AN ANALYSIS OF THE PROCEDURAL COMPONENTS OF SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS ASSOCIATED WITH EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES

This study examined the relation between the procedural components of supported employment programs and employment outcomes for 120 individuals with disabilities. These individuals were involved in supported employment programs established through the Utah Supported Employment Project. The results suggest that successful implementation of supported employment services led to ongoing employment of study participants in community work sites, increased wages, and ongoing opportunities for workers to interact with nondisabled peers. In addition, several procedural components were found to be strongly associated with successful employment outcomes for workers. Results of the study are discussed in terms of the training needs of supported employment program staff and future research for the dissemination of a cohesive technology of supported employment.     

EFFECT OF SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT ON THE VOCATIONAL OUTCOMES OF PERSONS WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

This paper reports the job placement of 5 males with severe traumatic brain injury. An individual placement model of supported employment was used. All individuals were placed in competitive employment and received staggered intervention over time by trained employment specialists. A multiple baseline design across persons was used to evaluate results. All individuals had been unable to work consistently or at all in competitive work environments. The range of wages was $4.25 to $5.00 per hour with an average of 339 hours of employment specialist intervention time required per case. The major problems experienced by employment specialists were insubordinate and disruptive behaviors as well as other inappropriate social behaviors displayed at the job site.     

BENEFITS AND COSTS OF SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT: AN ANALYSIS OF THE ILLINOIS SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT PROJECT

This investigation presents a cost-benefit analysis completed for one of 27 states implementing supported employment as a result of federal funding. Based upon the benefits and costs detailed, society realized a $0.75 return for every $1.00 invested in supported employment in Illinois. Supported employees realized a 37% increase in their earnings over a comparable period. The results of this study are discussed and recommendations are made for similar analyses across states.     

OVERVIEW OF SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT

This article traces the emergence of supported employment as a result of philosophical changes in expectations for persons with disabilities, based on scientific developments that challenged traditional service-delivery models. Supported employment program characteristics also are reviewed, and the influence of applied behavior analysis is outlined. Finally, areas for future research in supported employment are discussed.     

ON THE RELATIVE REINFORCING EFFECTS OF CHOICE AND DIFFERENTIAL CONSEQUENCES

Research on the reinforcing effects of providing choice-making opportunities to individuals with developmental disabilities (i.e., allowing them to choose reinforcers or tasks) has produced inconsistent results, perhaps because the mechanisms underlying such effects remain unclear. Choice may produce a reinforcement effect because it is correlated with differential consequences (i.e., choice may increase one's access to higher preference stimuli), or it may have reinforcement value independent of (or in addition to) the chosen stimulus. In Experiment 1, we used a concurrent-operants arrangement to assess preference for a choice condition (in which participants selected one of two available reinforcers) relative to a no-choice condition (in which the therapist selected the same reinforcers on a yoked schedule). All 3 participants preferred the choice option. In Experiment 2, we altered the schedules so that the participant selected one of two lower preference reinforcers in the choice condition, whereas the therapist selected a higher preference stimulus for the participant either half or all of the time in the no-choice condition. Participants typically allowed the therapist to select reinforcers for them (i.e., they allocated responding to the no-choice condition) when it resulted in greater access to higher preference stimuli.     

THE EFFECTS OF SELF-MONITORING AND SUPERVISOR FEEDBACK ON STAFF PERFORMANCE IN A RESIDENTIAL SETTING

We evaluated the effects of a self-monitoring procedure to increase staff on-task behavior and adherence to scheduled activities. Self-monitoring involved the use of activity cards that staff members completed and carried with them to assist in determining the activities for which they were responsible at any given time. Increases in both on-schedule and on-task behavior resulted. Supervisor feedback was subsequently added because some staff members did not maintain consistently high levels of performance. Generalization data indicated that staff members implemented the procedure during evening hours without specific programming. The advantages and limitations of using a self-monitoring procedure for improving performance of staff members in residential settings are discussed.     

SOCIAL INTERACTIONS IN THREE SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT OPTIONS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Controversy exists over the benefits that workers with severe disabilities accrue under different supported employment options. This study focused upon one benefit of supported employment: social integration. Direct observation procedures were used to assess the social interactions of 37 adults with severe disabilities in 18 employment programs representing three different supported employment contexts (individual, enclave, and work crew). Results indicated that workers employed in individual and enclave programs had significantly more contact with nondisabled persons than did members of work crews. No differences were detected in the social contact rate between disabled and nondisabled workers in individual versus enclave sites. Furthermore, few differences in type of interactions across the three different work options were revealed. Results suggest that both individual and enclave models are capable of facilitating social integration. However, characteristics of specific job sites, more so than the employment model per se, may determine whether a particular employment setting is conducive to social integration.     

SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT AS AN INTERVENTION PACKAGE: A PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS OF FUNCTIONAL VARIABLES

In this two-experiment investigation, the long-term (at least 6 months) employment of 51 moderately mentally retarded clients who were placed into 64 supported employment positions was first evaluated relative to 10 training and posttraining components that comprised a supported employment training package. In Experiment 1, chi-square analyses were used to identify three components that differentiated successful (employed for at least 6 months) from unsuccessful clients. In Experiment 2, 4 successful clients were further evaluated in a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design to determine whether the three variables identified during the group analysis (client advocate, collateral behavior, and follow-up plan) were included in the training packages. These results are discussed in terms of the need to establish better the functional variables of supported employment training programs.     

ON THE REINFORCING EFFECTS OF THE CONTENT OF VERBAL ATTENTION

During a functional analysis, a boy with autism and oppositional defiant disorder displayed destructive behavior that was maintained by attention in the form of verbal reprimands (e.g., “Don't hit me”). In a second analysis, contingent verbal reprimands produced higher rates of the behavior than contingent statements that were unrelated to the target response (e.g., “It is sunny today”), suggesting that some forms of attention were more reinforcing than others. A treatment based on these analyses reduced the behavior to near-zero levels.     

PROBLEM SOLVING TO PREVENT WORK INJURIES IN SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT

A problem-solving strategy was used to teach three groups of 3 individuals in supported employment how to prevent work-related injuries. The problem-solving strategy was taught in two training phases. The first training phase involved the use of cue cards, and the second involved the withdrawal of the cue cards. Interviews and staged generalization assessments in the participants' natural work environments were conducted before, during, and up to 12 weeks after training. In these assessments, situations were presented that were either similar or dissimilar to situations presented in training. Results of both the interviews and staged assessments indicated that the participants' newly acquired problem-solving skills generalized to similar and dissimilar situations.     

THE EFFECTS OF SEVERE BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN ON THE TEACHING BEHAVIOR OF ADULTS

Applied behavior analysts have focused on how adults can influence the problem behavior of children using a variety of behavior modification strategies. A related question, virtually unexplored, is how the behavior problems of children influence adults. This child-effects concept was explored empirically in a study involving 12 adults who were asked to teach four pairs of children in which one member of the pair exhibited problem behavior and the other typically did not. Results demonstrated that problem children displayed tantrums, aggression, and self-injury contingent on adult instructional attempts but not at other times, whereas nonproblem children showed little or no problem behavior at any time. Importantly, from a child-effects perspective, adults engaged in teaching activities with nonproblem children more often than with problem children. Also, when an adult worked with a problem child, the breadth of instruction was more limited and typically involved those tasks associated with lower rates of behavior problems. The implications of these results are discussed with respect to theories of escape behavior, current assessment practices, and intervention issues related to maintenance. The existence of child effects suggests that problem behavior may be better understood when it is conceptualized as involving a process of reciprocal influence between adult and child.     

FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS AND EXTINCTION OF DIFFERENT BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS EXHIBITED BY THE SAME INDIVIDUAL

Specific extinction procedures were matched to the function of two target behaviors displayed by the same individual, with results indicating that the matched extinction procedure suppressed the behavior for which it was designed. One of the target behaviors was exposed to an irrelevant extinction procedure, which produced no beneficial effects. These results support previous research indicating the need to match extinction procedures to the function of problem behavior.     

VOCATIONAL VALUES AND EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES OF THE DISADVANTAGED

There is conflicting opinion regarding the vocational values of disadvantaged persons. This study was conducted to examine vocational values and employment outcomes of 21 disadvantaged and 20 not-disadvantaged clients previously served by a U.S. Employment Service office. The Minnesota Importance Questionnaire (MIQ) was used to measure vocational values, and two measures of disadvantagement were compared with employment outcome. Only 2 of the 20 MIQ scales revealed significant differences, suggesting that there is a need to consider the individual's unique values rather than presume stereotyped needs. The two measures of disadvantagement correlated significantly with employment status at follow-up. The finding that only 43 percent of the disadvantaged were employed, in contrast to 90 percent of the not-disadvantaged, indicates a greater need for specialized services for disadvantaged clients.     

EFFECTS OF REINFORCEMENT CHOICE ON TASK RESPONDING IN INDIVIDUALS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

The effects of reinforcement choice on task performance were examined with 6 individuals who had been diagnosed with severe to profound mental retardation. Five highly preferred items were identified for each participant via stimulus preference assessments. Participants then were exposed to choice and no-choice conditions that were alternated within reversal and multielement designs. During choice sessions, participants were permitted to select between two preferred stimuli contingent on responding. During no-choice sessions, the therapist delivered a single item contingent on responding. Preference for the stimuli was held constant across conditions by yoking the items delivered during no-choice sessions to those selected during the immediately preceding choice sessions. All participants exhibited similar rates of responding across choice and no-choice conditions. These findings indicate that for individuals with severe disabilities, access to choice may not improve task performance when highly preferred items are already incorporated into instructional programs.     

