. This symposium will show recent applications of Human Performance Technology (HPT) and OBM tools used to identify and address critical business issues at CARE, Inc., a California-based human service agency. The audience members will leave with a rudimentary understanding of how HPT can help managers improve productivity, develop and train valuable employees, and realize opportunities related to the performance of people.

An objective and reliable performance measurement system is one of the most important components of a well-designed organization. Effective measurement systems track key measures across all parts of your company including financial, customer, internal-business-process, and employee learning & growth. They also help connect these organizational components, thus ensuring that they operate in concert with one another. This allows management to monitor, maintain, and improve performance on an ongoing basis. These measurement systems provide the basis for performance feedback at all levels of the organization. Being able to rely on your managers’ ability to support and guide your employees’ performance is of the utmost importance to the vitality of your company. In this presentation, we will describe how Optimal and CARE, Inc. partnered in the design and implementation of a performance measurement system that (i) pinpoints valuable employee performance, (ii) provides managers with objective and consistent performance measures of their direct reports, and (iii) guides managers through the delivery of data-based performance feedback. The audience will leave with an understanding of what is required to design and implement a performance measurement system that consistently and objectively provides valuable performance feedback to the employees at CARE, Inc.

Behavior analysts often go on to open businesses that provide behavior analytic services to a variety of populations. Many times, this puts the behavior analyst in the unique position of business owner in addition to service provider. Several ethical issues may arise when put in this situation over the course of business operations. Panelists will discuss these key ethical issues with several examples highlighted throughout. Behavior analysts will discuss past experience with opening their own business as well as their thoughts on the process. Additionally, information will be shared from the perspective of a newly certified practitioner about what to look for in a potential employment site, what are some things to do to avoid being taken advantage of, and advice for newly certified practitioners navigating the sea of employment opportunities. The panel will conclude with the opportunity for audience members to ask questions regarding topics that were discussed, as well as related topics.

Consider the activities during a typical day in the life of an applied behavior analyst: observing clients’ behavior, integrating those observations to develop a plan for treatment, implementing and assessing the treatment plan, explaining the client’s behavior and the treatment plan to those responsible for the clients’ well-being, confronting complicated issues related to the causes of behavior and its explanation, discussing with nonbehavior analysts the client as the agent of his or her own behavior and the client’s thoughts and intentions, and confronting a myriad of ethical issues that arise in the course of treatment. Many of these daily activities require a firm grounding in the science of behavior. Others require an equally firm grounding in the philosophy of that science, in issues that underpin the science of behavior and that rely on that science to provide a coherent framework for processes that do not lend themselves to experimental analysis. This tutorial introduces to practitioners some of the conceptual issues that they face in their interactions with clients and caregivers. Four broad issues will be considered: observations and their integration; cause and explanation; privacy; agency and intention; and responsibility and ethics.

Graduate students and master’s level practitioners of behavior analysis.

Humans often solve problems by engaging in a variety of strategies, some of which involve sequences of covert verbal behavior. The purpose of this talk is to discuss how verbal behavior serves to mediate complex performances such as stimulus categorization. Dr. Miguel will present several studies that have directly manipulated verbal behavior to produce both novel verbal and nonverbal behavior such as arbitrary matching, visual categorization, and analogical responding. Evidence for verbal mediation comes from positive performances on complex conditional discrimination tasks after the use of speaker training alone, and also from spontaneous vocalizations on the specific verbal strategies utilized by participants during or after task completion. He will argue that behavior analysts should continue investigating verbal mediation as a problem-solving strategy, especially in applied settings.

Most children with developmental disabilities engage in stereotypy, which is an invariant and repetitive behavior that typically persists in the absence of social consequences. From a clinical standpoint, reducing stereotypy may be important because engaging in the behavior may interfere with learning, adaptive behavior, and social inclusion. Thus, the purpose of the symposium is to present the results of recent studies examining the effects of multiple interventions designed to reduce engagement in stereotypy in children with developmental disabilities. The first presentation will discuss the influence of different data collection procedures on the perceived outcomes of treatments for vocal stereotypy. The second presentation will examine the effects of noncontingent social interaction on immediate and subsequent engagement in stereotypy. The third presentation will examine the effects of a multi-component intervention across two settings. The final presentation will focus on the results of a pilot study on using behavior analytic research strategies to examine the effects of an alternative approach to treat stereotypy. Together, the presentations will provide an overview of recent research on the treatment of stereotypy in children with developmental disabilities.

The type of data analysis procedure used to measure a target behavior may directly influence the perceived treatment outcomes. In the present study, we examined the influence of different data collection procedures on the outcomes of two commonly used treatments on the vocal stereotypy of two children with autism. In Study 1, we compared the use of an interrupted and uninterrupted data collection procedure to measure vocal stereotypy during the implementation of response interruption and redirection (RIRD). The results showed that the interrupted data collection procedure overestimated the effectiveness of RIRD. In Study 2, we examined the influence of different data collection procedures on the interpretation of the relative effects of two different treatments for vocal stereotypy. Specifically, we compared interrupted and uninterrupted data collection procedures during the implementation of RIRD and noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) as a treatment for vocal stereotypy. The results showed that as in Study 1, the interrupted data collection procedure overestimated the effectiveness of RIRD; however, this effect was not apparent with NCR. These findings suggest that different types of data analysis can influence the perceived success of a treatment.

In a recent review of interventions for vocal stereotypy, Lanovaz and Sladeczek (2012) noted that several studies used matched stimulation from toys or music to decrease immediate engagement in vocal stereotypy for children with autism without producing a subsequent increase. A potential limitation of providing continuous access to music or musical toys is that engagement with the preferred stimulation may compete with academic tasks, social engagement, or both to the same extent as engagement in vocal stereotypy. A possible alternative to providing noncontingent access to music or musical toy is to provide noncontingent attention. This study evaluated the effects of noncontingent social interaction (SI) on immediate and subsequent engagement in vocal stereotypy and motor stereotypy for 3 children with autism. Results show that SI (a) decreased immediate engagement vocal stereotypy for all 3 participants without increasing subsequent engagement for any participant and (b) increased immediate engagement in motor stereotypy for 1 participant, decreased immediate engagement in motor stereotypy for 2 participants, but did not increase subsequent engagement in motor stereotypy for any participant. Some clinical implications and limitations of the findings are discussed.

Currently, there exists many unsubstantiated autism treatments (Matson, Adams, Williams, & Rieske, 2013). One such intervention is the Snug Vest, a recently-developed inflatable vest fashioned to provide deep pressure to the person wearing it. However, there is as of yet, no published peer-reviewed research on the Snug Vest. Nonetheless, the developers of the Snug Vest claim that their product helps remediate repetitive behaviors. Given the absence of supporting research, the purpose of the study was to test the developers claims by examining the effects of the Snug Vest on stereotypy using behavior analytic research methodology. We are currently mid-way through a study employing a multielement design to assess the effects of the Snug Vest on the duration of different topographies of stereotypy in which four children are participating in (a) an extended no-interaction condition, (b) wearing the Snug Vest deflated, and (c) wearing the Snug Vest inflated. Although data collection is still in progress, our hypothesis is that the Snug Vest will fail to clinically remediate stereotypy.

Recent reports suggest a 78% increase in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in the last 7 years, increasing the urgency to identify interventions that yield maximum results while conserving resources. Of particular importance are interventions that improve pivotal behaviors, and assist individuals with ASD to independently navigate natural environments. Interventions based on the theory of applied behavior analysis (ABA) have been identified as the most effective interventions for individuals with ASD, particularly when programming consists of explicit training, modeling, practice in context, and systematic feedback. Although research has focused on how to implement ABA to improve skill deficits such as communication and social skills, a focus on how these interventions can be applied effectively and efficiently in inclusive settings has been limited. This symposium, comprised of both meta-analytic and applied research studies, will explore the impact of behaviorally based interventions on increased access to inclusive settings. Specific implementation and contextual factors to maximize results will be explored.

Students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) present deficits in social interaction skills that may prevent their successful inclusion in general education placements. Behaviorally-based interventions have been demonstrated to be useful to teach social interaction skills for these students. However, the overall and moderating effects of these interventions have not been previously investigated in inclusive settings. The goal of this study was to investigate the overall and contextual factors that moderate intervention effectiveness in inclusive settings through meta-analytic techniques. Findings showed overall high effect size based on studies meeting minimum standards of methodological quality in single-case research. Interventions are demonstrated to be effective for children between the ages of 2 and 10 years. While differences were found according to targeted social skills and behavioral components used, no differential effects were found regarding intervention implementer and peer training. These findings add to the literature regarding best practices to support inclusion of students with ASD in general education.

Many students with autism engage in a variety of complex and often disruptive stereotypic behaviors. While these behaviors likely present difficulties to task related goals, they most assuredly impact the social opportunities and access to inclusive settings . Research has demonstrated that self-management interventions often lead to improvements in a variety of behavioral targets for students with Autism. One salient component of effective self-management is self-monitoring, which involves instructing students to attend to and record their own behavioral levels. Self-monitoring has effectively impacted a variety of outcomes for students with Autism however, typical paper-pencil versions are cumbersome and stigmatizing. Technology may be one mechanism to increase the acceptability and efficiency of self-montioring yet, little empirical evidence exists regarding how technology can be utilized to provide prompts and collect self-monitoring data. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the functional relationship between the use of a mobile self-management program, ICONNECT, and decreases in the percentage of intervals students with ASD engaged in stereotypy utilizing a multiple baseline across students with an embedded withdrawal design study. Initial results indicate significant decreases in stereotypy. Implications of the technology delivered self-management intervention and areas for future research will be discussed.

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders often demonstrate disruptive behaviors across educational settings. Teacher time to effectively intervene is often limited requiring further evaluation and identification of efficacious behavioral interventions for children with autism. Self-monitoring interventions in schools often require the implementing student to assess and record their own behavior and have the potential to meet behavioral needs without overburdening school resources. To further examine the potential of self-monitoring as an effective intervention for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders a review of single case studies employing self-monitoring were evaluated to identify the specific ingredients which moderate the impact of self-monitoring for students identified with autism. Using an advanced nonoverlap metric, a comparison of 15 studies including 24 participants and 45 unique effect sizes was conducted with an emphasis on participant age, setting (e.g. inclusive vs self-contained classrooms), and targeted behaviors. Overall, self-monitoring for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders resulted in promising results with an overall TauU of .85 CI95(.807 - .900). Areas of future research and implications for application of self-monitoring interventions for students with ASD in educational settings will be discussed.

Restricted and repetitive behavior is among the diagnostic characteristics of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). To the extent that the behavior of individuals with ASD can be conceptualized as problems of invariability, our understanding of environmental variables that influence restricted and repetitive behavior and methods of increasing variability may be informed by basic and applied literature on response variability. Slocum et al. compared levels of rigid behavior in groups of individuals with and without an ASD. Following the group comparison, a percentile schedule of reinforcement was used to treat rigid and inflexible behaviors within the ASD group. In their first study, Peterson, Rodriguez, and Pawich compared the effects of modeling rote versus variable responses during the teaching of intraverbal categorization. The effects of programming lag contingencies on response variability were later evaluated within a second study. Caccavale, Lechago, and Sweatt demonstrated how lag schedules could be used to increase variability in greetings. Finally, Gayman et al. targeted the appropriate use of mands frames while increasing the variability in the number of mand frames used for three participants with ASD. Dr. Allen Neuringer, the leading researcher on response variability, will serve as the discussant.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are defined, in part, by behavior that can be characterized as restricted and inflexible. Such behavior is exemplified by the so-called "higher-order" restricted repetitive behaviors characterized by their insistence on sameness or resistance to change. These behaviors can significantly interfere with opportunities to develop functional behaviors and more complex repertoires. The current study was conducted in two parts. The first study compared the level of rigid behavior of a group of 20 individuals who are typically developing with the behavior of 20 individuals who are diagnosed with ASD. Following that group comparison, the second study involved the treatment of those rigid and inflexible behaviors within the ASD group using a percentile schedule of reinforcement. We treated both within-activity and between-activity rigidity. To date, we have been able to demonstrate the effectiveness of this treatment for 4 out of our 5 subjects.

Children with autism spectrum disorders often require direct, systematic instruction to learn new skills (e.g., Discrete-trial instruction [DTI]). DTI has been criticized for producing rote responding (e.g., Cihon, 2007). Over the course of a DTI program, a single appropriate response (e.g., "hello") may be selectively strengthened to the exclusion of other appropriate responses ("hi", "howdy","good day"; Lee, McComas, & Jawor, 2002). In the first of two studies, we assessed the effects of having the therapist model variable versus rote responses (using a progressive prompt delay) on response acquisition and variability of intraverbal-categorization responding during DTI. For two of the four participants, acquisition was slower in the variable relative to the rote prompting condition. For all participants, any initial variability observed decreased during treatment in both conditions. In the second study, we evaluated the effects of adding a Lag-1 contingency to the variable-model condition on increasing variability. Variability increased for all four participants with the Lag-1 schedule but only after the therapist modeled variable responding using a progressive-prompt delay. Results are discussed in terms of improving the lack variability that can occur with DTI.

The results of the current study extend the literature on lag schedules of reinforcement and behavioral variability by demonstrating that lag schedules of reinforcement were effective in increasing variability in greeting responses. Our participant was an 8-year old boy diagnosed with autism. There was little variability in responding during baseline. We taught him six new greeting responses during a second baseline condition to demonstrate that teaching new responses alone was not sufficient in promoting variability in responding. Three lag schedules were introduced (Lag 1, Lag 2, and Lag 3) to promote emission of four or more greeting responses. There was a corresponding increase in the number of different responses with the introduction of each lag schedule of reinforcement, providing evidence for the efficacy of lag schedules of reinforcement in producing variability in greeting responses. Variability in responding maintained during a reversal to the baseline and generalization conditions, during which a continuous reinforcement schedule was used. Other sources of social reinforcement have likely maintained variability in responding. We hypothesize that responding will be similar with future participants.

According to the current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed., text rev.; DSM-V; American Psychiatric Association [APA, 2013], one of the core features of autism is persistent deficits in social communication. These social communication deficits often become apparent when children diagnosed with autism fail to demonstrate a functional form of communication, specifically manding for preferred items and activities. The development of a manding repertoire increases the likelihood of contacting reinforcement from a listener. Often single word mands are developed first. The development of multiple word mands or mand frames (e.g., "I want," "May I have") may further increase the likelihood of contacting reinforcement by clarifying the function of the speaker's vocalizations and, therefore, effective interventions to produce functional mand frames is needed. The current investigation targeted the appropriate use of mands frames while increasing the variability in the number of mand frames used for 3 participants with autism. Data show that using textual prompts with text fading effectively extinguished one participant's use of an incorrect mand frame while simultaneously increasing the variability of correct mand frame usage. The addition of a lag schedule increased variability of mand frame usage for two of the participants.

There has been a recent increase in the variables that impact the maintenance, response strength, and relapse of behavior targeted for change in applied contexts. The focus of much of this research has been the application of behavioral momentum theory (BMT) to the assessment, treatment, and treatment maintenance related to problem behavior. In this group of presentations, data will be presented that focuses of various consequence and stimulus variables that may impact human behavior in translational and applied contexts. Collectively, the results of this group of studies suggest that variables other than reinforcer rate, magnitude of reinforcement, etc. can impact response maintenance, strength and relapse. The results of these studies have direct implications for designing effective treatments for individuals who engage in severe problem behavior and will be discussed with respect to treatment design, BMT, and programming for the long-term effectiveness of behavioral treatments for those individuals.

The current investigation evaluated the effect of reinforcer potency on the persistence of task completion for a participant (Nick) who engaged in problem behavior to escape from demands. Interobserver agreement was calculated on at least 30% of each condition and averaged 98%. During Phase 1, a unit price evaluation was conducted to evaluate the potency of two stimuli (raisins and iPad). Nick chose to complete two times the amount of work to earn raisins over iPad, suggesting that raisins were the more potent reinforcer. During Phase 2, baseline data for Nick's task completion were collected within a multiple schedules design. Task completion was placed on extinction during this phase. In contrast, task completion was reinforced on a continuous schedule of reinforcement with access to iPad when Nick worked for orange tokens and raisins when Nick worked for yellow tokens during Phase 3. Extinction (Phase 4) was implemented after establishing similar histories of reinforcement for the orange and yellow stimulus conditions. Results showed that task completion under the stimulus condition associated with the delivery of raisins, or the more potent reinforcer, persisted longer under extinction conditions. These data will be discussed in terms of their basic and applied implications.

One function-based approach to the treatment of destructive behavior with considerable empirical support is functional communication training (FCT). Although FCT has been shown to be highly effective when implemented in controlled environments by well-trained therapists, treatment relapse often occurs when a caregiver is unable to accurately carry out the procedures in the natural environment. For example, a caregiver of a child with severe aggression may be unable to deliver the functional reinforcer (e.g., attention) when the child emits the functional communication response (FCR) because the caregiver is attending to a sick sibling. During this time when the FCR is exposed to extinction, the childs aggression often increases, a form of relapse called resurgence. Behavioral momentum theory (BMT) provides a quantitative method for making stimulus- and consequence- control refinements to FCT that can function as behavioral inoculation so that treatment relapse in the form of resurgence of destructive behavior is greatly mitigated or prevented altogether. Interestingly, some predictions of BMT are somewhat counterintuitive and in direct opposition to clinical procedures recommended as best practices by prominent clinical researchers. In this presentation, I will discuss these refinements of FCT along with illustrative data sets and potential directions for future research.

Measurement systems and data-analysis methods that produce accurate and sensitive measures of the target behavior are requisite for assessment and treatment. The papers in this symposium, collectively, describe efforts toward improving measurement systems and data-analysis methods in applied research. Lesser et al. compared the accuracy and efficiency of five systems for measuring sleep disturbances in children's bedrooms. Zarcone et al. improved the precision of observation methods to detect treatment gains, beyond the common measure of frequency, by measuring the force of problem behavior. Mead and Iwata compared the extent to which sufficient interobserver-agreement scores would be obtained using a proportional reliability method with 10-s versus 1-min intervals. Roberts and Bourret compared the strengths and weaknesses of three methods for quantifying the relation between two events during descriptive assessments. We are fortunate to have Dr. Brian Iwata serve as the discussant for this set of papers, given his exceptional scholarship in this area.

Sleep disturbances affect up to 68% of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (Richdale & Schreck, 2009). The use of direct observation on a second-by-second basis produces qualitative and quantitative information on sleep disturbances, but applying this type of measurement system throughout the night may not be practical. We conducted a measurement comparison across four nights with two children to evaluate the accuracy and efficiency of actigraphy, parent diaries, motion detection, momentary time sampling at 5-min and 10-min intervals, and fast-forwarding. All data were obtained from the childrens home and were remotely transferred for analysis via the internet. The sleep measures from each measurement system were compared to a second-by-second criterion record (continuous observation). The dependent variables for accuracy included total sleep disturbance, sleep-onset latency, nighttime wakings, early wakings, and oversleeping. The dependent variables for efficiency included the number of hours to collect data. The results indicated that motion detection closely matched the criterion measure for total sleep disturbance. The most variability within and across measurement systems was observed for night wakings. These preliminary results suggest that motion-detection software is an accurate and efficient measurement system.

A number of different methods are used to calculate and compare the probability of events given specific environmental variables. This investigation includes a comparison of three different methods. The first, an exhaustive contingency space analysis described by Vollmer, Borrero, Wright, Van Camp, & Lalli (2001), compares the probability of an event occurring at any time during an observation to the probability of an event given behavior. The second method, an exhaustive contingency space analysis described by Hammond (1980), compares the probability of an event given behavior to the probability of an event given the absence of behavior. The third method, a non-exhaustive contingency space analysis described by Luczynski and Hanley (2009), evaluated the probability of an event and an environmental variable by subtracting the probability of an event given the absence of an environmental variable from the probability of an event given behavior. Findings are discussed in terms of strengths and weakness across varying frequency of responding.

This symposium features methodological and translational research evaluating behavioral processes involved in preference and reinforcer assessment, conditioned reinforcement, and differential reinforcement. Lisa Hunter will present a study comparing the effects of stimulus-stimulus pairing and discriminative control in the establishment of conditioned reinforcers. Janine Urbano will present a study evaluating a new approach to the analysis of preference hierarchies obtained through pairwise preference assessment. The traditional percentage method was compared to the Thurstone comparative law to test whether the latter analytical strategy may provide better predictions of reinforcing effects. Lorraine Becerra will present a review and analysis of the relation between assessment consistency and validity of multiple stimulus without replacement preference assessments. Finally, Michael Kelley will present a translational study allowing for a close evaluation of the reinforcement processes underlying behavior change during differential reinforcement of alternative behavior. Dr. Per Holth, with a background in both experimental and applied behavior analysis, will close the symposium with remarks on the contributions of this research.

Establishing new reinforcers is an endeavor of paramount importance for the implementation of reinforcement-based approaches to treatment among individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Identifying effective reinforcers for low functioning clients may be particularly challenging. Two methods have been proposed to induce reinforcing effects to initially neutral items: stimulus-stimulus pairing and discriminative training. First, stimulus-stimulus pairing (SSP) consists of the concurrent presentation of a neutral item with an already established reinforcer. Second, the discriminative control procedure (DCP) features a neutral item as a discriminative stimulus signaling the availability of an already established reinforcer contingent upon an arbitrary response. The goal of the present study was to evaluate which of these methods induces greater conditioned reinforcement effects among individuals with intellectual disabilities. We conducted a series of preference assessments to identify established reinforcers, neutral leisure items, and arbitrary responses with no (automatic) reinforcing effects. We evaluated the effects of the SSP and DCP methods in a multi-element manipulation combined with a multiple baseline design across subjects. The results showed that for most participants both interventions induced some conditioned reinforcing effects. While participants engaged more often in the arbitrary response during contingent reinforcement probes following training with either method, responding was highly variable. Moreover, a clear superiority of one approach over the other was not demonstrated in any of the participants.

