Association for Behavior Analysis International

Individuals diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder have qualitative impairments in social behavior, which can range from withdrawing from others to a failure to develop meaningful friendships. These impairments in social behavior can lead to negative long term outcomes such as loneliness, depression, and, in the most extreme cases, thoughts or attempts of suicide. In this symposium, three papers will be presented that evaluated different interventions to improve the social behaviors for individuals diagnosed with autism. The first paper will describe a modified teaching interaction procedure to teach specific social skills to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and who had an intellectual disability. The second paper evaluated the effects of conditioning social reinforcement to individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The third paper evaluated the methodological soundness of previous studies evaluating social stories, opinions of several behavior analysts on social stories, and, finally, comparing social stories to the cool versus not cool procedure. Throughout the entire symposium, the authors and discussant will provide clinical recommendations and ideas for future research.

BCBAs, graduate students

Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have qualitative impairments in social behavior which can range from rejecting others to failure to develop meaningful friendships. Thus, it is important for researchers to evaluate various methodologies that engender social behavior. One methodology which has been implemented with may children diagnosed with autism, and has a growing body of empirical support, is the teaching interaction procedure (TIP). The TIP consists of labeling and describing the behavior, providing a meaningful rationale, breaking the skill into smaller components, teacher demonstration of the behavior, the learner role-playing the behavior, and the provision of the feedback. This study implemented a modified TIP to teach social skills to three children diagnosed with ASD and an intellectual disability. A multiple baseline design across social skills, replicated across participants, was utilized to evaluate the effects of the modified TIP. The results showed the TIP resulted in acquisition, maintenance, and generalized of the targeted social skills for all participants. Clinical implications and future directions will be discussed within the presentation.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have qualitative impairments in social interactions and often prefer food or tangible reinforcement to social reinforcement. Therefore, therapists working with children diagnosed with ASD often utilize food or tangible items as reinforcers to increase appropriate behaviors or decrease aberrant behaviors. The goal of the present study was to shift childrens preference from a highly preferred tangible item to an initially non-preferred social reinforcer using an observational conditioning procedure. Participants observed a known peer engage in a simple task and select the social reinforcer that was not preferred by the participant. The observation procedure resulted in a shift of preference toward the social reinforcer with all participants. Maintenance data demonstrated that although the preference change did not endure for one of the participants, it was quickly re-established with additional observational trials. Results provided further support for the use of observational procedures to alter preferences. Clinical implications and future directions will be discussed within the presentation.

Parent involvement in early intervention services is considered best practice for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (National Research Council, 2001). Pivotal Response Treatment, in particular, places emphasis on the naturalistic implementation of intervention and including parents as providers of treatment. Training parents to implement intervention with fidelity can maximize the intensity of treatment and extend beyond time, locations, and contexts of professionally provided services. Research has demonstrated that caregivers can be taught to implement Pivotal Response Treatment with fidelity in both group-based and individual formats (Symon & Koegel, 2002; Minjarez, Williams, Mercier, & Hardan, 2011). However, it is only recently that specific components of these programs have begun to be systematically evaluated or explained. While some parents succeed in short-term training programs, others make minimal gains with variable outcomes observed across families. Following effective parent training programs, skill maintenance can also be variable across time and participants. The presentations in this symposium will provide information about variables contributing to increased skill performance and maintenance for short-term parent training programs teaching Pivotal Response Treatment using community-based service models. These variables include parent measures of self-efficacy prior to a parent-training program, the provision of follow-up training sessions, and compliance with on-going training.

Parent involvement is a critical component of effective interventions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders with limited access to professional providers. Several short-term training models have demonstrated efficacy in teaching caregivers to implement evidence-based interventions (Koegel, Symon, & Koegel, 2002). However, recent research suggests that for caregivers who attain fidelity of implementation, approximately half of the participants do not maintain those skills over time (Gengoux et al., 2015). In the current study, 42 parent-child dyads participated in a week-long, intensive training model in a clinic setting (Koegel et al., 2002) with 17 dyads randomly selected to receive remote coaching follow-up sessions across a 12-week period. Results indicate that 9 dyads (53%) completed all scheduled follow-up sessions. Of these 9 dyads, 8 dyads obtained fidelity of implementation during the one-week training period. Following completion of follow-up sessions, 7 dyads maintained fidelity of implementation while 1 dyad achieved the fidelity criterion for a total of 8 out of 9 dyads (89%) demonstrating fidelity 12-weeks post-training. These results further support the short-term training model and suggest that follow-up sessions may enhance skill maintenance. Practitioners offering short-term parent training services may consider this practical, remote-coaching follow-up model to improve maintenance of fidelity for participants.

Many behavioral treatment models for autism spectrum disorder include a parent training component (Steiner et al., 2012). JumpStart is a 20-hour education and empowerment program for parents of young children considered at-risk or recently diagnosed with autism. Caregivers receive didactic instruction, guided observation, and in-vivo coaching in Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) in addition to didactic instruction about the autism diagnosis, Applied Behavior Analysis, and navigating funding and service systems. Upon completion, many parents are able to successfully implement PRT, however, there is considerable variability in parent fidelity of implementation. The current study examined parent fidelity of implementation of PRT, child responsivity to parent-implemented intervention, parenting self-efficacy scales, and depression measures for 31 parent-child dyads. Findings indicate increases in child responsivity, parent fidelity of implementation, and self-efficacy, with decreased measures of depression following completion of the program. Additionally, initial parenting self-efficacy measures predicted positive change in child responsivity and parent fidelity of implementation. These results suggest that meaningful outcomes can be achieved with minimal training and that parenting self-efficacy measures may influence the effectiveness of parent-training programs.

Some clinical behavioral analysts have suggested that psychological flexibility may be a fundamental aspect of psychological well-being and a mechanism of change in clinical behavior analysis. A mid-level term, psychological flexibility is often defined in the clinical context as involving open, ongoing awareness to private events in such a way as to decrease avoidance and facilitate effective, values-based behavior. This symposium includes two papers that link mid-level conceptualizations of psychological flexibility with basic behavioral principles. Each explores potential methods of measuring psychological flexibility directly rather than relying on self-report measures. The first paper explores potential relationships between performance on two behavioral measures of body image flexibility the Body Image Flexibility Assessment Procedure (BIFAP) and the Body Image Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP). The second paper explores qualities of derived relational responding as indicative of flexibility and inflexibility and investigates the IRAP as a tool for predicting inflexibility in certain domains of living.

Body image flexibility has been described in the non-behavioral literature as the capacity to experience the body fully and intentionally while pursuing effective action in important life domains. Self-report measures of body image flexibility are psychometrically sound, but limited in their validity as they rely on the responders honesty and ability to tact their private experiences and reactions thereof. The current study aimed to explore potential relationships between performance on two behavioral measures of body image flexibility the Body Image Flexibility Assessment Procedure (BIFAP) and the Body Image Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP). The BIFAP was designed to measure body image flexibility, while the IRAP was developed to measure brief immediate relational responses (a.k.a., implicit cognitions), and was adapted for this study to measure responses to body image. Responses on both tasks are considered in terms of response latencies, and rate of correct responses. Aspects of both divergence and convergence speak to the complexity of assessment of private events. Implications for assessment in clinical and research domains will be discussed.

The Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) has most often been used to examine differences between the performances of groups of people with a particular set of stimuli and between specific trial-types. The present study is a continuation of several previous studies that examine the possibility of using analyses of the IRAP to identify relatively strong verbal repertoires at the level of the individual. These repertoires may be clinically relevant for the participating individual or for his/her community. They may also be seen as areas of psychological inflexibility. This paper examines multiple methods for examining IRAP outputs. Undergraduate students who participated for course credit chose IRAPs from an array of topics that they viewed as being related to areas of difficulty and areas of ease. The participants showed marked variability in IRAP performance across IRAPs and trial types. The discussion focuses on the potential to predict and develop interventions for specific domains for individuals where high levels of bias, rigidity, or fusion are present.

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) can face difficulties in many aspects of life. They often have weak social skills (Gresham, Sugai, & Horner, 2001), poor academic performance (Trout, Nordness, Pierce, & Epstein, 2003), more restrictive school placements (Yell, 1995), and more frequent suspensions or expulsions (Department of Education, 2013). One method for improving outcomes for students with EBD may be to explicitly teach students how to communicate with peers and adults in their lives. The purpose of this symposium is to present research about communication interventions for students with EBD. The first paper will present the results of a comprehensive literature review of functional assessment based interventions for students with EBD to determine the extent to which the interventions employed meet the technical definition of functional communication training (FCT). Of the studies using FCT, participant characteristics, intervention components, and general outcomes will be discussed. The second paper will present findings from a research study designed to teach students how to effectively communicate about their behavior by reporting antecedents, behaviors, and consequences. Authors will discuss results, and implications for research and practice.

Functional communication training (FCT) is a technique used to reduce problem behavior through systematic training of a communicative response serving an equivalent function as the target behavior (Carr & Durand, 1985). It is most often used for individuals with limited or no vocal language. Of 204 participants in a recent review of FCT, all but six had intellectual, developmental, or autism spectrum disorders (Tiger, Hanley, & Bruzek, 2008). FCT has been used to remediate problem behavior of individuals with high-incidence disabilities such as ADHD or emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD). However, a review limited to these cases is difficult due to inconsistent terminology: Researchers in EBD use procedures congruent with FCT but do not typically label the procedures as such. Before the efficacy of FCT for students with EBD can be analyzed, it must first be determined which functional assessment-based interventions are, in fact, FCT. The purpose of this review is to determine the extent to which and how FCT is used for this population. Participant characteristics, intervention components, and intervention outcomes will be discussed.

One way to increase student involvement in their educational programming is to give them the opportunity to contribute during the functional behavior assessment process. Unfortunately, current research shows that that without training, some students are unable to accurately report on their behavior (e.g., Chan & Cannella-Malone, under review; Murdock, O'Neill, & Cunningham, 2005). One way to increase meaningful student engagement may be to explicitly teach students to identify antecedents, behaviors, and consequences. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of an explicit instruction package designed to teach students to identify antecedents, behaviors, and consequences using video clips of challenging behavior scenarios. Results indicated that students learned to accurately report what happened in the video clips; however, they struggled to generalize the skills to reports about their own behavior. Authors will make recommendations for future research and discuss implications for practice will be discussed.

Behavior analysts continuously seek to identify efficient and effective procedures to teach novel skills to fluency. Fluency can be measured in terms of celeration, or change in frequency across time, or behavioral agility as measured on the standard celeration chart (SCC). Behavioral agility has been measured as the change in celerations across the acquisition of skills, which can include steeper slopes, rising bottoms, and fewer timings to reach aims (goals). The first study evaluated the effects of differential consequences on the fluency and celeration of learning the endangered Hawaiian language within the stimulus equivalence framework. The second study evaluated the effects of self-management procedures, specifically self-charting, on measures of self-control in addition to changes in celerations, bottom frequencies, and the number of timings to fluency for a series of skill slices. Participants from both studies were typically developing. Outcomes will be discussed in terms of applicability within and across populations, skillsets, settings, and areas for future research.

The purpose of the current investigation was to explore whether self-charting or teacher-charting would produced steeper celerations, rising bottom frequencies, and/or fewer timings to fluency (i.e., behavioral agility) for typically-developing children between the ages of 4 and 6. In addition, the purpose of this study was to identify if there was a relationship between measures of behavioral agility and measures of self-control during delay probes in which participants waited to consume highly preferred edibles. Participants were separated into three groups: experimental self-charting, control teacher-charting only, and control temporal delay probes only. Results did not provide evidence that self-charting was more beneficial than teacher-charting in producing indicators of behavioral agility. In addition, the data did not show a clear relationship between measures of self-control and charting. However, all participants who received instruction became fluent in multiple slices of instruction across multiple programs. In addition, five out of seven participants across experimental and control groups improved their performance on waiting for a large portion of a highly preferred edible when having free access to the item. Findings should be considered with caution due to the small sample size, and future research should continue to explore ways to increase the rate of student learning and possible avenues to measure correlations between self-control and self-management.

Dixon et al. (2015) ranked graduate programs in behavior analysis on the basis of their faculty research productivity. Although controversial, this paper prompted a number of responses from researchers and practitioners in ABA on the important of research in graduate ABA training and how to appropriately rank graduate programs according to the productivity of their faculty. The purpose of this panel is to continue that discussion in an open forum. The panel includes three members with experience in both research and practice in ABA. The panel will discuss the importance of research in graduate ABA training, the importance of formal ranking systems for graduate programs in ABA, whether programs should be ranked on additional factors, such as the research productivity of its students and / or graduates, and the relationship between research productivity and clinician competency. The panel will be chaired by a fourth participant with an interest in this topic.

