Applied Behavior Analysis Commons^™

Assessment Perception: Delivery Matters, Nicole Marie Arcuri Sanders, Chelsey Simmons

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Perception shapes how individuals experience the world and guides their actions toward personal goals. In counseling, clients’ accurate understanding of assessment results is essential for informed decision-making and effective treatment engagement. Mental health clinicians have an ethical responsibility to communicate findings in ways that safeguard client welfare and empower both clients and stakeholders to collaborate in care. This conceptual manuscript introduces the BRIEF (Brief, Relevant, Interpretive, Empathetic, and Factual) Feedback Integration Framework, a structured model for delivering assessment feedback ethically and accessibly. Integrating cognitive, developmental, and cultural considerations. BRIEF provides counselors, supervisors, and educators with a practical strategy for improving …

Uncertain Search With Knowledge Transfer, Woonghee Tim Huh, Michael Jong Kim, Meichun Lin

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We consider a sequential search over a group of similar alternatives. The individual value of an alternative contains two components, an observable utility and an idiosyncratic value. Observable utilities share an unknown population distribution, which captures the similarity across the alternatives and allows for knowledge transfer within the group. Once a decision maker encounters an alternative, its utility is revealed immediately, whereas the idiosyncratic value is unobservable and needs to be learned by sampling. The goal is to select an alternative with the highest individual value while accounting for the sampling and search costs. A novel feature of this problem …

Advanced Experimental Learning And Behavior Analysis Lab Manual, Holly R. Weisberg, Sally Izquierdo

Open Educational Resources

Classroom and online lab exercises for a learning and applied behavior analysis course.

Risky Decision-Making Under Uncertainty, Suyoung Yoo, Jae Hyung Woo

Wetterhahn Science Symposium Posters

This research project aims to discover how a person’s brain continuously learns about its changing environment and how those memories dynamically alter their subsequent willingness to take risks. By testing 73 participants on a two-stage computer module, the study evaluates whether humans evaluate risk absolutely or relatively to their historical surroundings. In Stage 1, participants use reinforcement learning to track a hidden, shifting "lucky room" context. In contrast, in Stage 2, they face explicit two-option gamble cards in which they must weigh different point amounts and win percentages. Computational maximum likelihood estimation proved that a Subjective Utility (SU) model, which …

The Attention Safeguard Models: Governing Digital Harm Without Restricting Lawful Speech, Delante Clark

Graduate Scholarship and Creative Works

Digital platforms increasingly govern contemporary social, civic, and psychological life through systems optimized for attention capture, amplification, and monetization. While lawful expression remains protected under the First Amendment, the infrastructural mechanisms that determine how speech circulates have produced a range of attention‑based harms, including cyberbullying, engagement farming, compulsive doom scrolling, emotional dysregulation, and civic polarization. This research paper introduces the Attentional Safeguards Model (ASM), coined and formalized by Delante Clark, as a novel governance framework that mitigates such harms by regulating systems of amplification rather than restricting expression itself. Building on attention economy theory, technological mediation, constitutional free‑speech doctrine, …

From Physical Correlation To Emotional Connection: The Role Of Passive Haptics On Empathy In Virtual Reality, Jemely Robles

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Virtual reality is increasingly explored as a tool for cultivating empathy, and haptic feedback as a tool for enhancing immersion. This paper investigates the effects of combining the two.  Fifty-two participants experienced a custom-built VR scene in which a character was shown packing up a room. Participants were assigned to either a haptic condition, receiving passive haptic feedback corresponding to the character's actions, or a non-haptic control condition that did not receive any haptic input. Trait empathy was measured beforehand, and state empathy and engagement were measured after the experience. Thematic analysis was conducted on post-study interviews, and headset recordings …

Intermittent Versus Continuous Reinforcement: Which Is More Effective For Skill Acquisition In Children With Adhd Using Precision Teaching?, Samantha Pulling

Masters Theses

Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can experience challenges learning academic skills, possibly because of altered reinforcement and learning processes. Reinforcement is commonly used to support learning and adaptive behavior; however, research examining continuous and intermittent reinforcement schedules for children with ADHD has produced inconsistent findings. Precision Teaching (PT) is a fluency-based, data-driven instructional approach that emphasizes rate and celeration of behavior and has been shown to effectively support academic learning for individuals with ADHD. This study compared the effects of a continuous reinforcement schedule with a small reinforcer and an intermittent reinforcement schedule with a larger reinforcer on …

