Further evaluation of latency measures in the assessment and treatment of severe self‐injurious behavior

Recent research has demonstrated the utility of latency measures during the functional analysis of problem behavior; however, few studies have evaluated the utility of latency measures during subsequent treatment analyses. The current study seeks to extend the literature on the use of latency measures during the treatment of severe self‐injurious behavior (SIB). Following a latency‐based functional analysis, a treatment analysis was conducted using a hybrid procedure in which baseline sessions were terminated following the first instance of SIB, and test sessions ended after a fixed length of time. Latency to SIB was compared across conditions, whereas latency and rate measures for both SIB and functional communication responses were compared for the functional communication training condition. Results suggest that latency measures may be too sensitive during treatment analyses and that it is beneficial to use a hybrid procedure that allows for both latency and rate comparisons.     

Effects of Public Posting and Goal Setting on Team Performance in a Residential Setting

Treatment integrity has been shown to be of critical importance in behavioral programming. The extent to which tasks are completed as designed often has a direct effect on the quality of care provided to clients. Most research on treatment integrity has focused on implementation of interventions. The current study used a multiple baseline design across behaviors to evaluate the effects of public posting of team performance data and goal setting on data collection by direct‐care staff. Results of the current study suggest that public posting and goal setting may be effective strategies to improve staff data collection. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Christian Churches and the Prevention of Preadolescent Aggression and Violence in Puerto Rico: Regional Leaders’ Perspective

Journal of Religion and Health - Preadolescents’ involvement in religious congregations may serve as a distal protective factor against aggression. Interviews were conducted to...     

The interaction between duration, velocity and repetitive auditory stimulation

Repetitive auditory stimulation (with click trains) and visual velocity signals both have intriguing effects on the subjective passage of time. Previous studies have established that prior presentation of auditory clicks increases the subjective duration of subsequent sensory input, and that faster moving stimuli are also judged to have been presented for longer (the time dilation effect). However, the effect of clicks on velocity estimation is unknown, and the nature of the time dilation effect remains ambiguous. Here were present a series of five experiments to explore these phenomena in more detail. Participants viewed a rightward moving grating which traveled at velocities ranging from 5 to 15°/s and which lasted for durations of 500 to 1500 ms. Gratings were preceded by clicks, silence or white noise. It was found that both clicks and higher velocities increased subjective duration. It was also found that the time dilation effect was a constant proportion of stimulus duration. This implies that faster velocity increases the rate of the pacemaker component of the internal clock. Conversely, clicks increased subjective velocity, but the magnitude of this effect was not proportional to actual velocity. Through considerations of these results, we conclude that clicks independently affect velocity and duration representations.     

An Abbreviated Screening Instrument for Autism Spectrum Disorders

The reliability and validity of the Parent's Observations of Social Interactions (POSI), a new, seven‐item screening instrument for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), is examined in two substudies. In Study 1, parents of 217 children (18–48 months) evaluated at a developmental clinic completed intake questionnaires that included the POSI and the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M‐CHAT) checklist. POSI and M‐CHAT scores were compared to clinical evaluation results to assess reliability and validity. In Study 2, parents of 232 children (16–36 months) from both primary care and subspecialty settings completed the POSI, the M‐CHAT, and a report of their child's diagnoses. POSI and M‐CHAT scores were compared to reported diagnoses to assess reliability and validity. In both studies, the POSI demonstrated adequate internal reliability (Cronbach α = 0.83 and 0.86, respectively). In Study 1, POSI sensitivity (89%) was higher than that for the M‐CHAT (71%; p < .05); specificities were not significantly different (POSI: 54%, M‐CHAT: 62%). In Study 2, sensitivity (83%) compared favorably to that for the M‐CHAT (50%), although specificity was lower (75 vs. 84%). Despite its brevity, the POSI demonstrated good internal reliability and comparable sensitivity/specificity to the M‐CHAT checklist in two independent populations. If results are reproduced in larger, more diverse samples, the POSI may provide an efficient method for ASD screening in young children.     

Studying as fun and games: effects on college students' quiz performance

We examined college students' participation in a game activity for studying course material on their subsequent quiz performance. Game conditions were alternated with another activity counterbalanced across two groups of students in a multielement design. Overall, the mean percentage correct on quizzes was higher during the game condition than in the no-game condition.     

Brief functional anlaysis and treatment of elopement in preschoolers with autism

As a result of the impact of functional analysis methodologies in identifying maintaining variables of problem behavior, considerable research has been devoted to tailoring the methodologies to be practical for an outpatient setting. The purpose of this study was (a) to use brief functional analysis (BFA) methodologies to empirically demonstrate the function of elopement exhibited by two preschoolers diagnosed with autism and (b) to develop function‐based interventions derived from the results of the BFA. In phase one, a BFA consisting of 5‐min sessions with multiple repetitions of each condition was conducted with each participant. In phase two, the efficacy of function‐based interventions was assessed using a pairwise design. Both participants' rates of elopement were differentially lower during the implementation of the function‐based intervention relative to baseline. Collectively, these results demonstrated that brief functional methodologies could be applied successfully to the assessment and treatment of elopement. Moreover, the application of BFA and the ensuing treatment in an outpatient setting extend the existing research on functional analysis. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The view from everywhere: Disciplining diversity in post–World War II international social science

This paper explores the attempt of social scientists associated with Unesco to create a system of knowledge production to provide the international perspective necessary for democratic governance of a world community. Social scientists constructed a federal system of international associations that institutionalized American disciplines on an international scale. An international perspective emerged through the process of interdisciplinary international research. I call this ideal of coordinating multiple subjectivities to produce objectivity the “view from everywhere.” Influenced by social psychological “action‐research,” collaborative research was group therapy. The attempt to operationalize internationalists' rallying slogan, “unity in diversity,” illuminated tensions inherent in the mobilization of science for social and political reform. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Organization in audition by similarity in rate of change: Evidence from tracking individual frequency glides in mixtures

In audition, sound energy is assigned to separate auditory “streams” following principles of organization that closely parallel the visual gestalt principles that guide the perception of distinct forms or objects. Metzger (1934) provided evidence for organization in vision based on similarity in the velocity of moving forms. If two dots approach one another along one spatial dimension, they may appear to cross and continue beyond their meeting point if their velocities differ; otherwise, they usually appear to change direction abruptly and retrace their movements. If an analogous auditory principle exists, with rate of change in frequency substituted for velocity of movement, two frequency glides that sweep through the same frequency range in opposite directions should be able to perceptually cross if their rates of change differ; otherwise, they should usually appear to change direction and retrace the same frequency region. Four experiments provided data in support of this hypothesis, and the results were consistent across experiments with varying stimuli and methods of presentation. When properties of the stimuli favored organization according to a principle of frequency proximity, the effect of a principle of rate similarity was attenuated but still evident.