Despite demonstrations of treatment efficacy, research suggests some learners fail to make significant gains in Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) programs, particularly in the domain of language acquisition. A possible explanation for insufficient progress is that some children do not have the prerequisite skills to effectively benefit from language and social skills instruction. Discrimination ability and assessment of stimulus control are often overlooked when assessing and choosing intervention targets, and the failure to identify these important foundational skills can lead to the introduction of beginning targets that are too difficult for the learner. The following symposium examines the impact of discrimination ability, as assessed by the Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities-Revised, on rate of learning in EIBI, focusing on the role of auditory discrimination in echoic acquisition. In light of the above findings and an examination of learning trajectories of typically developing children, preliminary treatment modifications for early learners in EIBI will be discussed, with a focus on identifying prerequisite skill areas that are critical for a child to master prior to teaching language. By attending to discrimination ability and prerequisite skill acquisition, we can better teach early learners in EIBI settings important language and social skill repertoires.

When implementing intensive intervention plans for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), we tend to see two profiles of children, those who are in the best outcome group and those who are not. The typical profile of a child in the best outcome group is one with some basic language, imitation and a multitude of available reinforcers. Auditory discrimination has been linked to the development of these early learning skills. By using the Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities Revised (ABLA-R) to assess a childs ability to discriminate we can determine if they are likely to respond well to a typical ABA curriculum. If a child does not discriminate, it will be necessary to teach earlier developmental skills in visual and auditory discrimination, that when missing, are likely to hinder a childs response to treatment. This presentation will focus on preliminary treatment modifications aimed to teach early discrimination skills identified from comparison studies between children with ASD and those that are typically developing between the ages of 0-1. If these early developmental discrimination skills are targeted in treatment before working on language, imitation and play skills, children with poor discrimination skills may more readily respond to intensive ABA treatment intervention techniques.

The emergence of insurance funded Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) benefits has introduced new requirements and complexity for providers of ABA services. Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) are finding themselves in a new contractual relationship with health care plans without prior experience with utilization management and submission of claims. Managed care plans apply traditional insurance principles including medical necessity to the authorization of autism services to ensure appropriate treatment is being provided. They also demand knowledge of insurance terminology, billing practices and information sharing that may be outside the realm of a BCBA practitioners historical practice. The panelists will address the barriers that can arise between a managed care plan and ABA providers and focus on steps for facilitating the development of a collaborative relationship between provider and health plan. The panel will include professionals from managed care organizations that will discuss the importance of using data to inform and direct treatment progress, keys to obtaining authorization for treatment and critical information that is consistently reviewed by care managers. Other panelists will be ABA service providers who will share their perspective as to lessons learned and effective strategies used in their work with managed care organizations.

The purpose of the study was to demonstrate the application of shaping technology to establish direct line of sight, visual regard, as a propaedeutic behavioral cusp for the further development of more complex and multiply determined joint attending capacities. The participants were three boys classified with autism with ages ranging between three and five years old. All three learners attended an ABA-based special needs school for children with autism. A multiple probe design across participants was used to document the impact efficacy of the procedure, which consisted of several systematically applied steps, with some variations, per learner. Visual regard was observed in different settings and at different times to determine maintenance and generalization of the skill.

Perspective taking is an important skill in the interaction of humans. Perspective taking can be defined as the ability to understand ones own experience as separate from another individuals experience. It is typically studied in developmental psychology using Theory of Mind Tasks. Relational Frame Theory offers a behavioral conceptualization of perspective taking as based in deictic relational responding relational responses that involve discrimination of a particular perspective (i.e., here vs. there, or now vs. then). This symposium explores deictic relational responding in children on the autism spectrum, individuals who are deaf, or individuals with traumatic brain injury. The first paper will extend previous research on the convergence between deictic relational responding and true and false beliefs in children with autism. The second paper will present data on teaching perspective taking skills to adults with TBI through established protocols, which utilize deictic relational frames. The third paper will review the literature on perspective taking in the Deaf and will offer an overview of the adaptation of the Deictic Relational Task for use with deaf individuals.

Perspective taking is a pivotal behavioral repertoire essential for social functioning, and is what some recognize as a hallmark deficit of the Autism Spectrum Disorder. Relational Frame Theory conceptualizes perspective taking in terms of deictic relational responding, or the ability to relate events based on the discrimination of a particular perspective. Advances in the study of deictic relational responding have included the development of a perspective taking training protocol shown to improve performance on false belief tasks in typically developing children; however, there has been little research on the generality of these findings in children with ASD. The role of deictic relational responding in social interaction is also undetermined. The following data extend on previous findings of the role of deictic relational responding on true and false belief and lend support to their application on advanced Theory of Mind tasks. Implications for promoting social skills in children with autism are also discussed.

Each year in the U.S., around 1.7 million people sustain a TBI and of those, approximately 52,000 die, 275,000 are hospitalized, and 1.365 million are treated and released from an emergency department. There are several factors which contribute to potential outcomes for people with TBI related disabilities, including the age at which the person sustained the injury, amount of time since the injury occurred, and the severity of the injury. Behavior analytic approaches to TBI recovery generally include basic behavior change programming involving both reduction and acquisition. One repertoire known to be severely affected after brain injury is perspective taking. The ability to take the perspective of another greatly contributes to social interactions and involves a complex set of skills. To date, behavior analysis has not shown the ability to adequately affect the re-acquisition of this repertoire. A small number of studies have attempted to train perspective taking skills in populations lacking the ability, but none with people with TBI. This study aimed to teach perspective taking skills to adults with TBI through established protocols, which utilize deictic relational frames.

Safety skills are important for children with and without disabilities. Children with autism typically have difficulties with safety skills often related to problems with communication and problem solving. The first presenters evaluated the effects of video modeling and programming for common stimuli on children with autism answering or making a FaceTime call on an iPhone 6 or exchanging an identification card when approached by an employee or after approaching an employee when lost. Results demonstrated that children with autism can learn and generalize low-and high-tech help-seeking behaviors. The second group of presenters examined the use of video modeling for teaching children with autism to use the telephone to call someone for help. Results of the study suggest that teenagers diagnosed with autism can be taught problem solving skills by breaking down problem solving scenarios into task analyses and using video modeling strategies. Typically developing children also have issues with safety skills, particularly regarding abduction. The third presenter focused on the differential effects of verbal instructions, social stories, video modeling, and practice on child responses during in-situ abduction assessments. Results demonstrated that each participant performed better following practice compared to verbal instructions, social stories, and video modeling.

Deficits in safety skills and communication deficits place individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) at increased risk of danger. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of video modeling and programming for common stimuli to teach low- and high-tech help- seeking responses to children with autism when lost using a multiple probe across participants. All of the participants with autism acquired the skills of answering or making a FaceTime call on an iPhone 6 or exchanging an identification card when approached by an employee or after approaching an employee in a contrived setting, generalized the skills to novel community settings, and maintained the skills over a one and two- week follow-up. Normative data were collected with typically developing peers (i.e., without a diagnosis of a developmental disability) across the dependent variables during pre-baseline and post-intervention phases, with all participants being able to seek help when lost. Additionally, social validity measures showed that the procedures, goals, and outcomes of the study were acceptable to direct consumers, indirect consumers, immediate community members, and extended community members. Results demonstrate that children with ASD can learn and generalize low-and high-tech help-seeking behaviors.

For many teenagers diagnosed with autism, problem solving can be a complex skill to teach. Research indicates that using video modeling can be successful when teaching children with autism skills such as reciprocal conversation and play, but few studies address video modeling to teach problem solving skills. This study utilized a multiple baseline research design, to teach three teenagers diagnosed with autism the skill of using the telephone to call someone for help. During intervention, video modeling was introduced for each step of the problem solving task analysis, then faded as participants demonstrated the skill independently. For all participants, maintenance probes were completed one year after the initial training. Following intervention, all three participants completed 100% of the problem solving task analysis independently. One year later, two out of three participants maintained the skill at 100% of the task analysis. Results of the study suggest that teenagers diagnosed with autism can be taught problem solving skills by breaking down problem solving scenarios into task analyses and using video modeling strategies.

Family members or friends of the family commit the majority of child abductions (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 2015). Much of past research has focused on conducting in-situ assessments with novel confederates to determine if abduction prevention training was successful (Beck & Miltenberger, 2009, Johnson et al., 2005). The purpose of this abduction prevention analysis was to analyze the differential effects of verbal instructions, social stories, video modeling, and practice on the responses of children. A multi-element design was used to examine the differential effects of the various instructional modalities on child responses during in-situ abduction assessments. Four participants, two female and two male, participated in this study. They were all typically developing and ranged in age from four years of age to seven years of age. Following each instruction period, the in-situ assessment was done with an adult friend of the parents who the child knew. Results demonstrate that each participant performed better following practice compared to verbal instructions, social stories, and video modeling. Verbal instructions had no positive effects during the in situ assessments. Social stories and video modeling had mixed results as indicated on the graphs.

This symposium will focus on current issues in the applied analysis of animal behavior in zoological settings while covering conceptual, theoretical, and methodological considerations of behavior analysis. Thus, while experimental in format, this symposium emphasizes translational work. The first presentation is mainly theoretical/methodological (with data-based examples) and concerns the application of single-case methodology to the evaluation of environmental enrichment efficacy in research and practice. The second presentation is data-based with theoretical implications of two widespread animal care strategies and will discuss a comparison of zoo animals choices for participating in positive reinforcement training or enrichment strategies. The remaining two presentations and the discussants remarks will comment on the content of these two presentations. These presenters will provide commentary on the two presentations from different perspectives and different areas of expertise, including experimental, translational, and applied analyses of behavior. By bringing together presenters with different areas of expertise, we hope to draw an audience that might not typically attend applied animal behavior presentations and offer perspectives that audiences at AAB presentations might not typically hear.

Scientists have long studied the motivation to perform certain behaviors. Motivation has been proposed as a way to explain why people engage in goal-directed behaviors and is sometimes invoked as an explanatory construct/fiction. Behavioral scientists often avoid the problems associated with such constructs by conceptualizing motivation in terms of antecedent and consequences that impact goal-directed behavior. A long-standing debate emerged many decades ago about how to best motivate behavior and this debate has been one of the centerpieces in the divide between behavioral and non-behavioral perspectives. Although many theories such as the cognitive evaluation theory and the overjustification effect have been proposed, the argument comes down to one key issue: Do rewards/reinforcers provided by external forces harm ones natural interest in performing certain behaviors? How this question is answered has profound implications for business, education, or any other settings where it is important to manage the behavior of others. Six decades worth of objections to external rewards will be summarized, along with their counterarguments and the implications for organizational practices. Understanding this contentious history is important in order to critically evaluate the more recent variations of this debate, such as the arguments outlined in popular books such as Drive.

The utility of reinforcement-based procedures has been well established in the behavior analysis literature. The overjustification effect is one commonly cited criticism of programs that use tangible rewards. The overjustification hypothesis suggests that the delivery of an extrinsic (socially mediated) reward contingent on engagement with an activity that previously occurs at some level without apparent socially mediated reinforcement will result in a reduction in the amount of engagement in that activity from baseline levels when the reward phase is discontinued. One of the most commonly cited series of studies on the overjustification effect was conducted by Deci (1971). Deci evaluated the effects of money and verbal praise on undergraduate students performances on a puzzle task. Deci concluded that intrinsic interest decreased when money was used as a reward. This study is a direct replication of the landmark study evaluating the overjustification hypothesis conducted by Deci. The subjects were undergraduate psychology students. The findings did not replicate those obtained by Deci, and the results did not provide support for the overjustification hypothesis. Additional investigations of the overjustification effect with first grade children will also be presented leading to implications for the use of rewards in child behavior management will be discussed.

In 2009 Dan Pink published what would become a New York Times best-selling book for 159 weeks, thereby rekindling the longstanding debate over intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and the adverse effects of reinforcement on performance. This talk will build on the foundational overview of the research presented in previous talks, and will discuss the implications of Pinks book, and contemporary debate around motivational theories. This talk will critique Pinks arguments and conceptual analysis of extrinsic and extrinsic motivation, the research base of his book, and his contentions that if-then rewards are out of place in todays creative workplace. Implications of this perspective will be discussed, particularly in the context of Organizational Behavior Management, including a discussion of why we as behavior analysts should not be too hasty to dismiss out of hand all of the suggestions made by Pink. The talk will conclude by suggesting ways that behavior analysts can make practical use of Pinks book, both as a source of data, and a method for addressing organizational performance.

Despite the debate around the history and theory of Dan Pink's conceptualization of motivation, his notions of Mastery, Autonomy and Purpose can be put to use in the workplace by applied practitioners. This framework can easily be broken down into behavioral principles and procedures, and used as an approachable toolset. For example, Mastery and Autonomy are facilitated through meaningful goal-setting during an evaluation period, the use of shaping techniques for successive approximations of independent functioning, intermittent feedback on worker performance, and dependent and independent group contingencies for team project completion. Purpose is established and maintained via the articulation of the organizations mission and values, the explanation of individual employees role in this mission, and the crafting of setting events that easily connect an individual employees behavior to the organizations mission. This talk will present a case study to demonstrate to audience members how Pinks approach has been integrated with the principles and procedures of ABA in both a school setting, and a human resource setting in a non-behavior analytic government contracting firm.