CHARACTERISTICS OF APPLICANTS’QUESTIONS AND EMPLOYMENT SCREENING INTERVIEW OUTCOMES

In order to explore empirically the nature of applicants' questioning behavior in screening interviews, videotapes of actual screening interviews (n = 48) at a university placement center were transcribed and interviewees' questions were coded with respect to question placement, question purpose, and question structure. Results suggest that applicants ask about one-third of their questions before their interviewers ask for inquiries, and ask more seeking “new information” questions (primarily focusing on job/organizational topics) than “clarifying” or eliciting “opinion” questions. Further, analyses indicate that the great majority of applicants' questions are closed (versus open), singular (versus multiple) inform, typically are not phrased in the first person (but rather in the second person case) and are about nine words in length. Findings also suggest that “successful” applicants (those receiving second interview offers) as compared to “unsuccessful” applicants (no second interview offer) tend to ask fewer seeking “new information-miscellaneous topics” questions, fewer seeking “new information-interview process” questions, and to some extent fewer questions that could potentially be phrased in the first person case.     

USING SELF-MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES TO IMPROVE THE PRODUCTIVITY OF ADULTS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES IN A COMPETITIVE EMPLOYMENT SETTING

This study describes the use of self-management procedures, similar to those proposed by Lagomarcino, Hughes, and Rusch (1989), to improve the productivity of 2 women with mild mental retardation who worked in restaurants. Substantial improvements were observed as a function of treatment, and the procedures were deemed acceptable by the participants, their coworkers, and their supervisors.     

个人和团体任务情境中不同心理卷入强度对个体决策行为的影响

使用被试间实验设计,分别研究了个体和团体两种不同的任务情境中,心理卷入强度高低对决策效果的影响。结果表明：（1）无论个体还是团体任务情境,不同的心理卷入度的决策者,决策结果差异显著;高心理卷入情境下,决策者的决策更为客观和公平。（2）团体任务高心理卷入情境下,学生对自己小组的评价和对其他小组的评价差异不显著。（3）团体任务情境中成员的决策结果比个体任务情境的更为客观。     

回报谨慎对谈判过程和谈判结果的影响

回报谨慎是人们害怕在人际关系中被他人利用的一种信念。研究考察了回报谨慎对谈判者的动机倾向、谈判行为及谈判结果的影响。184人组成92个两人小组参加了一项模拟商业谈判,谈判前研究者成功地进行了回报谨慎的操纵,谈判结束后,参加谈判的人完成谈判协议和谈判后问卷。研究者假设,低回报谨慎的谈判者比高回报谨慎的谈判者在谈判中更可能持有合作倾向、更多地与谈判对手分享信息,研究者还预测回报谨慎与谈判双方的联合收益以及谈判后对谈判对手的看法都有关系。研究结果支持了上述假设。研究对从事商业谈判的人具有实际意义。     

ON THE RELATION OF MANDS AND THE FUNCTION OF DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR

When standard analogue functional analysis procedures produce inconclusive results in children with conversational speech, the child's mands may help to identify the function of destructive behavior. In the current investigation, functional analyses conducted with 2 children who exhibited self-injury, aggression, and property destruction were undifferentiated across conditions. Based on informal observations and school and parental report, an analysis was conducted using mands to help determine the function of the destructive behavior. Using a multielement design, the therapist's compliance with the child's mands occurred either on a fixed-ratio (FR) 1 schedule or contingent on destructive behavior. Destructive behavior occurred at high and consistent levels when reinforcement of mands was contingent on destructive behavior and at near-zero levels when reinforcement of mands occurred on the FR 1 schedule. Based on these results, a second analysis was conducted in which compliance to mands occurred only when the child appropriately requested it (i.e., functional communication training plus extinction) and, for 1 child, compliance with mands was terminated contingent upon destructive behavior (i.e., functional communication training plus response cost). For both children, the rates of destructive behavior decreased markedly. The results suggest that assessing the child's mands may be useful in decreasing destructive behavior when a functional analysis is inconclusive.     

THE EFFECTS OF WIVES' EMPLOYMENT ON HUSBANDS' JOB AND LIFE SATISFACTION

Previous research has established that wives' employment has a negative effect on the mental health of husbands. This result is not yet well understood. Analyzing survey data from a national sample of workers, this study focuses on the work domain to investigate this result further. Findings reveal that wives' employment has negative effects on husbands' job and life satisfaction. These results suggest that the overall negative mental health effect may derive, in part, from the occupational domain.