Preference may be defined as the relative strength of behaviors among two or more choice options and it is often measured as a pattern of choosing. Assessing the preferences of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) is important for several reasons. Preferred items often function as reinforcers and they can be used in intervention programs for establishing new skills and reducing problem behaviors for people with ID/DD. Pairwise preference assessment is often used to evaluate potential reinforcers in this population. The outcome of a typical pairwise preference assessment is a hierarchy of items ranked according to the percentage of trials in which each item was chosen out of the times the item was presented. This hierarchy is an ordinal scale that hardly accounts for variability of choice over time. By contrast, the Thurstone paired comparative method generates interval-level scales over multiple assessments. Therefore, the latter analytical strategy may account better for time-dependent changes in preference. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the Thurstone approach to data analysis would more accurately predict reinforcing effects, thereby enhancing the validity of pairwise preference assessments. We conducted a series of pairwise preference assessments analyzed through the traditional percentage method and the Thurstone method. The reinforcing effects of items with diverging ranks according to either method were subsequently evaluated in a concurrent schedule reinforcer assessment embedded in an ABAB design. Overall, the results indicated that scale values resulting from the Thurstone analysis provided better predictions of reinforcing effects.

Translational research often consists of replicating and extending the results of basic findings. Replications might consist of obtaining evidence of generality (e.g., across species) or application of basic findings to socially important behaviors (e.g., enhancing treatment of socially important problems). In this collaboration, we extended previous translational research by exposing non-human animals to an experimental preparation more consistent with typical application with humans--differential reinforcement of alternative behavior. This approach is in contrast with typical preparations in which humans are exposed to more typical non-human, basic arrangements. Preliminary findings reveal consistent resurgence of our analogue of problem behavior upon discontinuing reinforcement for alternative behavior. These findings provide a platform to assess thoroughly and efficiently factors influencing long-term treatment maintenance of behavioral treatments. For example, we can assess the extent to which multiple contingency reversals, which are common in applied differential reinforcement arrangements to establish experimental control, might influence the occurrence and magnitude of resurgence. This collaboration offers the opportunity to understand the behavioral processes underlying behavior during treatment while developing avenues to improve treatment effectiveness.

Psychological flexibility is enhanced sensitivity to both immediate and temporally extended contingencies. It involves the development of a repertoire that allows for persistence or change to match extended behavioral patterns with verbally constructed valued life directions. The assessment of psychological flexibility has been limited to self-report methods that inquire about behaviors isolated from changing contexts. This symposium addresses measurement issues pertaining to psychological flexibility, and offers a variety of alternatives. The first paper discusses methodological issues in comparing cognitive flexibility and psychological flexibility. The second paper offers Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) as a method of sampling a variety of self-reported responses repeatedly within a specified time frame. The third paper presents information regarding the development of a computer-based behavioral measure grounded in Relational Frame Theory. The fourth paper introduces an alternative computer-based task as a potential marker of psychological inflexibility- the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP). The symposium will close with a discussion of overarching issues regarding the measurement of psychological flexibility in light of the preceding presentations.

To our knowledge, no publications explore the relationship between psychological and cognitive flexibility. While differences exist, both constructs require individuals connect to contingencies in the present moment to appropriately adapt behavior, given the context. Therefore, it was hypothesized that scores on the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire (AFQ; Greco, Murrell, & Coyne, 2005) - a measure of the inverse of psychological flexibility - would significantly negatively correlate with measures of cognitive flexibility. More specifically, flexible problem solving abilities were assessed with the Functional Fixedness Task (Dunker, 1945), Trail Making Test Part B (TMT; Reitan, & Wolfson, 1993), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST; Berg, 1948) and the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (Dennis & Vander Wal, 2010). Non-significant correlations were found between the AFQ and measures of cognitive flexibility (correlations ranged from r = -0.191 to 0.184, ns). Lack of significance may have resulted from the relationship occurring in a non-theorized way, or it may be due to methodological issues. For example, some cognitive flexibility measures had less than ideal internal consistency in our sample. Additionally, comparing one self-report measure to a combination of behavioral and self-report formats, may not have captured variance efficiently. Such explanations will be discussed, along with future research suggestions.

Psychological flexibility seems to be fundamental to psychological health and quality of life. Psychological flexibility mediates the response to treatment in multiple contexts moderating the relationship between distress and problematic overt behaviors in multiple domains. Yet assessment of psychological flexibility has been limited to a single questionnaire--the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ)--and adaptations of the AAQ to different forms of psychological distress (e.g., smoking cravings, body image, obesity stigma, hearing voices). This is problematic for several reasons, including the difficulty respondents have in tacting their "overall" behavior over a week. Despite adequate psychometric estimates of reliability, significant variation in responses may actually be attributable to the immediate context in which the responding takes place. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) takes advantage of this by taking repeated self reports of multiple behaviors over the period of time in which the researcher is interested. Data from three studies will be briefly reviewed as examples of how researchers might apply EMA to measure psychological flexibility. Practical advice on incorporating EMA into research designs, collecting EMA data and analyzing data will be offered.

The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) has most often been used to examine differences between the performances of groups with a particular set of stimuli (i.e., an IRAP) and between specific trial-types. The present study examines the possibility of using analyses of each word in the IRAP with an individual to identify relatively strong verbal repertoires that may be clinically relevant for that individual or for his/her community. These relatively strong verbal repertoires may be seen as areas of psychological inflexibility. This paper examines multiple methods for examining IRAP outputs at the word level and discusses methods of obtaining convergent validity for this use of the IRAP. Undergraduate students who participated for course credit showed marked variability in IRAP performance across words within trial types. The discussion focuses on the potential to predict and develop interventions for specific domains for individuals where high levels of bias, rigidity, or fusion are present.

This symposium will highlight emerging trends in basic and translational gambling research. Presenters will discuss findings for choice selection on variable ratio schedules, effective use of behavioral skills training for teaching card counting, and the impact of verbal behavior on slot machine outcomes (e.g., losses disguised as wins) and rule following. Skinner first discussed variable ratio schedules as an addictive reinforcement schedule, and yet little is known about human preference to various types of schedules in a gaming context. Similarly, recent structural changes in slot machine reels, particularly losses disguised as wins, are under researched and therefore not understood behavior analytically. Furthermore, empirical evidence for rule formation and subsequent following are beginning to emerge within gambling contexts; yet further replication and extension of rule following across gaming activities are still needed. Therefore, the symposium will provide empirical support for how structural changes may impact gambling behaviors, both in terms of risk and magnitude of bet size, and in terms of rule formation and subsequent rule following. Implications of empirical findings and directions for future research will also be discussed.

Variable ratio (VR) schedules have been called "the addictive schedule of reinforcement" because they generate persistent high rate responding with little or no pausing. Because, like many gambling games, on VR schedules reinforcement is always uncertain- the very next response always could be reinforced (payoff). The more one responds the more likely responding will result in reinforcement - a win. For these reasons VR schedules are presented as a model of gambling contingencies (how slot machines are programmed, etc.). However in virtually every casino gambling game, increased responding does not increase the probability of winning (e.g. random probability, not VR schedules are used or "sampling with replacement") Nevertheless several studies with non-human subjects have shown that variable schedules are highly preferred over fixed schedules of reinforcement even when responding on the fixed schedule results much greater overall reinforcement. Variable schedules are preferred even when they are counterproductive. The present study examines human preference for VR versus fixed ratio (FR) schedules of reinforcement. Subjects remove blank cards and flip them putting cards marked win in one box and others in another box. Wins are paid cash. Subjects are given experience with both FR 5 (card color A), and VR 6 (card color B) schedules and then allowed to chose which color cards they would like to continue flipping. If the VR option is chosen, subject will be given experience with the FR 5 and a VR 7 and then allowed to choose again.

A behavioral skills training procedure consisting of video instructions, video rehearsal, and video testing was used to teach four college students a card counting strategy in blackjack. A multiple baseline design was used to measure card counting accuracy and chips won/lost across participants. Prior to any training, no participant counted cards accurately. Each participant completed all phases of the training protocol, counting cards fluently with 100% accuracy during slow, medium, and fast training exercises. Generalization probes were conducted while playing blackjack in a mock casino following each phase of training. After training, all four participants were able to accurately count cards while playing blackjack. In conjunction with count accuracy, total winnings were tracked to determine the monetary advantages associated with counting cards. After losing money during baseline measures, three of four participants won a substantial amount of money playing blackjack following the intervention.

The current study investigated preferences made by 73 college students when presented with 60 sets of images of slot machine outcomes. These images were categorized into three groups; (1) loss disguised as wins (LDW), (2) wins, and, (3) losses. Three preference tests were conducted (LDW vs. loss; win vs. loss; LDW vs. win) in a random sequence. Results yielded a statistically significant difference between the three preference tests F(2, 71) = 56.15, p < 0.001. A Sidak post hoc analysis demonstrated that there was a statistically significant difference, p < 0.001, between LDW vs. loss and the other two tests, not between win vs. loss and LDW vs. win. A chi-square goodness of fit test was conducted to evaluate if preferences in the LDW vs. loss group were acquired through chance. The results were statistically significant X2 (71) = 266.9, p < 0.001, indicating that the preference for LDW over losses were not acquired by chance.

In a replication of derived rule-following and subsequent rule following during a gambling activity, adult participants wagered on a roulette table before and after completing a discrimination task within a non-concurrent multiple baseline design. Participants were instructed to tact three arbitrary symbols that were placed above the roulette wheel. During roulette play, participants wagered one chip on either black or red to win. Following baseline, each participant was presented with a series of discrimination training and testing trials designed to create a three three-member stimulus class including the words "bet" "on" "red/black" depending on baseline response allocation. All participants were then instructed to complete a fill in the blank assessment and an open-ended tact assessment to determine if the rule (e.g., "bet on red/black") derived after training. Results suggested that all participants derived the rule, and altered their response allocations by betting more on the specific color trained. Implications for conceptual development of self-awareness in regards to self-generated rules will be discussed.

Pop rocks mixed with soda will kill you. Flash your headlights and gang initiates will shoot you. Always observe the behavior of gas station attendants they may be warning you of a killer in your backseat. The perpetuation of urban legends indicates people will believe almost anything they hear or read. Autism treatment has its own urban legends Facilitated Communication reveals buried secrets; Son Rise transports to a different world; and animals intuit needs of kids with ASD. As scientists, BCBAs have an ethical responsibility to evaluate urban legends related to Autism treatment (i.e., alternative or fad treatments). Unfortunately, many BCBAs not only fail to evaluate these treatments according to science, but actually use or promote treatments that have no empirical evidence of effectiveness. This symposium describes the topography of individual BCBAs and companies bad choices; an analysis of the variables related to these choices; and the social, legal, and treatment implications of BCBAs behaving badly.

The Guidelines for Responsible Conduct for behavior analysts is very clear on the point that certified behavior analysts are responsible for recommending scientifically supported most effective treatment procedures. The behavior of behavior analysts must be ruled by science and evidence. Unfortunately, Schreck and Mazur (2008) discovered through their survey that many behavior analysts admit to using treatment strategies that are not evidenced based. This presentation will further identify the irresponsibility of some behavior analysts who use unproven treatments in direct violation of our ethical code. A search on the Internet using key phrases such as BCBA and (name of a fad treatment) resulted in identifying dozens of certified behavior analysts using, promoting, or writing positively about treatments that are not scientifically supported most effective treatments. This presentation will describe these treatments, highlight the lack of evidence, and show the number of behavior analysts who were found supporting such treatments.

As children we learn our A-B-Cs very early in the educational process. As beginning behavior analysts, we learn the alternative meaning of the A-B-Cs. Unfortunately, many behavior analysts fail to analyze their own behaviors according to the A-B-Cs. This failure becomes most evident relevant to some BCBAs use of non-scientifically supported treatments for ASD. BCBAs recommend and use non-science despite ethical dilemmas (Schreck & Mazur, 2008). These recommendations and implementations for non-scientific treatments for ASD require a behavioral assessment. A variety of environmental stimuli, such as pressure from parents or employers, media hype, and beliefs about treatments or autism may influence BCBAs to experiment with non-scientifically supported treatments. Contingencies (e.g., monetary gain, acceptance by co-workers, etc.) may maintain the use of these treatments, sometimes to the exclusion of ABA (Schreck & Mazur, 2008). This presentation will assess possible A-B-C factors that influence BCBAs to choose non-science and contingencies that maintain this behavior

The proposed symposium includes four presentations addressing recent advances in staff and parent training of assessment and treatment procedures. The first presentation evaluated Internet-based telehealth services to remotely teach parents to conduct discrete trial instruction. The results indicated significant increases in performance and provide support for web-based technologies and other telehealth applications to training. The second presentation evaluated the effectiveness of video modeling with voiceover instruction to train three staff to conduct a paired-stimulus preference assessment. The results demonstrated that video modeling was effective, and suggest that performance feedback may not always be a necessary component of training. The third study evaluated the separate effects of written instructions and in-vivo training on the implementation of a maintenance protocol for nine participants. Results indicated that in-vivo training was necessary, as the written instructions were ineffective at producing the desired change in participant implementation of the maintenance protocol. The fourth presentation evaluated the effectiveness of a behavioral skills training package to train daycare teachers to teach toddlers to request social interactions using manual signs. The results indicate the training package was effective. Collectively these studies provide support for the effectiveness of a range of training approaches for staff and parents.

For many years, there has been an increasing shortage of behavioral healthcare professionals in counties across the United States. Recent advancements in telecommunication technologies make it possible to conduct telehealth services and bridge the gap between urban and rural location. In the current study, we used Internet-based telehealth services to remotely teach caregivers of children with language delays to conduct an expressive identification task within a discrete trial instruction framework. The teaching package included didactic information and video modeling, scripted role-play sessions with immediate feedback, and in-vivo feedback during practice sessions with a child. We used a multiple-baseline-across-participants design to evaluate the effects of the teaching package on caregiver correct responding and child independent correct responding. Robust and immediate improvements in performance were observed across all three caregivers and their performance maintained during follow-up and generalization probes. Increased independent correct responding was observed across all child participants following the caregiver teaching package. The benefits of web-based technologies and other telehealth applications are discussed.

A key component of successful early intervention programming is the identification of stimuli that may function as reinforcers. Behavior analysts have overwhelmingly reported that the paired-stimulus (PS) preference assessment is the most commonly used direct method of determining preference (Graph & Karsten, 2012). Although effective at identifying potential reinforcers, the PS procedure is only useful if staff are trained on the steps necessary to conduct the assessment. The current study examined the effectiveness of video modeling with voiceover instruction to train staff to conduct a paired-stimulus preference assessment. Three staff were trained to identify items to use during the PS assessment, conduct a PS preference assessment with a simulated consumer (i.e., an adult acting as a child), and how to score and interpret the results of the PS assessment. Generalization was assessed with an actual consumer (i.e., a child with autism). The results demonstrated that video modeling was effective, and staff demonstrated high levels of integrity up to 2-months following training. These results support a growing body of literature supporting the use of video modeling as an approach to training. We will discuss the current study in the context of previous staff training studies and suggest areas for future research.

Maintenance of skills is critical for successful treatment of children with autism. Most research has focused on the initial acquisition and generalization of skills, with less research on the maintenance of skills. Researchers have demonstrated that when reinforcement is withdrawn, treatment effects decrease relatively quickly. The use of intermittent reinforcement can promote maintenance of skills. The purpose of the present study was to train direct care staff to implement a maintenance protocol that included 1) varying the order of the responses, 2) using intermittent reinforcement, and 3) conducting error correction at the end of the maintenance trial block. A multiple probe design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of written instructions and in-vivo training for 9 participants. Results indicated that written instructions were ineffective and in-vivo training was necessary to produce accurate performance for all participants. Accurate implementation of the maintenance protocol was observed during generalization probes and at the four week follow-up. These results suggest that in-vivo training produced lasting effects for all participants.

The current experiment evaluates the effectiveness of a brief training package to train daycare teachers to teach toddlers to request social interactions using a manual sign based upon American Sign Language. The training package included instructions, video model, role-play, and feedback. A concurrent multiple-baseline design across 3 teacher-toddler dyads was used to evaluate the training package. An analysis was also conducted on the effects of training on the behaviors of toddlers as a group and individually during free play times in the classroom.

We tested three procedures to condition 3-D stimuli as conditioned reinforcers for observing responses. The first study used a stimulus-stimulus pairing procedure to condition 3-D stimuli as reinforcers for observing. Following the establishment of 3-D stimuli as reinforcers, participants showed increases in 3-D and 2-D match-to-sample responding and decreases in stereotypy. In the second and third studies 3-D stimuli were conditioned as reinforcers for observing using a visual tracking procedure, resulting the acquisition of generalized match-to-sample repertoires.

We tested the effects of an observing three dimensional object conditioning procedure on pre-listener, imitation and match to sample responses of young children with autism. Three children between the ages of 2 and 4.8 years who attended center based Early Intervention or preschool programs participated in the study. The three dimensional object conditioning procedure involved the students visually tracking preferred and non-preferred items that were placed under transparent and then opaque cups and were rotated a set number of times per phase. Initial probes for the presence or absence of the following behaviors were conducted 1) generalized match to sample for identical three-dimensional stimuli, 2) generalized match to sample for identical two- dimensional stimuli, 3) generalized match to sample of two dimensional to corresponding three dimensional stimuli, 4) imitation of object use and 5) generalized imitation. We also compared the rate of acquisition of skills across the following programs immediately before and after the conditioning procedure was implemented: three-dimensional selective match to sample, instructional control with visual cues, follows school routines with visual cues, selective imitation and object use imitation. The results showed that for all three participants, the three dimensional conditioning procedure was functionally related to increases in generalized three dimensional matching and object use imitation. Decreases in instructional trials to criterion, or increases in rates of acquisition of skills across the aforementioned programs were seen for two of the three participants as well (the third participant left the study before data could be analyzed).

We tested the effects of a visual tracking procedure on the acquisition of 3- dimensional objects as conditioned reinforcement for observing and on generalized matching repertoire. There were 3 participants in the study who were enrolled in an Early Intervention program. The independent variable was the visual tracking protocol, in which the participants were taught to observe clear and opaque cups that were in rotation, with a preferred and eventually non-preferred item placed underneath one cup. We implemented a delayed multiple baseline design and the results showed the protocol was effective to induce generalized visual identity matching repertoire, which were not in the participants repertoire prior to the implementation of the protocol.

The predictive validity of animal models of memory has been disappointing, suggesting a need for new approaches to development of drug treatments. Many of the traditional procedures derive from the cognitive neuroscience approach and pose interpretive difficulties from a stimulus control perspective. EAB-based techniques (e.g., delayed matching to sample) may not address the complexity of stimulus control necessary for translational significance, but can be adapted to do so. This tutorial will provide a brief overview of procedures used in the behavioral pharmacology of remembering and a consideration of their strengths and weaknesses. It also will provide a more detailed analysis of research using novel procedures that vary the number of stimuli to remember as well as the retention interval. For example, the odor span task can be described as an incrementing nonmatch to sample procedure in which the number of sample stimuli to remember increases on each trial. Early results have shown that NMDA-antagonists, but not other classes of compounds, produce selective impairments on performance in this procedure. Variations of these procedures will be described that develop stimulus control by specific combinations of stimulus properties (what stimulus, when it occurred, and where it was presented), making it possible to study drug effects on "episodic" stimulus control.

Behavioral interventions, specifically escape extinction and positive reinforcement, are considered well-established treatments for pediatric feeding disorders. However, further research to understand the necessity of these and other consequence-based procedures in the development of function-based interventions is warranted. Moreover, further development and examination of antecedent interventions is necessary for cases in which escape extinction is ineffective or unacceptable. This symposium presents three studies that extend the existing behavioral feeding literature in these ways. Kirkwood and colleagues will present a study that further examines the use of consequence-based procedures in the treatment of the multiply controlled inappropriate mealtime behavior of 3 children diagnosed with feeding disorders. Wall and colleagues will present a study demonstrating the effects of an antecedent-based intervention, stimulus fading, to establish cup drinking in a child diagnosed with a feeding disorder when escape extinction did not result in treatment success. Finally, Cried and colleagues will present a study examining the effects of backward chaining to establish self-drinking after the successful treatment of liquid refusal.

Behavioral intervention is a well-established treatment for chronic food refusal; however, the evidence base regarding treatment of liquid refusal is limited. Failure to consume an adequate amount of liquids is associated with a number of poor health outcomes, including restricted calorie intake, dehydration, and constipation. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the use of a stimulus fading protocol to establish cup drinking in a 2-year-old female with total food and liquid refusal. Prior to the current study, treatment involving non-removal of the spoon was successful in increasing intake of solids; however, use of a similar extinction-based protocol with 3.5 cc of formula presented in a cup resulted in high rates of expulsion. In order to promote acquisition of cup drinking, treatment involved reducing the bolus to 0.5 cc and systematically increasing the volume of formula by 0.5 cc until the terminal volume of 3.5 cc was achieved. A decision rule guided advancement in liquid volume and probe sessions (3.5 cc) were conducted between each step of the fading procedure as a control condition in a multiple probe experimental design. Results showed lower level of expulsion and higher percentage of mouth clean.

Children diagnosed with feeding disorders often exhibit inappropriate mealtime behavior that may be maintained by multiple reinforcement contingencies (Piazza et al., 2003). Previous research (Bachmeyer et al., 2009) has shown that extinction of both sources of reinforcement may be necessary to achieve treatment success. Functional analyses identified children whose inappropriate mealtime behavior was maintained by negative reinforcement (escape) and positive reinforcement (adult attention). Using a combined multi-element and reversal design, we compared function-based interventions (i.e., differential reinforcement and extinction procedures) individually and combination in the treatment of food or liquid refusal of 3 children diagnosed with a feeding disorder. Interobserver agreement was conducted on at least 33% of sessions. Agreement was above 80% for each child. Food/liquid acceptance increased and inappropriate mealtime behavior decreased to clinically acceptable levels with an intervention matched to only one function (i.e., escape) for one child. By contrast, food/liquid acceptance increased and inappropriate mealtime behavior decreased to clinically acceptable levels only with the intervention matched to both functions for 2 children. Results suggest that it was necessary to treat both functions to successfully treat the food/liquid refusal of 2 of the 3 children. Implications of these findings will be discussed.