Food refusal is a severe feeding problem in which children refuse to eat all or most foods which often leads to insufficient caloric intake and malnutrition. Food refusal can be effectively treated using a variety of multicomponent intervention packages. The purpose of the present study was to use an alternating treatments design to compare two intervention packages-- differential reinforcement (DRA) with escape extinction and response cost (RC) with escape extinction for treating food refusal in a 2-year-old boy with developmental delays and failure to thrive (FTT). There were not differences across conditions in the childs level of acceptance and interruptions initially; however, the childs acceptance was consistently higher and percentage of interruptions were consistently lower in the DRA condition after implementation of a phase in which empty spoons were presented in both treatment conditions. In addition, the childs total volume of solids and liquids was greater in the DRA condition. Potential explanations for results as well as suggestions for future researchers will be discussed.

This study used a multiple baseline design to examine the effects of a combined behavioral skills training (BST) and general-case training (GCT) package for teaching caregivers how to implement an intervention to treat food selectivity in their children. Following baseline during which caregivers were given written instructions of the intervention, experimenters implemented BST training which involved instructions, modeling, rehearsal and feedback as well as GCT which involved the experimenter following scripts which simulated the range of child responses (e.g. accepting bites, expelling, refusal, etc.) caregivers could encounter during post-training sessions with their child. The food selectivity intervention involved having caregivers implement single-bite taste sessions with several target foods using exit criterion. Following training, all caregivers increased their percentage of correct steps performed of the intervention compared to their performance in baseline. In addition, all children demonstrated increases in the cumulative number of bites accepted under 30 s during post-training compared to baseline.

The funding and monitoring sources for behavior analysts have changed over the last five with the introduction of behavior analyst licensure and health care coverage for families affected by ASD. Additionally, the number of BACB certificants continues to grow nationally. Due to the high number of new BACB certificants, new licensing laws, and increased health-care funding sources for ABA treatment, behavior analysts must be responsive to pertinent field based ethical issues associated with the practice of behavior analysis in homes and communities. This discussion will introduce the topic of applied ethics as to identify the common ethical issues encountered by practicing proving home/communizing based ABA services. Furthermore, the discussion will address cross reference these identified ethical concerns with the BACB compliance code and behavior analysts licensing regulations across the country. Finally, the presenter will recommend the best course of action based on established case law when behavior analysts encounter these ethical dilemmas.

Effective January of 2016, the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts (the Code) outlines the expectations of professional and ethical behavior for individuals practicing in the field of behavior analysis. Despite its intentions, behavior analysts are likely to encounter ethical dilemmas that may not be fully resolved with application of the Code. For example, based upon the Code, behavior analysts are obligated to tailor behavior-change programs to the uniquegoals of each client. However, with nonverbal adult patients there is a unique challenge in determining their goals. New, but similarly complex ethical dilemmas are likely to develop as a result of changes to the landscape of fee-for-service models. For example, accountable care organizations, which have been established under the auspices of the Affordable Care Act, employ a pay-for-performance reimbursement model that may compel behavior analysts to develop performance metrics for behavioral interventions. This talk explores ethical questions for behavior analysts that may challenge the Code and provides a breakdown of such questions from the perspective of an ethicist and a practicing behavior analyst.

BCSNA currently offers services based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) principles including: skill acquisition for young children with ASD and other neurological disabilities and disorders, functional behavior assessments and analyses for individuals demonstrating challenging behavior, parent training, school consultation, supervision services, etc. One of the recent services requested of BCSNA by the state of Arizona (motivated by cost containment issues) includes a Placement Stability Package (PSP) to assess, treat/stabilize children and adults in their home settings prior to transferring them to an inpatient facility in another state. The PSP is a program where parent and care provider training is vital to keeping the individual stable and abate the need to send them out of state. As licensed Behavior Analysts in Arizona (under the Board of Psychological Examiners), BCBAs are held to both the APA and BACB ethical guidelines. Issues and challenges surrounding how services are provided to rural culturally and linguistically diverse minority health populations will be discussed.

The current service model for learners with ASD is falling short of the goal to provide skills required to transition seamlessly into adult life. It is critical that practitioners rethink the current model of 1:1 or 1:2 staff to student ratios prior to students "aging out." Additionally and more critically, as the incidence of ASD has recently increased by 30%, with further predictions that in 5 years 122,493 students will turn 22 nationwide at an annual cost of $3,623 million dollars. Clearly the current model falls short of the goal to provide learners with skills required to transition more effortlessly into adult life. We need to consider preparation for next environments as a primary obligation of service provision. Working in groups, working independently, identification of relevant outcome measures, targeting functionally relevant skills and working with minimal and reduced supervision must be explicit goals for learners with ASD. Furthermore, we must develop creative and cost-effective methods to more efficiently prepare, teach, support and monitor adults with ASD in community and employment settings. Moreover, identification of relevant outcome measures and targeting functionally relevant skills must take precedence. The panel will discuss the topic and possible solutions within behavioral frameworks.

Achieving the best outcomes for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in adulthood begins with an early interdisciplinary teamwork including multiple types of activities related to transition. Practical and ethical considerations should include who should be involved, what skills should be taught, where these services should be offered, when they should be delivered, how services should be delivered, and why they should be taught. This symposium will address ethical considerations involving interagency collaboration across the lifespan, creating a balance in teaching academic, functional, and self-determination skills, the need to consider community settings and programming for generalization across settings, and how technology can facilitate skill acquisition across settings. There is a need for practitioners to consider these areas when working with children as they transition through various services with a mindful approach about factors related to adult outcomes including quality of life, sustainability of naturally occurring contingencies, resources allocated, and both individual and societal benefits. The symposium will present the various ethical considerations associated with selecting skills that are most relevant to long-term goals, precursory skills, and environmental factors related to the utilization of those skills.

Although basic behavioral research was one prevalent, numerous factors have contributed to the current scarcity in basic research programs in university settings. However, ensuring the future of behavior analysis will certainly require the training of basic behavioral scientists. Panelists will be asked to share their experiences in training students (undergraduate and graduate) in basic and translational research. Additionally, panelists will be asked to provide recommendations for future researchers on how to obtain and maintain their own animal labs and get students interested in basic and translational research at both the graduate and undergraduate level. Panelists will discuss how to incorporate basic and translational research components into existing programs, even programs with a currently heavily applied focus. Panelists will also be asked about their predictions about the future of basic behavior analytic research, and will be asked to provide advice for researchers interested in pursuing a career in basic and translational research.

Nature and nurture always work together. Genetic determinism in any form is not a viable concept. Evolution is a continuous process. Do contemporary "evolutionary psychologists" give these facts more than lip service? Some talk as if human behavior is determined (somehow) by genes that were selected 10,000 years ago and unchanged since then. Many evolutionary psychology observations can be explained more parsimoniously by the principles of behavior, mediated by a nervous system, that have been selected for just such plasticity. Indeed, behavior is both a product and a driver of evolution. Then, there are the implications of the immense flexibility in the larger biobehavioral system. The "systems" approach offers an evidence based alternative encompassing everything, including the many complex, nonlinear interactions across all levels of behavior and its development. This panel discussion compares the typical views of evolutionary psychologists with the systems approach and explores where behavior analysis fits in.

Behavior analysts and others interested in evolutionary psychology.

Pavlovian pairing procedures are often used in practice to condition reinforcers. However, applied pairing studies have produced mixed results. This symposium will cover a review of the research on stimulus-stimulus pairing procedures and some empirical studies evaluating the effects of different pairing procedures.

Children with autism often display deficits in social interaction and communication. One of the first signs of autism is lack of eye contact and responding to ones name. Given these behaviors are often prerequisite for additional social interactions, it is critical that they are targeted during early intensive behavioral intervention. Unfortunately, it is often the case that commonly used teaching procedures such as prompting and prompting fading strategies are ineffective. In the current study, we used a response-stimulus (R-S) pairing procedure to condition participants names as reinforcers. We then evaluated whether the name acquired discriminative control over the response of looking at the researcher. During test probes we presented the participants name and recorded whether he responded by looking at the researchers face. During pairing sessions, following every instance of eye contact, the researcher used a delayed pairing procedure to condition the name with a preferred edible. Results suggest that this procedure may be an effective alternative to more traditional prompting strategies.

Programming that simultaneously targets communication and social deficits is common in Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention. Previous literature has taught children to mand for preferred items from peers, targeting communication and social skills (e.g., Kodak, Paden, & Dickes, 2012; Taylor et al., 2005). The pairing trials that occur during mand training with peers may mimic conditioning procedures and could establish peers as reinforcers. Several studies have evaluated using response-stimulus (RS) pairing and stimulus-stimulus (SS) pairing to condition neutral social stimuli as reinforcers; however, results have been idiosyncratic. In the current study, Experiment 1 compared SS pairing procedures and RS pairing procedures in conditioning preschool-aged peers as reinforcers. Response-stimulus pairing may be more effective and efficient than SS pairing (i.e., 3 of 6 participants had a successfully conditioned peer using RS pairing). Experiment 2 evaluated the effects of peers as conditioned reinforcers or peers with a history of pairings on the acquisition of manding to peers. Mand training to conditioned peers was just as effective as to novel peers for 3 of 4 participants.

Parents of children diagnosed with autism face a variety of stressors. Parents who are unable to successfully cope with these stressors are often given labels such as anxious, angry or depressed. The typical treatment approach is pathological and focuses on the problem, often through counseling, behavioral therapy, tutoring, and/or drugs. This presentation will show data from a study that assessed an alternative approach, the constructional approach (Goldiamond, 1974). Three parents were taught how to build off of their strengths and assets and how to analyze their life, formulate goals, and develop programs to reach these goals. Teaching this new repertoire enabled the parents to make changes in their lives and reach their goals. Also, for each parent, the percentage of time each day during which she felt happy increased. Each parent was able to reduce or eliminate her stressors by analyzing the circumstances and focusing on her ideal outcome, rather than focusing on her psychological deficits and misfortunes of life. The results suggest that the use of a constructional program is very effective in helping parents develop a new repertoire that will ultimately improve their overall quality of life.

Functional analysis (FA) and functional communication training (FCT) have been conducted via remote teleconsultation for approximately 10 years now. Since the earliest demonstrations of its effectiveness as a service delivery system, the use of teleconsultation has been expanded in a variety of ways. This symposium will feature recent applications of teleconsultation and discuss the issues related to its use. Alyssa Suess will present first with a demonstration of FA and FCT for individuals with autism who are on a waiting list for treatment of problem behavior. Jessica Simacek will give the second presentation on teaching young children with neurodevelopmental disabilities to mand across home contexts. The third presentation, by Traci Ruppert, will address the effects of coaching and performance feedback on parent acquisition of intervention strategies for challenging behavior across family routines. Matt O'Brien will deliver the fourth presentation on a multi-site study that employs a randomized control trial of functional analysis and treatment for challenging behavior. Wayne Fisher will serve as the discussant and synthesize the presentations as well as discuss implications for future research.

There are numerous barriers to children with severe neurodevelopmental disabilities accessing recommended early and intensive intervention services that are related to optimal outcomes. The purpose of the current study was to determine the efficacy of parent-implemented assessment and intervention with coaching via telehealth (i.e., video conferencing) on the acquisition of early communication skills for three young children (3.5-4 years old) with severe neurodevelopmental disabilities. A structured descriptive assessment and functional analysis were used to identify idiosyncratic/potentially communicative responses and communicative contexts for each child. Functional communication training (FCT) was implemented to increase early communication skills. Parents conducted all sessions with remote coaching via telehealth by experts in functional analysis and FCT. The effects of FCT were evaluated using an adapted, multiple-probe design across three contexts for each child. Prior to intervention, none of the children engaged in reliable or easily recognizable communication forms; however, the results indicated that during FCT intervention all three children acquired the targeted communication skills. Implications from this study support the efficacy of parent-implemented intervention delivered with coaching via telehealth and the potential for future research to examine telehealth within a service delivery model to increase access to services for children with disabilities and their families.

Although prior studies have evaluated and supported the use of telehealth to deliver coaching and performance feedback to parents of children with developmental disabilities, there have been few studies that have evaluated the use of telehealth to provide behavioral consultation across family routines. The current investigation examines the effects of coaching and performance feedback provided via telehealth on parent acquisition of intervention strategies across desired family routines for three parents of children with developmental disabilities who engage in challenging behavior. A multiple-probe design across participants was used to examine the effects of immediate performance feedback on parent implementation of intervention strategies and of parent implemented intervention on challenging and adaptive behavior. This study broadens the existing research base by training graduate students to deliver behavioral consultation via telehealth to train parents on how to implement multi-component interventions in their home. Suggestions for future research will be discussed.

Published studies on the use of telecommunication technology in the field of applied behavior analysis date back nearly 10 years (Barretto et al., 2006). Recent research has established the telehealth model as an effective service delivery modality for behavior analytic services. For example, Lindgren and Wacker have recently completed a series of studies using telehealth in home and clinic settings (Lindgren & Wacker, 2009, 2011). In the most recent study (Wacker et al., 2014), telehealth was used to conduct a randomized controlled trial of functional communication training in the home setting. The results revealed outcomes similar to face-to-face service delivery and telehealth in clinic settings. Given robust findings on the effectiveness of the telehealth model for service provision, this model should also be considered an appropriate modality for conducting behavior analytic research. A new, multi-site research grant (Lindgren & Wacker, 2015) is underway using telehealth to conduct a randomized controlled trial of functional analysis. This presentation will provide insight into the use of telehealth as a research tool to evaluate functional assessment and treatment and will offer a look at case studies from early grant participants.

