Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Increasing Staff Use Of Sign Language, Melanie Hepworth Neville

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effectiveness of two procedures, a visual cue and performance posting, to modify the use of sign language by psychiatric technicians. The visual cue was first introduced alone, then paired with performance posting to encourage staff use of sign language with the developmentally disabled children in their charge. Application of the visual cue alone produced little change in staff sign useage. The visual cue plus performance posting condition increased staff use of sign language during mealtimes. Four weeks of follow-up data indicated that the use of sign language remained at a level well above baseline.

Teaching Behavior Modification To Expectent Parents, Dudley D. Blake

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Numerous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of teaching parents behavior modification in order to manage and prevent child-related problems. The present study investigated a preventive parent training program using a multiple baseline design by teaching expectant parents behavior modification principles and applications. Three expectant mothers received individualized home training and "hands-on" training at a nursery school. Each expectant mother also received videotaped feedback on instructions and differential attention and praise she provided to a pre-selected child-participant while at the nursery school. After training began, the expectant mothers increased their us~ of praise to the child's cooperative behavior and their use …

Examination Of A Behavioral Training Package For Child-Abusing Parents, Jill Lorraine Crozier

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The present study consisted of two experiments. The purpose of Experiment 1 was to develop a questionnaire (Parent-Child Scale) that could be used to effectively measure parents’ disciplining attitudes, their feelings about their disciplining practices, and their feelings toward their children.

The Influence Of Response Modality On Children's Imitation Of Helping And Coercive Behavior, Wallace Arthur Melcher

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the effects of adult, film mediated models on the prosocial behavior of school children. Also the effect of congruency and incongruency between the model's response and the response the children were asked to perform was investigated. Thirty third-grade students, 19 female and 11 male, were randomly assigned to three groups. The first group observed a short film of an adult model providing helping (positive) feedback to a young boy who was playing a marble maze game. The second group was treated identically to the first except that the model provided coercive (negative) feedback. The third group …

Contingency Contracting For The Treatment Of Marital Discord, Blake H. Tearnan

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The effectiveness of contingency contracting for treating marital distress was tested using a within couple multiple baseline design across responses. Two distressed couples participated. Both couples experienced marginal improvements as measured by a spouse-tracking procedure, One couple demonstrated gains in self-reported satisfaction. The findings for a third dependent variable are inconclusive for both couples. Suggestions for further research are discussed.

An Experimental Analysis Of The Parameters Of Facial Screening, G. David Demetral

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Of the several techniques reported for the treatment of self-injurious behavior, response-contingent aversive stimu-lation and overcorrection seem to be the most successful. However, many procedures are precluded from use by legal or other restrictions. Thus, many procedures that are both ethnically and aesthetically tolerable to practitioners and the public must be developed. Facial screening (Lutkzer & Spencer, Note 1; Zegiob, Becker & Bristow, Note 2; Lutzker, Note 3), applying a terrycloth bib to cover the face contingent upon self-injurious behavior, has been shown to be effective. The purpose of this study was to investigate the parameters of facial screening with …

An Application Of Performance Feedback To The Job Performance Of Trainers Working With Institutionalized Residents, Alan D. Bickett

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to implement an inexpensive, efficient staff management system that could function effectively in a typical institutional setting. The system utilized feedback with a small amount of social reinforcement from the subjects’ immediate supervisor - a combination that would probably be more acceptable to most institutions than alternatives such as money or rearrangement of work schedules.

Comparison Of Three Maintenance Procedures Following Treatment By Rapid Smoking, Stuart Paul Gordon

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Thirty-two cigarette smokers received six sessions of rapid smoking after which they were randomly assigned to one of four maintenance conditions, The conditions were (a) contingency contracting, (b) social support, (c) a continuation of rapid smoking and (d) a minimal contact control group, A total of seven maintenance sessions were scheduled for each maintenance group, and they were spread over a three month period. At the end of the maintenance period the control group was smoking at baseline level again. No differences between the maintenance groups were detected, However, the contracting group and the social support group were smoking significantly …

The Effectiveness Of Videotape Recorded Feedback On The Facilitation Of Behavior Change In Three Institutionalized Adults, Stephen R. Boggs

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The effectiveness of videotape recorded feedback on reducing the rate of inappropriate, bizarre mannerisms n hospitalized individuals was examined using a multiple baseline design across three subjects. Results indicate that the technique was effective in reducing the rate of these behaviors in the treatment setting. Data on generalization of treatment effects were inconclusive. Theoretical explanations for the procedure's effectiveness are discussed.

Observation Of Training Room Stimuli In Determining Stimulus Control And Transfer Of Training, David Micheal Lietzke

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Ten developmentally disabled children participated in an assessment of stimulus control and transfer of training. Each subject was taught to perform a simple, nonverbal, imitative task in a training room, and transfer to a novel setting was assessed. During training, subjects were video-taped in order to determine how often each visual stimulus in the training room was looked at. After an initial transfer t est each subject participated in a test of the stimulus control acquired by visual stimuli from the training room. Utilizing two groups (N = 5 each), subjects received an additional transfer test in the novel setting …

An Examination Of The Response-Response Relationship Between Nocturnal Enuresis And Oppositional Behavior : An Extension And Replication Of Nordquist, Melissa Colby Moore

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The present investigation attempted to experimentally investigate the effects of parental modification of oppositional behavior using time-out and differential reinforcement while noting any correlated changes in nocturnal enuresis. Using a multiple baseline design across families, the parents of three 5 to 6 year old boys were exposed to an intensive parent training package designed to teach them behavior modification techniques. Direct home observation of twelve parent behaviors and four child behaviors showed no differences from baseline to treatment in either the first mother's behavior or her son's The only change noted in the second mother's behavior during treatment vas a …

The Effects Of Modeling, Behavioral Rehearsal, And Videotape Feedback In Assertive Training, Judi Wallace

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the relative effectiveness of (1) modeling, (2) modeling plus behavior rehearsal, and (3) modeling, behavior rehearsal,_ and videotaped feedback in assertive training.. Twelve psychiatric outpatients were randomly assigned to three treatment groups, ,each of which received 5 hours of training. Four additional subjects served as a waiting .list control group.

The dependent measures used were the Assertive Behavior Situation Test (ABST), a behavioral role-play test, and two additional paper and pencil measures (Constriction Scale and Fear of Negative Evaluation). Each of these measures was administered at pre- and post-test sessions.

Split-plot 4.2 analyses of variance (Kirk, 1968) …