Kenneth F . Reeve
Caldwell University, Applied Behavior Analysis, Faculty Member
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Medical personnel play a critical role in caregiver safe infant sleep education. However, training outcomes in the safe infant sleep training literature have been mixed. Promising approaches that warrant further investigation are the use... more
Medical personnel play a critical role in caregiver safe infant sleep education. However, training outcomes in the safe infant sleep training literature have been mixed. Promising approaches that warrant further investigation are the use of behavioral skills training and pyramidal training. The current study consisted of two experiments. Experiment 1 extended Carrow et al. (2020) and Vladescu et al. (2020) by teaching medical students safe infant sleep practices using behavioral skills training. Discriminated responding was examined across trained and untrained environmental arrangements using a multiple‐baseline design. All participants arranged safe sleep environments following behavioral skills training. In Experiment 2, we used pyramidal behavioral skills training to train medical students to teach others safe sleep practices. Results indicated high procedural integrity scores following training and generalization of skills.
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People diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may need specific teaching to learn mands for information. Unfortunately, little research has been published on methods for teaching the mand “When?” to this population. The purpose of... more
People diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may need specific teaching to learn mands for information. Unfortunately, little research has been published on methods for teaching the mand “When?” to this population. The purpose of the current study was to replicate and extend previous research by teaching 3 children diagnosed with ASD to mand “When?” by teaching multiple topographies of the mand, measuring mand variability, assessing social validity, interspersing a previously acquired mand for information, using multiple-exemplar training, employing a different experimental preparation, and including participants with different skill sets. All participants (a) learned to mand “When?” only during establishing operation trials (not during abolishing operation trials) within 8 teaching trials, (b) generalized manding with novel items and a novel person and setting, (c) maintained a previously learned mand for information, and (d) maintained skills at follow-up. Upon mastery, 2 participants varied mand topography. Respondents rated the intervention as having high social validity.
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Abstract To reduce sleep-related infant deaths, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has identified safe infant sleep recommendations; however, it is unclear which training strategies to teach safe infant sleep practices are most... more
Abstract To reduce sleep-related infant deaths, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has identified safe infant sleep recommendations; however, it is unclear which training strategies to teach safe infant sleep practices are most effective. Since the AAP released updated safe sleep recommendations in 2016, no analysis of the safe infant sleep training literature has been conducted. The purpose of the present review was to evaluate the safe infant sleep training literature of relevant populations such as caregivers and medical personnel, and provide recommendations for future research. The overall efficacy of training strategies was found to be positive or mixed where experiments most commonly implemented an educational session, followed by use of instructional materials, distribution of safe materials, and hospital-wide policy change. Methodological limitations were also identified.
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Research on tact acquisition by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has often focused on teaching participants to tact visual stimuli. It is important to evaluate procedures for teaching tacts of nonvisual stimuli (e.g.,... more
Research on tact acquisition by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has often focused on teaching participants to tact visual stimuli. It is important to evaluate procedures for teaching tacts of nonvisual stimuli (e.g., olfactory, tactile). The purpose of the current study was to extend the literature on secondary target instruction and tact training by evaluating the effects of a discrete-trial instruction procedure involving (a) echoic prompts, a constant prompt delay, and error correction for primary targets; (b) inclusion of secondary target stimuli in the consequent portion of learning trials; and (c) multiple exemplar training on the acquisition of item tacts of olfactory stimuli, emergence of category tacts of olfactory stimuli, generalization of category tacts, and emergence of category matching, with three children diagnosed with ASD. Results showed that all participants learned the item and category tacts following teaching, participants demonstrated generalization across category tacts, and category matching emerged for all participants.
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Effects of modeling and response-contingent social praise on the vocal imitation of three 9- to 13-month-old infants were analyzed. Three infants and parents participated in 2 to 4 experimental sessions a week for 2 to 4 months. During... more
Effects of modeling and response-contingent social praise on the vocal imitation of three 9- to 13-month-old infants were analyzed. Three infants and parents participated in 2 to 4 experimental sessions a week for 2 to 4 months. During each 20-min-long session, the parent presented vocal models for the infant to imitate. During the model-alone condition, no social praise was programmed for infant imitation. During the model-and-praise condition, social praise was provided by the parent for infant imitation on training trials, but not probe trials. All three infants showed systematic increases in matching during training trials following the introduction of the model-and-praise condition. Although matching during probe trials was not directly reinforced, probe-trial responding increased systematically with training-trial responding. Furthermore, non-matching infant vocalizations did not increase systematically with the introduction of the model-and-praise procedure. Together these findings provide a demonstration of generalized vocal imitation in infants, a population in which it had not previously been shown to occur.