There is increasing use of antecedent-based treatments in the treatment of pediatric feeding disorders, but limited reporting of systematic assessment of antecedent manipulations. In the current study, we developed an experimental assessment method to evaluate the effects of varied antecedent manipulations (e.g., changes to liquid or food properties) on acceptance or mealtime problem behaviour. Conditions showing the most improvement are matched to an individualized treatment protocol for each child. This study is conducted in family homes in New Zealand, with children that are dependent on some degree of tube feeding to meet their nutritional needs. Preliminary results from five participants have shown that this assessment may identify effective treatment protocols to increase oral nutrition in the absence of escape extinction.

Psychopharmacological and behavioral interventions are used to treat challenging behaviors in individuals with intellectual disability (ID), often in combination. However, little is known about the interaction between medication pharmacodynamics and behavior function. A better understanding of these mechanisms could serve as the conceptual foundation for combined interventions. We conducted extended functional analyses to assess the impact on behavior function of various dosages of primarily antipsychotic medications. We explored the relation between the changes in medication (i.e., new prescription, dosage change in an existing prescription) and problem behavior by conducted a very long series of functional analysis sessions. Four individuals with ID and challenging behavior who were also receiving psychotropic medications participated. Behavior function remain the same after a change in medication in 14 out of the 21 medication manipulations examined.

Functional behavior assessments and function-based interventions represent effective methods for addressing the challenging behaviors of children. However, traditional functional analysis has limitations that impact feasibility in school and community settings. Trial-based functional analyses have been shown to address concerns relating to the length of time, level of expertise required, and the contrived nature of analogue functional analyses. The current study expanded on previous research by using trial-based functional analyses to determine the function of challenging behaviors within an educational setting for four early childhood education students with autism spectrum disorder. Results of the trial-based functional analyses were then used to create corresponding individualized function-based interventions for three of the four students assessed. For two students, the intervention was based on differential reinforcement of other behavior, and one students intervention was based on differential reinforcement of an alternative behavior. Each of these individualized function-based interventions resulted in both decreases in problem behaviors as well as increases in classroom engagement. The students teachers conducted all assessment and intervention procedures, and collected trial-by trial student data during assessment.

Researchers have only recently begun assessing the function of selectively mute behavior likely due to the fact that selective mutism (SM) is defined by the absence of verbal behavior, and because it has historically been attributed to unobservable, private events (i.e., anxiety). More recently, research has begun exploring the treatment of SM through the use of functional behavior assessments (FBA). In this study, an FBA was conducted in order to determine the function of a female kindergarteners selectively mute behavior. It was determined that the behavior was maintained through escape. A differential reinforcement procedure was designed to shape the students communicative behavior. Teacher collected frequency data and direct observation measures were used to evaluate the effect of the intervention on the students communicative behavior using a changing criterion design. Direct observation data were also used to evaluate the influence of intervention procedures on the students behavior, as well as to obtain peer comparison data, using an AB design. Results indicated that intervention procedures effectively increased the target students vocal behavior to rates similar to classroom peers. Discussion focuses on contributions to current research, implications for the practice of ABA in educational settings, and suggestions for further research.

English language learners (ELL) are at risk of academic failure when classroom expectations are not effectively communicated and they are unable to engage in classroom instruction. A delayed multiple baseline design across participants was utilized to investigate the effects of a video self-modeling (VSM) intervention on the classroom behavior of ELLs. This study was implemented in the preschool setting with ELLs exhibiting low levels of engagement and/or high levels of off-task behavior during group time. Prior to group time, the child viewed a brief self-modeling video of appropriate behavior. A parent of the child provided voice-over in the childs home language, clearly stating the classroom expectations described by the teacher. Through visual analysis, the results indicated an increase in engagement and decrease in off-task behaviors for all 4 children to levels comparable to English-fluent speaking and ELL peer comparisons in the classroom. These results were maintained during the brief follow-up phase. In addition, teacher and child social validity data suggested the intervention was viewed favorably by both the teachers and children. This study demonstrates promising evidence that VSM may be an effective antecedent intervention for ELL children in the preschool classroom setting.

Historically preschool has been primarily focused on social behavior; however in recent years there has been an increased emphasis being placed on academics particularly due to increased academic standards within grades K-12. In this study, an intervention was created to examine the effects of a matching-to-sample intervention on the preacademic skills of a preschool student. This case was implemented in a preschool with a student who was well below the expected level associated with being able to identify shapes, colors, numbers, and the letters of his name. During free play, the classroom teacher implemented one of the matching-to-sample interventions with the preschool student per day. A different matching-to-sample intervention was completed each day of the week. Results indicated that the intervention was effective in increasing the number of correctly identified shapes, colors, numbers, and letters compared to baseline. Social validity data also suggests that the teacher viewed the intervention positively. This study demonstrates promising evidence that a matching-to-sample intervention for preschool students struggling with acquisition of preacademic skills may be an effective technique for teachers to utilize in the preschool classroom.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a multi-component process in which practitioners select, refine and deliver clinical services based on a) the best available scientific evidence, b) unique client and contextual features and c) ongoing clinical progress monitoring and decision making. Developed initially in medicine, EBP has been extended to the delivery of applied behavior analysis (ABA) services and is considered an essential feature of ethical and high quality (ABA) service delivery. This symposium reviews the defining features of EBP as applied to ABA service delivery and provides a synopsis of the challenges encountered in implementing the EBP process in ABA. This symposium will offer practical advice for ABA practitioners and supervisors who are interested in improving the quality and accountability of ABA and clinical behavior analysis service delivery. Additionally, it will offer guidance for instructors and researchers who are interested in the dissemination of ABA technology and quality assurance.

As Applied Behavior Analysis principles and procedures have been shown to be effective, many ABA practices have become standardized with non-individualized procedures. The idiosyncratic practices of some of these standardized programs' have eroded their ABA scientific foundations. These practices often ignore the research supported principles and application procedures of ABA creating possible ethical violations. This symposium will present examples of ABA practices which have possibly eroded and compromised the efficacy of ABA. We will also discuss the possible ethical implications of these trends.

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) has typically evaluated its outcomes using reliable and valid observational data of increases in adaptive behavior, decreases in maladaptive behavior, generalization, maintenance and social validity and more recently systematic reviews and meta-analysis. Despite the evidence for effectiveness, wide spread adoption, beyond adoption of simple contingency management has been scarce. Once important and neglected aspect of evidence-based practice is economic evaluation. This paper highlights opportunities for promoting ABA by demonstrating economic benefit of ABA.

Sometimes the best-intentioned practitioners implement ABA interventions that fail to produce behavior change of sufficient magnitude, generality and durability to resolve the presenting problem. This presentation will review the ethical obligation to incorporate clinical benchmarks and clinical progress monitoring in a manner that allows for early detection of treatment failures and shortcomings. It also reviews seven practical strategies for troubleshooting treatment failures.

Applied Behavior Analysis is a science and, therefore, involves progressive approaches and outcomes. In this panel discussion we argue that the spirit and the method of science should be maintained in order to avoid reductionist procedures, stifled innovation, and rote, unresponsive protocols that become increasingly removed from meaningful progress for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. We describe this approach as progressive. In a progressive ABA approach, the therapist employs a structured yet flexible process, which is contingent upon and responsive to child progress. We will describe progressive ABA and provide rationales for both the substance and intent of ABA as a progressive scientific method for improving conditions of social relevance for individuals with ASD. The chairperson will pose a variety of questions to the other panel members to engender a discussion about how, as a field, we can move toward a more progressive approach and the potential obstacles behavior analysts might face along the way. Finally, we will take questions from the audience members to help facilitate the discussion. The goal of the panel is to help the audience to identify what constitutes progressive ABA and how we as behavior analysts can reach these high standards.

The panel presents possibilities and challenges of a multidisciplinary and inter domain approach, applying Behavior Analysis to two nationally renowned public hospitals in Brazil. Three different applications are shown, at three different units and faculties at the largest University in South America (USP), inside and outside it, with professionals coming from diverse organizations. It involves, mainly, two different domains of Behavior Analysis: applied research and service delivery, all of them in the context of a partnership between public university, public hospital and private initiatives. It involves different disciplines: psychology, psychiatry, art, nursing and education, with the common context of Behavior Analysis. It describes and discusses three different approaches: 1) a program of creating a behavioral environment at a Children Ward, at the Psychiatry Institute; 2) a research on the process of adults behavior change during one year of Behavioral Therapy at a University Hospital; 3) a parent training program for those parents at the Children Ward and for those at the Daily Hospital Program. Results shows: 1) pivotal changes in the behavior of the nursery staff, related to the knowledge and application of Behavior Analysis; decreased in the organizational indexes of contention due to aggressive behavior of children; 2) positive correlation between progresses in the behavior of clients and points in psychiatry and social scales; 3) changes in the parents behavior in the direction of a more positive reinforcing contingencies. Considering the involvement of different disciplines and professionals originated from different organizations, discussion will be conducted in the light of the possibilities and challenges of a multidisciplinary and inter domain approach application of Behavior Analysis.

Digital technology is ubiquitous. It has exponentially extended our ability to contact molar and molecular phenomena across all areas of science. This symposium offers two presentations and a discussion of the evolving symbiotic relationship between behavior analysis and digital technology. With the increasing ease of computer programming, non-computer science professionals can develop powerful apps beneficial to research and application. Researchers who have taken advantage of technological advancements have not only benefited in efficiency, but have been able to investigate increasingly complex phenomena otherwise too cumbersome for analysis. This symposium celebrates the success of behavioral researchers in applying modern technology to basic and applied phenomena. This symposium also aims to empower audience members to hack their own hardware and software to create truly unique applications. Audience members will walk away able to identify and participate in a growing community of do it yourselfers committed to the free-sharing of information. We welcome all scientists, practitioners, and hackers.

This symposium will present a review of the 7 Dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) as outlined by Baer, Wolf and Risley (1986/87) as well as the cumulative number of published articles and citations across BCAB approved program faculty. In regards to the dimension review, both a review of The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA), from 2000 to 2015, as well as a variety of non-evidence based autism practices were evaluated on each dimension. Preliminary results indicate that some dimensions, such as effective were met with rigor while other dimensions are minimally considered in applied studies, such as generalization. The citation review was based on Dixon, Reed, Smith, Belisle, and Jackson (2015) who asserted that research productivity measured by the total number of published articles in behavior-analytic journals is a quality metric for analyzing graduate training programs. The current study examined the number of citations that each published study produced. In addition, the authors searched for the total number of publications and citations in any journal for all faculty in all BACB-approved graduate programs. The cumulative number of published articles and citations across faculty, graduate program and journal were calculated.

Sport psychologists claim self-motivation is key to becoming a successful athlete. Plus, behavioral scientists have found that perceptions of autonomy, competence, and relatedness enhance self-motivation. Question: How does the verbal behavior of a coach benefit or stifle the self-motivation of a college athlete? We explored empirical answers to this question by systematically observing verbal interactions between college wrestling coaches and wrestlers during practice and during inter-collegiate competition. Specifically, we developed and applied a behavioral checklist to categorize a coach's statements as potentially increasing or decreasing a wrestler's perception of autonomy, competence, and/or relatedness, and used a semantic differential to assess wrestlers’ perceptions of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as well as their overall self-motivation before and after practice and a competition. Preliminary data after just two weeks of observations indicated that 65% of coaching feedback was corrective and of the supportive feedback behaviors, 68% were general rather than behavior-based. We will continue these observations for four weeks and then show the coaches their own data as feedback. With a multiple-baseline design between coaches, we will evaluate behavioral impact per coach and athlete. We will explore the addition of an individual feedback intervention to coach the coaches.

Individuals with autism-spectrum disorders are reported to exhibit intolerance for uncertainty. The current study sought to assess whether this construct is related to preference for positive reinforcement schedules with predictable response requirements over unpredictable reinforcement schedules. Predictable reinforcement schedules were comprised of a fixed-ratio (FR) schedule in which emission of the same number of consecutive responses was required to earn a reinforcer; the response requirement remained constant across trials. By contrast, unpredictable schedules were arranged by using random-ratio (RR) schedules that varied the response requirement across trials, but averaged a particular number of responses across trials. Using a concurrent chains procedure, choice allocation was assessed in 5 adults with ASD between FR and RR schedules that both required 10 responses on touchscreen monitor to earn a nickel per trial. Mixed results were obtainedperhaps, due to equal unit prices. A future direction is to conduct behavioral economic price manipulations to address this concern.

In recent years, the demand for behavior-analytic services in the treatment of autism and related disorders has undoubtedly resulted in the formation of many new business ventures focused on the delivery of such services. Some behavior analysts, however, are starting or running businesses that are behaviorally oriented, but not focused exclusively on clinical services. Like any entrepreneur, these behavioral entrepreneurs face challenges in areas such as business planning and strategy, marketing and branding, technology and innovation, financing, customer support, intellectual property, operations, and more. What advantages does a background in behavior analysis offer such entrepreneurs in dealing with such challenges? What additional challenges do behavior-analytic small businesses face? How do behavioral entrepreneurs use data and contingency analyses to guide their businesses? The panelists will address such questions and describe how they built and grew their businesses. Audience members will be encouraged to ask questions, offer their own experiences, and participate in a discussion designed to help any behavior analyst pursuing or considering entrepreneurship.