Forward Chaining And Emotion Regulation: Exploring The Effects Of Forward Chaining On Emotion Regulation Skills, Celoine Akouri

Masters Essays

Emotion dysregulation places the quality of life for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at risk. The current research on emotion regulation teaching strategies after emotion recognition training is limited. This study explored the effectiveness of forward chaining on teaching emotion regulation skills to an adult with ASD who engaged in a long history of self- injurious, property destruction, and screaming behaviors. The emotion regulation intervention used forward chaining procedures to teach a three-step sequence of behaviors to the participant in their adult day program setting using a multiple baseline across time design. The results showed that as the participant’s …

The Great Divide: The Relationship Between Perceived Immorality And The Work Of Artists, Caelyn R. Anderson

Psychology | Senior Theses

The psychological response one has when viewing art depends heavily on contextual understanding. More specifically, when a viewer learns negative biographical information about perceived immorality of an artist, it can negatively affect their relationship with that artist's work (Kaube et al., 2023). The sample was made up of 134 participants randomly assigned to one of two groups exposed to either positive or negative information about the artist Paul Gauguin. After viewing information, participants were shown three different paintings, before being asked to respond to an intentionality scale, and two art reception scales. An independent samples t-test showed that there is …

Evaluating The Effects Of Abbreviated And Full-Length Training Formats On Implementation Of Embedded Instruction Practices, Hannah Elizabeth Keene

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of an abbreviated training package and full-length behavioral skills training (BST) on staff implementation of embedded instruction (EI) procedures in a university-affiliated inclusive early childhood center. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across participants was used with four student workers in inclusive preschool classrooms. The initial intervention included a package of didactic instruction and in-vivo modeling. Full BST was planned for participants who did not reach mastery criteria following the brief training.

The primary dependent variable was participant fidelity of EI implementation, and the secondary dependent variable measured the rate of …

Professional Standards For School-Based Behavior Analysts (2nd Edition), Selena J. Layden, Emily Muise, Karen L. Berlin, Samantha Gregory, Daniel Irwin, Kaylan Long, Daria K. Lorio-Barsten, Jennifer L. O’Berry, Hannah Riddle

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Public educational settings are unique and complex environments that require specific knowledge and skills for the professionals that work in these environments. School-based behavior analysts can be a great asset to public schools. However, these professionals must be able to firmly understand and perform the responsibilities of a behavior analyst in collaboration with educators and service providers in a public school setting. The presence of behavior analysts in public schools is still relatively new, when compared with other specialized services. Therefore, behavior analysts, teachers, administrators, and others should focus on collaboration to promote the success for all stakeholders with an …

Pretend Play Effects On Autistic Children's Theory Of Mind & Social Skills, Joelle Lok

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Autistic individuals often struggle with basic social skills due to deficits in Theory of Mind (ToM), perspective taking, reciprocity difficulties, etc. Early interventions that target these skills, specifically metarepresentation skills, could be essential to an individual’s social success and overall well-being. Further, pretend play shares an important relationship with ToM and social skills, due to their shared use of putting oneself in others’ shoes. Thus, a pretend play intervention could be beneficial in not only improving children’s overall play interactions, but also through a domino effect on their ToM and social skills. The directionality of the relationship between pretend play, …

The Effect Of Automated Self-Monitoring On The Behavior Of Individuals Diagnosed With Pre-Diabetes Or Type 2 Diabetes, Leti Phillips Armenta

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and prediabetes affect millions of individuals in the United States and require effective self-management strategies to reduce glucose variability and improve health outcomes. This study evaluated the effects of automated self-monitoring using the Dexcom G7 continuous glucose monitor (CGM) on glucose management and health-related behaviors among adults diagnosed with prediabetes or at risk for T2D. A repeated-measures design was used to asses’ participants across two distinct 10-day periods. Data included CGM glucose readings, self-report questionnaires, and social validity measures. Results indicated that participants demonstrated reduced glucose variability, fewer prolonged glucose spikes, and increased engagement in health-related …

The Cross Cultural Study Of Self-Ideation: Eastern Vs Western, Florencia Suhartono

