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Behavioral Monitoring to Support Evidence-Based Practices in Residential Settings |
Sunday, May 30, 2010 |
9:00 AM–9:50 AM |
103AB (CC) |
Area: CBM; Domain: Service Delivery |
Chair: Jonathan W. Kanter (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) |
GORDON L. PAUL (Mental Health Services, Research & Systems Consult) |
Gordon L. Paul, Ph.D., a Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished Professor of Psychology, teaches in the graduate clinical program at the University of Houston. A practicing licensed psychologist and certified health-services provider, he has consulted to more than 200 organizations and served as a member of or advisor to taskforces, study sections, and review groups at regional, state, and national levels. He continues as an advisor to policymaking and advocacy groups on behalf of people suffering from severe emotional and behavioral problems. Dr. Paul’s research and practice have demonstrated the utility of behavioral principles for the assessment and nonpharmacological treatment of problems ranging from “anxiety” to “schizophrenia,” and several of his early publications have become “citation classics.” Dr. Paul has been selected for more than 40 honorary biographical publications and expert listings, including Good Housekeeping’s “Best Mental Health Experts.” His more than 40-year’s work on inpatient assessment and treatment programs has been the basis for numerous awards, among them Psychology Today’s Book of the Year Award, the Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology’s Distinguished Scientist Award, APA Div 12’s Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Clinical Psychology Award, and the ABCT Trail Blazer Award for lifetime achievement. |
Abstract: The recent federal emphasis on funding evidence-based practices gives hope for a resurgence of behavioral treatment programs for populations often considered untreatable. While political factors have reduced support for nonpharmacological work in inpatient and residential settings over the past 30 years, the complexity of psychosocial variables and needs for staff training and ongoing assessment also have drastically reduced the dissemination of behavioral research findings into these settings. Documented as the “treatment of choice” for the most severely disabled adults with psychotic diagnoses, a comprehensive Social-Learning Program with integrated community aftercare will be described to highlight the complex structural and functional factors that influence effectiveness. This will serve as a springboard for describing a comprehensive system for ongoing assessment and monitoring of client, staff, and program functioning that offers the practical technology to discover and support recovery-oriented, evidence-based practices. This system, the Computerized TSBC/SRIC Planned-Access Observational Information System, has been likened to “the development of the cloud chamber in physics and the electron microscope in biology, in which the technical gain may be a difference in kind, not merely a difference in degree.” This system offers promise for behavioral treatment programming becoming a true applied science. |
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The Pseudo-Empirical in Psychology |
Sunday, May 30, 2010 |
11:00 AM–11:50 AM |
Ballroom A (CC) |
Area: TPC; Domain: Theory |
Chair: Per Holth (Akershus University College) |
JAN SMEDSLUND (University of Oslo) |
Jan Smedslund is Professor Emeritus and Specialist in Clinical Psychology. He received his PhD at the University of Oslo in 1955, and was appointed Professor of Psychology in 1966. He has worked at numerous foreign universities including Geneva, Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and Stanford. He was a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences 1967-68. He has done experimental research in cognitive development with Piaget and Bruner. His clinical background includes working at a psychiatric emergency ward and a crisis intervention team, an outpatient clinic for children and youth, a treatment home with drug addicts, with group psychotherapy and in private practice. He has published 7 books and some 130 articles and chapters. His main interests have been in the foundations of psychology, in the integration of theory and practice, and in the development of a general conceptual framework and axiomatic system that he has called psycho-logic. |
Abstract: A study is pseudo-empirical if, and only if, it attempts to test a hypothesis empirically and the hypothesis cannot be false.