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The purpose of the present study was to use behavioral skills training (BST) that incorporated feedback through the Quality Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (QCPR) Learners application to teach hands‐only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).... more
The purpose of the present study was to use behavioral skills training (BST) that incorporated feedback through the Quality Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (QCPR) Learners application to teach hands‐only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The QCPR Learners app is an application downloaded to the user's mobile device which is connected to a training manikin via Bluetooth transmission, providing the user with real‐time feedback on performance. A multiple‐baseline design across participants design was used to evaluate the influence of BST on form and chest compressions. The results for five participants demonstrated the acquisition of proper form and appropriate chest compressions following BST. The results extended previous research as they demonstrated the efficacy of BST and feedback technology for teaching hands‐only CPR.
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Problematic smartphone use (PSU) is smartphone usage that is, in some way, damaging to the user. PSU represents a growing public health concern that could be addressed via behavioral intervention. We recruited six college students who... more
Problematic smartphone use (PSU) is smartphone usage that is, in some way, damaging to the user. PSU represents a growing public health concern that could be addressed via behavioral intervention. We recruited six college students who reported negative side effects of smartphone use and sought to decrease their PSU. The effects of a contingency management (CM) + deposit contract intervention on PSU was evaluated. During the CM + deposit contract condition, participants deposited $40 and had the opportunity to earn back their entire deposit by meeting daily smartphone usage goals. To promote adherence to study protocols, participants also had the opportunity to earn a $20 cooperation bonus. For all participants, lower levels of PSU were observed during intervention relative to baseline. The CM + deposit contract intervention produced consistent decreases in PSU for four participants (mean reduction percentages above 40% were obtained) and had inconsistent effects on PSU for two participants (mean reduction percentages below 20%). Maintenance of intervention effects was limited for all participants. Although preliminary, results suggest that CM + deposit contract interventions could be a viable, low-cost approach to addressing PSU. Potential explanations for our findings and avenues for future research are discussed.
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One strategy to program for generalization is to vary noncritical features in teaching exemplars, thereby avoiding noncritical features from being highly correlated with reinforcement and thus gaining faulty stimulus control. In the... more
One strategy to program for generalization is to vary noncritical features in teaching exemplars, thereby avoiding noncritical features from being highly correlated with reinforcement and thus gaining faulty stimulus control. In the current translational evaluation, 2 groups of adults of typical development were taught to respond to arbitrary stimuli with experimenter-defined critical and noncritical features in a matching-to-sample task. The teaching arrangement used for 1 group programmed for low correlation between noncritical features and reinforcement; the teaching arrangement used for the other group programmed for high correlation between noncritical features and reinforcement. Participants in the former group displayed (a) faster acquisition of matching, (b) less variability in correct responding, and (c) a decreased likelihood of faulty stimulus control developing during training. The results contribute towards advancing the study of stimulus control and developing an explicit technology of generalization to better serve consumers of the application of our science.
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Abstract To reduce sleep-related infant deaths, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has identified safe infant sleep recommendations; however, it is unclear which training strategies to teach safe infant sleep practices are most... more
Abstract To reduce sleep-related infant deaths, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has identified safe infant sleep recommendations; however, it is unclear which training strategies to teach safe infant sleep practices are most effective. Since the AAP released updated safe sleep recommendations in 2016, no analysis of the safe infant sleep training literature has been conducted. The purpose of the present review was to evaluate the safe infant sleep training literature of relevant populations such as caregivers and medical personnel, and provide recommendations for future research. The overall efficacy of training strategies was found to be positive or mixed where experiments most commonly implemented an educational session, followed by use of instructional materials, distribution of safe materials, and hospital-wide policy change. Methodological limitations were also identified.