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Self-Ideation behavior, a topic that although is increasing in awareness, is also increasing in victims as well. One thing is very clear however, both the Eastern and Western countries still see suicide and its related attitude in a taboo perspective. Regarding this, factors of various customs of each respective country will be further explained; taking note on how their contrasting cultural differences may potentially feed on the self-harming attitude that each victim may have developed. It will continue on explaining the more specific details on how each side of the world reacts when a person declares their self-ideating thoughts, studying …

The Effectiveness Of Behavioral Skills Training In Improving Digital Fraud Identification Among Older Adults In Low-Income Housing, Catharine Mohar

Masters Essays

Older adults, particularly those residing in low income housing facilities, are increasingly targeted by digital scams via text and email. This study evaluated the effectiveness of Behavioral Skills Training (BST) in improving fraud identification skills among this vulnerable population. BST is a structured method involving instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. A checklist was utilized in individual BST sessions with five participants aged 60 or over living in a low-income senior residential facility in the Midwest of The United States. The intervention aimed to increase participants’ ability to accurately discriminate between legitimate and fraudulent digital communications. A single case design was …

An Evaluation Of Teaching Emotion Identification And Regulation Skills Through Behavioral Skills Training On Tantrum/Challenging Behaviors In A Preschool-Aged Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Julia Petty

Masters Essays

Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience challenges in regulating their emotions, which can present as challenging behavior, aggression, tantrum, and more. This research aimed to teach individuals coping skills/mindfulness techniques, using aspects of behavioral skills training (BST) to help regulate their emotions and reduce challenging behaviors. The use of behavioral skills training includes instruction, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback to teach the skills. The intervention included the Incredible Five Point Scale for indicating emotions with mindfulness techniques to promote emotion regulation. The outcome was an increase in engagement with mindfulness techniques/coping skills, mastery of emotion identification, and a decrease …

The Effects Of Auditory Stimulation On Vocal Stereotypy In An Individual With Autism In A Classroom Setting, Natalie Pastor

Masters Theses

Vocal stereotypy, which includes non-functional vocal behaviors such as babbling, grunting, or repetitive phrases, is often seen in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although this behavior is not harmful, it can interfere with learning and social interaction, especially during leisure time. When engaging in vocal stereotypy is disruptive to those around them, it may limit opportunities for meaningful social engagement with peers. The current study builds on prior research by examining the effects of different types of noncontingent auditory stimuli on vocal stereotypy in a classroom setting. This study seeks to answer the question: What is the impact of …

Paradox Mindset In Working Parenthood: Linking Dual-Role Enrichment To Pursuit, Success, And Satisfaction, Tengjiao Huang, Xiaoyu Dai, Chi-Ying Cheng, Angela Leung

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Managing the simultaneous demands of career and parenthood often generates tensions—particularly for women, who have historically been expected to take primary responsibility for caregiving. These gendered expectations persist, even as men increasingly express a desire to engage more actively in caregiving while maintaining their professional roles. Drawing on paradox mindset theory and work-family enrichment literature, this research investigated whether a paradox mindset—a cognitive tendency to embrace and value tensions—is positively associated with an aspiration for enrichment between work and parenting roles. In turn, this aspiration is hypothesized to predict intentions and outcomes related to dual-role pursuit. Three cross-sectional survey studies …

How Does Language Influence Interest In Psychological Treatment?, Alexis B. Dixon

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In 2022, approximately 59 million adults in the United States were diagnosed with a mental health disorder, and approximately half received mental health services (NIMH, 2023). Given the number of individuals whose mental health concerns remain untreated, it is vital to investigate mechanisms predicting treatment-seeking behaviors. Health literacy, which influences treatment-seeking, is largely absent from research on barriers to mental health treatment. Health literacy is related to readability, the ease of reading (Adkins & Singh, 2001), and jargon, the technical language used by professionals in a field (Shulman et al., 2020). Health materials are often written at a high reading …

Effect Of Delay On Reinforcer Preference And Efficacy, Ciara Jasmine Rodriguez

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Behavior intervention plans are used to increase desired behavior and decrease problem behavior, and these plans require the use of effective reinforcers. High-quality reinforcers that are delivered immediately tend to be the most effective, but optimal reinforcement parameters are not always feasible or appropriate in applied settings. Some reinforcers may be disruptive, teachers’ competing responsibilities may introduce delays to reinforcer delivery, and reinforcers may not be immediately accessible. Stimuli may lose their reinforcing value with delay to their receipt, and this is referred to as delay discounting. Thus, there is likely a point where a less preferred but immediately delivered …