Functional analysis (Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, & Richman, 1982/1994) was initially developed as part of an assessment process for enhancing treatment of severe problem behavior. Researchers have since developed different formats for increasing the efficiency of the analysis while retaining the methodological features that allow one to demonstrate control over problem behavior by a suspected reinforcement contingency. Via literature review and several new empirical analyses, the presenters will address the important topics of efficiency and validity of different functional analysis formats.

Trial-based functional analyses (FA) have been successful in determining the variables maintaining problem behavior (Bloom, Iwata, Fritz, Roscoe & Carreau, 2011; Lambert & Bloom, 2010), and the results have corresponded to traditional FAs (Larue et al., 2010). The current study utilized a trial-based FA to assess problem behavior when participants walked near and left a playground. During a pre-assessment, three boys between the ages of 3 to 7 years old with autism eloped to access a playground. When we attempted to remove them from the playground, they flopped to the ground. We then conducted an analysis in which trials alternated between the child being led past a playground, the child being prompted to leave the playground following brief access, and a control trial in which the child had free access to the playground. Results showed increased elopement when we brought each child near the playground and elevated levels of flopping when we prompted him to leave the playground. For all participants, two functional communication responses were taught to functionally replace the child�s elopement and flopping. Elopement and flopping both reduced to zero levels in their respective test conditions. For two participants, treatment was successfully extended to teach the child to tolerate when the functional communication response would not be honored.

Clinicians often use preference assessments to identify appetitive stimuli to include in positive reinforcement test and control conditions in functional analyses (FAs). However, clinicians often rely on caregiver report to identify aversive stimuli to include in negative reinforcement test conditions. In the present evaluation, we provide a comparative analysis between the preference hierarchy derived from caregiver-nominated stimuli, the demand latency assessment (Call et al., 2009), and a paired-choice assessment of demands. We provide a comparison between the preference hierarchies identified by each assessment and a validation of assessment results via FA. Preliminary results indicate that the caregiver-nominated demand hierarchy showed low correspondence with demand latency and demand paired-choice hierarchies. The demand assessment identified a hierarchy of demands that, in some cases, corresponded with results of the demand latency assessment, suggesting that individuals may accurately identify low preferred demands. In some FAs, low preferred demands evoked more problem behavior than high preferred demands, suggesting the utility of empirically deriving and selecting stimuli for inclusion in the negative reinforcement test condition of a FA. These results offer directions for future research and means to empirically select stimuli to include in negative reinforcement test conditions to decrease the likelihood of false negative findings.

Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of implementing escape extinction procedures to decrease problem behavior maintained by negative reinforcement; however escape extinction may not be feasible to implement in certain settings (e.g., school setting). Given this, the current study aimed to replicate and extend the results of Hoch et. al. (2002) by evaluating the effectiveness of concurrent schedules of reinforcement on problem behavior and task completion while omitting the use of escape extinction. In initial phases, results demonstrated that problem behavior was high and task completion remained low when both resulted in a negative reinforcement. During subsequent phases, task completion increased and problem behavior decreased when task completion resulted in negative reinforcement and high quality attention while problem behavior resulted in negative reinforcement only.

Previous research has supported functional communication training (FCT) as an effective intervention for reducing problem behavior across socially mediated functions (Hagopian, Boelter, & Jarmolowicz, 2011; Tiger, Hanley, & Bruzek, 2008). Following initial implementation of FCT, clinicians often program schedule-thinning procedures (e.g., multiple schedules; Hanley, Iwata, & Thompson, 2001; response restriction, Roane, Fisher, Sgro, Falcomata, & Pabico, 2004; chained schedules, Lalli, Casey, & Kates, 1995) to increase the portability of the treatment package to the natural environment. For individuals with escape-maintained problem behavior, chained schedules have proven effective in increasing task completion, thus leaning overall rates of negative reinforcement (Lalli et al., 1995). Additionally, supplemental procedures, such as embedding alternative reinforcement during the reinforcement interval, may ameliorate reemergence of problem behavior associated with schedule thinning (Rooker, Jessel, Kurtz, & Hagopian, 2013). The present study evaluated the use of a chained schedule-thinning procedure with and without tangible items (alternative reinforcement) embedded in the negative-reinforcement interval for two individuals with escape-maintained problem behavior. The inclusion of tangible items within the reinforcement interval produced quicker decreases in problem behavior and increases in compliance relative to schedule thinning without alternative reinforcement.

Over the past decade, pre-clinical research has made great strides in understanding the pharmacological underpinnings of benzodiazepine-maintained behavior. A major determinant of benzodiazepine self-administration by human subjects is antecedent conditions, e.g., drug history, anxiety disorders. Studies with non-human subjects offer unique opportunities for understanding the intersection of antecedent conditions and pharmacological mechanisms underlying benzodiazepine self-administration. Benzodiazepines are challenging to establish as reinforcers, most likely due to modest reinforcing effectiveness compared with other drugs of abuse (e.g., stimulants). Unequivocal reinforcing effects of benzodiazepines have been demonstrated with non-human primates, and we recently have shown that drug history is a key determinant of the pharmacological mechanisms underlying reinforcing effects of benzodiazepines. Rodent models have proven more difficult to establish. In one example, C57Bl/6J mice were given unlimited access to midazolam plus sucrose in one bottle and sucrose alone in a second bottle, and approximately 50% chose the midazolam bottle significantly more than the sucrose-alone bottle. Because C57Bl/6J mice are genetically identical, these findings illustrate how environmental factors can robustly determine the extent to which a benzodiazepine is consumed. Overall, these observations suggest that the reinforcing effects of benzodiazepines may be uniquely reliant on exogenous factors, such as drug history and behavioral phenotype.

Animal models of self-administration have been useful in understanding factors that contribute to the abuse of benzodiazepines, but there are few demonstrations of benzodiazepine self-administration in rodents, the most widely-used preclinical model. Rats with chronic intravenous (i.v.) catheters were trained to self-administer the short-acting benzodiazepine midazolam on a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement. The response-dependent i.v. delivery of midazolam maintained steady, but relatively low rates of responding. Following the acquisition of responding, factors that may contribute to the frequency of responding maintained by midazolam were investigated including multiple doses and food deprivation. In this regard, varying the dose of midazolam resulted in a characteristic inverted U-shaped dose-response function, whereas food deprivation appears to enhance rates of responding. Lastly, following extinction of responding maintained by midazolam, reinstatement tests were conducted with non-contingent injections of benzodiazepines and response-dependent presentations of drug-paired cues. Responding previously maintained by midazolam self-administration recurred during reinstatements tests, but only when the drug-paired cues were present. These projects have developed and are refining a rodent model of benzodiazepine self-administration that may prove useful in studying the effects of environmental and pharmacological factors related to benzodiazepine use, abuse, and the relapse of benzodiazepine-maintained behavior.

The ?-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors are pentamers constituted from structurally-distinct proteins, with each protein family comprised of different subunits (i.e., a, , and ? subunit families). Benzodiazepines bind to a site on the GABAA receptor located at the interface of the a and ? subunit, with a1, a2, and a3 subtypes likely involved in self-administration of benzodiazepines. TP003, a compound selective for a3 subunit-containing GABAA receptors, was self-administered under a progressive-ratio schedule of reinforcement in rhesus monkeys experienced in benzodiazepine self-administration but not by those experienced in cocaine self-administration. However, compounds selective for a1 subunit-containing GABAA receptors were self-administered by benzodiazepine- and cocaine-experienced monkeys, indicating that GABAA subtype and past drug experience combine to determine the reinforcing effects of benzodiazepines. The finding that TP003 was not self-administered in cocaine-experienced monkeys may be due to this compound being either a neutral stimulus without reinforcing effects or a punishing stimulus. Using a choice procedure in cocaine-experienced monkeys, we are evaluating the ability of selective compounds to enhance or attenuate cocaine choice. Based upon current views on neural circuitry of benzodiazepine reinforcement, we predict that TP003 will function primarily as a punisher, although initial findings do not support this idea.

Neuroactive steroids and benzodiazepines share behavioral effects, such as anxiolysis and self-administration, which may be enhanced differentially when these drugs are combined. Under a progressive-ratio (PR) schedule of reinforcement, combinations of the benzodiazepine, triazolam, and neuroactive steroid, pregnanolone, resulted in infra-additive reinforcing effects in male rhesus monkeys. It is unknown, however, if these findings extend to female subjects as well as other benzodiazepine-neuroactive steroid combinations. We are currently re-examining self-administration of triazolam and pregnanolone in female monkeys and including the clinically-relevant benzodiazepine, clonazepam, and a neuroactive steroid currently in clinical trials, ganaxolone. We are also using a behavioral economics approach to assess the extent to which combining the drugs alters reinforcing effectiveness relative to either drug alone. For these studies, male rhesus monkeys were trained to self-administer midazolam under a fixed-ratio (FR) 5 schedule of reinforcement. Both clonazepam and ganaxolone functioned as reinforcers under these conditions, and we are determining demand curves by systematically increasing the FR value for the drugs alone or combined. Using PR and behavioral economic approaches to assess the reinforcing effects of benzodiazepine and neuroactive steroid combinations may shed light on their potential clinical utility as anxiolytic treatments with reduced abuse liability.

Previous investigations have identified techniques for assessing and treating behaviors associated with pediatric feeding disorders. The current symposium will focus on extensions of previous research, and will provide data ranging from small-n analyses of common feeding procedures to larger analyses of treatment and program outcomes. The first presentation describes a comparison of two functional analysis procedures to identify the reinforcers maintaining inappropriate mealtime behavior among three children with autism. The second presentation is an examination of outcome data on the treatment of food selectivity among 13 children with autism. The third presentation will examine expulsion during liquid refusal, specifically the efficacy of re-presentation as a treatment for expulsion among 21 children. The final presentation describes outcome data from 227 participants over a 12-year period who received services in a home-based multidisciplinary treatment program. Dr. Nate Call will serve as the discussant and will provide a synthesis of these studies within the context of examining outcome data in the area of feeding disorders and other childhood behavior disorders.

Food selectivity and refusal behavior remain a prevalent problem in children, and especially those diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. The purpose of the current project was to compare two different functional analysis methodologies from prior research in the assessment of inappropriate mealtime behavior. In particular, procedural variations for social-positive and social-negative test conditions have varied across prior studies. The current study evaluated those variations using a within-subject analysis to identify functions of inappropriate mealtime behavior for three children diagnosed with autism. Results indicated certain conditions used in prior functional analysis literature might not control for all relevant variables (e.g., motivating operations), thus producing potential false positive identification of behavioral functions; specifically, a social-positive function was only identified in the attention-test condition in which implicit demands to consume nonpreferred foods were placed. The idiosyncratic pattern of responding across subjects will be discussed as well as how those patterns relate to implications for research and clinical practice in the assessment and treatment of pediatric feeding problems.

Autism is defined by social communication deficits and restrictive and/or repetitive patterns of behavior. One way in which restrictive behavior might present in this population is via the selective consumption of foods. If left untreated, food selectivity may result in poor nutrition and other issues, such as problematic behavior and poor socialization. Research in applied behavior analysis has identified several methods for effectively treating food selectivity in individuals with autism but, to date, that literature has focused on small sample sizes, and presumably, has focused only on successful treatment outcomes. The current study will present data from individuals with autism and co-morbid food selectivity who were treated in an outpatient clinic (n=13). Data will be reviewed regardless of treatment success. Case examples as well as an overall effect size will be presented as a means of documenting treatment outcomes. Treatment integrity data (exceeding 90% in all cases) and interobserver agreement (exceeding 80%) also will be provided. The results will be discussed in relation to a preliminary decision-making model for efficiently selecting treatments to treat food selectivity based on client characteristics.

Treating food or liquid refusal with escape extinction procedures reliably results in increased acceptance and decreased inappropriate mealtime behavior. However, problematic behaviors may emerge or persist in response to treatment, interfering with consumption. Coe et al. (1997) and Sevin et al. (2002) showed that treatment of refusal with a putative escape extinction procedure, nonremoval of the utensil, resulted in emergence of expulsion. Both investigators used re-presentation, in which the feeder scooped up expelled food and placed it into the participants mouth, to decrease expulsion to near-zero levels. Their results raise the question of whether emergence of expulsion is a common corollary effect during treatment of refusal with nonremoval of the utensil. The current investigation sought to determine whether expulsion emerged during treatment with nonremoval of the cup and to evaluate the efficacy of re-presentation as treatment for expulsion with 21 children with liquid refusal. Results indicated that 19 (90%) children exhibited expulsion during the nonremoval of the cup evaluation. The incorporation of re-presentation resulted in lower expels per opportunity and higher mouth clean for 13 (68%) and 14 (74%) of the 19 children, respectively, relative to nonremoval of the cup alone. Implications and directions for future research will be discussed.

