Psychology Commons^™

An Individualized Adaptation To The Timely Transition Game To Reduce The Duration Of A Student's Hallway Transitions, Hannah C. Anselment, Agnieszka Kettlewell, Odessa Luna

SCSU Journal of Student Scholarship

Student inappropriate behavior can increase hallway transition duration and decrease academic time within the classroom. This study used a multiple-baseline design to examine whether an individualized Timely Transition Game (TTG) procedure would aid in the reduction of an eight-year-old’s disruptive hallway behavior and reduce the time spent transitioning between classes. Additionally, a delayed reinforcement procedure was implemented to decrease the latency to on-task behavior within the classroom. The individualized TTG procedure reduced the rate of inappropriate hallway behavior by 78% and decreased overall hallway transitions by 1.4 mins. In addition, the delayed reinforcement procedure reduced the latency to on-task behavior …

Improved Attending In An 8-Year-Old Boy Diagnosed With Down Syndrome Through Teaching With Acoustical Guidance, Jessica Bracken, Cara Holtz, Benjamin Witts

SCSU Journal of Student Scholarship

Skill acquisition can be particularly difficult when prerequisites are lacking (e.g., attending to learning materials) that are necessary to expand academic abilities. However, behavioral technologies exist that can help individuals overcome, or at least improve their quality of life despite these difficulties. The current case study used a quasi-changing-criterions-design to examine the effectiveness of a Teaching with Acoustical Guidance (TAGteach) technique to increase attending to learning materials in an eight-year-old participant with Down syndrome. The TAGteach technique was effective in increasing the percentage of trials in which the participant looked at materials and the duration of looking at presented materials …

Component Analysis Of The Cool Vs. Not Cool Procedure, Mary Yoo

Culminating Projects in Community Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy

One of the characteristics of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder is the inability to develop the social skills needed to develop meaningful relationships. Several behavior programs have been developed to effectively teach a variety of necessary social skills. One of these programs has been proven to be effective with children with autism is the cool versus not cool procedure. There is a growing body of research that has demonstrated its effectiveness to helping teach appropriate social behaviors to individuals in this population (Au et al., 2016; Leaf et al., 2012; Leaf et al., 2015; Leaf, Leaf et al., 2016). However, …

An Evaluation Of Conventional And Progressive Discrete Trial Teaching When Teaching Receptive Labels, Elizabeth Wong

Culminating Projects in Community Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy

This study evaluated the effectiveness and efficiency of conventional DTT and progressive DTT when teaching receptive labels to three children all diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The conventional DTT approach used a conventional approach, which is a method of balancing the trial order and location of at least three stimuli in a teaching session. In contrast, the progressive approach DTT allowed the teacher to be flexible and assess in the moment the trial order. Using an alternating treatment design replicated for three sets and three participants, the results showed that progressive DTT was the most efficient and effective procedure for …

Exploration Of Social Reinforcement For Gambling In Single Case Designs, Mack S. Costello, Bahijah D. Sheibanee, Anneka Ricketts, Jamie L. Hirsh, Neil Deochand

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

Social reinforcement could be a variable that facilitates gambling behavior. Unfortunately, there are relatively few studies examining the impact that contingent social stimuli can have on betting behavior. Using simulated slot machine games and confederates, we investigated possible maintaining social contingencies for gambling with four recreational gamblers. Results indicated a small effect from a social positive reinforcement contingency for betting more credits than the previous trial. Four additional participants were recruited to replicate the effects of social positive reinforcement when structural aspects of the game were also changed, such as sound, win magnitude, and credit value. Lastly, one participant returned …

Considering Contingencies Of Gambling Research In Conjunction With The Behavior Analyst Certification Board Professional And Ethical Compliance Code, Mack S. Costello, R. Wayne Fuqua

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

The issues that are the focus of this paper can be exemplified in two questions relevant to danger and validity in behavioral gambling research: Is there danger of reinforcing problem gambling behavior in experiments where gambling is a dependent variable? And, do reliable laboratory effects represent something key in development or maintenance of gambling problems, or have some other applied pragmatic value? Behavior analytic research is performed in an ethical manner, and the concerns of the above questions are typically minimized. The persistence of the questions is discussed, as well as the value of research in relation to behavioral treatments. …

Teaching Joint Attention And Social Communication Using The Cool Versus Not Cool In A Large Group Setting, Christine Milne

Culminating Projects in Community Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy

This study evaluated the implementation of the cool versus not cool procedure to teach sixteen children all diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder how to initiate or respond to bids for joint attention and how to increase social communication to their peers. The cool versus not cool procedure consisted of the teacher modeling the targeted social behaviors both the cool (i.e., appropriate) and not cool (i.e., inappropriate) way, having the participants discriminate if the model was cool or not cool, having the participants state reasons why the model was cool or not cool, and having the participants role-play the targeted social …

Reel Outcomes As Discriminative Stimuli: A Case For Reporting Single Subject Data, Benjamin N. Witts, Mark J. Rzeszutek, Kaitlen Dahlberg

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

While slot machine gambling research in behavior analysis is on the rise, we still have many unanswered questions. Exploring the putative discriminative functions a series of reel outcomes might have on the perceived likelihood of future success (i.e., winning) might prove useful in understanding what motivates gamblers to continue gambling despite losses. In the current study, undergraduate participants watched eight videos of five reel spins each of varying win and loss (including near-miss) outcomes. Participants then provided estimations of the likelihood of winning on five upcoming hypothetical spins. While participants viewed their chances of winning as poor, strategic placement of …

Initial Selection Between Simulated Slot Machines Is Allocated Toward Slot Machines With A Preferred Theme: A Brief Report, Benjamin N. Witts

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

Many factors influence a gambler’s responding with respect to slot machine selection, persistence in playing that machine, and repeated selections of that machine again on subsequent occasions. One potential area of influence over these responses that has received little attention in slot machine gambling research is slot machine branding. In this study, 7 of 8 participants allocated initial responding to a slot machine which was branded with a preferred, rather than non-preferred, theme, even though in some cases experience with payout percentages differed.

Annotated Bibliography Of Behavior Analytic Scholarship Outside Of Analysis Of Gambling Behavior: 2013-2015, Mack S. Costello, Seth W. Whiting, Jamie L. Hirsh, Neil Deochand, Taylor Spencer

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

Previous scholarly reviews have summarized behavior analytic gambling literature up to 2012 and have identified Analysis of Gambling Behavioras the primary journal for such scholarship. This article includes an annotated bibliography of behavioral literature centered on gambling and related issues published outside of Analysis of Gambling Behavior from 2013 to 2015.

The Effect Of Student And Program Variability On The Representativeness Of First-Trail-Only Data Collection, Andy Harrison

Culminating Projects in Psychology

Discrete trial teaching (DTT) is a popular teaching method in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. Continuous trial-by-trial (TBT) data collection for DTT can be labor intensive and collecting data for the first trial only (FTO) holds the promise of reducing the workload for instructors. The existing literature comparing FTO data analysis to TBT data analysis reports widely varying results regarding the number of trials to mastery and the ability to maintain the skill. The current study utilized data from DTT programs for three participants to examine how closely the accuracy of the first trial in a series represents the …

The Effect Of Student And Program Variability On The Representativeness Of First-Trail-Only Data Collection, Andy Harrison

Culminating Projects in Community Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy

Discrete trial teaching (DTT) is a popular teaching method in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis. Continuous trial-by-trial (TBT) data collection for DTT can be labor intensive and collecting data for the first trial only (FTO) holds the promise of reducing the workload for instructors. The existing literature comparing FTO data analysis to TBT data analysis reports widely varying results regarding the number of trials to mastery and the ability to maintain the skill. The current study utilized data from DTT programs for three participants to examine how closely the accuracy of the first trial in a series represents the …

Editorial Comment: Agb Welcomes Stimulus Press, Llc, Jeffrey N. Weatherly

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

No abstract provided.

Parent Mediated Instruction Of Functional Skills For Children With Autism, Brian K. Mason

Culminating Projects in Community Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy

This study adds to the literature on successful parent mediated behavioural intervention using a manual plus brief consultative model to assess outcomes for parent competency and child skill acquisition. Parent participants of young children with autism spectrum disorder, were asked to choose three functional skills to teach their child. A multiple baseline design across a set of behaviours was used to analyze no intervention, parent manual only, and parent manual plus brief behavioural consultation and their relationship with parent competency and child skill acquisition. Following baseline, parents were introduced to an instructional manual on the implementation of ABA teaching strategies. …

A Comparison Of Simple-Conditional, Conditional Only And Combined Blocking Procedures In Teaching Individuals With Autism Conditional Discriminations, Elizabeth J. Holmes

Culminating Projects in Psychology

Many behavioural intervention programmes use the simple-conditional method, involving first simple and then conditional discriminations, to teach conditional discriminations, such as receptive labelling, to individuals with autism. Other methods utilised with such individuals include the conditional-only method, involving only conditional discriminations. These methods have been compared in the past (Grow, Carr, Kodak, Jostad, & Kisamore, 2011). Results show that more errors are associated with the simple-conditional method and more reliable, efficient results with the conditional-only method in comparison. Combined-blocking procedures have also been shown to be effective in teaching conditional discrimination (Saunders & Spradlin, 1989, 1990, 1993).