Backward chaining (BC) is a well-supported treatment for teaching various skills, including establishing self-feeding with utensils. There are, however, few reports regarding how to establish independent cup drinking in young children with pediatric feeding disorders. The current study demonstrates the use of BC to establish self-drinking from an open cup with a 2-year-old male with a history of chronic food and liquid refusal. Prior to the current study, behavioral intervention increased oral intake of solids and liquids and subsequent treatment involving a least-to-most prompting sequence (e.g. verbal, model, hand-over-hand guidance) established self-feeding involving solids. Least-to-most prompting was, however, ineffective in establishing independent drinking. A BC procedure was developed using a task analysis of the steps necessary to promote self-drinking and a decision rule guided progression through BC steps. Probes involving least-to-most prompting were conducted between each step as a control condition in a multiple probe experimental design. Results indicated that BC represents a potential tool to teach a child to independently drink from an open cup.

The Polyvagal Theory describes the role physiological state has in facilitating the expression of different classes of behavior. Applying the theory to behavior modification protocols leads to a refinement in the historical S-O-R model in which the state of the organism (O), now indexed by autonomic state, influences the accessibility of classes of behavior to stimulus control. Polyvagal Theory, based on evolutionary biology and comparative neurophysiology, identifies autonomic states that facilitate or impede the expression of specific classes of behavior. The theory identifies three stages of phylogenetic development that are characterized by parallel changes in behavioral repertoire and neural regulation of the autonomic nervous system: 1) an ancient autonomic system (i.e., unmyelinated "vagal" pathways) shared with most vertebrates that conserves metabolic resources (e.g., slows heart rate and breathing, decreases blood pressure) and supports immobilization behaviors (e.g., passive avoidance, fainting); 2) a system that increases metabolic output (i.e., sympathetic nervous system) and supports mobilization of the trunk and limbs (e.g., active avoidance, fight-flight behaviors); and 3) a uniquely mammalian system integrating the regulation of striated muscles of the face and head with the heart (i.e., myelinated "vagal" pathways) to create a functional social engagement system that regulates the phylogenetically older systems, often through social interaction, to promote physiological resilience and optimize health growth and restoration. Functionally, the theory proposes that modification of these "classes" of behaviors (immobilization, mobilization, and social engagement) will be optimized by monitoring autonomic variables and understanding the contextual cues that trigger transitions in autonomic state. Consistent with this model several variables, independent of stimulus manipulations, characterizing experimental conditions, and participants in behavior modification protocols (e.g., context, development, illness, medication, etc.) will influence the accessibility of different classes of behavior to stimulus control.

Graduate students, practitioners, academics, and scientists.

Verbal-nonverbal "correspondence" is defined as consistency between what one says and what one does, and "noncorrespondence" refers to a lack of such consistency. Previous research has examined correspondence in either a say-then-do (say-do) sequence, in which the student is asked what (s)he will do and then is given an opportunity to respond, or a do-then-say (do-say) sequence, in which the student is given the opportunity to respond and then asked what (s)he did. In lay terms, correspondence in the say-do sequence is like "keeping a promise," and correspondence in the do-say sequence is like "telling the truth." Because both forms of behavior are valuable, research that identifies the variables that influence both correspondence and noncorrespondence should assist in determining how to strengthen the former and decrease the latter. The current research examines the influence of two potential determinants, the likelihood that one would (or would not) engage in the response promised or reported, and whether engaging (or not) would be detected.

Since the 1980s, Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) and Performance Management (PM) methodologies have been introduced and spread in Italy. Fabio Tosolin has been at the forefront of this dissemination. In the 1990s, he began to apply O. Lindsley’s Precision Teaching and Fluency Building Approach to e-learning and introduced Behavior-Based Safety process (B-BS) in Italy. Since 1985, he has led the Milan-based management consulting firm, Fabio Tosolin & Associates, which deals with Performance Management, learning technologies and behavioral safety for many national and multinational companies. This talk will highlight the role leadership networks and decision making play in the process of large-scale dissemination of behavior analysis across sectors of Italy.

Forthcoming

The panelists will discuss recent developments at the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). The most current data on the BCBA and BCaBA certification programs will be provided, including the overall number of certificants, the number of approved university training options, and recent examination pass rates. In addition, a number of recent and impending developments at the BACB will be described, including ongoing efforts to raise standards and the development of a credential for behavioral technicians.

The roots of behavior analysis are found on empirical philosophers, on Pavlov, Pieron, and other thinkers. However, during the larger part of its history behavior analysis has been a discipline cultivated mainly in the United States and other English-speaking countries. The pioneers of behavior analysis as an area of research were part of the Anglo-Saxon culture (Watson, Skinner, and Baum) and was also the case with applied workers (Wolpe, Eysenck, Rachman, Keller, and Azrin). Probably the philosophical assumptions of the Anglo-Saxon culture were in tune with behavior analysis as a science and applied area. On the other hand, during the past few decades, an internationalization of behavior analysis has taken place. Work of high quality is carried out in Norway, Japan, Spain, Brazil, and other nations. The situation of behavior analysis and its international growth is analyzed, including the role of the Association for Behavior Analysis International in this process. At the present time, behavior analysts are "thinking globally and acting locally."

Psychologists, behavior analysts, graduate students and anyone interested in learning about the international growth of behavior analysis.

The prevalence of obesity and physical inactivity in both adults and children presents a problem of great social significance in this country and around the world. The behavioral assessment and promotion of physical activity is an emerging area of research, which behavior analysis is well suited to undertake. Research presented in this symposium will focus on behavioral and technological assessments and interventions related to sports, health, and fitness. Hayes and Van Camp will present a self-management and reinforcement intervention aimed at increasing physical activity of subjects during their regularly-scheduled recess at school. Valbuena and colleagues evaluated the FitbitTM program and a behavioral coach for increasing physical activity in adults. Quinn and colleagues evaluated TAGteach to enhance dance movements in young dance students. Miller and colleagues assessed physical activity preferences in preschool-age children. Continued research in the assessment and promotion of sports, health, and fitness is necessary in developing effective strategies and technology to combat an increasingly obese and sedentary population.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate TAGteach to increase the fluency of three dance movements in a multiple baseline across behaviors design with 4 students of dance. Target behaviors included a turn, kick, and a leap, respective of the level of the class. A dance instructor was trained to implement the TAGteach procedure by the primary researcher. The targeted dance movements remained at a stable level during baseline and improved for each participant following the introduction of the TAGteach training. Implications for future research are discussed.

Obesity is a problem of vast social concern in the United States. One factor that has been linked to reduction in body fat and the health problems associated with obesity is increasing physical activity. Although in-person behavioral interventions have been shown effective at increasing physical activity, attention is now being placed on disseminating these interventions through the use of technology. Several internet-based interventions have been developed and are readily available. The purpose of this study was to evaluate "Fitbit"; a web-based behavioral intervention for increasing physical activity and losing weight. Additionally, this study examined if the addition of contact from a behavioral coach through videoconference and email enhanced this program. Through a multiple-baseline design across seven participants this research project evaluated the effectiveness of the "Fitbit" program with and without a behavioral coach. Step counts were recorded by a Fitbit sensor as a measure of physical activity. The Fitbit program alone increased physical activity for some of the participants, and the addition of the behavioral coach resulted in further increases in mean step counts.

In the past three decades, the prevalence of childhood obesity has tripled, and currently, nearly one in three children are overweight. As the concern for overweight and obese children in the United States continues, there is a need for effective interventions aimed at increasing health conscious activities of children. Increasing children's physical activity is one way to combat the overweight and obesity epidemic. School recess, which occurs daily in the vast majority of public schools, may be a good opportunity for children to be physically active, as a high percentage of children in the United States are enrolled in both public and private schools. The present study evaluated effects of a self-management and reinforcement intervention aimed at increasing physical activity of subjects during their regularly-scheduled recess at school. Physical activity was measured using a Fitbit accelerometer and reported as the number of steps taken. The results showed that the intervention was effective in increasing physical activity. Other interventions appropriate for similar populations and settings will be discussed.

Low levels of physical activity are correlated with negative health outcomes such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. This is alarming given the rise in the prevalence of obesity and physical inactivity over the last few decades, especially in young children. Developing assessment strategies that can readily identify the variables related to both healthy and unhealthy patterns of activity might be useful in informing interventions that aim to increase physical activity. The current study extended previous research in the functional analysis of physical activity by evaluating the utility of a concurrent-chains procedure to identify participant preference to several common outdoor activity contexts. Together, the two assessments strategies were able to identify both healthy and unhealthy patterns of responding in four preschool-age children. The role of participant preference, as it relates to physical activity, will be discussed in the context of developing intervention strategies that aim to increase activity levels in sedentary individuals.

More traditional computer simulations of human behavior have involved information processing models of the brain, whereby the brain is assumed to be modeled after the way computers are architected: lots of data stored in memory with programs that retrieve the data given certain inputs. Adaptive network systems are elemental computer learning programs that have enabled the simulation of behavior at an operant level, whereby that behavior which is followed by reinforcing consequences is more likely to occur again. This symposium explores how adaptive networks can generate simple verbal operants, and how more diverse and complex behavior can then be generated as a result. Implications for the interpretation of more complex human linguistic behavior and the development of effective teaching programs also are considered.

Psychologists, behavior analysts, and graduate students interested in exploring how adaptive networks can generate simple verbal operants, and how more diverse and complex behavior can then be generated as a result.

Adaptive networks are in essence, computer programs that learn. This very fact places them squarely in the domain of behavior analysis, although few in the field conduct research with them, or develop them for commercial or other purposes. This talk will provide an overview of what Adaptive Network Systems (ANS) are and how they differ from typical computer programs; provide insight into how they work; and show how they can adhere to the behavioral principles that the experimental analysis of behavior has uncovered over the years. The basic components of such a network will be explored including the architecture, some simple learning algorithms, and design features which preclude hard-wiring responses, or using brute computer power to solve problems or to produce more complex behaviors. Finally, some simple examples of ANS will be illustrated, particularly related to the elementary verbal operants.

Because the experimental analysis of verbal behavior is constrained by practical and ethical considerations, most of our understanding of complex cases arises from verbal interpretations. But such interpretations are limited by the sheer number of relevant variables and our ignorance of subjects' histories. In contrast, adaptive network simulations permit complete control over both complex contextual variables and historical variables. If such simulations are tightly constrained by behavioral principles, they offer powerful demonstrations of the explanatory adequacy of such principles. Dr. Palmer will discuss several examples that seem to defy verbal interpretation, examples such as the problems of novelty, nesting, generalization of neologisms according to apparent grammatical form, conditioning the behavior of the listener, mysterious structural regularities in verbal behavior, and the problem of acquisition of complex forms. He will suggest that adaptive network simulations of verbal behavior may be the best interpretive tool and in some cases the only one.

The presentation will describe a robot whose behavior is learned via an adaptive network based on behavior analytic principles, embedded in a body with sensors including vision and hearing and with responses including spatial movements and vocalizations. The demonstration will first show how that robot learns elementary verbal operants, then more complex verbal behaviors based on them. We will examine in detail how some of the puzzling verbal behaviors described in the preceding papers in the symposium are learned, illustrating how using a robot makes it possible to examine moment-to-moment changes in the conditions that control the behavioral sequence.

This symposium will provide three papers focusing on service delivery and comprehensive programs for very young children identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder. First, Levy and Sainato will provide a conceptual overview of the literature on focused and comprehensive interventions used in the delivery of services to young children with ASD. Then, Schwartz and McBride will detail a comprehensive program for toddlers with ASD consisting of an integrated play group with typically developing peers, intensive 1 on 1 programming along with other behavioral interventions, and weekly home visits. Finally, Garfinkle, Emerson, and Gibbs will present an overview of the challenges facing the delivery of Montana's statewide program for young children with ASD. The use of innovations in distance-based technical assistance, providing access for the to professional development opportunities, the development of teaming and membership strategies to decrease turn-over and the creation of innovative business models to support the program will be presented.

Applied behavior analysis is the basis for many effective interventions aimed at improving language skills and reducing problem behaviors. Often innovative and highly effective interventions are developed using single-subject experimental designs. One barrier to disseminating empirically supported behavior analytic interventions to the wider population of treatment providers is the dearth of larger scale studies examining outcomes across a larger sample. This symposium will present data from three papers examining the effectiveness of behavior analytic interventions in larger samples. The first study presents outcomes of behavioral parent training (BPT) program on parenting skills and problem behavior in children with autism in a sample of 220 families. The second study examines treatment outcomes of a behavior analytic intervention aimed at increasing mands from single to multi-word utterances in a larger sample of language-delayed children (n=30) receiving ABA intervention. The last study presents a literature review and meta-analysis on the effects of stimulus-stimulus pairing on vocalizations in children with language delays.

Intensive behavioral interventions are effective at reducing maladaptive behavior but can be costly and procedural fidelity following sessions can be lacking (Jacobson, Mulick, & Green, 1998). An alternative is behavioral parent training (BPT) based on the principles of applied behavior analysis. These programs are relatively inexpensive, shorter in duration, and place emphasis on the importance of caregiver involvement, training, and education (Serketich & Dumas, 1996). This investigation examined the effects of a BPT program on parenting skills and problem behavior in children with autism. Participants included 220 families consisting of at least one caregiver and a child with ASD. The BPT program consisted of didactic, role-play, and in-vivo training sessions spread across 12, 2-hour sessions. The primary dependent variables were pre- and post- assessments of parenting skills, parent reported maladaptive behavior as measured by the Scales of Independent Behavior-Revised and caregiver stress level measured by Parent Stress Index questionnaire. Descriptive statistics will be utilized to describe the children and parents who participated in the program across a variety of domains (e.g., age, diagnosis, marital level, etc.). Inferential statistics will be used to determine if statistically significant differences exist between pre and post when compared to acquisition of targeted parenting skills.

Children with autism often require targeted intervention for development of functional language skills (Eigsti, Marchena, Schuh, & Kelley, 2011). Initial language training may focus on production of single word mands; however, it may be desirable to increase the mean length of utterance of those mands as the child progresses through treatment. Few published studies have examined treatment effects of interventions designed to increase mean length of utterance (MLU), and most have relied on single-case research design and small samples. The present study examines treatment outcomes of a behavior analytic intervention designed to increase the MLU of mands in a larger sample of language-delayed children (n=30) receiving ABA intervention. In order to quantify data across participants, the nonoverlap of all pairs (NAP) index (Parker & Vannest, 2009) was utilized to obtain an overall measure of intervention effectiveness (effect size). Our sample consisted predominantly of males (80%) ages 2 to 13 years (mean 5.4 years) who were diagnosed with autism (76.6%). Overall treatment effects were medium to large (average NAP=.89; average d=1.91). Using NAP, the majority of the sample (70%) demonstrated strong treatment effects. Results suggest that targeted intervention to increase MLU was effective for the majority of participants in our sample.

Stimulus-stimulus pairing (SSP) is an intervention designed to increase vocalizations. This procedure has been used specifically with children diagnosed with developmental disabilities; however, the single-subject research literature regarding efficacy of the procedure has produced mostly mixed results. This paper provides a current review of the SSP literature, summarizing 11 experiments published on the use of this procedure with children with severe language delays. The nonoverlap of all pairs (NAP) index (Parker & Vannest, 2009) was also used to examine treatment effectiveness of SSP with 35 participants in 8 of the studies reviewed. Results indicate that a variety of procedural variations were used across studies and participants varied in terms of age, gender, diagnosis, and level of functional language abilities. Overall treatment effects were small to medium (average NAP=.70; average d=.29). A closer examination revealed that 64% of participants with no functional language showed medium to strong NAP scores, whereas, 0% of participants with functional language showed a strong NAP score. Overall, results support the general finding that the results of the SSP procedure are mixed. However, results also indicate that the procedure may be more effective with some individuals suggesting the need for more research into profiles that will benefit.

In this symposium, two programs using the VB-MAPP (M. Sundberg, 2007-2008) will report outcome data across a large number of learners with autism. The VB-MAPP is an assessment tool based on Skinners functional analysis of verbal behavior, which assesses baseline skill levels across 170 critical verbal and related competencies (i.e., milestones), compares them to the learners typically developing peers, establishes and guides an individualized curriculum for each learner, and assesses each learners progress on the targeted skills. This comprehensive, data-based assessment, repeated at regular intervals with a large number of learners, provides a nominal measure of program efficacy. A large-scale public school initiative (PATTAN Autism Initiative) using the VB-MAPP to both establish individualized curricula and track learner progress, will present changes in performance for over 800 students across a single school year. In addition, the Behavior Analysis Center for Autism (BACA) will present outcome data for over 40 learners who have been assessed and tracked using the VB-MAPP while receiving intensive ABA/Verbal Behavior therapy.

Outcomes from over 800 public school students' VB-MAPP protocols, administered in fall 2012 and then re-administered in spring 2013, will be reviewed. The results were compiled in public school autism support programs. Over the course of the 2012-2013 school year, interventions including discrete trial instruction, mand training, and natural environment training were implemented as part of training and technical supports provided by the PATTAN Autism Initiative. Data on fidelity of implementation for trained interventions will be presented. The pre-post change scores will be discussed in relation to estimated initial milestone acquisition rate for students prior to the school year that was reviewed. The results suggest the utility of the VB-MAPP as a tool to both establish and guide individualized curricula for learners, and to assess the effectiveness of instruction in public school autism support programs. Further, pre-post scores for all the VB-MAPPs reviewed indicate progress and skill acquisition. Results will be discussed in relation to overall changes in VB-MAPP Milestone scores as well as student performance in various domains including mand, tact, intraverbal, and listener responding.

The Behavior Analysis Center for Autism (BACA) will present outcome data for over 40 learners who were assessed and tracked using the VB-MAPP. These assessments were conducted between 2009 and 2013 by BCBAs who supervised the intensive ABA/Verbal Behavior therapy at BACA. The VB-MAPP was administered to each learner upon intake, then re-administered every 6 or 12 months to track progress across a large number of verbal and related skill areas. Pre-post Milestones, language barriers, and transition scores will be discussed. The results indicate the utility of using the VB-MAPP as a curriculum guide and demonstrate the efficacy of intensive ABA/Verbal Behavior therapy for treating individuals with autism.

Gaze behavior (i.e., gaze shifting with eye contact; GS & EC) is a fundamental part of developing early social communication in young children. Gaze behavior is impaired in children with autism across both requesting and joint attention (JA) functions. These early impairments negatively impact social communication development. GS & EC has not been addressed across both requesting and JA functions and both responder and initiator roles. In two studies, we used multiple baseline probe across participants designs to examine the effectiveness of prompting and reinforcement to teach GS & EC in the context of a sample of requesting and JA situations to seven toddlers with autism. All participants demonstrated acquisition of GS & EC across requesting and JA with generalization to a repertoire of related social communication skills and interactions with children?s mothers and collateral changes in autistic symptomatology. Results suggest that GS & EC may be a pivotal skill and may need to be taught to toddlers with autism as soon as they enter the early intervention system.

Gaze behavior, including shifting gaze from an object to make eye contact with a social partner (GS & EC), is severely impaired in children with autism across social communication functions such as requesting and joint attention (JA). These early impairments negatively impact social communication development in autism. Children have been taught GS & EC to initiate JA, but GS & EC has not been consistently required during responding to JA bids or when requesting. In this study we used prompting and reinforcement to examine the effectiveness of teaching GS & EC in the context of responding to a request and initiating JA to four toddlers with autism, using a multiple baseline probe design across participants. Generalization to related social-communication skills was assessed as well as generalization across people and time and changes in autistic symptomatology. All participants showed acquisition of requesting and IJA with generalization to a repertoire of social communication skills and improvements in symptomatolgoy. Findings suggest that GS & EC may be a pivotal skill. Early intervention for toddlers with autism should emphasize teaching gaze behavior as early as children are diagnosed to maximize the benefits of early intervention.

Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders show significant impairment in their use of gaze shift with eye contact in the roles of responding and initiating in both requesting and joint attention functions of social-communication. Shifting gaze from a toy to make eye contact with a social partner (GS & EC) is an early form of social-communication seen in typically developing infants, but significantly impaired in young children with autism. A multiple baseline probe design across participants was used to investigate the effects of prompting, prompt fading, and reinforcement to teach a sample of roles/functions using gaze shift as a common response form. All three children (ages, 2-3 years) diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder showed acquisition of GS & EC. Two children showed generalization across roles and functions; all three children showed generalization of GS to interactions with their mothers in a semi-structured play situation. Gaze shift and eye contact may be a pivotal skill with far reaching impact on social-communication and characteristics of autism.

In this symposium, the efficacy of various interventions designed to increase consumption of non-preferred foods as well as promote self-feeding are examined with children with food selectivity. Studies included in this symposium evaluated antecedent-based interventions such as modeling, and different applications of escape extinction combined with differential reinforcement. Mechanisms responsible for behavior change and directions for future research are discussed. Further, contextual factors that may play a role in the differential effectiveness of antecedent interventions are examined.

Several studies have examined non-removal of the spoon (NRS) and 3-step prompting (3P) to increase non-preferred food consumption; however, there is limited research on how these methods increase or promote self-feeding of non-preferred foods. Self-feeding is an important aspect of feeding programs as it promotes independence. The purpose of the current study was to investigate and compare the effectiveness of two methods (i.e., NRS and 3P) used with differential reinforcement of alternative behavior to increase self-feeding of non-preferred foods and non-preferred food consumption or acceptance for children with food selectivity. In addition, side effects during each procedure (e.g., crying, spitting, etc.) were assessed. Due to the varied results from participants, results are still inconclusive as to which method is more effective at promoting self-feeding of non-preferred foods. Suggestions for future research are discussed.

Behavior analytic feeding researchers have found that escape extinction procedures are often a necessary component of effective behavior intervention plans. These procedures may involve a number of side effects, however, and are not practical in many settings (e.g., in home-based settings it is difficult to prevent a child from avoiding a bite). Moreover, extinction procedures are not always necessary. In fact, there now exist several strategies, considered antecedent in nature, which have been found to be effective in the absence of escape extinction. It is possible that an analysis of contextual factors, which are often underemphasized in behavior analytic research (especially that published in popular behavioral journals), participate in the differential success of antecedent strategies. This review examines recent research in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (2000-2012) that evaluates antecedent interventions. We found the intensity of the feeding problem and presence of feeding-related medical conditions were related to the differential success of antecedent interventions.