Feeding problems are common in children with autism and other disabilities and may also be evident in typically developing children with a variety of medical issues (e.g., gastroesophageal reflux, food allergies etc.). Feeding problems may result in poor weight gain, deficiencies in vitamins/minerals as a result of poor nutrition, and/or tube dependency. In some cases, children may not advance to age-typical textures as a result of selectivity or a skill deficit (e.g., chewing). Since there are a variety of problems displayed by children with feeding issues, it is imperative that treatment be provided by a team of professionals (i.e., pediatric gasteroenterologist, occupational/speech therapist, nutritionist, social worker and/or behavior analyst). Typically these services are provided in a clinic/hospital environment; however, a similar model is also used in the home environment. The purpose of this presentation is to give the audience an overview of how intensive treatment can be initiated for children with feeding problems in the home environment using an interdisciplinary model. Data will be presented for at least 227 patients who were admitted to the Clinic 4 Kidz Pediatric Feeding Disorders Program in the last 12 years. Preliminary data suggests that this type of intensive home-based program is effective at increase weight, increasing variety, and decreasing tube dependency. Data also shows a high percentage of children getting to age-typical eating patterns by discharge. Outcome data will also be presented specifically on children with autism and the treatment approach used to treat feeding problems in these children. Case study video clips will also be included in the presentation so you can see treatment from the beginning to discharge for two different types of feeding problems. Data will be discussed in relation to training and the importance of the interdisciplinary approach when working with children with complicated medical histories.

Behavioral economics is becoming an increasingly well-known field, particularly in the area of promoting healthy choices. Contingency management, which involves delivering immediate incentives (usually money) contingent on objective evidence of the desired target behavior (e.g., drug abstinence), is a behavioral economic intervention that is not only successful, but also has recently received widespread support. In the current symposium, a series of talks will address recent advances in the area of incentive-based interventions as they have been applied to a variety of health behaviors (smoking and cocaine abstinence, as well as participation in cardiac rehabilitation programs), as well as under a variety of conditions (group versus individual contingencies, deposit contracts, etc).

Cardiac rehabilitation is a program of structured exercise and education that is standard of care following a serious cardiac event and significantly reduces morbidity and mortality following such events. Patient populations differ significantly in how likely they are to attend, with low-income patients having some of the lowest participation rates. In the current study we are testing the effectiveness of using contingency management to increase cardiac rehabilitation participation among low-income patients, specifically those enrolled in Medicaid or other state-supported insurance. Patients agreeing to participate are randomized into a usual care or an incentive condition. Those in the incentive condition earn financial incentives on an escalating schedule for completing each of the 36 prescribed exercise sessions. Those in the usual care condition do not earn incentives but are compensated for completing study measures. Thus far 74 patients have been randomized in this study. Currently those in the incentive group are 5-7 times more likely to complete the cardiac rehabilitation program than those in the usual care condition. These initial results demonstrate that incentives substantially increase participation in cardiac rehabilitation among low-income patients and may be an important tool for addressing disparities in health care access.

Previous research has shown that Internet-based group contingency management (CM) can promote comparable rates of smoking cessation relative to individual contingencies (Meredith et al., 2011; Meredith & Dallery, 2013). Although previous group CM studies enrolled groups of smokers with no pre-existing relationships, Christakis and Fowler (2008) found that smoking abstinence can be influenced by the abstinence of one's friend, spouse, sibling, close neighbor, or coworker. Thus, the aim of the current study was to explore the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a group CM intervention that was developed for pairs of smokers with a pre-existing relationship (e.g., friends). Six pairs of smokers participated in a multiple-baseline design. During a two-week intervention, participants could earn monetary rewards that increased for meeting successive abstinence goals ($1.50, $1.75, $2.00, etc.) plus a bonus when both members were abstinent ($3.00). Recruitment was challenging with approximately 50% of interested applicants unable to identify a partner. Preliminary results showed that pairs of participants either did very well together (both abstained) or very poorly (both smoked), with no groups showing a split pattern. Thus, although social support of a familiar partner may have been helpful in some cases, it may have been harmful in others.

Positive reinforcement of cocaine abstinence has established efficacy, but low acceptance for reasons including complexity and an individual format in community treatment programs, which rely primarily on group treatments. The primary purpose of this pilot study was to examine the efficacy of positive reinforcement for cocaine abstinence using Individual (I) or Interdependent Group (G) contingencies in comparison to a standard care non-contingent condition (S). Thirty-three adult opiate-dependent patients at a community-based methadone maintenance treatment program who screened positive for cocaine use via urinalysis participated. Eleven were block randomized to each group. A between-group comparison and within group ABA reversal design indicated that the percent of cocaine abstinent urine tests increased in both contingent groups, but group contingencies resulted in the largest increase in percent cocaine abstinence (G=17%; I=11%; S=3%) during treatment. The maximum duration of abstinence was higher for individual contingencies, but this group also showed the greatest decrease in abstinence when the contingencies ended (G= -12%; I = -20%; S = -13%). This preliminary work suggests that group contingencies may have similar efficacy to individual contingencies, while having potential advantages including reduced implementation complexity, consistent treatment format, and potential for better maintenance.

Discriminable shifts between rich and lean schedules of reinforcement can produce maladaptive disruptions in behavior. The disruptions have been studied in rats, pigeons, monkeys, and humans using a variety of procedures to arrange transitions between rich and lean schedules. The presentations in this symposium represent some basic and applied efforts to investigate this phenomenon and to expand findings to novel areas of the field. The first presentation investigated effects of the rich-lean transition on water consumption in non-thirsty rats; the second, effects of warning pigeons of an upcoming transition to a lean schedule of reinforcement; the third, pausing and escape in children with autism in the presence of stimuli associated with the rich-lean transition; and the fourth, the use of aversive features of the rich-lean transition to correct errors when teaching skills to children with autism. Our aim is to promote the dialogue between basic researchers, applied researchers, and practitioners interested behavior during transitions between rich and lean schedules.

Differential pausing in signaled transitions from more favorable to less favorable conditions has been demonstrated with humans and animals in the experimental analysis of behavior. Analysis of the variables responsible for pausing could be useful in understanding problem behavior in transitions between activities for children with autism. We conducted two experiments to extend previous research on pausing and escape during transitions between relatively rich and lean schedules of reinforcement. Individuals with autism spectrum disorders served as participants. The purpose of the first experiment was to replicate previous research on pausing in a two-component multiple schedule with a richer and a leaner schedule of reinforcement. The purpose of the second experiment was to examine whether escape responses would be emitted under the same conditions as pausing. In addition, we examined whether the participants would emit an escape response that removed the schedule or the stimuli associated with the lean schedule. For 2 participants the longest median pause duration was in the LL transition type and for 2 participants the longest median pause duration was in the RL transition type. Mixed results were found when pausing duration data was compared to frequency of escape data.

Research on error correction procedures often include the manipulation of different prompting strategies (e.g., Carroll, Joachim, St. Peter, & Robinson, 2015) or reinforcement schedules (e.g., Hausman, Ingvarsson, & Kahng, 2014), both of which can improve independent responding and acquisition during discrete trial training. We extended error correction research with different schedules of reinforcement by incorporating rich-to-lean transitions following incorrect responses with three boys diagnosed with autism. In the rich-to-rich condition, there was no differential reinforcement and the more-preferred edible was presented regardless of correct responding. During the rich-to-lean condition, errors resulted in the participant receiving less-preferred edibles for the next three correct responses. In the final comparison, the rich-to-no reinforcement condition, errors resulted in no reinforcement for a single trial. The latter two conditions were the most efficient and effective procedures for improving accuracy for two of the three participants. This finding suggests that the aversive properties of rich-to-lean transitions might function to correct errors in the context of differential reinforcement.

When more than one option is available, why do people sometimes fail to select the alternative that is in their own long term best interests? This symposium will explore a range of contexts in which people often make non-optimal choices by gambling, persisting in losing endeavours and procrastinating instead of working towards valued academic goals. Talks will cover experimental, translational and applied research aimed at understanding and addressing the drivers of non-optimal choice.

Understanding the decision making processes involved in student procrastination could lead to the development of interventions for this common problem that improve student learning outcomes. Delay discounting refers to the fact that reinforcers lose their value if you have to wait for them. Procrastination may be caused by the fact that reinforcers for studying are delayed, however no task measuring delay discounting of academic outcomes currently exists. We developed a measure of academic discounting modelled on tasks successfully used in the discounting literature. Participants were first year psychology students. We piloted two versions of the academic discounting task and identified the superior version; all participants showed systematic discounting. In general, large delayed rewards are discounted less steeply than small delayed rewards (the magnitude effect). We found that the magnitude effect also exists in academic discounting; participants discounted a not important assignment more steeply than an important assignment. The overall results of these experiments show that delayed rewards are an important contributor to student procrastination

The sunk-cost effect describes a suboptimal tendency to continue investing in a losing course of action due to a prior investment, and despite a low expected payoff. Following recent demonstrations of the sunk-cost effect in non-human animals, we presented pigeons with discrete trials separated by 1-s inter-trial intervals. Each trial arranged either a short or long fixed-interval (FI) schedule and ended after a single food reinforcer. Short and long trials were not differentially signaled and pecks to a concurrently-available escape key terminated the current trial and initiated the next trial. Therefore, a sunk-time effect can be indexed by a tendency to persist through long trials, rather than escape after the duration of the short FI. The pattern of escaping shifted when we varied the initial investment and future payoff by manipulating the duration and probability of the short FI, respectively. Furthermore, when exposed to extended conditions, three of six pigeons reliably persisted while the other three reliably escaped after the short Fl. These two stable patterns of responding demonstrate the importance of obtained over arranged contingencies and suggest a key role of reinforcement history on sunk-cost decisions.

Slot machines are the primary mode of gambling for problem gamblers in New Zealand, yet are played by fewer people than other gambling activities like the national lottery or scratch tickets. The structural characteristics of gambling activities are an important factor in determining gambling behaviour. One feature of slot machines that has received little experimental analysis is the bonus feature or free spins that are commonly central to the design of slot machines. The current study used an experimental design with slot-machine simulations and hypothetical money, to investigate whether a free-spins feature increased the persistence of slot-machine gambling in the face of disruption. Preliminary datashow that participants rate of gambling is higher on a free-spins machine compared to a control machine without free spins. This procedure has the potential to answer more general questions about behavioural momentum in humans.

Treatment seeking disordered gamblers (n=11) were counselled using cognitive behavioural therapy (total sample n=44). Treatment consisted of 12-weeks of counselling where participants could attend up to three sessions per week. In addition, participants were able to earn study credit that was transferrable into gift vouchers redeemable at local businesses. Study credit was earned by treatment attendance, evidence of gambling abstinence based on their financial records, and corroboration from significant others of gambling abstinence. Study credit rates monotonically increased when participants attended consecutive sessions and/or provided consecutive evidence of gambling abstinence. Participants also completed as series of questionnaires and assessments including behavioural measures of inhibition and impulsivity (i.e., Stroop, delay-discounting). Gamblers nearing completion have attended approximately 20 sessions. This compares with typical out-patient gambling counselling retention rates by Alberta Health Services of approximately four sessions. Further, participants that have attended multiple sessions per week earned more gift-cards and had the longest number of abstinent weeks. This preliminary data suggests that contingency management can successfully be applied to the treatment of disordered gambling and that mass like behavioural momentum effects can be induced when multiple treatment sessions and the opportunity to earn credit are available.

Teaching methods based on exclusion learning are effective for rapidly establishing conditional discriminations under a variety of applications. Beyond its effectiveness, the exclusion-learning procedure is theoretically interesting, as it not only results in emergent performance, but the stimulus-control requirements of the task offer opportunities to examine the fundamental nature of conditional-discrimination learning. Moreover, the exclusion-learning procedure itself can be used as a tool to study other behavioral phenomena. In this symposium we present recent research that showcases the use of the exclusion-learning procedure, from basic studies to translational research to direct application. Catherine Graham (UNC-Wilmington) will present a study in which classes of equivalent stimuli were established through emergent exclusion performances. Richard Serna (UMass Lowell) will describe a study that examined factors that may limit the extent to which exposure to exclusion trials predicts accurate outcome performance. Deisy De Souza (Universidade Federal de So Carlos) will present research that extended exclusion-learning research with nouns to relations involving verbs and adjectives. Devon White (UMass Lowell) will present research that investigated the effects of using an identity-matching instead of arbitrary-matching baseline from which to introduce the exclusion protocol. William McIlvane (UMass Medical School) will serve as the symposium discussant.

