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| Measuring Function and Change |
| Monday, May 31, 2010 |
| 10:30 AM–11:50 AM |
| Crockett A/B (Grand Hyatt) |
| Area: CBM |
| Chair: David Denham Cotter (Western Michigan University) |
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| Tracking Idiographic Behaviors in Clinical Outpatient Therapy: How Will the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis Accept Us? |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| CRISTAL E. WEEKS (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Jonathan W. Kanter (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) |
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| Abstract: Functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP), is a radical behavioral therapy which utilizes the moment-to-moment contingencies inherent in outpatient therapy by strategically applying contingent reinforcement to shape client behavior in-session (Baruch et al., in press). However, a long-standing problem in any clinical outpatient behavioral therapy is monitoring of idiographic target behaviors as they occur out-of-session. While there are many concerns in utilizing self-report data, it remains the most efficient method for obtaining such data. The current paper will outline a history of our attempts to address these concerns using the frequency of interpersonal behaviors scale (FIBS), a measure used to track out-of-session interpersonal behaviors of clients undergoing FAP treatment for relationship issues, including difficulties in validating behavioral tracking using nomothetic measures (the more common method used in clinical outpatient therapy), lessons learned in behavioral definition and client training in self-monitoring of behaviors, and future directions, including a parallel questionnaire for the client’s partners through with reliability of data may be obtained. |
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| Psychometric Evaluation of the Valued Living Questionnaire: Comparing Distressed and Normative Samples |
| Domain: Service Delivery |
| DAVID DENHAM COTTER (Western Michigan University), Jean L. Clore (Western Michigan University), Marchion Hinton (Western Michigan University), Scott T. Gaynor (Western Michigan University) |
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| Abstract: The goal of ACT work is to foster psychological flexibility, which is characterized by broad repertoires of behavior that move the client in valued directions (Dahl, Plumb, Stewart, & Lundgren, 2009). When using ACT in psychological practice, the clinician needs a way to monitor client flexibility and to make judgments on how to aid the client to change behavior in the service of chosen values. To help assess valued living, the Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ) was developed to measure an individual’s values and the extent to which an individual is behaving consistently with his or her chosen values in everyday life. To date psychometric data on the VLQ has only been provided in one research article (Wilson, Sandoz, Kitchens, & Roberts, in press). Wilson et al. reported two studies that examined variables related to the reliability (study 1) and validity (study 2) of the VLQ. The present paper seeks to further psychometrically evaluate the VLQ with the specific goals of replicating the work of Wilson et al. while also attempting to extend findings to, and compare results with, a distressed sample. |
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| The Relation Between Delay Discounting and Disordered Eating in College Women |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| LINDSEY ALANNA MAYBERRY (James Madison University), Bryan K. Saville (James Madison University) |
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| Abstract: One defining feature of disordered eating is impulsive behavior. Many personality measures of impulsivity have been given to women with eating disorders, but researchers have not used behavioral measures to examine the characteristics of disordered eating. In the current study, we used a delay-discounting task to measure impulsive behavior in a sample of college women who met the criteria for disordered eating. Female participants from James Madison University completed the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT), the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST), and the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND). Participants also completed a computerized delay-discounting task on which they chose between smaller, sooner monetary rewards and larger, later monetary rewards, both of which were hypothetical. Participants who met the criteria for disordered eating were matched with non-eating-disordered control participants. Our preliminary data suggest that women with disordered eating may discount delayed rewards differently than women who do not meet the criteria for disordered eating. |
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| Assessing the Functions of Eating That Lead to Obesity |
| Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| ALYSSA N. WILSON (Southern Illinois University Carbondale), Becky L. Nastally (Southern Illinois University), Nicholas Mui Ker Lik (Southern Illinois University), Adam D. Hahs (Southern Illinois University), Autumn N. Mckeel (Southern Illinois University Carbondale), Michael Bordieri (University of Mississippi), Mark R. Dixon (Southern Illinois University) |
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| Abstract: Obesity has become a critical problem in the United States and people no longer eat purely to survive. Functional analyses of eating behavior that leads to obesity, such as overeating or binge eating, may be beneficial in assessing the variables involved in the maintenance of this widespread problem. The current study discusses the Eating Functional Assessment; a new assessment that can be utilized in measuring and understanding the functions of eating. This measure assesses three main functions including sensory, negative, and attention/social reinforcement. A factorial analysis will be presented from over three hundred participants and internal validity and reliability of the measure will be discussed. The utility of such a measure in treatment settings, especially when dealing with weight loss, will also be discussed. |
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