About 27% of students in secondary and post-secondary schools report being involved in some way with bullying (Craig et al., 2009) and about 16,000 children in the United States report missing school because of fear of being bullied (National Education Association, 2011). Children with special needs have an increased risk of being bullied (Banks et al., 2009). The prevalence of bullying has sparked a number of prevention and intervention strategies and programs. These strategies involve students, parents, and teachers working together to influence the behavior of bullies and victims. The main focus of this panel will be to discuss the use of empirically supported programs for bullying interventions and prevention. Programs that focus curriculum content on bullying appear to have little or no replicated protective impact, and may actually increase risk of being bullied. A better approach may involve altering context based on evolutionary theory and behavior analysis, which may have superior protective effects on multiple mental, emotional, and behavioral problems. The panel will suggest expanded use of Contextual Behavioral Science as a tool in intervention and prevention of bullying, with audience members able to contribute to the discussion of further testable solutions.

The manipulation of motivating operations can be an effective intervention component. In this symposium we present research regarding the application of motivating operations in assessment and treatment of individuals with developmental disabilities. The first paper investigates the use of mand training immediately prior to children being exposed to natural environments in which the reinforcer is visible, but not available. Results indicate that participants have lower levels of challenging behavior in the natural environment after mand training. The second paper investigates functional analysis results of behaviors that persist when motivating operations are not present (i.e., free access, no demands). Although this pattern is consistent with automatic reinforcement, in some individuals over-arousal may occur after a social function session that leads to behavior shifting to a pattern consistent with automatic reinforcement. Methods for detecting over-arousal are identified. The third paper evaluates the effects of systematically-identified durations of reinforcer access prior to intervention. Durations of reinforcer access were identified based on a percentage of the mean latency of satiation. Results indicate that this method can be utilized to identify a precise duration of reinforcer access to influence an evocative effect. Collectively, studies present innovative uses of the manipulation of motivating operations.

Manipulating motivating operations can be an effective antecedent strategy for reducing or avoiding challenging behavior for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study included two children with ASD in a home setting and two in a school setting who exhibited challenging behavior in order to access tangible items. To replicate and expand previous research in this area, the current study used a mand training procedure to satiate participants on tangible items. Mand training provided a more naturalistic and educational means of satiating participants. Functional analyses were conducted with all participants to verify behavioral function, and then participants went through 10 minutes of mand training prior to returning to natural instructional environments where tangible items were visible but not available. A multielement design was used to evaluate intervention effectiveness, and generalization probes were conducted for participants. Results showed that participants had lower levels of challenging behavior and higher levels of academic engagement following the mand training satiation intervention. The outcome of this study provides educators with an effective and applicable intervention to enhance student learning in various natural environments, and demonstrates that therapy and instruction can be arranged in order to prevent challenging behavior while teaching new skills.

Functional analyses represent the most sophisticated procedure for determining the function of challenging behavior. In conducting functional analyses, the rates of problem behavior from experimental conditions (e.g., attention, demand) are compared to a control condition in which the motivating operation (MO) is absent. In the event of socially-mediated problem behavior, target behavior presumably occurs more frequently when the MO is present (while access restricted, when demands presented) and less frequently when the MO is absent (free access, no demands). In some cases, problem behavior may occur while the MO is absent. This pattern is generally consistent with automatic reinforcement. However, there are some patterns of responding during the MO absent phase that may suggest alternative explanations. One such explanation is over-arousal. Over-arousal can be described as when problem behavior has a social function in the initial phase of a session (problem behavior occurs primarily when the MO is present), but shifts to a pattern consistent with automatic reinforcement after a period of sustained arousal (occurring MO present and MO absent). In current investigation, we used within session analyses to detect over-arousal patterns and used the findings to inform treatment strategies (the type of attention provided).

A critical factor in determining the educational outcome for students with disabilities is the use of effective educational practices. Central to effective teaching is tailoring instruction to meet the unique needs of each student. Educators of individuals with disabilities are often faced with the challenges of reducing behaviors that compete with academic engagement, identifying reinforcers sufficiently potent to maintain responding on academic targets, and selecting effective prompting strategies. The current symposium presents recent research in each of these areas. The first study presents a protocol for identifying stimuli that function as reinforcers without promoting stereotypic/repetitive behavior. The second study examines the interactive effects of preference and response effort and discusses the implications of such interactions when choosing reinforcers for behavioral programming. The third study operationalizes graduated guidance as a prompting procedure, determines student-specific delays to prompt, and compares graduated guidance to most-to-least prompting with a delay. Each presentation will include a discussion of the implications of the findings to effective programming for students with disabilities.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have unique core characteristics that require specialized and individualized intervention approaches. Stereotypic/repetitive(S/R) behavior is one of the core features of ASD. During a preference assessment, children with ASD who show this behavior are likely to select the items with which they can engage in their S/R behavior. The identified highly preferred items are usually provided as reinforcers during behavioral interventions. Considering that a reduction of S/R behavior is a frequent aim of behavioral interventions, it is contradictory when the given reinforcers during the intervention unintentionally encourage it. Therefore the reinforcers used for this population need to be cautiously selected by considering their unique behavioral characteristics. In order to find alternative efficient reinforcers, this study compared the effects of three different types of stimuli in terms of reinforcing value and occurrence of S/R behavior: a) a tangible that is associated with high engagement and suppresses stereotyped behavior; b) a tangible that is associated with high engagement but does not suppress stereotyped behavior; and c) a form of social interaction. The participants were three children, aged 4 to 7 years old, with ASD. The three stimuli were identified through a competing stimulus assessment and then evaluated for their reinforcing power via a reinforcer assessment. The results will be discussed with respect to identifying efficient reinforcers that match the unique behavioral characteristic of ASD. Considerations when making reinforcement decisions for this population will also be discussed.

Preference assessments are frequently used to identify stimuli which will later be used as reinforcers during behavioral programming. However, the identified stimuli do not always function as reinforcers for academic responses when presented contingently. This lack of reinforcing efficacy may be the case if the effort required to complete a particular task is greater than the reinforcing value of the preferred stimulus. Reinforcer assessments that utilize progressive ratio schedules are uniquely designed to assess such interactions. The purpose of the current study was to examine the interactive effects of item preference and response effort on task completion by children with developmental disabilities. Progressive ratio schedules were used to determine whether stimuli identified in a structured preference assessment would maintain responding across three tasks of varying response effort and to identify the break point for each item. High preferred, moderately preferred, and low preferred items were assessed. Results and the implications for designing effective behavioral programs will be discussed.

Other than research on behavior's basic principles, the analysis of child behavior is the longest sustained program of research in behavior analysis. It includes replications of the basic principles (e.g., reinforcement), analyses of behavior of societal importance (e.g., cooperation), applications to behavior of individual importance (e.g., temper tantrums), and extensions of these applications to parent training (e.g., child socialization). This program's brief history, however, has a long past that includes the histories of behavior analysis (e.g., childrearing practices in Skinner's Walden Two, Bijou's Institute of Child Development, Bijou and Baer's theory of child development), behaviorism (e.g., Watson's classical behaviorism), psychology (e.g., child and developmental psychology), and childrearing and child welfare in America (e.g., Child Welfare Stations). A common connection among these histories is Watson and Watson's 1928 book of childrearing advice, The Psychological Care of Infant and Child. Now more infamous than famous (e.g., "pathological," "punitive") the book is, in part, Watson’s legacy to research, application, and theory in the behavior analysis of development. As such, its fame and infamy bear close examination. In this presentation, Dr. Bigelow will describe Watson’s childrearing advice in the context of the culture, the childrearing, and the advice of his day--and our day; address the criticisms of it in those contexts--and at present; consider the nature and existence of “behavioristic” childrearing advice--then and now; and comment on the legacy of Watson’s advice for the behavior analysis of development today.

Graduate students, practitioners, research scientists, and educators.

This symposium will highlight emerging evidence for the functional assessment and treatment of disordered gambling. Presenters will discuss evidence for using the Gambling Functional Assessment Revised with disordered gamblers, applying experimental functional analytic methodology for identifying maintaining variables in gambling treatment, and outcomes of an eight-week treatment model of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for gambling. Data will be presented on how to properly assess function of gambling play, both with paper pencil assessments and with experimental analyses. Further, process and outcome data gathered during behavioral therapy for gambling will also be presented.

The Gambling Functional Assessment-Revised (GFA-R) was designed to determine the extent to which the respondent's gambling behavior is maintained by positive reinforcement or escape. Research to date indicates it performs well in university- and general-population samples. The present studies tested the GFA-R in a sample of problem/disordered gamblers and in a sample of treatment-seeking disordered gamblers. Data from 105 probable problem/disordered gamblers were subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis, which indicated that a 15-item GFA-R described well the data from these participants. Other psychometric properties of the GFA-R were very good to excellent. The GFA-R was then completed by individuals who were receiving treatment for disordered gambling. For this group, endorsing gambling as an escape, but not for positive reinforcement, was a significant predictor of the number of symptoms of the disorder the individuals displayed as well as their scores on the South Oaks Gambling Screen. These results replicate those from previous research using non-treatment-seeking participants. Overall, the results from these studies indicate that the GFA-R is a valid measure for use with disordered gamblers and that the contingency of escape is closely linked to disordered gambling.

Given the high rates of gambling in the United States and the growing population of disordered gamblers, there is a need for effective assessment that informs intervention or treatment for eliminating or reducing disordered gambling. Simulation and experimental functional analysis (FA) assessments have been incredibly successful in various areas of psychology. An experimental FA of gambling behavior was developed for initial testing. A laboratory simulation was used so that gambling behavior could be directly observed under a variety of possible controlling variables. Contextual factors of a gambling environment (sounds, other players, etc.) were simulated with equipment and confederates. Additionally, alternatives to the gambling environment (e.g. non-gambling games, work tasks, etc.) were available in the FA, which was adapted from items in versions of the Gambling Functional Assessment (GFA).

While a multitude of behavioral treatments are available for disordered gambling, empirical support is increasing for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The current presentation will put forth case study evidence that support ACT as an empirically based treatment option. Treatment involved 8 one-on-one sessions, each session ranging from 60-90 minutes. Sessions were constructed around the ACT model, consisting of six interdependent processes: acceptance, defusion, contact with present moment, self as context, values, and committed action. Client goals included gambling responsibly and completely abstaining. Data were collected throughout treatment involving individuals who scored a 5 or above on the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), indicating a high proclivity to gamble. Direct and indirect measures were taken before, during, and after the completion of ACT sessions. Direct behavioral measures include risk, persistence and magnitude of gambling behaviors on an actual slot machine. Indirect measures include psychometrics, a thought diary, and near-miss ratings. Results show changes in gambling behaviors throughout treatment, including an improvement in psychometric scores, and self-reports of having more control over gambling behavior. These results add empirical support of ACTs effectiveness on decreasing gambling behaviors across pathological gamblers.

"Choice" can be viewed in at least a couple of different ways in school settings. First, it can be viewed as a discrete skill children must display when faced with a choice opportunity. For example, a teacher may say "Do you want chocolate or white milk with your lunch?" To make a choice in this context, the child must display a specific response to indicate his or her choice. Second, it can be viewed as a free operant, in which a discrete "choice" response is not displayed. Rather, in this situation, allocation of behavior is examined. For example, when a teacher asks a question, a child could either shout the answer out or raise his/her hand. This second situation is often misunderstood as a "choice" context. This tutorial will discuss the concept of "choice" in school settings, how choice responding is taught and managed, and the role choice can play in effective behavior management.

Throughout history and more recently, countless people have changed the world in significant ways. They forged new paths and demonstrated a remarkable ability to inspire others to follow. Margaret Mead suggested: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Was she right that the actions of not one but a few individuals under special motivating circumstances are what account for profound change? Or is it the case that leaders possess incomparable and unique repertoires that enable them to affect change single-handedly? Are there common traits and systems-based strategies that effective leaders use to bring about change? As behavior analysts, we must reflect on these questions and wonder if our scientific approach can account for the change.

Psychologists, behavior analysts, graduate students, and anyone interested in leadership and the science of behavior change.

Many well-respected authors, researchers, and practitioners recommend behavior analytic -based interventions for adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Very little empirical guidance, however, is available to practitioners working with adults. In this symposium, two presentations highlight promising procedures for applying evidence-based strategies to adults in community-based settings. Presentation 1 focuses on the role of technology in the training and support of individuals living and working in the community. The use of technology to teach is playing an ever-increasing role, yet a review of the literature reveals few research studies validating the causal relationship between the use of technology and increased independent functioning. Data will be presented on several cases of systematically applying technology to different individuals learning various skills in a number of community settings, and demonstrating a causal relationship between the use of technology and increased independent function. In presentation two, Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Support Plans were developed for individuals with problem behavior in community supported employment settings. Preliminary results suggest that assessments can be adapted to adult populations using Acceptance and Commitment Training and commercially available technologies. This symposium promotes examples of effective strategies that have been used with adults to increase community participation, and will serve as good models for other providers to expand in similar ways.

It is well established that instruction in natural settings promotes independent ability and generalization. Community-based training provides excellent opportunities to train functional life skills in the settings in which they will be used, such as grocery stores, exercise facilities, and vocational sites. Preliminary results demonstrate that community instruction paired with the use of readily available technology (iPhone, IPad, Android Device; Bluetooth) as a tool for instruction can increase skill acquisition and independent function. A literature review of the use of technology for individuals with autism show that although such devices and applications are used widely, there have been few research studies published showing a causal relationship between the use of technology and the acquisition of functional skills. In this presentation, several young people with autism were taught to use a variety of technology devices and apps, to increase independence in several community environments. Results show that the use of technology can result in establishing life skills that increases independence among this population. Future research questions related to technology and instruction will be proposed.

As university courses become increasingly accessible via online technology, there is a growing obligation to train behavior analysts where they live and work--sometimes at a distance from the convenience of university lab programs and well-established behavior analysts. This panel will present "what works" in supervision of pre-professional behavior analysts using technology-aided distance or remote supervision. The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) has set forth standards for supervision, but pragmatic questions remain as to how universities can provide quality supervision experiences, especially for non-traditional students. Panelists convened in this presentation have all supervised and developed programs for pre-professional behavior analysts in either university programs or through privately contracted services. Panelists will be asked to discuss (a) their programs in terms of pre-requisites, BACB requirements, site placements, and the management of supervisee/supervisor hours, (b) curricula and the supervisor's instructional method for teaching behavior analytic skill competencies, (c) data collected on supervision and/or program evaluations, (d) technology that works well and what needs improvement, and (e) future directions and plans for supervising pre-professional behavior analysts. University contact faculty, supervisors, and agencies that provide supervision should all consider attending this important and timely panel. Christine Ratcliff (BACB) will co-chair.

Despite more than 60 years of published information clearly showing that null-hypothesis significance tests (NHSTs) and the p values associated with them provide essentially no information about the reliability (i.e., probability of replication) of research outcomes, they remain at the core of editorial decision-making in the behavioral sciences, including psychology, with statistical significance serving as the major gateway to publication of research results. Two reasons appear to contribute to the continuing practice. One, information available suggests that a majority of psychological researchers incorrectly believe that p values do provide information about the reliability of research results. Two, among the minority thatare aware that p values do no such thing, a position sometimes taken is that even though p values do not provide the information many think they do, using them to make decisions about whether to believe in research results is and has been essentially benign. This paper addresses both reasons. Because the first has been pointed out many times, it is briefly covered, because of the apparent persistence of the misunderstanding. The second, that NHSTs have no significant negative effects on behavioral sciences, is the focus of the major portion of the paper, which describes seven “side-effects” of NHSTs that continue to retard effective development of psychological science. The paper makes an appeal to journal reviewers and editors to de-emphasize or eliminate the role of NHSTs, and it closes by offering a few suggestions about alternatives that could be considered and with a challenge to psychological researchers to develop new methods that more fully assess the reliability and generality of research findings.

Anyone interested in data-analysis techniques.

Automatic reinforcement is a controversial topic. Skinner (1957) described automatic contingencies in Verbal Behavior as an important concept relative to complex human behavior. However, empirical evidence relative to the existence of automatically reinforced behavior is scant. Vaughan and Michael (1982) described automatic reinforcement as referring to three types of functional relations and practitioners have operated on the assumption that automatic reinforcement, as in producing sensory consequences, provides a helpful context for crafting more effective intervention. However, problem behavior that is automatically reinforced is thought to be persistent and challenging to alter across the lifespan. This presentation will explore whether automatic reinforcement actually provides a useful account of behavior that clearly offers pragmatic value to behavior analysis and its successful application. Whether behavior, referred to as automatically reinforced, is operant, respondent, or adjunctive in nature also will be discussed.

Anyone interested in autism and behavior analysis.

Over 50 years of research supports the view that drug taking is operant behavior, and that behavior analytic principles and procedures can be therapeutically applied to the problem of drug abuse. The core of the "contingency management" approach to reinforcing drug abstinence is to deliver material goods or services contingent upon biologically verifiable evidence of drug abstinence. Such interventions are especially notable in that (1) they now stand out as the most effective psychosocial approach to drug abuse treatment; and (2) no other application of behavior analysis has been so thoroughly tested in randomized controlled trials, the gold standard for medical research. This symposium will cover previous and ongoing research related to the contingency management, and is intended to be highly accessible for the uninitiated, as well as informative and enjoyable for those with experience in the area. The first presentation will include reviews of early studies of drug self-administration and randomized controlled trials of the contingency management approach to drug abuse treatment. The second presentation will describe current efforts to disseminate contingency management and expand the targets of the interventions broadly throughout behavioral medicine. Our esteemed discussant will then offer his thoughts on the history and future of contingency management.

The idea that individuals struggling with drug abuse could be successfully treated by paying them when they abstain from drug use seems farfetched, at least to some people. But this unique approach is based on decades of research demonstrating unequivocally that drug use is sensitive to its consequences. This presentation will begin with a review of laboratory precursors to contingency management, including dramatic studies that demonstrate the lethality of drugs of abuse, the cross-species generality of addiction to many drugs, and the amazing power of money in shifting choices away from drug use. We will then turn to randomized controlled trials (RCT) of contingency management that have demonstrated the efficacy of this approach in drug abuse treatment. Although foreign to most behavior analysts, the use of RCTs has been critical to the success of contingency management in gaining support in the academic medical community and in national agencies in the US and abroad. This presentation will feature a guided tour of RCTs that have been conducted over the last 30 years showing that contingency management can be effective in addressing a variety of drug abuse problems, with an emphasis on a contingency management intervention called the Therapeutic Workplace.

On the heels of the successes of contingency management interventions in randomized controlled trials, substantial efforts have been made to disseminate contingency management interventions. Some dissemination efforts have relied on promoting the use of contingency management via the existing treatment infrastructure, especially outpatient drug abuse treatment clinics. Prize-contingency management, for example, is being instituted in VA clinics nationwide. Other efforts have focused on the development of technologies that allow for electronic distribution of contingency management interventions. Benefits and challenges of these methods will be discussed. In addition to the dissemination of contingency management as a drug abuse treatment, contingency management researchers have increasingly turned their attention to new behavioral targets in an effort to explore the broad utility of the contingency management approach in preventive medicine. A guided tour of these expansion efforts will be presented, with special focus on the target of exercise. In summary, this presentation will highlight efforts to disseminate contingency management as a drug abuse treatment and as a smoking cessation treatment, and illustrate how the same kinds of methods used to treat drug abuse can be applied to other preventive medicine targets, including diet and exercise, self-monitoring in diabetes, vaccination, and medication adherence.

Functional Analysis(FA) of problem behavior (Iwata et al., 1982/1994) is an effective means of determining the maintaining variables of problem behavior (e.g., Beavers, Iwata, & Lerman, 2013) and is an essential part of effective clinical treatment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (Hagopian, Dozier, Rooker, & Jones, 2013). Although FAs are often effective at determining the function of problem behavior, two current directions of FA research involve making FA results more accurate and making FAs more efficient. The papers in this symposium address this research by: 1) comparing FAs where consequences are placed on a single response or on multiple responses, 2) developing procedures to assess whether some individuals escape to other events rather than escape from demands in the FA demand condition, and 3) evaluation brief FA procedures. Taken together, these data suggest that small modifications to the FA procedures may make this procedure more accurate and efficient. Interobserver agreement is sufficient and data collection is complete for all three studies.

Functional analysis of problem behavior (FA; Iwata et al., 1982/1994) is an effective means to determine the maintaining variables of problem behavior for individuals with intellectual disabilities (IDD). When individuals engage in multiple topographies of problem behavior, conducting an FA by programming consequences for all topographies of problem behaviors in each test condition may sometimes be an appropriate practice for identifying the function of these responses (Derby et al., 1994). However, in some cases, providing programmed consequences for all topographies of behavior that occur in an FA test condition may inadvertently mask the function of some responses (Asmus et al., 2003). In the current study, the outcome of two concurrent FAs (with consequences on single and multiple topographies of problem behavior) were compared to determine the extent to which conducting an FA where multiple topographies of problem behavior receive consequences obscured FA outcomes and delayed identification of function for three individuals with IDD. Results for some problem behaviors indicated that multiple topography FAs may obscure FA outcomes and that single topography FAs may be better able to determine a function when undifferentiated outcomes are obtained. Reliability data were collected in at least 25% of sessions and averaged 98.1% across participants.

For 3 participants, an initial functional analysis indicated that problem behavior was maintained by escape from demands. During the escape interval, participants were frequently engaged in alternative activities (i.e., flopping, stereotypy, or climbing on furniture), suggesting that their problem behavior may have been maintained by positive reinforcement (i.e., access to these alternative behaviors) instead of or in addition to negative reinforcement (i.e., escape from demands). To examine this possibility, we conducted an additional functional analysis that included 3 modified conditions: continuous access to the alternative response with no demands, continuous access to the alternative response combined with continuous demands, and continuous interruption of the alternative response combined with continuous demands. For all participants, high levels of problem behavior occurred when continuous access to the alternative response was combined with continuous demands, and one of these participants also showed higher levels during the continuous interruption of the alternative response combined with continuous demands condition. These data suggest that problem behavior maintained by escape may also be maintained by positive reinforcement in the form of access to alternative behavior that is freely available during the escape interval. Reliability data were collected for 25% of sessions and averaged 97% across participants.