This study compared …

Editorial Comment: Not So Crazy Eight!, Jeffrey N. Weatherly

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

No abstract provided.

Experiential Gambling: Interactions Between Consumer Experiences, Emotional Engagement, And Behavioural Settings, Seema Bhate, Kevin Hannam

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

This investigation explores experiential gambling behavior by modifying the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework to build a theoretical model which examines the interactive nature of three variables, Experiences, Emotional engagement and Behavioral settings. Experiential motives such as Entertainment, Education, Esthetics and Escapism (Pine & Gilmore, 1999) are examined in the context of emotional responses (Mehrabian & Russell, 1974) of Pleasure, Arousal and Dominance (PAD) and how these responses interact with Open and Closed behavioral settings postulated by Foxall (1999) in the Behavioral Perspective model (BPM). Based upon a statistical analysis of 303 questionnaires, which collected information on gambling behavior in the North …

Validating The Gambling Functional Assessment-Revised In A Sample Of Probable Problem/Disordered Gamblers, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, Heather K. Terrell

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

The Gambling Functional Assessment-Revised (GFA-R) was designed to measure whether the respondent’s gambling is maintained by positive reinforcement or escape. However, it has only been administered in samples dominated by nonproblem gamblers. One hundred five adult participants who scored three or more on the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) completed the GFA-R and the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). Confirmatory factor analyses showed that a 15-item GFA-R demonstrated a sound factor structure. The internal consistency of the GFA-R subscales was good to excellent for both probable problem and disordered gamblers. Participants scored significantly higher on gambling for positive reinforcement than …

Slot Machine Near Wins: Effects On Pause And Sensitivity To Win Ratios, Tadhg E. Daly, Gordon Tan, Lincoln S. Hely, Anne C. Macaskill, David N. Harper, Maree J. Hunt

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

When a near-win outcome occurs on a slot machine, stimuli presented resemble those presented when money is won, but no money is won. Research has shown that gamblers prefer and play for longer on slot machines that present near wins. One explanation for this is that near wins are conditioned reinforcers. If so, near wins would produce longer latencies to the next response than clear losses. Another explanation is that near wins produce frustration; if so, then near wins would produce shorter response latencies. The two current experiments manipulated win ratio across two concurrently available slot machines and also manipulated …

Editorial Comment: New Additions To The Analysis Of Gambling Behavior, Jeffrey N. Weatherly

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

No abstract provided.

What Variables Predict Endorsing Gambling As An Escape On The Gfa-R?, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, Katie B. Miller

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

The present investigation attempted to determine what variables would predict participants’ endorsing of gambling as an escape on the Gambling Functional Assessment – Revised (GFA-R). Study 1 employed 224 university students as participants. Results of a hierarchical linear regression showed that responses on the GFA-R escape subscale were predicted by their GFA-R positive reinforcement subscale, Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), and South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) scores, but not by the risk factors of pathological gambling. Study 2, which employed 188 university students, replicated those findings and also found that participants’ self-reported locus of control and gambling expectancy scores, cumulatively, …

The Relationship Of The Gfa-R Subscales To Negative Consequences Of Gambling In A Sample Of Potential Problem And Pathological Gamblers, Jeffrey N. Weatherly Ph. D.

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

Previous research with the Gambling Functional Assessment – Revised (GFA-R) has found that respondents endorse gambling for positive reinforcement significantly more than as an escape, but that endorsing gambling as an escape is more closely associated with potential gambling problems than is endorsing gambling for positive reinforcement. The present study attempted to replicate these results in a sample of potential problem/pathological gamblers. Data from 25 respondents who scored three or more on the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) were analyzed. These participants scored significantly higher on the GFA-R positive reinforcement, than the escape, subscale. However, only GFA-R escape subscale scores …

Comparing The Contingencies That Maintain Gambling Behavior In An Online Sample Of Younger And Older Adults, Jeffrey N. Weatherly

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

Age is a risk factor for developing pathological gambling. Endorsing gambling as an escape has also been associated with the disorder. The present study recruited 120 people either 21-24 years of age or 45 years of age or older so as to determine how age was related to the contingencies that maintain gambling behavior. Results showed that younger adults displayed more gambling problems, as measured by the Problem Gambling Severity Index, than did older adults. Younger adults also endorsed gambling for positive reinforcement to a lesser extent and gambling as an escape to a greater extent than older adults, as …

Editorial Comment: Pursuing The Experimental Analysis Of Gambling Behavior, Jeffrey N. Weatherly

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

No abstract provided.