Pseudo-empiricality can be diagnosed in two ways: One can attempt to prove logically that the hypothesis follows from the meanings (definitions) of the terms involved, or one can attempt to show that denying it is meaningless (absurd). If the data do not support the hypothesis, it does not follow that the hypothesis is wrong, but merely that at least one assumed premise about the methods or the situation is not true. The reason why pseudo-empirical hypotheses are so common in psychology is that we are living with a shared linguistic and cultural system of rules, and that what appears plausible is what follows from these rules. |
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Behavioral Techniques for Studying Welfare: The Horse as a Model |
Sunday, May 30, 2010 |
1:30 PM–2:20 PM |
Ballroom A (CC) |
Area: AAB; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
Chair: Jennifer L. Sobie (University of Illinois) |
KATHERINE ALBRO HOUPT (Cornell University) |
Katherine Houpt, James Law Professor of Animal Behavior, obtained her DVM at The University of Pennsylvania. She received her PhD in biology also at the University of Pennsylvania and since then has been at Cornell University where she established the Animal Behavior Clinic at The College of Veterinary Medicine. She is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, where she was one of the charter diplomats. Dr. Houpt teaches behavior problems of small animals and of horses, as well as farm animal behavior. She has published numerous scientific articles on basic and clinical animal behavior and her textbook, "Domestic Animal Behavior," is now in its fourth edition. Her current research interests are cribbing and foal rejection. |
Abstract: Horses have been domesticated for thousands of years, but their ability to adapt to common husbandry practices such as restraint in which they can not turn around, lack of exercise, and social isolation is an ethical concern. This presentation discusses these issues and presents data comparing the behavior of stabled horses with free-ranging Przewalski's horses (the true wild horse) using focal and scan sampling. We have used operant conditioning to measure the strength of horses' preferences for food, freedom, and reunion with another horse. We have also used two choice preferences tests to measure motivation for forced and free exercise. Cribbing, the behavior in which a horse grasps a horizontal surface with his teeth, arches his neck, and swallows air is a common domestic horse stereotypy; we used scan sampling to determine the influence of diet on the frequency of cribbing as well as focal animal sampling and log survivorship to determine bout length. This talk discusses these data and the use of operant conditioning in conjunction with consumer demand theory to measure the motivation of horses to crib and to show that horses are as motivated to crib as to obtain food (an inelastic commodity). |
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The DC Public Schools are committed to creating “compelling” and innovative options to best prepare its youth for college and post-secondary success. In this lecture, Josh Edelman, Deputy Chief of the Office of School Innovation for DC Public Schools, will describe the 7 whole school reform initiatives under his purview and discuss the impact and challenges associated with this work. Mr. Edelman will share experiences related to working with autonomous initiatives, integrated service models and theme-based approaches that touch 58 of the 127 DC Public Schools. |
Sunday, May 30, 2010 |
3:30 PM–4:20 PM |
Ballroom A (CC) |
Area: TBA; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
Chair: Denise E. Ross (Chicago School of Professional Psychology) |
JOSH EDELMAN (DC Public Schools) |
Josh Edelman is the Deputy Chief of School Innovation (OSI) for the DC Public Schools. OSI oversees efforts to support and empower 58 DC public schools through the infusion of unique programmatic elements targeting student investment and achievement. Previously, Mr. Edelman was the Executive Officer of the Office of New Schools (ONS) at Chicago Public Schools, which worked to recruit, develop, and support new schools and ultimately, hold them accountable to high performance measures. Mr. Edelman has also held various leadership positions at The SEED Foundation, first on the board of directors, then as principal of The SEED School, a public charter boarding school in Washington DC. Mr. Edelman is also a seasoned educator. After teaching at Milton Academy in Massachusetts, he taught social studies for seven years at Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, California where he was also the founder and Executive Director for RISE (Realizing Intellect through Self-Empowerment), a youth development program targeted at African-American youth. Mr. Edelman has a bachelor’s degree in American history from Harvard University, a master’s degree in education from Stanford University, and a second master’s in educational administration with administrative credential, also from Stanford University. Mr. Edelman has received fellowships from the Mellon Foundation and Echoing Green. Mr. Edelman has served on the Boards of The SEED Foundation, Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, and was a MENtor for Real Men Read in Chicago. |
Abstract: Charter schools provide an opportunity for behavior analysts to implement innovative and unique approaches to education that may contribute to the success of students in public schools. However, developing charter schools can also be challenging. In this lecture, Josh Edelman, the Deputy Chief of School Innovation for DC Public Schools, will describe the charter school movement in major urban areas and the impact that it can have for individuals who want to start new schools. Mr. Edelman will also share his experiences opening more than 80 new schools in major urban areas. This lecture will address common questions and issues related to developing unique school programs as part of a charter school. |
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