Although functional analyses are considered best practice for identifying the function of problem behavior, clinicians have expressed concern regarding the time commitment required to complete them. The purpose of the current study was to extend previous work on brief functional analyses by assessing the utility of a functional analysis format that incorporates brief sessions, repeated measures, and a 25 min function-based treatment assessment. Five students with an autism spectrum disorder who exhibited problem behavior participated. Brief functional analysis and treatment sessions were only 5 min in duration, and no more than three sessions of each functional analysis condition were conducted. A multielement design was used to demonstrate experimental control during the functional analysis and treatment assessment. An abbreviated function-based treatment (i.e., differential reinforcement of alternative behavior), based on the maintaining variable identified by the brief functional analysis, was evaluated. For 3 of the 5 participants, a maintaining variable was identified in 75 minutes and a treatment was evaluated in 25 minutes. For 2 participants, an extended functional analysis was required to identify the maintaining variable for problem behavior. Reliability was calculated for 47% of sessions and averaged 96.4%

This symposium will be comprised of data-based presentations that describe innovative research on maximizing effects of reinforcement and maintenance procedures. In the first study, the authors evaluated the effectiveness of Automatically Accessed Reinforcement Training (AART) with two males with autism. Findings indicated that the AART was effective both both participants, and was superior to Socially Mediated Reinforcement Training (SMRT) for one participant. The second study compared response patterns during FR token schedules and FR tandem schedules, as well as during FR token schedules and VR token schedules under ratio requirements common to clinical application. The third presentation is a data-based quantitative literature review of maintenance procedures in studies published in the Journal of Applied behavior Analysis from 2002 through 2011. Articles were coded for participant characteristics, setting characteristics, use of strategies to program for maintenance, the presence maintenance assessments, and the conditions under which maintenance data were collected. Results indicated that while certain techniques are common in the literature, few consistencies exist.

Only a handful of procedural variations have been suggested for individuals who fail to acquire matching-to-sample (MTS). In typical MTS procedures a preferred item is delivered by an instructor contingent upon a correct response (i.e., Socially Mediated Reinforcement Training; SMRT). Automatically Accessed Reinforcement Training (AART) is an alternative matching to sample procedure in which, an item is hidden beneath the correct comparison stimulus. Thus, a correct matching response directly produces access to the reinforcing item. Two males diagnosed with autism participated. The AART was evaluated with one participant who previously failed to acquire identity matching via SMRT. Both SMRT and AART were then compared with one additional participant. The results show that both participants acquired matching to sample via the AART. Results for the second participant suggest that the AART was superior for teaching matching to sample. These data suggest that the AART may be a useful alternative procedure for children lacking matching skills.

Token schedules of reinforcement are ubiquitous in clinical settings, yet little research has thoroughly evaluated the effects of clinically common token schedule values on responding. Basic research has shown that FR chained schedules produce lower response rates and longer pre-ratio pauses than FR tandem schedules. Basic research has also shown FR token schedules produce overall lower response rates and longer pre-ratio pauses than VR token schedules. These findings, however, have been most apparent at relatively high ratio requirements. The purpose of the current study is to compare response patterns during FR token schedules and FR tandem schedules, as well as during FR token schedules and VR token schedules under ratio requirements common to clinical application.

Knowledge translation is the process of transferring evidence-based knowledge from researchers to direct-service providers with the purpose of improving the quality of services. However, training a large number of direct-service providers in an efficient and effective manner can present a challenge. Self-instructional manuals have been demonstrated to be effective in training individuals to conduct discrete-trials teaching (DTT), and to administer preference assessments (PA) and the Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities (ABLA), a tool that measures the learning ability of individuals with autism and developmental disabilities. Another approach to facilitate knowledge translation is the use of Computer-Aided Personalized System of Instruction (CAPSI), an online tool for delivering instructional material and tests. We will present two single-subject design studies and one between-group design study that demonstrate the effectiveness of self-instructional manuals and CAPSI for teaching university students and direct-service providers to conduct DTT, PA, and the ABLA. The overall results suggest that a combination of self-instructional manuals and CAPSI may provide the most effective approach for knowledge translation to direct-service providers.

Preference assessments are an evidence-based procedures used to identify potential reinforcers for persons with developmental disabilities. A recent study by Ramon et al. (2012) found that a self-instructional manual was more effective than a method description extracted from published articles for teaching university students to conduct multiple-stimulus without replacement preference assessments for persons with developmental disabilities. The present study extended this research by (a) adapting the self- instructional manual from Ramon et al. for online delivery, (b) adding video modeling as a teaching component, and (c) delivering the training package using a modified computer-aided personalized system of instruction (CAPSI, Pear and Kinsner, 1988). The training package was evaluated using a multiple-baseline design across three university students, replicated across three more students; and a multiple-baseline design across a pair of staff members, replicated a across a second pair. During the baseline phase, participants studied a two-page written description of the assessment procedure adapted from published studies. During the self- instructional manual phase, participants completed all of the following online: studied the self- instructional manual presented in eight units, viewed video demonstrations of the procedure, and completed review exercises scored by the computer program to demonstrate mastery of each study unit. Performance accuracy of each participant was scored using a standard behaviour checklist during a simulated preference assessment conducted following each phase. Clear and immediate improvement in performance accuracy was observed in all participants immediately following the self-instructional training package. Overall, students improved from a mean of 35% correct in baseline to a mean of 94% correct following CAPSI and staff improved from a mean of 23% correct in baseline to a mean of 87% correct following CAPSI. During retention and generalization assessments, five of the six students and one of the four staff members performed at or above 85% correct (the mastery criterion). The findings showed that online delivery of the self-instructional manual plus video modeling has tremendous potential for providing an effective method for teaching a preference assessment procedure without face-to-face instruction.

We evaluated the effects of two training methods on teaching 12 university students the Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities (ABLA; an instrument measures an individual's ability to learn some basic behavioural functions). The two methods involved the students (a) studying the ABLA using a self-instructional manual (SIM) and (b) working on the manual combined with passing unit assignments delivered through a computer-aided personalized system of instruction (CAPSI) program. A multiple baseline design across the two training methods was used to monitor the students' performance. Eleven students who received CAPSI training, as opposed to only three students who received SIM training, scored = 85% of accuracy on declarative knowledge. Watching demonstration videos about the ABLA after the SIM and CAPSI training maximized procedural knowledge for 10 students. The present study is one of the first to compare training effects of two methods on teaching a behavioral assessment. The practical implications of training procedures were discussed.

Knowledge translation (KT) is the process of transferring evidence-based knowledge from researchers to service providers in various fields of healthcare, including psychology, with the purpose of improving health services. However, training a large number of service providers in an efficient and effective manner can present a challenge. Computer-Aided Personalized System of Instruction (CAPSI) is a web-based approach for delivering instructional material, and may be effective in facilitating KT for service providers. Using single-case AB designs nested within a between-group design, we compared the effectiveness of two approaches to KT for teaching university students to conduct an applied behavior analysis technique called discrete-trials teaching (DTT): (a) CAPSI plus a self-instructional manual; versus (b) only a self-instructional manual. The experiment involved: (a) a pre-test to measure participants’ written knowledge of DTT and accuracy conducting DTT; (b) DTT training delivered through one of the above approaches that was supervised by an experimenter; and (c) a post-test to re-measure participants’ DTT knowledge and application accuracy. The preliminary results indicate that CAPSI plus a self-instructional manual and a self-instructional manual alone are both effective approaches for training individuals to accurately conduct DTT. Descriptive statistics from the CAPSI program, such as the percentage correct of lower-order and higher-order thinking level questions on unit tests, will also be examined. The implications of using each approach for facilitating KT will be discussed.

The field of behavior analysis and related disciplines offer much to promote behavioral solutions to socially significant practices. How our discipline is led and becomes more influential is a challenge we can apply our science toward. By drawing upon their pioneering work in behavior science, panelists will provide comments regarding this theme of the Seminar on Leadership and Cultural Change. The seminar is designed tohelp educational leaders to create new models of stewardship and open opportunities for innovation while adjusting to growing social upheaval, technological advances, and environmental concerns, as well as crises in the global economy, health, education, and environment. It will address how behavior analysis finds common ground with other sciences by investigating the behavior of leaders who influence organizations and society.

Psychologists, behavior analysts, graduate students, and anyone interested in the future of behavior analysis.

The term "evidence-based practice" now appears in the professional literature of every discipline that attempts to change human behavior in some dimension (e.g., health, social, communication, etc.). In recent years, behavior analysts have begun discussing the role of evidence-based practice within our field. Differing views about the definition of "evidence-based practice of ABA" have been raised as well as the question of how the evidence-based practice of ABA should influence practitioners. This presentation invites leading scholars within ABA to define evidence-based practice and to discuss the implications of their definition on the practice of behavior analysis. By answering questions like "What is a practice?" "What constitutes evidence?" and "How should the evidence-based practice of ABA influence practitioners' decision-making in their daily work?", Tim Slocum and Tristram Smith will demonstrate that the answers are essential to our field but more murky than they appear on face value. In addition, they will identify the role researchers must play if an evidence-based practice of ABA is to be realized in a meaningful way. They conclude by providing recommendations about how we should proceed as practitioners, researchers, and as a field if we expect to fully adopt the evidence-based practice of ABA.

The primary target audience is practitioners who are required to make decisions regarding evidence-based practice as a part of their daily work. A secondary audience is researchers who conduct research and/or submit for federal funding in this area.

Dr. Slocum will suggest that evidence-based practice of behavior analysis (EBP-BA) be defined as a decision-making process that integrates (A) the best available evidence with (B) clinical expertise and (C) client values and context. This definition corresponds with definitions of EBP in other professions including medicine and psychology, supports the foundational principles of applied behavior analysis, and provides a framework that can be applied to virtually all of one's professional practice as a behavior analyst. In this definition, behavior analysts' practices are understood to encompass all of their professional behavior. It states that behavior analytic practice should be based on the best available evidence. The quality, volume, and relevance of evidence varies greatly across the decisions that behavior analysts make--what is constant is that behavior analysts should seek out and use the best of what is available. This approach to EBP-BA suggests that ABA researchers (A) advance best available evidence through primary intervention research, (B) investigate how clinical expertise, client values, and context can be most effectively integrated into professional decision making, and (C) develop ways to make the best available evidence functionally accessible to practitioners.

Although behavior analysts often say we engage in evidence-based practice, we express differing, sometimes contradictory views on what constitutes "evidence" and "practice." In order to provide useful guidance to consumers, providers, third-party payers, and researchers, we need to be clear on what is or is not a practice and what is or is not suitable evidence. This talk will critique applied behavior analytic interventions that behavior analysts have identified as evidence-based practices. It argues that establishing such practices involves more than analyzing the effects of discrete intervention procedures on behavior; it requires synthesizing findings into a package that is demonstrably usable by independent providers and useful to consumers. Recognizing the need for synthesis offers behavior analysts many promising opportunities to build on our existing research in order to increase the quality and quantity of evidence-based practices.

This talk will present a brief history of the Applied Behavior Analysis Program at the National Changhua University of Education (NCUE) in Taiwan. Taiwan has actively promoted applied behavior analysis and its application for more than 10 years. The graduate program, which offers board certification in behavior analysis, has been approved by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board since 2006. In 2011, a clinical center, which was based on behavior analytic principles, was established. Teachers who are trained in this center have contributed greatly to raising the awareness and profile of applied behavior analysis in academic circles in Taiwan. The students and professors at NCUE have contributed research findings in a number of important areas including verbal behavior, pretend play, joint attention, self-management skills, perspective-taking, and emotional skills training. Staff and students at the clinical center have developed training protocols and comprehensive assessment tools to assist them with the provision of evidence-based instruction for children with autism. Special education and rehabilitation teachers have the opportunity to access in-service training and practicum opportunities through the clinical center. Research findings suggest that these opportunities have had a favorable impact on the education system in Taiwan. Future development plans and proposed research also will be discussed as a part of this talk.

The use of Verbal Behavior (VB) to teach children with autism and related disorders is currently being used, at least in part, in a large percentage of ABA programs for children with autism (Kates-McElrath & Axelrod, 2006; Love, et.al, 2009). While there is research supporting many of the components of VB programming, there are a number of procedural variations among VB programs and not one VB package. Without standardized staff training on VB terms, procedures, and without validating VB packages, comparing VB with other types of ABA and non-ABA treatments will continue to be an impossible task. In this symposium, data from two different VB packages will be highlighted to support the use of Verbal Behavior in ABA intervention programs. The role of VB in ABA programming is an extremely important topic to study since ABA programs which are based on Skinners classifications of verbal behavior and focus on pairing procedures may have curricular advantages.

The ABA/VB Autism Intervention Institute Knospe-ABA GmbH (based in Germany), which serves over 350 children throughout Europe, prioritizes the research and procedural recommendations of Verbal Behavior. Robert Schramm, Knospe-ABA's lead supervising Behavior Analyst has developed an approach to earning instructional control that encapsulates ABA/VB and brings motivated learning to its fullest potential. Over 95% of the providers using these techniques have been able to demonstrate greatly improved instructional control with their learners. The 7 Steps to Earning Instructional control are based on sound behavioral principles and practice. This approach to instructional control does not rely on basic escape extinction techniques such as escape blocking, forced physical prompting or repeating SD's. In addition to offering a more simple way to develop instructional control with most learners, it also is easy to teach to adults and therefore valuable in reproduction with less trained caregivers and therapists. Preliminary data will be presented to demonstrate that instructional control can be earned with the 7 Steps. Additionally, an integrity checklist for training on the 7 steps, which has demonstrated the benefits of training providers on this technique in order to decrease non-compliance of learners with autism, will be presented.

This symposium includes talks addressing variables that affect response hierarchies and verbal behavior. The variables analyzed include: a) comparing the use of a conditional- versus simple-discrimination task in assessing intraverbal control, b) evaluating the effects of an alternative response on the resurgence of terminal members of a response-class hierarchy, and c) manipulating reinforcement schedules, discriminative stimuli, and motivating operations in producing mands in multioperant environments.

Intraverbal control plays an important role in the study of complex verbal behavior (Skinner, 1957). Palmer and Katz (2005) used a lexical-decision task, which requires participants to press a specific button depending on whether two English words were related or unrelated, in their assessment, and response latency between the related and unrelated pairs of words served as a measure of intraverbal control. A potential limitation of this task is that it confounds the assessment of intraverbal control by including a conditional discrimination, which may contribute to the variability observed within and across participants. We evaluated (n = 15) and compared (n = 15) a textual-response task (simple discrimination) to a lexical-decision task (conditional discrimination) with adults of typical development. Shorter response latencies were observed with related English words compared to unrelated English words with a textual-response task, supporting a systematic replication of the results obtained by Palmer and Katz with a lexical-decision task. Within-subject comparison results show that the use of a textual-response task resulted in reduced differences in response latencies between the types of word pairs in comparison to a lexical-decision task. Future research should focus on identifying the boundary conditions for measuring intraverbal control using both tasks.

In the assessment and treatment of response-class hierarchies of problem behavior, researchers have found that directly altering one member of the hierarchy can indirectly affect other members. One of the most problematic forms of these indirect effects is resurgence of previously extinguished, more severe, members when initial, less-severe members contact extinction. Shabani, Carr, and Petursdottir (2009) described a method for developing an arbitrary response-class hierarchy, which provides a method for evaluating parameters of resurgence without requiring researchers to evoke severe problem behavior. Three typically-developing children participated in the study. In Experiment 1, Shabani et al.s method was replicated and extended. In Experiment 2, an alternative response was taught in isolation and then placed under extinction in the presence of the button hierarchy. When the alternative response was present but under extinction, there was no significant delay to resurgence as compared to when the card was absent and the first member of the hierarchy was under extinction. However, when the alternative response was first reinforced in the presence of the hierarchy and then placed on extinction, there was a delay to resurgence of terminal members of the hierarchy, which may have significant treatment implications.

Individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) emit repetitive and restricted responding. Limited research on treatment of repetitive or restricted manding exists. Across 4 experiments and for 8 individuals diagnosed with an ASD or Multiplex Developmental Disorder, we evaluated the effects of procedures designed to increase the rate of targeted mands in a multioperant environment. In Experiments 1 through 3, relative reinforcement schedules, discriminative stimuli, and motivating operations were manipulated. In Experiment 4, we combined multiple manipulations to produce targeted manding. Interobserver agreement data were collected across more than 30% of sessions with an average agreement score of greater than 90%. All manipulations were effective in increasing target mands for at least one participant and effects were reliable within participants. Results were idiosyncratic across participants.

Part II: As a continuation of last year's symposium on Spotting and Stopping Shooters, the presenters have extended their work in this area. More is known about parental behaviors and cultural influences that can be correlates of the shooter behaviors. Two factors stand out in trying to perform an analysis of the shooter's; behaviors. One focus continues to be the impact of parents on their child. It appears there are new, finer points that have been found regarding the parent's behavior toward the child that becomes the shooter. It is also clear that many cultural factors (such as school atmosphere, teachers, other students, and the information learned about guns and their availability) tilt a child to become a shooter. Dr. Joe Wyatt will present a cultural analysis, Dr. Donald Pumroy will discuss the type of research that should or must be done, Dr. Roger McIntire will discuss child rearing practices used by parents of shooters, and Dr. Judy Blumenthal will discuss antecedents to shooter behavior.

This paper has three parts. The first part is concerned with the question Why does a person behave as he/she does? The general public is quite concerned about this problem, psychologists less so at least the way it appears. There are several different explanations for the why. Many have suggested genes, DNA, brain chemistry and/or damage. My position is that many of the behaviors a person shows are the result of learning. How such learning takes place will be discussed in general. And lastly the application of learning will be applied to the behavior of some of the more recent shooters. The shooters are those who shoot into a group collected at a school, movie, marathon race or any place where ever a group has collected.

The application of behavioral principles and procedures for teaching important skills (e.g., replacement skills to decrease the occurrence of problem behavior, increasing choice making and preference for choice making, and acquisition of pre-academic and academic skills) to young typically developed children is the focus of this symposium. Two studies will be presented that involve the evaluation of different procedures for increasing delay tolerance (i.e., learning to wait) in young children. The first study involves a comparison of two procedures for fading delays to reinforcement for the purpose of teaching delay tolerance. The second study involves a comparison of the delivery of high-, moderate-, and low-preferred items during the delay period to increase delay tolerance. A third study will be presented that involves comparing the effects of two common teaching procedures (i.e., massed vs. distributed practice) for teaching several academic skills. The final study involves a large-scale evaluation to determine whether young children prefer to make choices and an evaluation of the effects of conditioning to increase preference for choice versus no choice contexts.

Providing choices has been a successful intervention for increasing appropriate behaviors and decreasing inappropriate behaviors; however, the mechanism responsible for this success is unknown. Choice may be a reinforcer, or the differential outcomes associated with choice opportunities may be responsible for treatment effects. In the current study, we replicated and extended previous research by determining the prevalence of preference for choice in a large number of children and evaluating whether a history of differential outcomes associated with choice and no-choice resulted in changes in preference for choice and no-choice conditions. Results showed that the majority of participants (20/30) preferred the choice condition during the assessment, and a history of differential outcomes associated with choice and no-choice conditions resulted in changes in preference for choice and no-choice conditions in approximately half of the participants (5/11) exposed to these histories.

Children sometimes have a difficult time waiting for preferred items and make impulsive choices (i.e., choosing a smaller but immediate reinforcer over a larger but delayed reinforcer). Previous research (e.g., Newquist, Dozier, & Neidert, 2012) has shown that in the absence of delay fading, providing high-preferred leisure items is effective for increasing self-control (i.e., choosing a larger but delayed reinforcer over a smaller but immediate reinforcer). The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of delivering low-, moderate-, and high-preferred toys during the delay on delay tolerance. Results have been idiosyncratic across participants in that (a) for three participants, all items (regardless of preference level) were effective for increasing delay tolerance, even when they were also provided when the participant made the smaller, immediate reinforcer choice and (b) for one participant, only high-preference items were effective for decreasing delay tolerance and only when the items were not also delivered for making the smaller, immediate reinforcer choice.

The ultimate effectiveness of treatments for problem behavior, like functional communication training (FCT; Tiger, Hanley, & Bruzek, 2008), depends on the extent to which the treatment can be extended to and maintained in the typical environment of that individual. Continuous and immediate reinforcement is not feasible in the typical environment and the unavoidable delay to reinforcement may lead to a reemergence of problem behavior and extinction of the newly acquired communication response (Hanley, Iwata, & Thompson, 2001; Hagopian, Boelter, & Jarmolowicz, 2011). In this study, we compared the relative effectiveness of two progressive delay training procedurestime-based and contingency-basedfor teaching tolerance for delays to reinforcement following functional communication training. Results from two participants (aged 1.9 and 5.5 years old) have shown lower rates of problem behavior and emotional responding during contingency-based than time-based progressive delay training. The treatment effects maintained as delay intervals were increased to practical levels and generalized to a second context. Interobserver agreement averaged 97% (range 82% to 100%) for all variables measured.

Transitions between relatively rich and relatively lean reinforcement situations may evoke maladaptive behavior. However, the mechanisms behind (and therefore best interventions to reduce) maladaptive behavior evoked by rich-to-lean transitions remain largely unknown. Additionally, there are disparities between the basic and applied literatures that remain unresolved. The studies in this symposium explore effects of modified reinforcement schedules and signaled activities on maladaptive behavior evoked by transitions. The studies address issues of clinical significance in more highly controlled contexts with human or nonhuman subjects. All studies were able to effectively identify environmental variables, such as the reinforcement rate, reinforcement distribution, structure of the signal, or presence of the signal, that reduced maladaptive behavior evoked during transitions.