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The current study compared two equivalence‐based instruction (EBI) protocols to each other and to a self‐study control group to teach classes of logical fallacies to college students. The two different EBI protocols were stimulus‐pairing... more
The current study compared two equivalence‐based instruction (EBI) protocols to each other and to a self‐study control group to teach classes of logical fallacies to college students. The two different EBI protocols were stimulus‐pairing yes–no (SPYN) responding and match‐to‐sample (MTS). Four three‐member logical fallacy classes were taught (i.e., ad hominem, circular argument, faulty analogy, and slippery slope). Class members consisted of the fallacy definition, fallacy name, and multiple examples of vignettes of each fallacy. Three vignette exemplars per class were used to program for generalization across vignettes, and two more were reserved to assess generalization. Written and computerized tests were completed before training, immediately following training, and at a 1‐week follow‐up session. The results showed that both MTS and SPYN EBI procedures were superior to self‐study procedures with respect to computerized test outcomes, but not written test outcomes. In addition, t...
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The present study examined the effects of including stimuli previously trained as members of functional classes or equivalence classes on subsequent equivalence class formation, and isolated the effects of preliminary training from those... more
The present study examined the effects of including stimuli previously trained as members of functional classes or equivalence classes on subsequent equivalence class formation, and isolated the effects of preliminary training from those of the acquired function stimuli. Fifty‐six adults were assigned to 1 of 5 conditions. The control group (CONT) received no preliminary training prior to the terminal phase. Participants in the other 4 groups learned two 3‐member functional classes and two 3‐member equivalence classes during the preliminary phase. The terminal equivalence phase trained two 5‐member classes (A → B → C → D → E) comprising abstract forms; the C stimuli in the terminal phase were (a) from the preliminary functional classes for 1 group (ACQ‐F), (b) from the preliminary equivalence classes for the second experimental group (ACQ‐E), (c) pictures of everyday objects for the picture control group (PIC), and (d) novel, unfamiliar stimuli for the preliminary training control g...
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The purpose of the current study was to teach four adolescents and young adults with autism to initiate bids for joint attention using multiple exemplar training, textual prompts, audio scripts, and script‐fading procedures. A... more
The purpose of the current study was to teach four adolescents and young adults with autism to initiate bids for joint attention using multiple exemplar training, textual prompts, audio scripts, and script‐fading procedures. A multiple‐probe across‐participants design was used. Three training categories and one generalization probe category of stimuli were assigned to each participant. The results demonstrated that all four participants learned to initiate bids for joint attention under training conditions, although using scripted, previously scripted, and generative language. Responding generalized to the nontraining stimuli within the training categories. Three of the four participants also demonstrated generalized responding across stimuli from the probe category. Acquisition of such responses may help increase positive social interactions for adolescents and young adults with autism in the future.
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The current study evaluated whether multiple-exemplar training, auditory scripts, and script-fading procedures could establish a generalized repertoire of initiating bids for joint attention in four young children with autism. Stimuli... more
The current study evaluated whether multiple-exemplar training, auditory scripts, and script-fading procedures could establish a generalized repertoire of initiating bids for joint attention in four young children with autism. Stimuli drawn from each of three experimenter-defined categories were used during teaching to program for generalization of initiations of bids for joint attention from trained stimuli to novel stimuli. A fourth category was reserved for assessment of across-category generalization of bids for joint attention. The four categories were (a) visually enticing toys, (b) unusually placed items, (c) environmental sounds, and (d) pictures. Assignment of categories for teaching and assessment of generalization was counterbalanced across the participants. Three different auditory scripts were used during intervention for each of the training stimuli to program for response generalization. All four children learned to initiate bids for joint attention. After scripts wer...
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A key component of successful early intervention programming is the identification of stimuli that may function as reinforcers. One common direct method used by behavior analysts to determine preference is the paired‐stimulus (PS)... more
A key component of successful early intervention programming is the identification of stimuli that may function as reinforcers. One common direct method used by behavior analysts to determine preference is the paired‐stimulus (PS) preference assessment. Although effective at identifying potential reinforcers, the PS procedure is only useful if staff are trained on the steps necessary to conduct the assessment. The current study examined the effectiveness of video modeling with voiceover instruction to train staff to conduct a PS preference assessment. Three staff were trained to do the following: (i) identify items to use during the PS assessment; (ii) conduct a PS preference assessment with a simulated consumer (i.e., an adult acting as a child); and (iii) score and interpret the results of the PS assessment. Generalization was assessed with an actual consumer (i.e., a child with an autism spectrum disorder). The results demonstrated that video modeling was effective, and staff dem...