Using Unsolvable Anagrams To Induce Escape: Will It Increase Gambling Behavior?, Sarah G. Martner, Kevin S. Montes, Jeffrey N. Weatherly

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

Previous research has found an association between gambling as a means of escape and pathological gambling. Likewise, previous laboratory research has found an association between gambling as a means of escape and participants’ gambling behavior. The present experiment had 41 participants play video poker in two sessions. Prior to one session, participants were asked to solve a series of solvable word puzzles. Prior to the other, they were asked to solve a series of unsolvable word puzzles. Consistent with previous research, results demonstrated that participants’ video-poker play was associated with their overall tendency to endorse gambling as a function of …

Probability Discounting In A Sample Of American Indians: Gambling As An Escape Predicts Discounting Of Monetary, But Not Non-Monetary, Outcomes, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, J. Douglas Mcdonald, Adam Derenne

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

The present study investigated the relationship between measures of gambling and the process of probability discounting in a sample of participants from a population that has historically shown high rates of gambling problems. Thirty nine American Indian university students complete the South Oaks Gambling Screen, the Gambling Functional Assessment – Revised, and a probability-discounting task involving two monetary and two non-monetary outcomes. Consistent with results from previous research focusing on majority-population participants, severity of gambling problems was more strongly associated with endorsing gambling as an escape than with gambling for positive reinforcement. Endorsing gambling as an escape, but not for …

Evaluating Preference And Rate Of Gambling On Vedio Slot Machines, Mark R. Dixon, Jeffrey R. Miller, Seth W. Whiting, Alyssa N. Wilson, Allie M. Hensel

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

Casinos increasingly are providing access to five-reel video slot machines and as a result are decreasing the use of traditional three-reel slot machines. Limited research has been conducted on the characteristics of play associated with video slot machines. The present study examined participant’s play on a five-reel video slot machine, comparing the number of trials played while wagering one credit on five lines versus five credits on one line. After participants were exposed to both conditions they were asked to choose their preferred condition. The results found that participants played significantly more trials while playing during the five credits on …

Gambling Behavior And Temporal Discounting Among Militaryaffiliated And Civilian Students, Kevin S. Montes, Jeffrey N. Weatherly

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

The present study explored whether the contingencies maintaining gambling behavior differed for military-affiliated and non-military-affiliated students. It also tested for differences in how these groups discounted delayed outcomes. Three groups of students participated: Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) students (n = 36), students with a relative in the military (n = 62), and students with no relative in the military (n = 58). Participants completed the Gambling Functional Assessment-Revised and a delaydiscounting task. Results indicated that all participants’ gambling behavior was maintained primarily by positive reinforcement. Moreover, ROTC students scored significantly higher on gambling for positive reinforcement, and significantly lower …

Gambling In A Laboratory Setting: A Comparison Of Gambling For Positive Reinforcement Versus As A Potential Escape, Jeffrey N. Weatherly, Katelyn Mari, Kevin S. Montes

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

Research has shown that most individuals’ gambling is maintained more by positive, than by negative, reinforcement but that disordered gambling is more strongly related to gambling maintained by negative, than positive, reinforcement. Forty five participants were recruited to play video poker in two different sessions: one in which they competed for a $50 gift card and one in which they could play after trying to solve unsolvable anagrams. Higher measures of gambling were observed in the gift-card, than in the anagram, session, but none of the differences were statistically significant and the observed effect sizes were small. Participants’ annual income …

A Rat Model Of Gambling Behavior And Its Extinction: Effects Of "Win" Probability On Choice In A Concurrent-Chains Procedure, David N. Kearns, Maria A. Gomez-Serrano

Analysis of Gambling Behavior

Two experiments examined the effects of varying the probability of “wins” within a rat model of gambling. On a concurrent-chains procedure, rats could choose between a “work” lever on which a fixed 20 responses produced a food pellet or a “gamble” lever, where on some trials (“wins”) only one response was required for reinforcement while on other trials 40 responses were required. Despite the fact that the work lever was always associated with the higher overall reinforcement rate, rats frequently chose to respond on the gamble lever. The frequency with which rats chose the gamble lever varied as a function …