Transitions from one activity to another have been associated with increases in aberrant behavior in persons with intellectual disabilities (IDD). Williams, Saunders, & Perone (2011) demonstrated that for persons with IDD transitions from a rich to lean schedule of reinforcement were consistently associated with higher rates of aberrant behavior. Decreases in aberrant behavior during difficult transitions have been reported when changes in activity are signaled, often with a picture schedule. The current study further investigates the effects of signals on aberrant behavior during transitions for a representative adult with IDD (PB). The signals used were either photographs of materials present in an activity (task related), or photographs of common objects not present in an activity (arbitrary). Sessions consisted of 8 transitions, each starting with a 30-sec interval during which the signal was presented, discussed, and posted on a bulletin board, followed by 2-minutes of engagement in the activity. The rate of aberrant behavior decreased when transitions were signaled regardless of whether the signal was task-related or arbitrary. These results suggest that the time associated with signal presentation rather than the informative nature of the signal affected the rate of aberrant behavior during transitions.

Token reinforcement systems have endeared themselves in educational settings and other core domains of applied behavior analysis, including developmental disabilities, since the beginnings of the field (Ayllon & Azrin, 1968; Kazdin, 1977; Kazdin, 1978). In addition to providing opportunities to expand the scope and relevance of our field, such systems also provide an important set tools to behavior analysts studying the conceptual underpinnings of phenomena such as reinforcement, conditioned reinforcement, and punishment. The four papers presented in this symposium continue this tradition by demonstrating the usefulness of token systems in diverse applications. Donaldson, DeLeon, Fisher, and Kahng demonstrate the use of a token procedure to evaluate differences and preferences for gaining versus losing rewards. Russell, Ingvarsson and Haggar investigate the use of a token system in the context of behavioral economic procedures designed to contrast the value of different categories of reinforcers. Boyle, Samaha, and Bloom evaluate maintenance of responding under schedule thinning using fixed and variable schedules of token exchange. Finally, Parry and Anderson examine the effectiveness of a token reinforcement system augmented with self-managed check-in/check-out.

Token economies involve individuals working to earn tokens that are exchangeable for back-up reinforcers. Token economies produce meaningful changes in behavior, however an important issue related to token schedules is how best to fade the schedule of back-up reinforcement to practical and cost-effective levels. Although research shows that token economies continue to be effective during and after schedule thinning, little research exists regarding the best way to do so. The concept of unit price from behavioral economics predicts that responding will be the same given the same ratio of cost (e.g., ratio requirements) to benefits (back-up reinforcers earned), and treats fixed- and variable-ratio requirements the same in terms of cost. Despite this prediction, early research on variable-ratio schedules suggests that they maintain responding at higher ratio requirements than fixed-ratio schedules. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare fixed- and variable-ratio schedules of reinforcement while increasing response requirements to earn back-up reinforcers (i.e., unit price) in the context of a token reinforcement system for compliance with academic tasks. Results showed no consistent differences between the schedules at any unit price.

Check-in/check-out is an evidence-based Tier II intervention used widely in schools. CICO is a Tier II intervention designed for use within a comprehensive, school-wide framework. Components of CICO include frequent feedback on social behavior and a token economy. We investigated a modification of this intervention, incorporating the use of self-management into check-in/check-out. The intervention included the following features: morning and afternoon feedback sessions with a mentor, self-monitoring of performance throughout the day, randomly scheduled accuracy checks, and rewards contingent upon earned points. We used an ABAB reversal design to assess experimental control. Across participants, the self-management intervention resulted in decreases in disruptive behavior and increases in academic engagement. Social validity data were mixed with students and parents rating the intervention as valued and the coordinator rating the intervention as not useful. Possible reasons for the mixed social validity will be discussed with an emphasis on systems-variables necessary for successfully embedding an intervention in the school culture.

Obtaining research funding is a critical part of most research careers. A number of funding avenues are available to basic and applied behavior analysts. The speakers in this symposium are individuals with successful records of obtaining funding from a variety of sources such as the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Federal Aviation Administration, and other sources and individuals who serve as program officers at the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. Each speaker will provide their perspective on strategies for success in obtaining funding.

Basic and applied behavior analysts interested in obtaining federal funding for research.

Funding behavior analysis research through the National Institutes of Health can be difficult. The challenge is not just about the shrinking available dollars. The more important difficulty is the NIH emphasis on clinically relevant research and the need to demonstrate that behavioral research will translate into improved treatment for a clinical disorder. Much important behavior research has little to do with clinical disorders but is about understanding the behavior of average people: how they make decisions that affect the economy, the environment, the safety of transportation and industry, and the functioning of communities. Solving behavioral problems in these domains are every bit as important as contributing to health care, so how does such research get funded? In this talk, Dr. Hursh will illustrate several strategies for successful research funding, using his experience as a case study. In particular, nearly all his research has been funded from sources other than NIH. Alternative funding requires a shift from being a behavior analyst to being a problem analyst, applying behavioral solutions.

This presentation will convey perspectives on the process of preparing competitive grant applications for peer review. For more than 30 years, Dr. McIlvane has been writing applications to various federal funding agencies, most of which have been successful. He also has served on dozens of advisory panels that have reviewed grant applications or made recommendations about funding priorities and procedures. In his current position, he serves as principal investigator on five active National Institutes of Health grants. He also mentors colleagues in the process of preparing competitive grant applications. Through his combined experiences, he has come to understand quite a bit about the variables that determine whether or not grant applications are successful. Because he serves in multiple roles (i.e., principal investigator, reviewer, mentor, and research administrator), he will convey multiple perspectives that may help behavior analysts understand the overall context within which grant applications are successful (or not). Also, he will discuss strategies and tactics for operating research programs within tight budgetary constraints such as those faced currently by researchers nationwide.

Behavioral research is critically important to NIH’s mission not only at the NIH institutes that have responsibility for behavioral disorders, but also because behavior has a pervasive effect on most health outcomes. Topics that will be covered in this talk include an overview of NIH-wide initiatives in behavioral research, such as the Science of Behavioral Change (SOBC) and the Basic Behavioral and Social Science Opportunity Network (OppNet), and the funding priorities in behavioral research of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and other NIH Institutes. Strategies for finding the best home for your research at NIH also will be presented.

The National Science Foundation funds basic and applied research in many areas of interest to behavior analysts. In general, funded research advances theory and has substantial broader impacts beyond the results of the research itself. This presentation reviews the proposal and review process including the criteria of intellectual merit and broader impact, highlights opportunities in Decision, Risk & Management Sciences, and describesthree funding mechanisms that may be of special interest: dissertation improvement grants for doctoral students; CAREER grants for early-career behavioral scientists; and research in undergraduate institutions (RUI) grants for faculty at undergraduate colleges and universities.

One of the principles of applied behavior analysis is the provision of reinforcement. Researchers have shown that reinforcement based procedures can be effective in decreasing a wide variety of aberrant behaviors and can be utilized to increase appropriate behaviors. This symposium will present three papers that evaluate different components of reinforcement based procedures for individuals diagnosed with autism. The first paper evaluated the effectiveness of a differential reinforcement procedure in increasing rates of responding for children diagnosed with autism. The second paper compared the use of a paired preference assessment to teachers using in-the-moment reinforcer analysis to increase the rate of responding for individuals diagnosed with autism. The final paper compared the use of a paired preference assessment to teachers using in-the-moment reinforcer analysis to increase expressive labeling for individuals diagnosed with autism. The results of these presentations will be thoroughly discussed, as well as ideas for future research and clinical implications.

Differential reinforcement procedures are commonly implemented as part of comprehensive programming for individuals diagnosed with autism. Differential reinforcement is utilized both to decrease aberrant behaviors and to increase pro-social behaviors. Despite differential reinforcement being a commonly implemented procedure, it is not known what effect differential reinforcement has on increasing the rates of responding for high functioning individuals with autism as compared to lower functioning individuals diagnosed with autism. The purpose of this study was to compare rates of responding on a simple sorting task for individuals who were diagnosed with autism and were either considered higher functioning or lower functioning. Using an alternating treatment design, participants were evaluated on their rates of sorting chips during a differential reinforcement condition, a constant reinforcement condition, and an extinction condition. An analysis of the rates of responding across each participant and across participants considered higher functioning as compared to participants considered lower functioning were conducted. Results, future research, and clinical implications will be discussed.

The systematic use of reinforcers is an essential component of behavioral intervention for individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Today, rigorous and formal preference assessments, including paired-preference assessments, are widely conducted to help determine which items to use as reinforcers during intervention. Although paired-preference assessments are widely used, there is no experimental evidence examining whether extensive advanced sampling actually produces high rates of responding compared to in-the-moment analysis of reinforcer effects. The present study compared the rate of responding on a simple sorting task when participants were provided items that were determined as preferred during an extensive paired preference assessment versus a teacher selecting items based on in-the-moment analysis of reinforcer effects. The researchers utilized an alternating treatment design and the results indicated no clear difference in the rate of responding, but there were clear differences in terms of efficiency. Ideas for future research and clinical implications will be discussed.

The systematic use of reinforcers is an essential component of behavioral intervention for individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Today, rigorous and formal preference assessments, including paired-preference assessments, are widely conducted to help determine which items to use as reinforcers during intervention. Although paired-preference assessments are widely used, there is no experimental evidence examining whether extensive advanced sampling actually produces high rates of acquisition of new tasks, as compared to in-the-moment analysis of reinforcer effects. The present study compared participants' rates of learning expressive labeling tasks in a condition where teachers utilized only reinforcers as determined by formal paired preference assessments to a second condition where teachers utilized in-the-moment analysis of reinforcers. The results showed that both conditions resulted in participants learning the targeted skills; however, the in-the-moment analysis condition was more efficient, resulted in better maintenance, and resulted in higher rates of responding. Clinical implications and ideas for future research will be discussed.

There is little evidence that placing children with ASD in general education classrooms will automatically result in improved academic performance or social behaviors. Without interventions that are both effective and practical to implement, children with ASD in general education settings have been found to experience difficulty learning class curriculum, attending to teacher instruction, following classroom routines, and interacting with peers. Although there are many interventions that have been shown to be effective in clinical and special education settings, there is much less known about how to design and deliver interventions that can be implemented in general education classrooms for children with ASD. This symposium will present three interventions that hold promise as being both effective and practical to implement: social script training to increase peer interaction, priming to improve participation in class lessons and embedded instruction to teach child-specific objectives. The presentation will be data-based and involve children and adolescents with ASD attending general education classrooms.

Typically, children with ASD in general education settings show low levels of interacting with peers. There have been several interventions that demonstrate an improvement in the peer interaction of children with ASD when the intervention is in place, but fewer interventions have been able to demonstrate effects which generalize to increased peer interaction of children with ASD in settings where the intervention is not being implemented. The effects of social script training, peer buddies and a combination of both were examined on the interactive play of three young children with ASD in inclusive educational settings. Measures of the interactive play of each child with ASD in both a training and a generalization setting were measured in a multiple baseline design. Only the combination of social script training and peer buddies produced improved interactive play in a generalization setting. These results suggest that interventions that target a number of social behaviors associated with sustained peer interaction may need to be implemented in inclusive settings.

Embedded instruction consists of providing practice to a child on individual learning objectives during breaks in routines of general education classrooms. Embedded instruction been shown to be effective in teaching targeted learning outcomes. However, the number of practice trials of embedded instruction implemented in a school day reported in outcome studies typically has been low (i.e., 15 30 a day). A higher number of practice trials may be possible if the embedded instruction is implemented by the child with ASD, rather than an educator in the classroom. Embedded self-instruction may be introduced by having practice in the form of self-correcting flash cards which the child is cued to practice during brief interludes in the school day. This presentation will compare the effectiveness of embedded self-instruction to the more typical, teacher-delivered embedded instruction on the spelling performance of two children with ASD in general education classrooms. In preliminary evaluation, embedded self-instruction was associated with more frequent practice trials and produced higher levels of correct performance than teacher-delivered embedded instruction. These results suggest that embedded self-instruction may be a valuable addition in inclusion classrooms.

Compared to their typically developing classmates, children with ASD included in general education classrooms tend to have more difficulty learning class curriculum and participating during teacher presented lessons. One promising intervention is priming which consists of providing a child with practice at home or in a resource room at school of a problem situation that the child encounters in the classroom (e.g., correct answering of arithmetic problems; raising hand to answer teacher questions in a lesson). Only a few studies have examined the effectiveness of priming on the classroom performance of children with ASD. This study will present the results of priming of class arithmetic lessons at home by a tutor on childrens test performance and participation during arithmetic lessons of two children aged, 8 and 10 years with ASD in general education classrooms. Using a non-concurrent multiple baseline design, priming was introduced at home in the evening before a weekly arithmetic test in the classroom. The children showed an increase in correct performance with the introduction of priming. Priming holds promise as a practical and effective intervention for children with ASD in general education settings.

Adolescence is a conserved developmental period characterized by ontogenetic alterations in brain and behavior that often bear notable similarities across species, including increases in peer-directed social behaviors, risk-taking, as well as elevated per occasion use of alcohol. Studies using a rodent model of adolescence have shown that, seemingly due in part to age differences in brain function and in expression of acute tolerance, adolescents are more resistant than are adults to alcohol effects that normally serve as cues to moderate drinking, while conversely showing greater sensitivity to ethanol-induced social stimulation. To the extent that these findings in laboratory animals are relevant to human adolescents, this developmental blending of enhanced/attenuated ethanol sensitivities may encourage relatively high levels of consumption, particularly among adolescents who are otherwise at risk for especially elevated alcohol intake because of genetic or environmentally associated alterations in ethanol sensitivities Such elevated ethanol exposures may lead to adverse consequences among at-risk adolescents that may persist into adulthood. Indeed, our findings to date have revealed certain long-lasting consequences of repeated exposure to ethanol during adolescence that are replicable, specific, and dependent on timing of the ethanol exposure, with early adolescence being perhaps an especially vulnerable period, and comparable exposures in adulthood generally not inducing similar effects.

Treatments for pediatric feeding disorders based on applied behavior analysis have the most empirical support in the literature, even though the results of several studies have shown that the etiology of pediatric feeding disorders is often complex and multifactorial. Factors that contribute to the etiology of a feeding disorder include medical problems, oral-motor dysfunction, and nutritional and/or caloric deficits. Therefore, it is critical that the behavior analyst seek input from physicians, speech and/or occupational therapists, and dietitians before initiating treatment of a child with a feeding disorder. The first purpose of this presentation is to familiarize the audience with the potential risks associated with treatment of a pediatric feeding disorder. A second purpose is to teach the audience ways to mitigate these risks. A third purpose is to teach the audience why interaction with professionals from other disciplines is important for safe and effective treatment of a child with a feeding disorder.

From dawn to dusk, psychology affects every aspect of our lives. For example, success in educational settings, at the workplace, on the athletic field, and at home is influenced dramatically by interpersonal and intrapersonal leadership. Are teachers facilitating motivation and learning among their students? Do supervisors empower workers to go beyond the call of duty to achieve organizational goals? Do coaches bring the best out of their players by enhancing self-motivation and cultivating interdependent teamwork? Do parents discipline their children so undesirable behaviors are not only eliminated but desirable behaviors and attitudes are promoted? This presentation will offer research-based principles and techniques teachers, coaches, supervisors, and parents can use to instruct and inspire others to perform at optimum levels of effectiveness. This is transformational leadership. Within this context, the vision of an Actively Caring for People Movement will be introduced--large-scale applications of behavioral science and leadership principles to cultivate cultures of compassion worldwide, thereby preventing interpersonal conflict, bullying, and violence.

Psychologists, behavior analysts, graduate students, and anyone interested in instructing and inspiring others to perform at optimum levels of effectiveness.

The science of behavior analysis has been applied to a myriad of human behaviors, including those of a sexual nature. The purpose of this presentation is to explore several research strategies for analyzing sexually-related behavior, including number of condoms taken in a bar, implicit attitudes about sexual assault survivors, and rights and responsibilities of behavior analysts working with LGBTQ-identified clients. Presenters will discuss resulting data and their implications, as well as directions for future research, instruction, and applied projects.

The present study employed a repeated-measures, between-groups design to assess implicit and explicit attitudes of members from the general population and graduate students ages 23-65 about sexual assault survivors. Implicit attitudes were assessed using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) as a pretest, posttest, and follow-up measure to examine participants' attitudes about what role a sexual assault survivor plays in the rape. That is, is she to blame given the following situational variables: drunk, showing skin, in private with a man, it is nighttime, sober, modestly dressed, in public with a man, or it is daytime. Additionally, a questionnaire examined explicit attitudes related to the same scenarios and facts about sexual assault at pretest and posttest. Results of the questionnaire remained consistent across time for participants in both the control and treatment groups but only those in the treatment group showed increases from pretest to posttest on the open-ended response section that tested facts about sexual assault. On the IRAP, all participants in the treatment group showed decreased victim blaming from pretest to posttest, as did two of three participants in the control group. It is unclear whether the educational intervention had an effect on implicit attitudes in the treatment group, or if practice effects or exposure to terms led to the decrease. These results, limitations, and areas of future research will also be discussed.

This study examined the effect of prompt salience and condom type on the number of condoms taken in a gay bar. The research design was an alternating treatments design within a multiple treatments reversal. Available condoms alternated every evening between Lifestyles Ultra Sensitive and Ultra Lubricated during the following conditions: baseline, poster prompts, and lighted dispenser. Overall, 604 condoms were distributed across twelve weeks. The data suggest that condom type had little to no effect on the number of condoms taken, and that the prompt interventions were not as effective as when the condom dispenser was available alone. This research was not consistent with existing literature suggesting that prompting procedures increase the number of condoms taken. Prompt salience in this bar appeared to be the greatest factor in why interventions were not as effective as intended, and future research is warranted on the reactivity that may be occasioned by visual prompts.

For centuries, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) identified individuals have contacted aversive consequences and limited access to reinforcers as a result of their identity and/or their perceived or actual behavior patterns, as compared to persons who present as Heterosexual and Cisgendered. The field of ABA has produced numerous research studies over the past several decades that have conceptualized LGBTQ-related behavior and identification as problematic, adding to the further marginalization of these individuals. Moreover, behavior-analytic practitioners and researchers have targeted these behaviors for change, which in many cases resulted in significant harm to the individual. The purpose of this presentation is to provide a framework of social justice to help guide behavior analysts in ethical decision-making when working with LGBTQ identified individuals. Basic definitions of terms related to gender identity and sexual orientation and behavioral research related to these topics will be reviewed. Case examples within the context of BACB ethical guidelines and APA ethical codes, and future directions for research will be discussed.

Behavior analysts promise their clients the best available solution. The best available solution is defined by standards of scientific evidence. However, application of the best available solution requires many localized judgments pertaining to the particulars of the case. Frequently, professionals are unaware of commonly occurring contingencies that have been shown in the research to have a detrimental effect on their decision making. This symposium will present three papers that review related facets of professional decision making that have significant implications for how behavior analysts should go about providing solutions. The first paper will review the literature on commonly identified judgment errors that are likely to occur in the professional contexts in which behavior analysts operate. The second paper will review the literature on the development of professional expertise, with particular emphasis on contextual factors that contribute to good and poor judgment. The third paper will do a behavioral analysis of commonly identified judgment error types. The unobservable intermediary processes used as explanations in the literature are not necessary when decision making is viewed through the lens of robust principles of behavior. In each presentation, implications for practice will be presented to help attendees better meet the ethical requirement of applying the best available solution.

The research on professional judgment documenting the many heuristics and biases that routinely influence decision making has been carried out almost entirely within a cognitive paradigm. Yet, behavior analysts possess robust principles of behavior with strong explanatory power that may be very useful for examining the contingencies influencing decision-making. For example, clinicians often fall prey to the base-rate fallacy by ignoring the antecedent probability of a diagnostic condition, which leads to many incorrect diagnostic decisions. From a behavior-analytic perspective, this is a case where relevant information exerts insufficient stimulus control over the clinicians diagnostic behavior. In other cases, prior information can influence clinical decisions through anchoring effects or availability biases, whereby prior information (e.g., referral comments, appealing but unrelated symptoms) exerts too much antecedent control and leads the practitioner to fail to examine alternative explanations adequately. This presentation will provide a behavioral analysis of common judgment errors that have been identified in the literature by examining the antecedent and reinforcement contingencies that appear to be operating for these robust biases. Attendees will benefit from learning about the contingencies influencing their decision-making and how to overcome these pitfalls by managing the contingencies more effectively and adhering to a rigorous data based problem-solving process.

What is the effect on the science and practice of behavior analysis when practitioners define terms inconsistently or when those terms are defined in ways that are not useful? Consistent definitions of terms could facilitate the discovery of useful explanations and procedures and allow us to be more effective in helping clients achieve their goals. Are some definitions and terms more useful than others? Panel members will review the history of troublesome terms such as "behavior," "contingency," "consequence," "discriminative stimulus," "frequency," "feedback," "functional," "non-contingent reinforcement," "rate per minute," "relative frequency," "reliability," "social validity," "stimulus," and "trials to criterion," discuss the difficulties caused by these terms and their definitions, and recommend more useful definitions and terms. A lively, but scholarly discussion will likely ensue between panel members and the audience. This session might spark a larger discussion among practitioners about the need for consistent and useful definitions of these troublesome terms.

Children with autism spectrum disorders demonstrate severe social impairment. Common deficiencies include a lack of social initiations, response to social initiations, conversational speech, and play. These deficits demonstrate the need for continued research designed to identify maximally effective interventions for the full range of social skills deficits. This symposium presents four studies that extend the literature on social skills interventions. The first study used a portable device to deliver video modeling treatment that targeted persistence in offering play bids to peers by children with autism. A multiple baseline design across four children was used. The second study used video modeling to simultaneously teach the social skills of giving compliments and responding to compliments to both members of three play dyads. The third study used a multiple baseline design across participants and responses to assess whether one child with autism could teach his two siblings how to skateboard correctly. The final study used a multiple baseline design across three children with autism to assess the effects of an after-school group social skills intervention on appropriate speech, cooperative play, social initiations, and isolation behaviors. Findings will be discussed in relation to the most recent literature and implications for future research.