Responding by exclusion (fast mapping) is usually investigated using a baseline of auditory-visual conditional discriminations in which the auditory samples are names (i.e., word-object relations). Exclusion probes present a novel (undefined) noun and a novel stimulus displayed among defined comparisons; under a variety of conditions, participants typically select the unfamiliar comparison (emergent responding). Considering many other types of mapping relations within a language, this study investigated exclusion responding in relations involving verbs and adjectives. Typically developing children (24-29 months) participated in two conditions: Noun and Adjective (Experiment 1), or Noun and Verb (Experiment 2). The conditions were counterbalanced between participants. At baseline the auditory stimuli were Portuguese words equivalent to /Ball/, /Motorcycle/, /Airplane/ (Nouns); /Happy/, /Sad/, /Angry/ (Adjectives); and /Eat/, /Drink/, /Paint/ (Verbs). In exclusion probes samples were pseudo-words (respectively: /Fapi/, /Beva/; /Fob/, /Piva/; /Fobar/, /Mupir/); comparisons were pictures of unfamiliar objects (Noun), facial expressions (Adjective), or videotapes of actions (Verb). All participants showed exclusion in all three conditions; however, in the first trial scores for Adjectives and Verbs were lower than for Nouns (but above 75%), despite the fact that participants required more training to reach the baseline criterion in the Adjective and Verb conditions. The study replicated the exclusion responding with names, and extended it to other classes of words, thus suggesting that behavioral processes underlying fast mapping are the same (or highly similar). The exclusion procedure could be potentially useful in early intervention for children who are showing delays in language acquisition.

Learning by exclusion" is a teaching method used to rapidly establish new arbitrary stimulus relations. Typically, a baseline of known sample-comparison relations first is verified. Then exclusion trials are presented: a novel sample and S+ comparison and a known S- comparison from the baseline. Participants tend to exclude the S- in favor of selecting the S+. Outcome trials pit relations learned by exclusion against one another to verify that new conditional relations have emerged. A potential drawback to this method is that it requires a baseline of known arbitrary relations, which some individuals (e.g., with intellectual disabilities) may not be able to perform. This study examined whether an identity matching baseline -- often an easier task -- could replace an arbitrary baseline in a learning-by-exclusion protocol. Using a multiple-probe-across-participants design, three typically developing preschoolers were exposed to a computer-presented protocol of identity matching and exclusion trials, in which the known identity matching stimuli served as S- comparisons. Stimuli were pictures of fruit and single letters of the alphabet. All participants met criterion performance on outcome and maintenance trials. Future research should examine the necessary and sufficient conditions of the protocol, as well as its effectiveness with intellectually disabled individuals.

While behavior analysis has far-reaching implications for behavior and cultural change, disseminating and implementing those principles in more diverse settings has met with several stumbling blocks. Among those are scaling the application of principles to large units such as communities and altering cultural practices. Additionally, disseminating principles to primary service providers has sometimes made use of terminology and practices that are removed from the basic science. This symposium will address the how translating our basic science to the application of behavior change at multiple levels might occur with more scope and fidelity.

It is always important but difficult to identify the core principles on which any therapy or clinical intervention is entirely based and this task is even greater in the context of whole therapeutic regimes or packages. However, this endeavor is particularly important for behavior therapies, that are meant to be rooted in behavioral principles, if not directly supported by empirical evidence. But, there are limited discussions of this issue and thus third wave behavior therapies are acutely at risk of slipping away from their behavioral roots. This situation would be good neither for the therapy, nor for behavior analysis in general. This paper explores the difficulties inherent in anchoring any third wave behavior therapy package to its behavioral roots and discusses the situation in ACT in particular

Behavioral therapies have demonstrated along year a strong effectiveness in psychological treatments (APA, 2015). However, there are an important number of therapies, whose explanatory mechanisms do not have a clear bond with well-developed theoretical principles (Kazdin, 2007; Rosen & Davison, 2003). Therefore, explanations about why those therapies work are hardly known. Clinical Behavior Analysis (CBA) is a behavioral approach to traditional psychotherapy (Guinther & Dougher, 2013), whose goal is integrating principles from behavioral traditions to clinical practice. One of the therapies developed within CBA is Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP). According to FAP, therapist-client interaction in session promotes changes out-of-session. Here, therapist sets the context for producing change in-session (discriminative stimulus for clients problems and improvements) and delivers consequences (e.g. reinforcing, punishing). However, some FAP researches developed therapeutic strategies, whose connection with behavioral principles is unclear (e.g. ACL FAP model), loosing precision on treatment when they use middle-level terms to explain change. This presentation seeks showing the current state of FAP research based on behavioral principles, the problems of using middle level terms for a coherent therapeutic approach, and the importance of strengthen FAP translational studies to establish the relation between behavioral principles and practice instead to adopt fuzzy explanatory terms.

Teaching complex verbal behavior in individuals with autisms warrants further research. Language deficits are an important characteristic with this population. Thus, the primary purpose of this research is to teach advanced verbal behavior repetorites. These studies address important topics such as, increasing variability with intraverbal responses, recalling past events, and providing instructive feedback (IF). The variability study investigated lag schedules of reinforcement to increase the number of different intraverbal responses. Results showed that a Lag 1 alone was effective with 1 participant while lag schedule 1 with additional training was effective with two other participants. The recalling past events study evaluated their treatment package using end-of -the-day probes. Results showed the treatment was effective in increasing recall accuracy. The instructive feedback (IF) study extended previous research to individuals with autism and examined secondary measures.

Previous research has evaluated contrived motivating operations to teach mands for information. However, literature evaluating acquisition of the mand, “When?” is comparatively limited. As an extension of Shillingsburg et al. (2014), we taught three children with autism to engage in mands for information using “When?” under alternating conditions in which a contrived establishing operation was present (EOP) or absent (EOA). Following treatment with a constant prompt delay, all participants acquired the mand for information and demonstrated correct use of the provided information and a decrease in inappropriate attempts to access restricted items.

Instructive feedback (IF) is a procedure in which extra information is presented to a student during instruction for other skills. Previous research has demonstrated that students with intellectual and developmental disabilities may acquire at least some additional non-targeted skills (secondary targets) without explicit instruction when extra information is presented, resulting in more efficient instruction. Although effective for students with disabilities as a whole, few studies focus on students with autism spectrum disorders, and the measures of secondary target acquisition focused on discrete responses (e.g., one word utterances). The purpose of the current investigation was to extend the instructive feedback literature related to students with autism spectrum disorders and evaluation of the responses given. Across all participants, IF resulted in the acquisition of at least a portion of secondary targets without explicit teaching. For two students, additional instruction was required before IF resulted in acquisition of secondary targets without explicit teaching.

Deficits in social communication are a paramount feature of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Behavior analysts have made considerable gains in identifying methods to promote functional communication for individuals with autism. Methods to establish more advanced verbal repertoires have received less support and evaluation despite the clear implications of these repertoires on social development. Reporting past behavior is of interest because of its significant role in social communication. That is, accurately recalling past behavior is expected frequently across social contexts (e.g., a caregiver asks a child "what did you do today?" or a teacher asks "did you practice reading last night?"). Prior research has identified deficits in recalling past behavior with individuals diagnosed with autism compared to typically developing and developmentally delayed peers. The current study sought to increase the accuracy of reporting past behavior in four children with autism. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline across participants was used to examine the effect of our treatment procedure on participants' recall of past behavior during end-of-day probes. Results indicated that participants reported past behavior with greater accuracy on end-of-day probes following our treatment procedure. Participants' accurate reporting to caregivers also increased following treatment. Implications and areas for future research are discussed.

On a gradient, the majority of individuals consider themselves to be sexual beings. Individuals with developmental disabilities are no exception. Socio-sexual behavior includes responses characteristic of sexual acts as well as social behaviors associated with gender identity, romantic relationships and perspective taking. As behavior analysts, we are well aware of the power of behavior analytic principles on the shaping of behavior. Through behavior analysis we can increase socially significant behavior to address behavioral deficits while decreasing behavioral excesses that lead to social and developmental problems. Although they are potentially sensitive, target behaviors included within the realm of sexuality should be no exception. In this presentation, the author will discuss common issues encountered when behavior analysts target socio-sexual behaviors with individuals diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Topics covered will include practical issues such as where and when to provide instruction; professional issues such as how to assess behavioral needs and select behavior analytic teaching techniques; ethical issues such as how to effectively work alongside guardians while respecting the desires of the individual; and legal issues such as consent laws. Issues will be discussed through a review of the literature along with experience gained through real life case studies.

Translational research has been described as part of a bidirectional continuum in which an emphasis is placed on the bridging basic laboratory work and applied research in terms of discoveries, mechanisms, and concepts. In this symposium, three papers will be presented describing evaluations that translated basic findings and concepts pertaining to renewal, resurgence, and differential-reinforcement-of-low-rates-of-responding (DRL) within human operant experimental preparations as well as with clinical populations within more applied/translational experimental arrangements. In the first paper, Clare Liddon and colleagues evaluate both ABA and ABC renewal of previously extinguished behavior on a within-subjects basis. In the second paper, Jessica Becraft and colleagues present the results of two comparative evaluations of the effects of two variations of DRL procedures entailing the presence or absence of discriminative stimuli during the procedure. In the third paper, Katherine Hoffman and colleagues present data on the effects of the presence of alternative stimuli on the resurgence of previously extinguished responding in individuals with developmental disabilities.

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of the presence of low-preferred items during phase 3 on the resurgence of a previously taught communication response in persons with developmental disabilities and communication delays. To set up the phase 3 experimental condition, we implemented two phases consistent with the resurgence paradigm including (1) the reinforcement of communication response 1 and (2) extinction of communication response 1 and reinforcement of communication response 2. During the third phase, we applied extinction to all communicative responses and they extinguished across conditions; and we rapidly alternated every two minutes between to conditions in which (a) two low-preferred items were available and (b) no items were available. Results indicated that considerably lower levels of resurgence of communication response 1 occurred during the phase 3 condition in which low-preferred items were available for some participants. Results will be discussed in terms of implications for the possible prevention and/or mitigation of treatment relapse pertaining to challenging behavior.

The endowment effect is the phenomenon in which people demand a considerably higher price for a product that they own than they would pay for it. This study explores the endowment effect to the issue of replacing a broken item versus buying the item for the first time in the context of buying with cash or credit in an extension of Fagerstrom and Hantula (2013). Participants completed delay-discounting purchase decisions for an iPad and formal shoes. Some were replacing a broken item (endowment effect) and others were buying it new. Participants replacing a broken item exhibited significantly steeper discounting rates than those buying it new, indicating that willingness to purchase the items on credit at higher interest rates increased as weeks to save to buy the item using cash increased. This provides further evidence that contextual factor such as the endowment effect influence credit consumption, perhaps as a motivating operation

There has been a rising trend in pharmaceutical interventions for individuals diagnosed with autism and other developmental disabilities in addition to the rising need for behavioral interventions. It is not uncommon for service recipients to be receiving psychotropic medication in addition to behavioral treatment concurrently. Practitioners are commonly told to consider effects of medications during service delivery; however, this typically is not covered in the practitioners formal education as evidenced by the lack of requirement of pharmacology courses in most applied graduate programs. Without consideration to drug effects, this may compromise the integrity of data collection and interpretation. The purpose of this panel is to discuss the status of pharmaceutical interventions in Autism, overview of behavior analytic studies evaluating drug treatment, and provide insight and recommendations for practitioners and researchers to bridge the disconnect between medical and behavioral interventions. In addition, the panelists will each offer a unique perspective on this topic to facilitate discussion among each other in addition to audience participation.

Anxiety disorders are a highly prevalent co-occurring condition among children, adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) ranging from specific phobia to obsessive-compulsive disorder. Co-morbid anxiety disorders have a significant negative impact on quality of life, in increased disability and social exclusion. Respondent extinction procedures (exposure), combined with teaching incompatible behavior (relaxation training), and escape/avoidance extinction (response prevention) have been shown to be highly effective in lessening fear/anxiety and escape/avoidance across all sub-types of anxiety disorders. Research syntheses have indicated that the addition of cognitive restructuring adds little to treatment outcomes. The purpose of this panel discussion is to: (a) briefly review the research on ASD and comorbid anxiety disorders; (b) raise the question as to whether BCBAs should and could provide intervention for comorbid anxiety disorders; (c) discuss the graduate education and training needed to target this response class; and, (d) examine the legal and ethical issues related to this area of applied behavior analysis.

This symposium will present research on teaching skills to adults with autism and/or developmental disabilities. The first study evaluated video feedback to improve job interview skills, specifically eye contact for young adults with autism and found increases in eye contact after implementing the video modeling intervention. Social validity indicated that the intervention participants thought the intervention helped them and they would recommend it to others. The second study evaluated Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to teach a response to bullying (RtB) to adults with developmental disabilities living in a group home setting. The adults who participated were often reported as being victims of bullying by other men living at the group home. In-Situ Training (IST) was added for participants whose skills did not generalize to the natural environment. BST alone was successful in teaching the RtB to two participants while IST was needed to improve responding for the other two participants.

Individuals diagnosed with developmental disabilities often lack the skills needed to gain meaningful employment in the community. One crucial skill is interviewing as this is the first and often the only pre-job interaction an individual has with his or her employer. In a short interaction, the person must convey information about specific work history, employability, and a general impression of character. This study evaluated the effectiveness of video feedback in improving job interview behaviors for three young adults with developmental disabilities. The interview related-behaviors were appropriate greeting, responses to interview questions, and appropriate closing statement. The performance across the participants was assessed in simulated interviews under a multiple-baseline design across behaviors and participants, with the average baseline performances ranging from 0% to 21% and only improving after video feedback was introduced resulting in averages ranging from 93% to 100%. The social validity supports the feasibility of this video feedback intervention. Issues related to future research and implications for the field are discussed.

