Behavioral Disciplines and Activities Commons^™

Content Validity Of Aba Language Assessments In The Totality Of Skinner's Verbal Operant Theory, Taylor Marie Lauer

MSU Graduate Theses

Content validity describes the degree of which a measure represents all the components of the overall construct being measured. Behavior analytic language assessments are largely based on Skinner’s verbal operant theory (1957). Three behavior analytic language assessments were utilized to measure the coverage of Skinner’s verbal behavior theory: the VB-MAPP, ABLLS-R, and PEAK. The purpose of the current study was to examine the content validity of each of these assessments coverage on the totality of Skinner’s verbal operant theory. Expressive items on each of the three assessments were compared to definitions of Skinner’s verbal operants and were coded as the …

Which Individual Therapist Behaviors Elicit Client Change Talk And Sustain Talk In Motivational Interviewing?, Timothy R. Apodaca, Kristina M. Jackson, Brian Borsari, Molly Magill, Richard Longabaugh, Nadine R. Mastroleo, Nancy P. Barnett

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVE: To identify individual therapist behaviors which elicit client change talk or sustain talk in motivational interviewing sessions.

METHOD: Motivational interviewing sessions from a single-session alcohol intervention delivered to college students were audio-taped, transcribed, and coded using the Motivational Interviewing Skill Code (MISC), a therapy process coding system. Participants included 92 college students and eight therapists who provided their treatment. The MISC was used to code 17 therapist behaviors related to the use of motivational interviewing, and client language reflecting movement toward behavior change (change talk), away from behavior change (sustain talk), or unrelated to the target behavior (follow/neutral).

RESULTS: …