Children with autism lack the social skills necessary to make attempts at engaging with a play partner. We used a portable video modeling intervention (PVMI) to increase persistence in making play bids to a playmate. A multiple baseline design was used to assess treatment effects. Participants included four children with autism and four typically developing children who served as confederates. During baseline sessions, the child with autism was instructed to play outside with a friend. Three confederate peers were stationed in the outside play area and were available to play should the child with autism approach them. In the intervention phase, the child was shown video clips of adults approaching one, two, and three peers before the adults invitation to play was accepted. Results showed that the children demonstrated persistence in making play bids after the PVMI, and generalized and maintained increases across different peers and settings. Further, social validity data indicated that children were more sociable following intervention than during baseline. Findings from this study suggests the efficacy in using PVMI to increase play bids and subsequent play for children with autism.

Sibling-training models often involve a typically developing (TD) sibling acting as a therapist for a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To date, few studies have examined the potential benefits for sibling relationships, related to family play and social skill development, when the child with ASD takes on the role of teaching his siblings. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to evaluate the effects of reversing the sibling-training roles: Teaching a child with ASD how to teach his siblings a recreational skill. We used behavioral skills training (BST), within a multiple-probe baseline design across responses, to teach a child with ASD how to ride a skateboard. Next, the child followed an activity schedule, containing BST components, to teach his siblings (one TD and one with Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified) how to skateboard correctly. Researchers used a multiple-baseline design across participants and responses to demonstrate the effects of sibling training. Following training by the child with ASD, both siblings skateboarding skills improved and family social interaction also increased, with large effect sizes (d=2.87 and d=1.51, respectively). Discussion of these findings will focus on implications for future research in sibling-related treatments.

A thriving society encompasses a multitude of people who must communicate with one another in order to advance. To ensure improvement of the well being of a society, analyzing the functions associated with interpersonal relationships, maladaptive and adaptive, has significant value to researchers, educators, and practitioners alike. By assessing psychological flexibility and the context, changing or persisting in behavior in the service of chosen values as it relates to interpersonal functioning can lend to a better understanding of how improvement can be enacted within a society. The current symposium will offer different contexts in which psychological flexibility and interpersonal functioning can be evaluated. The first paper will focus on the maladaptive interpersonal functioning that results from an individual's high levels of loneliness as predicted by low social support, high psychological inflexibility, and low social skills. The second paper will cover the development and validity of a survey that assesses the connection between body image disturbance and its impact on interpersonal relationships. The third paper will discuss the contributions of psychological flexibility and empathy in the context therapist-training program evaluation. The fourth paper will discuss the convergence of three cognitive behavioral treatments to help treat chronic distress in patients.

Interpersonal functioning is affected by one's environment, one's perception of one's environment, and how one copes with those perceptions. Loneliness, or the dissatisfaction with the quality or quantity of one's social groups, is associated with greater general distress and poorer self regard. College students are at a particular risk for loneliness and associated struggles because of sudden and persistent changes in social support. When a student does not adjust to the new social structure easily, they may feel a lack of integration with social networks. Psychological flexibility may offer a means of understanding how social isolation sometimes leads to loneliness. Greater levels of psychological flexibility are associated with greater levels of psychosocial functioning. The current study examines the relationships among psychological flexibility, perceived social support, social skills and loneliness in first year freshmen. These three variables will be assessed in first year during midterm and finals. Preliminary data suggest that social support, psychological flexibility, and social skills will interact to predict the level of loneliness students report. Perhaps social skills training and increases in psychological flexibility might improve a person's adaptability in social situations. Implications for flexibility-based interventions will be discussed.

Many experience dissatisfaction with the way their bodies look or the way their body works. For some however, this dissatisfaction comes to interfere with their lives across many domains. Body image disturbance involves inaccurate perceptions about one's body that prompt distressing thoughts and feelings. People who struggle with body image disturbance tend to place high importance on their perceptions about their body and the accompanying thoughts and feelings while actively attempting to avoid them. This sometimes involves restricting social interactions in an attempt to manage painful body experience, which contributes to additional psychological distress and interpersonal ineffectiveness. Although there are many measures assessing body image disturbance, none of these assess body image disturbance as it impacts interpersonal relationships. This study focused on the development and validation of The Body Image and Relational Distress Scale (BIRDS) with samples with and without body image disturbance. Preliminary evidence suggests that the BIRDS allows for reliable and valid assessment of the impact of body image on interpersonal relationships. Data also suggest positive relationships amongst body image disturbance, psychological distress and interpersonal difficulties. Utility of the BIRDS will be explored. Implications for family- and group-based treatments of body image disturbance will be discussed.

The quality of the therapeutic relationship is indisputably critical in predicting the effectiveness of psychotherapy. Psychotherapies delivered from a behavior analytic perspective are no exception. The behavior analyst aims to create a context in which behavior change can occur. In clinical behavior analysis, much of that context is the relationship itself. This study explored some of the skills purported to be central to creating a therapeutic relationship in the context of evaluating a therapist training program. Participants were trainees in clinical behavior analysis who were undertaking their first field placement. Participants participated in a four and a half day training focusing on building the repertoire that is theoretically relevant to developing a therapeutic relationship. They completed an assessment of empathy, therapist beliefs, psychological flexibility, and relationship flexibility before and after the training. Then, participants began their field training. After nine weeks, participants completed the assessments again. Growth of the trainee repertoire was examined in terms of psychological flexibility, relationship flexibility, and empathy, and compared with trainee evaluations. Results suggest that psychological flexibility contributes to empathy, with inconsistent impact on therapist skills. Implications for training targets and methods will be discussed.

In clinical behavior analysis, the therapist treatment is based on the functions of the problematic behavior; differing from the traditional approach based on the DSM or ICD that categorize problematic repertoires. From a functional perspective, persons who suffer from chronic distress seem to employ frequent problematic behaviors that have an avoidant function. Recently developed approaches to clinical behavior focus on directly addressing the avoidant repertoire and building skills to allow for contact with uncomfortable, and previously aversive, stimuli. This includes Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Functional Analytical Psychotherapy (FAP) and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT). These treatments aim to expand skills appropriate for varying contexts in which avoidant behavior is probable. By integrating these CBA approaches, treatment can better serve those suffering from chronic distress. As an example, we will consider the case of a 40-year-old white female with a history of sexual abuse and crisising behavior. Having had multiple hospitalizations for cutting and suicidal gestures, she requested outpatient treatment. DBT was applied based on skills deficit model targeting emotional dysregulation; ACT targeted experiential avoidance as functional class; and FAP provided the framework targeting in session moment to moment behaviors. Implications and challenges of this approach will be discussed

Whether the focus is classroom management or academic instruction, the future of behavior analysis in education must examine classroom contingencies that prevail in American education, and how we can lead the way in producing generic repertoires in addition to our current effective procedures for teaching academic skills. In the first presentation, two teachers at Morningside Academy describe the direct effects of teaching organizational repertoires on middle school students materials consumption, as well as the generative effects on academic achievement, efficiency, and engagement. In the second presentation, two teachers examine math achievement scores to describe the additional effects of teaching students to write their own problems, on teaching how to solve given word problems. In the third presentation, Haugland Learning Center extends Morningsides Generative Instruction to teaching middle and high school students on the Autism Spectrum, and begins to answer the question of how much generativity is possible with ASD learners. The last presentation describes a recent book about Precision Teaching and its contributions to the wave of Response to Intervention systems being implemented in schools across America, an example of behavior analysis hitching a ride with more mainstream practices in typical and special education. Elizabeth Street will summarize and critique.

At Morningside Academy, teachers utilize many performance pinpoints to measure student progress toward mastery. Most commonly we use see problem/write answer to measure skills ranging from basic math fact tools through more complex computation and conceptual skills. The Morningside Word Problems program teaches students how to analyze math word problems by problem class or type. Students build rate of see problem/write answer on the problems presented in the program, but is there is another way to demonstrate understanding of word problems? To find out, we will assess the underlining component skills required to be successful in Morningside Word Problems. Using the program as a jumping-off point, we have created a series of curriculum-based assessments (CBAs) measuring students skills in generating their own word problems using their knowledge of number families and word problem structure. We will compare student progress in writing their own word problems on our newly developed CBAs to data gathered on the standardized Fuchs, Hamlett, & Fuchs math curriculum-based assessment of word problem completion. Attached is a Standard Celeration Chart representative of many of our charts that demonstrate the effectiveness of problem solving on standardized progress monitoring instruments.

Beginning in 2010, Haugland Learning Center and Morningside Academy have been working to answer the question of whether students on the Autism spectrum could demonstrate generativity through contingency adduction. This process marks the first attempted implementation of the Morningside Model of Generative Instruction with a student population in which every student is on the Autism spectrum. After nearly 4 years of collaboration, the answer to our question is, increasingly, yes. This session will focus on (1) how the elements of the Morningside Model have been systematically installed to yield positive teacher and learner outcomes (2) how the program administrators and coaches have buttressed the Morningside Model to further support ASD learners and (3) how the training and coaching model has developed passionate teachers and analysts. Performance data will demonstrate the growth exhibited by students, teachers and coaches, and will frame the question of how we continue to develop and implement technologies that result in more dynamic learning outcomes. Attached is a representative Standard Celeration Chart showing ASD students academic progress using Morningsides Generative Instruction.

Based on their recent book entitled Response to Intervention and Precision Teaching: Creating Synergy in the Classroom, the presenters briefly describe the history and critical characteristics of the Response to Intervention (RTI) framework and of the Precision Teaching technology. They then recommend a marriage between these two approaches, each of which has provided impressive empirical evidence of its success in improving classroom performance. The authors also focus on the ways in which the power of Precision Teaching is enhanced by peer tutoring and provide an outline of the roles of the student and teacher in the peer tutoring model. Next, they suggest the tool and component skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic that, when fluent, predict better performance in higher level skills. Last, they discuss how Precision Teaching can facilitate performance in the content areas and explain how it establishes learners who are capable of engaging successfully in project-based learning.

Analyses of intervention studies indicate that 3-5% of students, particularly those with disabilities, demonstrate insufficient response to academic and behavioral interventions that are generally effective for their peers. The National Center on Intensive Intervention works with schools and districts to help them implement data based individualization (DBI) to support this vulnerable population. In this session, Dr. Zumeta will describe the Center's work, implications for implementation in reading, mathematics, and behavior, and lessons learned to date. Specifically, case examples will be used to illustrate how DBI might be applied in the areas of academics and behavior. In addition, Dr. Zumeta will describe the Center's updated approach to providing systematic reviews of academic and behavioral intervention and assessment materials. The talk will conclude with a discussion of trends we have observed in the field related to delivery of tiered intervention services and the role of special education within tiered systems.

Educators are accountable for implementing research-based classroom and behavior management strategies to prevent and intervene on problem behavior in classroom settings. However, little is known about the extent to which teachers are knowledgeable about such strategies and the extent to which these strategies are being implemented consistently in classrooms. In this session, findings will be presented from a teacher-completed survey where 104 preK-12 general and special education teachers were asked to rate how knowledgeable they are about specific research-based classroom and behavior management strategies for prevention and intervention and to rate the extent to which they implement these strategies in their classrooms. Results highlight teachers lack of knowledge and use of effective behavior management strategies needed to provide the most intensive interventions for students who exhibit problem classroom behaviors. Presenters will also summarize participants responses to questions about the adequacy of their teacher preparation programs and in-service training and support to promote their use of research-based strategies to prevent and reduce problem behaviors. Presenters will discuss implications for increasing teachers knowledge and implementation of effective strategies for intensive behavioral interventions through preservice, induction, and in-service training activities.

Benjamin Franklin famously observed that the only certainties in life were death and taxes. Almost two hundred years later, Bob Dylan equally memorably observed how the times they are a’changin’. Both of these famous American aphorisms emphasize the inevitability of change in everyday life. The papers in this symposium address different aspects of how behavior adjusts following changes in reinforcement contingencies. Lattal’s paper addresses some of the methodological issues in assessing change in both laboratory settings and applications. Kincaid next shows the effects of adjusting changes in reinforcement rates as a function of the organism’s (pigeon’s) behavior to the dynamic situation. Phillips and Hagopian then will review how schedule thinning techniques have been applied in treatment. Finally, Daniels will discuss how organizations and individuals in organizations adjust to change, with a particular emphasis on the importance of shaping.

Reinforcement-based treatments for problem behavior often involve extremely rich reinforcement schedules that are impossible or impractical to implement long-term. A potential solution is to this problem is to decrease reinforcement, also known as “thinning” the schedule. Schedule thinning describes a variety of techniques for gradually and systematically conducting the rich-to-lean transition. The underlying assumption is that a more gradual transition between rich and lean schedules will result in more maintenance of behavior across the transition. When a schedule thinning procedure fails, a common solution is to back up to a richer schedule and then re-thin. We investigated an analog of these conditions in a reinforcement-rate titration procedure. Pigeons responded on two concurrent variable interval schedules programmed on the same response key in a changeover key arrangement. The programmed reinforcement rate of one of the component schedules was constant across sessions, while the reinforcement rate of the other schedule was adjusted daily based on performance. If responding was at or above 80% of the baseline response rate, the schedule was thinned. If responding was below this criterion, the schedule was enriched. Different rates of thinning were compared to determine whether more gradual shifts in reinforcement resulted in greater maintenance of behavior.

Reinforcement schedule thinning in the context of behavioral treatment offers an applied example of the effects of manipulating reinforcement density. Thinning is defined here as any procedure that involves decreasing the density of reinforcement within a treatment session. Examinations of the literature encompassing two common treatments for problem behavior, differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA; specifically, functional communication training, FCT) and fixed time delivery of reinforcement (i.e., noncontingent reinforcement, NCR) reveal a number of methods for thinning. These include: delay schedules, chain schedules, multiple schedules, and in the case of FCT, response restriction. Although each method has been demonstrated to be effective, thinning can often result in increases in problem behavior and decreases in appropriate behavior. Several examples from our research will be discussed that highlight issues with the ways in which reinforcement schedules for problem behavior and alternative behavior are manipulated in the pursuit of a terminal schedule that can be implemented outside of the research environment. We will also describe supplemental treatment components which somewhat ameliorate the effects of thinning. However, important questions remain. What is happening during thinning? Does changing the density of the reinforcer produce local extinction in some cases? What do schedule thinning-induced changes in behavior reveal about the mechanisms by which different treatments reduce behavior? We will attempt to address these questions by describing possible directions for future research.

Behavior analysis traditionally is a science of the steady state, in which changes in a dependent variable are measured as the effect of an independent variable imposed on baseline behavior that has been trained for some time under a condition in which the independent variable was either not present or present at another value. Sprinkled throughout these numerous studies of steady-state behavior, however, are a few studies of behavior during the transition periods. These include studies of both response acquisition and extinction, adjunctive behavior, behavioral history, and resurgence. Some of these experiments involve a single transition, as in the transition to extinction, but others involve repeated transitions that result in a virtual steady state of transitional performance, as in the repeated acquisition of behavioral chains. In this paper I will review these various preparations for studying behavioral transitions and then consider some of the variables that attenuate and potentiate behavioral change when conditions change.

This special symposium presents four related yet distinct studies by the Japanese behaviour analytic practitioners who emphasize on strong multi-disciplinary team efforts: combining basic and applied, as well as cognitive, physical, and behavioral, translating autism behavior intervention into gerontology. The first paper discusses how the Upper-Body Dressing Scale (UBDS), which assesses the behavioral chains of upper-body dressing and determines prompting level , enables rehabilitation therapists to document the critical stages in dressing and to assess motor and processing skills of stroke patients. The second paper examines the relation between knee strength and lower extremity behavioral functions with dementia patients. The study contributes towards the prediction of the loss of socially valid behavior functions. The third paper provides data on predicting the recovery of cognitive, physical, and behavioral functions after stroke. It will present a logarithmic modeling with mathematical procedures that is simple enough to be adopted in daily clinical practice. The fourth paper reports a social skills training (SST) for autistic children in which the generative aspects of SST are used as social reinforcement. The use of cultural emphasis on group interaction as a potential establishing operation is discussed as an avenue to behavioral cusps.

Post-stroke patients with hemiplegia are unable to use the same behavioral chains that are used by healthy persons to accomplish dressing tasks. However, if function-based individualized behavioral chains are learned, patients can achieve a degree of independence in dressing. We developed the Upper-Body Dressing Scale (UBDS), which assesses the behavioral chains of upper-body dressing and determines for prompts given by therapists during evaluation of upper-body dressing ability, and provided data on repricability, validity and sensitivity to clinical change. This study included two rounds of data collections: 51 stroke patients (women 25, men 38; mean age 69.4) enrolled in the first round for the purpose of item generation and repricability, and 161 stroke patients (women 67, men 94; mean age 67.6) participated in the second round for questionnaire validation. Intra-class correlation coefficient was 0.87-0.99 for repricability. The level of correlation between UBDS score and the dressing item scores of activities daily living scales were 0.84 to 0.85. The score and duration of UBDS on the first day of training was a significant independent predictor of dressing ability. This detailed UBDS assessment enables rehabilitation therapists to document the most difficult stages in dressing and to assess motor and process skills for independence of dressing.

The accurate prediction facilitates proper definition of goals of intervention for individual patients, thus improving the quality and efficacy of behavioral interventions. We provided data on predicting the recovery of cognitive, physical and behavioral functions after stroke. This study included two rounds of data collections: 43 stroke patients (women 24, men 19; mean age 72.4) enrolled in the first round for prediction of cognitive recovery, and 21 stroke patients (women 11, men 10; mean age 73.5) participated in the second round for prediction of physical and behavioral functions recovery. All patients received conventional rehabilitation training for 5 days per week. The patients were given specific feedback and praise as reinforcement concerning cognitive, physical and behavioral functions. The time course of early-phase recovery for cognitive, physical and behavioral functions resembled logarithmic function. Scores of cognitive, physical and behavioral functions sampled at two baseline points based on logarithmic regression modeling could estimate prediction of those recoveries (cognitive function, R2 = 0.52-0.68, p < 0.0001; physical functions, R2 = 0.74-0.95, p < 0.0001; behavioral function, R2 = 0.78-0.80, p < 0.0001). This logarithmic modeling with mathematical procedures is simple enough to be adopted in daily clinical practice.

Social skill is the ability to elicit social reinforcement from others. In this study, we examined five children with autism, ages 6 to 7 years old, none of whom exhibited social interaction with peers at their own preschools. We implemented a social skills training (SST) in summer school. Prior to the summer school, we conducted functional behavioral assessments in each childs own school setting to identify the target behavior based on social validity and the current baseline, and planned a curriculum and activities that included social reinforcement. During the summer session, we use the generative aspect of SST and the activities as social reinforcement rather than preceding tangible reinforcement or token economy system. The data was gathered from direct observations as well as videotaped. The study reveals that each childs social interaction increased almost immediately at the start of summer school and was maintained until the final days of classes. The use of cultural emphasis on group interaction as a potential establishing operation is discussed as an avenue to behavioral cusps.

Examining how behavior appears without apparent direct training is of paramount importance to explaining and improving behavior. In the first paper in this symposium, Delfs and colleagues extended the research on the emergence of tacts following listener training and vice versa. The following three papers evaluated the role of covert behavior and private events on establishing untrained overt behavior. Shanman and Greer investigated the role of conditioned seeing on listener and tact responding after hearing the names of arbitrary stimuli. Yeager and Greer extended that study by using multiple exemplar instruction and a delayed stimulus presentation. In the fourth paper, Aguirre and Rehfeldt evaluated covert behavior with an application of visual imagining of text to facilitate spelling. This symposium grew out of the Verbal Behavior Special Interest Groups Student Group, and the four papers represent critical extensions of studies evaluating the roles of direct training and covert behavior on facilitating untrained behavior. The studies have implications for theory and research on Skinners analysis of verbal behavior, functional independence of the verbal operants, stimulus equivalence, relational frame theory, and naming. As discussant, Sundberg will explain the importance of these studies in terms of theory, research, and practice.

Existing recommendations for training sequences of receptive and expressive language are mixed with respect to which sequence leads to more efficient learning. Petursdottir and Carr (2011) indicated that research is still needed to determine the most effective teaching strategies and sequences for training. More recently, Delfs, Conine, Dickman, and Shillingsburg (accepted for publication), compared the efficiency of listener training to that of tact training in producing the bidirectional relations. The results indicated two patterns of emergent responding. One pattern included emergent responding occurring under both training conditions. The other pattern showed that tact training resulted in emergent listener responding more frequently than listener training led to the emergence of tacts. The current study replicated these methods utilizing a parallel treatment design, however a more concise method of teaching and data collection were implemented. Several participants, aged 3-8 years receiving services to address language deficits were included. Results replicated Delfs et al. and extended previous research by including assessment of the emergence of teaching feature, function, and class of items both receptively and as tacts. In addition, students who use sign language were also included. Implications for clinicians and educators, as well as areas of future research, are also included.

Research on naming has focused on acquisition of object-name relations with respect to vocal stimuli, but has not yet focused on acquisition of visual stimuli. This study sought to identify conditioned seeing as a measurable behavior, and to relate that behavior to the demonstration of naming. There were twelve participants in Experiment 1, six of whom then continued on to Experiment 2. Experiment 1 demonstrated a correlation between drawing responses as a measure of conditioned seeing and speaker responses in a test for naming. In Experiment 2, a non-concurrent multiple probe design was used to test the effects of a delayed phonemic response teaching intervention on the acquisition of the drawing responses. Four of the participants in Experiment 2 demonstrated both the acquisition of the speaker component of naming as well as the drawing responses as a function of the delayed phonemic response teaching intervention. No participants demonstrated the speaker component naming without the acquisition of the drawing responses. Results from Experiment 2 further supported the relation between these two variables suggesting that drawing responses were a measure of conditioned seeing, and that conditioned seeing is related to the development of naming as it pertains to visual object-name relations.