Bullying is a continuing problem for adults with intellectual disabilities who live in group homes and attend adult day training settings together. Most research in this area focuses on bullying in schools with typically developing children, and therefore, a need for effective behavioral interventions for adults with intellectual disabilities still remains. Previous research has found success in teaching safety skills to a variety of populations using behavioral skills training (BST) and achieving generalization of these skills using in situ training (IST). This study evaluated BST to teach a response to bullying (RtB) to the victims of bullying, with added IST for participants whose skills did not generalize to the natural environment. In situ assessments (ISA) were conducted in the natural setting after BST sessions had already occurred. When BST was not sufficient in evoking the correct response during ISA, IST was added for 2 participants and an incentive was added for 1 participant to increase motivation when responding still did not meet completion criteria. However, BST alone was successful in teaching the RtB to two participants, evident by their responses during ISA. The results of this study are consistent with previous BST and IST research.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) developed as clinical behavior analytic intervention for problems typically classified as psychopathology. Nonclinical applications of ACT, however, have demonstrated significant behavior change outside of the context of psychotherapy. This symposium offers preliminary work with ACT interventions with individuals seeking help with problems in living rather than psychopathology. The first paper explores the potential of ACT as a behaviorally-based model of equine therapy through the processes and outcomes of a 5-week equine therapy intervention. The second paper examines the daily behavior change of students during a class aimed to teach ACT fundamentals for college student adjustment. The last study examines the feasibility and effectiveness of an ACT-based intervention with a group of athletes. Preliminary data suggests that ACT may be a useful model for building behavioral interventions for individuals simply seeking to improve their functioning. Implications of processes and outcomes of each intervention, along with challenges for applications of ACT in nonclinical settings will be discussed.

In the past, psychology-based sports interventions have focused on teaching athletes to improve athletic performance by controlling their thoughts and feelings. However, not much data support this approach. It may be, instead, that accepting ones private experiences can foster sensitivity to the rapidly changing conditions of an athletic competition and promote perseverance in the face of challenging circumstances. In other words, athletes who demonstrate more psychological flexibility may perform better, even in the face of great self-doubt or anxiety. The current study aimed to evaluate the application of the psychological flexibility model to athletic , which is increasingly applied with athletes all over the world. The Mindfulness, Acceptance and Commitment (MAC) Seminar, based on empirically-supported techniques for increasing psychological flexibility and effectiveness of behavior, aims to train the psychological skills of openness toward and effectiveness during a range of emotional states. Feasibility, acceptability, and athletic performance, along with psychological processes accompanying behavior change will be discussed.

The panelists discuss the Matrix Project, an ambitious collective undertaking by Behaviorists for Social Responsibility (BFSR; the oldest ABAI SIG). Many behavior analysts came to the field, often inspired by Skinner and others since, because they wanted to contribute to addressing the enormous challenges faced by human societies. Many may find themselves frustrated by limited preparation and opportunities for applying our science to such challenges. Behavioral systems science (cultural analysis) now has reached a point where real potential exists for promoting progressive social change, albeit in close partnership with related disciplines, in areas like climate change and sustainability, poverty and income inequality, human rights and violence, among others. The Matrix Project focuses first on conceptual work and literature reviews of large-scale, systemic practice and research areas. Practices that hold promise for expanding behavioral systems contributions among 26 societal sectors are being explored, as well as contingency networks that could support and oppose adoption of those practices. The Matrix is an evolving document that consists of a sector-specific integrated set of hypotheses, with the goal of identifying practices that support, oppose, motivate, and select the development and utilization of scientific behavioral systems. The sectors under examination include education, behavior analytic organizations (like SEABA), several levels of government, business, NGOs, foundations and research institutes, religious and political community organizations, and a number of others. This panel will identify the supporting practices and contingency relations through providing examples of the analytical work completed on the project to date. The panelists will suggest next steps in the project, particularly advocacy within the identified sectors to introduce and experiment with the identified practices, and the development of a discipline-wide task force to encourage behavioral systems work related to major societal and global issues. Those attending will be encouraged to contribute to the project, and will be offered several specific actions they might take to do so.

Psychology has struggled to identify the basic processes that underpin human suffering. However, recent advances in Relational Frame Theory (RFT) and the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) may contribute to both this conceptual and empirical dilemma, and the current series of papers illustrate several ways in which this contribution is being made. Paper 1 attempted to functionally separate implicit fear, approach, and avoidance in the context of non-clinical phobias. Results demonstrated that these concepts can be differentiated at the implicit level, however only implicit approach predicted actual approach behavior, whereas fear and avoidance did not. Paper 2 investigated the flexibility of the perspective-taking frames using the IRAP in a non-clinical sample. Results showed large inflexibility only for the self-perspective (i.e., I-HERE-NOW), which is consistent with typical psychological development of the self. Paper 3 continues RFTs advance into the clinical domain with the IRAP to explore ways in which clinical and non-clinical individuals with psychotic experiences respond implicitly to these events. It was found that implicit acceptance responding (rather than valenced responding) predicted coping behaviors. Overall, the symposium describes how the robust effects delivered by the IRAP can be used to refine current models of human suffering and its alleviation.

The current research examined the use of the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) as a measure of spider fear, approach and avoidance. The research is comprised of 2 studies. The first study employed two IRAPs, one targeting spider fear, the other targeting spider approach/avoidance, to an undergraduate population (N=45). The FSQ and a BAT using a tarantula molt were also employed. Both IRAPs failed to provide evidence for the predictive validity of the IRAP in terms of the BAT. The second study was similar to Study 1 (N=31), however a live Irish house spider was used. Results revealed that the IRAP predicted performance on the BAT and, furthermore, provided evidence that it is possible to separate fear, avoidance and approach at the implicit level. Specifically, the trial-type that targeted implicit approach predicted approach behavior on the BAT, whereas implicit fear and avoidance responses on the IRAP did not.

Perspective-taking has been argued to be a key process in the development of the self, particularly within a Relational Frame Theory (RFT) framework. The current study investigated the flexibility of established perspective-taking relations in a non-clinical population using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP). Thirty undergraduate students completed a simple perspective taking IRAP (PT-IRAP). The PT-IRAP comprised four trial-types: 1. I-HERE-NOW; 2. I-THERE-THEN; 3. OTHERS-HERE NOW; and 4. OTHERS-THERE-THEN. Results demonstrated a strong, significant effect on the I-HERE-NOW trial-type, indicating inflexible responding. However, responding on the other trial-types indicated flexible patterns of responding. These effects appear to be consistent with the typical verbal development of the self, where I is anchored HERE-NOW. While the current data is preliminary, the current methodology may provide a useful way of investigating: 1. The presence of deictic frames; and 2. The flexibility of these frames in the typical psychological development of the self-perspective.

The current study used the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure as a step toward a more functional approach to understanding of voice hearing, by exploring the potentially different implicit reactions of clinical and non-clinical groups to voices. In doing so, we attempted to parse out emotional versus behavioural responses toward voices (n=55) using a Valence and an Acceptance IRAP. Both non-clinical and clinical voice hearers showed implicit negativity in the Valence IRAP, and clinical and non-clinical voice hearers implicitly accepted positive voices and avoided negative voices in the Acceptance IRAP. Furthermore, acceptance of positive voices correlated with high psychological inflexibility, and acceptance of negative voices correlated with overall voice acceptance. The current study demonstrates the utility and precision of the IRAP in this domain, and it is through this precision that we can begin to look at the functional processes at play in the voice hearing experience.

The Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Special Interest Group invites you to formally recognize the contributions of Dr. Carol Pilgrim. Dr. Pilgrim's research interests have long focused on category or class formation, symbolic or relational stimulus control, stimulus equivalence, and issues related to the acquisition and modification of symbolic function. Dr. Pilgrim's research has transcended the boundaries of basic and applied research and her contributions to the field are immeasurable. Dr. Christy Alligood Rice, a former student, and Dr. Manish Vaidya, a long-time colleague, will review and reflect upon Dr. Pilgrim's career and her many contributions toward advancing our understanding of complex human behavior. Subsequently, Dr. Pilgrim will deliver an address in which she will review the current state of her research program with an eye toward future directions. Please join us to appreciate and celebrate the contributions of Dr. Carol Pilgrim.

Dr. Carol Pilgrim's contributions to the field have helped to define the experimental analysis of human behavior as an interesting and viable area of study. Under the mentorship of Drs. James Johnston and Henry S. Pennypacker, Dr. Pilgrim obtained her Ph.D. with an emphasis in the experimental analysis of behavior at the University of Florida. She currently serves as Professor of Psychology at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, where she generously nurtures the next generation of behavior analysts. The Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Distinguished Contributions Award is designed for researchers such as Carol Pilgrim, whose impressive history and tireless dedication have not only contributed to our basic understanding of the determinants of human behavior, but have also served to so effectively bridge the gap between basic and applied research.

Social media has made a strong impact not only on how organizations do business, but also on how consumers behave. As online shopping becomes more and more omnipresent, both practitioners and consumer behavior scholars should gain more insight into online consumer. Despite in-store consumer behavior analysis in the offline world, researchers have done rather few studies on social media from a behavioral perspective. This is rather unfortunate given the increasing influence of social media on online decision-making, as well as amplified opportunities for experimentation and data gathering in this respect. In this symposium we will discuss recent empirical studies in online consumer behavior analysis through social media from a behavioral perspective. The symposium starts with an empirical paper on identifying and classifying reinforcing content in Social Media Marketing using the Behavioral Perspective Model. In the second paper, the authors will focus on influencing consumer observational behavior through social media. The final paper explores the relative impact of facial image and expressions on user choices within a peer-to-peer online accommodation rental.

The objective of marketing promotion from the point of view of the Behavioral Perspective Model (BPM) is to identify and facilitate reinforcing brand related communication with consumers at each step of the marketing funnel. The purpose of the study was to analyze content that could increase post popularity on an airline companys Facebook site, operationalized as the number of times a particular post was liked, shared or commented on by Facebook users. Data consisted of 242 Facebook posts from its brand fan page from 2011 to 2015 and their effectiveness in terms of 139,877 likes, 14,584 shares and 9,480 comments during the period. These posts were categorized in several categories within utilitarian (promotional, informative, entertaining) and informational (social) context, with an 84% inter-observer agreement. We also analyzed the richness of the posts, in terms of possible reinforcement value or numbers, their environmental-behavior interactive ability and intermediary variables such as on what weekdays the post was sent and its length. The results revealed a positive correlation between entertaining, interactive and rich content and post popularity and a negative relationship with promotional content. This strengthens the importance of highly engaging and interactive material as reinforcing content on what seems to be on the top of the marketing funnel (consumers mostly interested in entertainment instead of sales oriented stimuli).

Despite studies demonstrating that predictable activity schedules improves challenging behavioural among developmentally disabled children under experimental conditions, very little is known about the level of consistency with which residential staff provide daily activity schedules (DAS) in naturalistic adult group home settings and how to improve such consistency. Four years of research will be summarized. Study 1 of 6 group home settings servicing 35 adults with acquired brain injuries found, using six 2-week probes over three years, that written DASs were implemented on average only 37% of the time. A second intervention study in two of the group homes over a 12 month period found that DAS implementation could be substantially improved to 80% or higher with a 47% reduction in group home negative behavioural incidents with a DAS training program that focused on supervisor training in on-the-floor DAS supervision. In addition, the positive preventative components of Behaviour Support Plans were implemented significantly more consistently than in 5 comparison group homes which had not received DAS training. Study 3 demonstrated that DAS training conducted for 4 different agencies servicing adults with developmental disabilities improved quality and implementation of DASs, and quality of life. Implications for quality of care will be discussed.

Despite the importance of crisis intervention training (CIT) for insuring staff and client safety, no peer-reviewed published data are available for the effectiveness of CIT on performance competencies. Safe Management Groups CIT will be described especially in relation to proposed standards for intrusive programming including Individualization of techniques for client and staff; written Documentation for accountability; and Specification and approval of technique in Behaviour Support Plans supervised by behavior analysts. Knowledge and Performance Competency outcome data for 2-day initial training and 1-day refresher training will be presented that shows greater success and retention in teaching physical intervention skills than verbal de-escalation skills. The outcome of a specialized enriched verbal de-escalation program will be presented which illustrates the need for specialized CIT.

A substantial research literature has established the prevalence of escape-motivated aggressive behaviour in children, adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities. A small subgroup of adults, perhaps about 3-5 percent, can be defined as severe, in that there is substantial daily risk with limited effectiveness of so-called positive programming only and psychopharmacologic treatments. This talk will introduce a form of escape-extinction called safe extinction (SE) in which contingent physical interventions and preventative mechanical restraints are used in combination with typical differential reinforcement of alternative and incompatible behaviour to produce substantial reductions in aggressive behaviour and increases in complaint and productive behaviour. A one-day assessment protocol will be presented that enables rapid and efficient assessment of the effectiveness of SE, a critical feature of intrusive programming. Data for ten adult cases of 1-day SE will be presented illustrating the extinction and generalization process.