Negative reinforcer magnitude manipulations for treating escape-maintained problem behavior

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of different magnitudes of escape for compliance relative to the magnitudes of escape for problem behavior in a concurrent-schedule arrangement. Three individuals who exhibited escape-maintained problem behavior participated. A large differential magnitude condition (240-s escape for compliance, 10-s escape for problem behavior) was compared to equal (30-s escape for compliance and problem behavior) and moderate differential magnitude (90-s escape for compliance, 10-s escape for problem behavior) conditions. The authors also evaluated the impact of correcting for reinforcer access time (i.e., time on escape intervals) on intervention interpretation. For all participants, problem behavior decreased during only the large differential magnitude condition, and including reinforcer access time in the overall session time did not affect interpretation of treatment outcomes. Providing larger escape magnitudes for compliance relative to problem behavior may facilitate treatment involving concurrent-reinforcement schedules for escape-maintained problem behavior.     

Trajectories of Big Five Personality Traits: A Coordinated Analysis of 16 Longitudinal Samples

This study assessed change in self-reported Big Five personality traits. We conducted a coordinated integrative data analysis using data from 16 longitudinal samples, comprising a total sample of over 60 000 participants. We coordinated models across multiple datasets and fit identical multi-level growth models to assess and compare the extent of trait change over time. Quadratic change was assessed in a subset of samples with four or more measurement occasions. Across studies, the linear trajectory models revealed declines in conscientiousness, extraversion, and openness. Non-linear models suggested late-life increases in neuroticism. Meta-analytic summaries indicated that the fixed effects of personality change are somewhat heterogeneous and that the variability in trait change is partially explained by sample age, country of origin, and personality measurement method. We also found mixed evidence for predictors of change, specifically for sex and baseline age. This study demonstrates the importance of coordinated conceptual replications for accelerating the accumulation of robust and reliable findings in the lifespan developmental psychological sciences. © 2020 European Association of Personality Psychology     

A blueprint for general‐case procedures illustrated by teaching adolescents with autism spectrum disorder to use a chip‐debit card

Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often respond poorly to novel stimulus combinations and may have difficulty discriminating across critical and noncritical stimulus dimensions without direct teaching. General‐case procedures and multiple‐exemplar training have been effectively used to address this deficit. In the current study, the experimenters outlined general‐case procedures with video modeling, prompting and reinforcement to teach three adolescents with ASD a generalized repertoire of using a chip‐debit card. A multiple‐probe across participants design demonstrated the effectiveness of these procedures. All participants acquired the skill, responding generalized from simulated teaching materials to four novel automatic payment machines, and maintained 4 weeks following teaching. Implications of using these general‐case procedures as a blueprint for future researchers to reference when teaching individuals with ASD a generalized repertoire of any skill are discussed.     

NONCONTINGENT REINFORCEMENT: A FURTHER EXAMINATION OF SCHEDULE EFFECTS DURING TREATMENT

We conducted 2 studies to determine whether dense and thin NCR schedules exert different influences over behavior and whether these influences change as dense schedules are thinned. In Study 1, we observed that thin as well as dense NCR schedules effectively decreased problem behavior exhibited by 3 individuals. In Study 2, we compared the effects of 2 NCR schedules in multielement designs, one with and the other without an extinction (EXT) component, while both schedules were thinned. Problem behavior remained low as the NCR schedule with EXT was thinned, but either (a) did not decrease initially or (b) subsequently increased as the NCR schedule without EXT was thinned. These results suggest that dense schedules of NCR decrease behavior by altering its motivating operation but that extinction occurs as the NCR schedule is thinned. The benefits and limitations of using dense or thin NCR schedules are discussed.     

Status conferral in intergroup social dilemmas: behavioral antecedents and consequences of prestige and dominance

Bridging the literatures on social dilemmas, intergroup conflict, and social hierarchy, the authors systematically varied the intergroup context in which social dilemmas were embedded to investigate how costly contributions to public goods influence status conferral. They predicted that contribution behavior would have opposite effects on 2 forms of status-prestige and dominance-depending on its consequences for the self, in-group and out-group members. When the only way to benefit in-group members was by harming out-group members (Study 1), contributions increased prestige and decreased dominance, compared with free-riding. Adding the option of benefitting in-group members without harming out-group members (Study 2) decreased the prestige and increased the dominance of those who chose to benefit in-group members via intergroup competition. Finally, sharing resources with both in-group and out-group members decreased perceptions of both prestige and dominance, compared with sharing them with in-group members only (Study 3). Prestige and dominance differentially mediated the effects of contribution behavior on leader election, exclusion from the group, and choices of a group representative for an intergroup competition. Taken together, these findings show that the well-established relationship between contribution and status is moderated by both the intergroup context and the conceptualization of status.     

The Impact of Social Support on the Relationship between Trauma History and PTSD Symptoms in Motor Vehicle Accident Victims

The present study examined how different types of social support differentially moderated the relationship between trauma history characteristics and the development of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSS) following a motor vehicle accident (MVA). Two hundred thirty-five MVA victims self-reported levels of social support and trauma history, and were evaluated for PTSS 6- and 12-months post-MVA. Results indicated that after controlling for gender, injury severity and income, number of prior trauma types and subjective responses to prior traumatization predicted subsequent PTSS (ps < .05). Appraisal social support was a significant moderator of the total number of types of trauma (appraisal: 6-months β = -.16, p < .05; 12-months β = -.17, p < .05) and subjective physical injury during the prior trauma (appraisal: 6-months β = -.14, p < .05; 12-months β = -.19, p < .05) in predicting PTSS. Results underscore the importance of examining both trauma history and social support as multi-dimensional constructs and suggest merit to addressing social support in trauma victims with a prior trauma history.     

Examining the Impact of Dons Providing Peer Instruction for Academic Integrity: Dons’ and Students’ Perspectives

A peer instruction model was used whereby 78 residence dons (36 males, 42 females) provided instruction regarding academic integrity for 324 students (125 males, 196 females) under their supervision. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted to assess survey responses from both the dons and students regarding presentation content, quality, and learning. Overall, dons consistently identified information-based slides about academic integrity as the most important material for the presentations, indicating that fundamental information was needed. Although student ratings of the usefulness of the presentations were middling, students did indicate knowledge gains. Both interest and personal value for academic integrity were highly predictive of positive evaluations of the presentations. Dons and students provided suggestions for improvement and identified more global concerns.