Skinner conjectured about possible behaviors of "conditioned seeing" and "operant seeing" (1953), attempting to define ways of referring to the experience of visual imagery consistent with functional behaviorism. Later, Skinner (1974) referred to this phenomenon as "seeing in the absence of the thing." Shanman (2013) reported that conditioned seeing and Naming are related, and identified one possible measure for conditioned seeing. We examined the effects of multiple exemplar instruction across listener and speaker responses with a delayed stimulus presentation on the acquisition of novel tacts from past experiences using a non-concurrent multiple probe. Each probe consisted of an assessment for Naming and the acquisition of tacts from past experiences. There were four participants, three diagnosed with autism and the other a speech and language delay. In pre-experimental probes, two participants demonstrated the Naming capability, however no participants demonstrated the ability to acquire tacts from past experiences. Following intervention, all four participants acquired tacts from past experiences, and the two participants who did not demonstrate the Naming capability prior to, did so after the intervention. Implications of the current study, its relationship to previous and possible future studies will be discussed.

Covert verbal behaviors can be characterized as mediating responses, emerge following overt responding, and occur when an individual acts as a speaker and listener within the same skin (Skinner, 1957). Behavior analysts generally agree that covert verbal behaviors do occur, however, there is still a lack of researchers studying this area. Utilizing Skinners (1957) interpretation of private events may lead to interventions to teach such behavior, which can play an important role in establishing more sophisticated academic repertoires. The current study used a multiple-probe design to evaluate the effects of visual imagining instruction on increasing correct written spelling responses with three adolescents with various learning disabilities. After the participants were presented with the textual target stimuli, they were instructed to imagine the word in their head, which they were then instructed to write the word. Two out of the three participants met mastery criteria of correct written spelling responses after error correction and reinforcement were added with the visual imagining condition. One participant met mastery criteria during the visual imagining only condition, however, the presentation of textual target stimuli enhanced responding alone. Limitations and future research will be discussed.

Despite the many intensive early intervention programs implemented every year, mainly with children diagnosed with autism, some aspects of regularly used techniques are under-researched, and thus best practice has not been identified. In this symposium we report studies on prompting strategies and error correction that seek to remedy limitations in the literature on these topics. The first paper describe experimental studies evaluating delayed prompting strategies in a conditional discrimination task. It was found that , across the studies, there were persistent variations in effectiveness in prompting strategies across participants, but with some evidence in later experiments of greater average effectiveness of progressively increasing prompt delays in reducing prompt dependence. The second study was a field study of error correction techniques used in several schools. It found substantial variation in the preferred techniques being used in classrooms , that appear unrelated to theory or an evidence base. The discussant will evaluate these contributions both in the light of the literature that evalautes featiues of practice in ABA classrooms and her knowledge of practice in ABA schools in Ireland.

Teaching conditional arbitrary discriminations with match-to-sample instruction to children with varying disabilities can involve either trial-and-error or errorless learning procedures. Progressive and constant prompt-delay (PPD, CPD) are two widely used errorless learning procedures but they are rarely systematically compared. Using an adapted alternating treatments design, the first experiment directly compared three errorless teaching conditions (PPD, CPD 2-s and CPD 5-s), with one trial-and-error control condition, across five participants with intellectual disabilities and autism. This was done using four sets of a three-stimulus array in a conditional discrimination table top task. Acceptable levels of inter-observer agreement and procedural integrity, collected in approximately 33% of sessions, were obtained. Prompt-delay conditions proved effective for two participants. The prompt-delay procedure was modified for the other three participants to include the use of differential reinforcement across two experimental conditions (CPD 5-s & Control). This strategy was effective in two of three participants. Overall, there was no strong contender for best strategy in this group of participants which was itself fairly typical of children in intensive intervention programs. In the second experiment, an adapted alternating treatments design using a 3-stimulus array conditional discrimination task was implemented with five participants. We sought to replicate and extend previous findings by directly comparing three variations of the prompt-delay procedure (PPD, CPD 5-s, CPD 2-s), in addition to a control, incorporating the use of differential reinforcement where necessary based on previous findings. For three participants, differential reinforcement was incorporated throughout. Acceptable levels of inter-observer agreement and procedural integrity were obtained across approximately 33% of sessions. As predicted, prompt delay alone was effective, in terms of acquisition, for two participants, while prompt-delay in addition to differential reinforcement was effective for two of the remaining three participants. For the remaining participant, successful acquisition was obtained using stimulus fading. A between subject analysis show progressive prompt delay (PPD) to be associated with the least average amount of training trials and errors to criterion as compared with other variations of this procedure.

Professionals working with children diagnosed with autism use a number of behavioural techniques to encourage students to succeed in their work. Although there has been a vast amount of research into the effects of different types and schedules of reinforcement on behaviour, there has been little or no research into the effects of another type of consequence; error-correction techniques. In the past, research has provided practitioners with guidelines to using reinforcement effectively, however there is a lack of published accounts of error-correction procedures that are well-specified , have been evaluated, and could be used for staff training. Often, considerable variation is seen among these error correction procedures across and within early intervention programmes and, as a result, their underlying behavioural mechanism is not clear. Further research is required in order to isolate the effective components and processes operating within different error-correction procedures. Based on an assessment of current staff, practices, this study categorized and assessed the variation in error correction procedures used within and across early intervention programs for young children with autism in a number of ABA schools in Ireland. It was found that considerable variation exists across these schools.This study is the initial stage of a program of research aimed at developing a teaching training package and a computer-based assessment of efficiency of various error-correction techniques.

The use of behavioral economics in applied behavior analysis has long been applied to understand areas of study such as addiction, gambling, and consumption. More recently, the application of behavioral economics has been extended to the treatment of individuals with developmental disabilities. In the current symposium, three groups of researchers have examined the utility of behavioral economics principles in the assessment and treatment of individuals with autism spectrum disorders. The first study examines variations of the progressive ratio analysis to increase its utility in clinical settings. The second study evaluates delay discounting in individuals with autism, and considers the impact of presession access to reinforcers on impulsivity. Finally, the third study examines the manipulation of the cost of reinforcement and pay for task completion to increase student completion of nonpreferred tasks.

Progressive-ratio (PR) schedules of reinforcement are used to evaluate the potency of a reinforcer by assessing the reinforcer's ability to maintain a behavior across successively higher ratio requirements. However, the methods typically described in the literature may limit the utility of the tool in applied settings, due to the use of non-functional tasks, poor student response, and time constraints. To address these issues, we adapted the PR analysis to a vocational task and assessed two stimulus presentation methods, high PR salience and low PR salience, in a multi-element design. Two adolescents with autism were included in the study, one of whom never produced responses in a PR analysis prior to this evaluation and one for whom a break point could not be established during the limited session time. For the first student, the high PR salience condition evoked levels of behavior at which assessment could be successfully completed. For the second student, the low salience condition decreased his responding to a level easily captured within the available time. Results indicate that the PR analysis can be successfully adapted to curricular tasks and that varying the salience of the PR requirements may enhance the utility of the assessment for clinical purposes.

Impulsivity is a common concern in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). While not a defining characteristic of ASDs, the presence of impulsivity can be pervasive and can dramatically affect the intervention process. Delay discounting refers to the decrease in the present value of reinforcers as a function of the delay of their receipt. In other words, the value of reinforcers often decreases as the length of time one has to wait for them increases. Researchers have outlined some procedures for evaluating delay discounting in human populations. However, much of this research is limited to hypothetical choices with typically developing populations. The purpose of the current investigation was the employ delay discounting procedures with individuals with ASDs. In the investigation, participants were given choices between an impulsive choice (a sooner smaller amount of reinforcement) and a self-controlled choice (accepting a delayed, larger amount of reinforcement). Indifference points (the point at which an individual switches from the smaller-sooner to larger-later reinforcement) were plotted. Presession access to reinforcement was then manipulated to determine if the presence of abolishing operations (satiation) affected impulsivity. The preliminary results suggest that using delay discounting procedures may inform treatment development for this clinical population.

Practitioners often face challenges when developing programming for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). A common challenge involves finding a balance between implementing sound programming and an individual's right to choice. The purpose of the current investigation was to find a way to integrate choice into the habilitation programming for adults with ASD, particularly programming that they may not voluntarily choose to participate. One potential way to increase engagement in low-probability activities is through the manipulation of pay rates of less-preferred tasks and the cost of preferred reinforcing items. In the current investigation, we altered the "pay rate" of specific tasks (high, medium and low preference jobs) and the "cost" of specific reinforcers (high, medium, and low preference rewards). The results from the investigation indicate that the manipulations of pay rate for jobs and cost of rewards resulted in varied responding for both job and reward selection. Specifically, participants switched from stable responding in baseline to varied responding when the economy was manipulated. The procedures outlined in the investigation represent one possible way for practitioners to provide effective intervention while protecting the rights of all people to direct their lives as independently as possible.

The behavior analytic emphasis on environmental determinism makes the approach a natural bedfellow of progressive social action, as the source of social and cultural problems are located in the environment rather than in people. Eliminating these problems requires modification of the controlling external environment rather than modification of presumably defective people. Progressive change may therefore include counter-control skill training of people to alter the problematic environment. The panelists will present several brief prompts for discussion, including (a) the historical linkage between behavior analysis and progressive social action, beginning with Watson and then Skinner, the emergence of behavior modification in the 1960s, and up through the present, (b) current and immediately realistic opportunities for further behavioral systems analytic work in the areas of structural and collective violence, sustainability, environmental justice, and grassroots activism in the context of economic systems that favor large corporations, and (c) possible strategies for incorporating progressive social action into a behavior analytic career.

Many behavior analysts have shown keen interest in how an animal’s genetic endowment interacts with environmental variables to evoke and elicit responses and how these responses and associated consequences affect future responses and produce changes in organism variables. Throughout the years, great progress has been made in understanding biobehavioral interactions. However, our progress in understanding these complex interactions could be accelerated if more behavior analysts participated in transdisciplinary research teams that function as “think tanks” to develop studies that answer questions that could not be addressed by single-discipline research. The focus of this talk will be on (1) the potential benefits of incorporating indirect measures of behavior to document patterns of behavior within specific genetic disorders prior to costly large-scale direct observation studies, and (2) how technological advances such a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can expand our range of dependent variables to facilitate our understanding of how organism variables interact with environmental variables. Specifically, this talk will describe Dr. Richmond’s research on phenotypic expression of Cornelia de Lange Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder that has incorporated parental report or fMRI dependent variables.

We present 3 papers concerning the identification and establishment of controlling contingencies for verbal behavior developmental cusps. Building on the previous identification of the role of the echoic as a conditioned reinforcer, the first paper reports that pre-teaching the echoic facilitated tact learning in preschoolers. This finding is related to recent research on the role of length of speech sound utterances on language acquisition. The second paper reports 3 experiments isolating the effect of observing actions as children with the naming cusp are provided name-learning experiences on their incidental learning of name of things. The data suggest that the presence of actions in name learning opportunities interferes with the learning of names as a speaker: they learn the actions but not the names. However, if children are provided multiple-exemplar training across name learning experiences involving they can learn the tacts of things in addition to the actions incidentally. The third paper reports the effects of a protocol for establishing social reinforcement in fourth graders with autism. The paper extends the findings on the role of yoked contingencies in social learning of social reinforcers.

We tested the effects of pre-teaching the echoic in isolation on preschoolers' learning of tacts using a non-concurrent multiple baseline design across participants with counterbalanced sets of stimuli. Eight preschoolers (age from 3 to 5 years old) diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders were participants in the study. The participants were divided into 4 dyads based on their levels of verbal of behavior development. The dependent variable was the number of learn units to criterion in tact programs. Within each dyad, we taught one participant tacts by pre-teaching the echoics and the other one we taught using the traditional echoic-to-tact teaching before they were switched and received the other treatment condition. We found that a combination of training procedures that teach the student to echo the word (target picture out of sight), then say the word independently (target picture out of sight) was more effective and efficient for 3 of 4 sets for our participants.

In 3 experiments we investigated the relation between observing responses and language acquisition by preschoolers with and without disabilities. In Experiment I, participants were presented with the opportunity to observe multiple aspects of a stimulus, such that the participant heard the name of an object while observing an action demonstrated with the object. Participants consistently acquired the actions associated with the objects, but produced fewer names as a speaker. Experiment II analyzed responses to stimuli presented with and without actions. The results indicated that the visual-motor (action) aspects of the stimuli selected out the participants observing responses over the auditory (name) aspects of the stimulus. The presence of an action hindered rather than facilitated incidental acquisition of names, suggesting the dominance of visual stimuli over auditory stimuli. In Experiment III, participants were selected who acquired listener responses when actions were present, but did not readily acquire the speaker responses. Following a multiple exemplar intervention (MEI), participants acquired both speaker and listener responses. The results suggest that rotated opportunities to emit multiple responses to a single stimulus in the presence of reinforcement can result in a shift of stimulus control such that new observing responses emerge.

In two experiments, we studied social listener reinforcement in an elementary inclusive setting. Experiment 1 consisted of a comparison of the number of verbal vocal operants and socially appropriate behaviors emitted by four elementary age students with and without disabilities, using a multiple probe design. Probes were conducted in three settings: 1) social discussions, 2) academic discussions, 3) lunch time across 5 days for each peer and participant. Additionally, we measured social behaviors that each peer and participant emitted throughout the school day across 10 consecutive days. The results indicated that typically developing peers emitted a greater number of social vocal operants and appropriate social performance behaviors. These results indicated that Participant 1 and 2 did not demonstrate social-listener reinforcement. In Experiment 2, we tested the effects of a social-listener reinforcement (SLR) intervention with two students with autism, using a delayed multiple probe design. The sequence of the SLR procedures included: 1) I Spy, 2) 20 Questions, 3) Guess Who, 4) Advanced 20 Questions, 5) Peer Tutoring, 7) Group Instruction, and 8) Empathy. Results demonstrated that the social-listener reinforcement procedure significantly increased the numbers of vocal verbal operants and socially appropriate behaviors emitted by participants.

Delayed reinforcers are ubiquitous effects of operant contingencies. In psychology's early days, they were mostly viewed as impediments to learning: the more time between an act and its consequences, the slower the learning. Technical problems complicated studies of delay gradients (the functions relating rate of responding to delay): e.g., can we ignore additional responses occurring between a response and its scheduled delayed reinforcer? When several successive responses are followed by a reinforcer, all are followed by that reinforcer, the most recent with the shortest delay. Peter Dews, recognizing the significance of this observation, showed how it could clarify our understanding of performances maintained by reinforcement schedules and pointed the way to surmounting the technical difficulties in determining delay gradients. This tutorial considers the relevance of that experimental history not only for the foundations of our science but also for its applications. For example, in a vast array of instructional applications, correction procedures guarantee that correct responses eventually follow errors; those errors, followed after some delay by reinforcers produced by the subsequent corrects, may persist for that reason. Improving our understanding of delayed reinforcers in both basic and applied settings may therefore help us to enhance our instructional practices.

Especially those who wish to expand their understanding of basic processes, including students, practitioners, and teachers, and all with an interest in the details of the phenomenon of reinforcement.

Previous research has demonstrated that non-contingent reinforcement (NCR) and differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO) are effective in reducing problem behavior of children both in and out of the classroom. However, few studies have assessed which procedure is most socially acceptable among teachers. In addition, studies have not recorded data on fidelity of implementation among teachers. A non-concurrent multiple baseline across teachers design was used to (a) demonstrate the effect of NCR and DRO on the problem behaviors of school aged children with no identified developmental disability, and (b) assess implementation fidelity of each procedure by the teacher. This study further assessed which procedure was preferred by teachers by the addition of questionnaires and a choice phase in which teachers ultimately chose which procedure to implement. Results showed that both procedures significantly reduced problem behavior across all participants, with the DRO procedure having the greatest effect. The procedure that was preferred most by teachers varied across participants.

The science of behavior analysis has been applied to a myriad of human behaviors, including those of a sexual nature. The purpose of this presentation is to provide multiple examples of how sexual behavior issues can be assessed and treated using a behavior-analytic approach. This symposium underscored the need for behavior analysts to provide function-based, individualized, and least-restrictive interventions to influence the occurrence of sexual behaviors that are inappropriate in topography and/or occur in inappropriate environments. Case study data and their implications will be presented, as well as directions for future research and practice in this area.

The sexual behaviors of persons with disabilities is an understudied area in Applied Behavior Analysis. When a person with a disability engages in sexual behavior it is often labeled as aberrant, and these individuals are then stigmatized, which can impact their quality of life. Limited research has been conducted on these "aberrant" sexual behaviors and related courses of treatment. Current literature supports competing reinforcement for automatic behaviors, though does not explicitly address sexual behavior. This presentation will include case studies of individuals with cognitive disabilities, mental illness diagnoses, and autism who engage in "aberrant" sexual behavior. The behaviors that individuals in this study engage in include public masturbation and non-consensual sexual advances toward other individuals with disabilities. The agencies response to the aberrant sexual behavior before and after consultation with a BCBA will be discussed. Additionally, a brief review of literature on sexual education for persons with disabilities will be included.

Inappropriate sexual behaviors can be dangerous to both the client and others. Research shows that increasing communication skills can lead to a decrease in maladaptive behaviors, such as inappropriate sexual behavior, when it serves the function of attention. The present case study used a token economy and functional communication training procedure to increase appropriate communication when interacting with females and thus, decreased nonconsensual sexual advances with females of all ages in the community setting for a 32-year old male with Autism. The interventions were also employed at the client's workplace to decrease inappropriate sexual display and urination, while increasing appropriate attention seeking behaviors. Results and limitations will be discussed along with future applied considerations.

The practice of Applied Behavior Analysis has the ability to impact the spectrum of human behavior. While research and educational materials regarding other commonly occurring behavior such as communication, aggression, and daily living skills are commonly disseminated, there is a disproportionate lack of research and educational materials in the behavior analytic literature regarding sexual behavior. Sexual behavior is an important part of an individual's behavioral repertoire, and many behavior analysts will, at some point, target sexual behavior with clients. Current practiced methods of education and intervention for sexual behavior often come from practitioner experimentation as opposed to empirical behavioral research, which can lead to a possible breach of ethics. Current literature, guidelines provided by experienced practitioners, and social, cultural, and religious concerns will be discussed, with a focus on components that both increase and decrease effectiveness, to assist practitioners in creating sound interventions. Strategies for the decrease of inappropriate and increase of appropriate sexual behaviors for a variety of specific scenarios will be explored, and areas of future research will be suggested.

One solution that has been proposed to combat the ongoing obesity epidemic has been to replace caloric sugars with artificial sweeteners that provide sweet tastes without providing the associated calories. While such an idea seems to be common sense, scientific data supporting artificial sweeteners as beneficial for weight loss are weak. Further, more recent epidemiological data from long-term studies in a variety of human cohorts have indicated that daily consumption of artificial sweeteners may exacerbate metabolic disturbances like Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and stroke. One explanation for such a counterintuitive result is that consuming sweet tastes without typical post-ingestive outcomes could interfere with basic learning processes that normally operate to regulate energy balance. Using data from an animal model, work from Dr. Swithers' lab has explored how interfering with predictive relations between tastes and calories may contribute to negative health outcomes. The results suggest that obesity and its attendant co-morbidities are unlikely to be helped by consuming "diet" foods manufactured with sugar substitutes.

To paraphrase Roddenberry et al: Behavior: the final frontier. These are the studies of the behavioral enterprise. Its symposium mission: to explore how strange new worlds, new life and new civilizations, enable us to "to boldly go where no one has gone before". The Star Trek franchise has been used to explore new social ideas, technology, and how we behave. In this symposium, we present multiple ways in which Star Trek has stimulated our own thinking about behavior analysis, and how it can be used in the classroom as both an analytical and teaching tool. Some of the topics to be covered include precision teaching, celeration charting, verbal behavior, emotional behavior, and other basic operant and respondent principles and procedures.

A book by Richard Hanley asked Is Data Human? The metaphysics of Star Trek. Herein I will attempt to analyze a smaller aspect of Datas repertoire- does he engage in behaviors indicative of or influenced by emotions and feelings. Skinners analysis of language offered in Verbal Behavior provides tools to an observer about classifying particular aspects of verbal operants that may be viewed as related to the language of emotions. In part, these relate to tacting private events. Other behavior- notably autoclitics- often have subtle influences on the listener by indicating either a property of the speaker's behavior or the circumstances responsible for that property. This talk will review several examples which appear to support the presence of various autoclitics in Datas verbal behavior with the crew.

The original Star Trek series took viewers on a bold voyage to the final frontier of space with alien life forms, exotic planets, and futuristic technology. Perhaps so many people fell in love with the series because of the inspiring messages delivered each episode: equality for all genders, races, and classes of people, solving ethical and societal issues through rationality and compassion, and the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the Enterprise crew coming to the benefit of those in need. Showcasing how humanity could rise to great heights through superior technology combined with ingenuity also strikes a chord in all applied behavior analysts who aspire to create and implement socially valid interventions through the science of behavior. Precision Teaching, developed by Ogden lindsley, represents the science of measurement. As one of Skinners greatest graduate students, Lindsleys Precision Teaching allows behavior analysts to a strikingly futuristic visual medium called the Standard Celeration Charts. The current presentation will show behavior analysts how the Standard Celeration Chart helps behavior analysts analyze, interpret, and communicate data in a superior manner to the more common nonstandard linear graph. The themes of Star Trek will appear throughout the presentation.

Since the 1950s, the conventional wisdom has held that we get fat because we eat too much and move too little. Virtually all research on obesity and its related chronic diseases is predicated on this notion. The problem has always been that doing the opposite--eating less and exercising more--fails almost invariably to cure the problem, suggesting the possibility that our underlying hypothesis is simply incorrect. What's the alternative? Before World War II, European clinicians argued that obesity was caused by a defect in the regulation of fat tissue metabolism. By the 1960s, it was clear that fat accumulation is fundamentally regulated by the hormone insulin, which in turn is secreted primarily in response to the carbohydrates in our diet. So a reasonable hypothesis is that we get fat not because we consume more calories than we expend, but because the carbohydrates that we eat happen to be uniquely fattening. A simple revision to first principles in our underlying assumption about the causes of weight gain will have profound and far-reaching implications.

Psychologists, behavior analysts, graduate students, and anyone interested in whether our underlying assumption about the causes of weight gain are valid.