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AbstractEarly reading materials are replete with pictures. Pictures purportedly improve reading comprehension and motivation; however, the simultaneous presentation of pictures and text can also impede textual control for some readers. Attempts to remediate restricted stimulus control in picture–text compounds suggest that omitting the picture element is most effective, although these arrangements may also be less socially valid. The current study is an evaluation of a novel compound stimulus prompt (CSP) arrangement that required that the learner differentially respond to the underselected (i.e., textual) element during picture‐book reading. The development of textual control in this condition was compared with that in text‐only and picture prompt arrangements. The CSP condition required the same or fewer sessions to produce textual control as the text‐only condition for five out of six participants who exhibited reading difficulties. Participants emitted more correct responses during CSP and picture prompt instruction and preferred these conditions to the text‐only condition during a concurrent‐chains assessment.

Death notification is a frequent and stressful task in critical care. During COVID-19, the number of deaths increased significantly, and health personnel had to deliver this news remotely without preparation. In international research, training protocols have been described that improve physician’s communication skills and self-confidence, as well as remote communication suggestions to COVID-19. However, these recommendations are subjective and ambiguous, which can hinder their replicability. This research adopts the principles of Applied Behavioral Analysis to implement a Behavioral Skills Training to identify, validate, and train the behaviors required to properly communicate a remote death notification for COVID-19 in three pilot participants. Nineteen operational definitions of the behaviors were generated and trained on three intensive care residents. Two participants demonstrated strong effect sizes following training, while the third participant did not complete the training. These preliminary results suggest that implementing a remote death notification behavioral skills training program might be feasible and effective, and could also be useful in face-to-face settings.

Abstract Previous research has shown that contingent vocal imitation has a reinforcing effect on vocalizations emitted by children. Nevertheless, the precise contingencies that have a reinforcing effect on vocalizations remain unclear. This study examined the effects of five conditions (contingent vocal imitation, contingent interaction, noncontingent vocal imitation, noncontingent physical touch, and a no‐interaction control condition) on the vocalizations emitted by three children with developmental disabilities. We evaluated the effects of these conditions using an alternating‐treatments design embedded within a multiple‐probe‐across‐participants design. Contingent vocal imitation led to greater increases in the vocalizations emitted by all three participants than by those in all the other conditions, and the size of this effect was large. We also found increases in orienting responses during the contingent imitation condition and increases in echoic responses postintervention for two of the participants. We discussed implications for practitioners who work with young children with language delays.

Este trabalho analisou as citações ao artigo de Holland (1978), intitulado “Behaviorism: part of the problem or part of the solution?”, na comunidade científica brasi­leira. Foram caracterizados os trabalhos que citaram Holland e suas posições frente ao texto. Ao total, foram analisadas 67 publicações, sendo a primeira datada de 1993. A partir de 2012, notou-se uma frequência acentuada de publicações cuja citação de Holland é central para as discussões dos autores. A maioria dos trabalhos foram ensaios, com interesses teóricos e cita­ção em apenas um parágrafo. Todos tiveram posições convergentes às do autor e basearam-se em análise do comportamento. Não foram identificadas pesquisas aplicadas ou propostas práticas imediatas amparadas diretamente pelas ideias do autor. Constatou-se que a literatura especializada continua endossando as discussões de Holland, ao mesmo tempo que a maioria das publicações não discutiram detalhadamente seu texto. O aumento recente na frequência de citação a Holland parece refletir um interesse crescente da comunidade em discutir aná­lise do comportamento e questões sociais. Por fim, analistas do comportamento continuam atuando em condições contraditórias em uma sociedade estratificada, o que pode ser uma das razões para que Holland continue impactando a comunidade analítico-comportamental passados mais de 40 anos de sua publicação.

The experimental research carried out in the field of interactive styles is reviewed, based on the theoretical proposal of Ribes and Sánchez (1990) and Ribes (1990b), since the first work published to date. In this account, the empirical knowledge that has been produced in seventeen research papers written as articles or postgraduate theses is identified, to have a global appreciation of the progress in this field: What have been the purposes, methodological strategies, problems and limitations that have been faced and what possible future trends are glimpsed. It is concluded that the experimental results demonstrate intra-subject consistencies as a function of individual history, however, in some studies, certain participants do not show intra-individual consistency, which are not explained by the authors. The implementation of procedural controls and variations in the contingency structures to be studied is suggested, as well as in the measurement parameters and characteristics of the participants under study. The need to increase experimental production, particularly of the little styles researched, is also pointed out as criteria to guide future research in this field.

Abstract As a data‐driven science, the field of behavior analysis necessitates accumulating evidence for research and theory development and clinical intervention. The most comprehensive evidence will come from systematic review and meta‐analysis of a given topic. Systematic reviews comprise an established set of methods for collecting and synthesizing a body of research to identify trends, examining the strength of evidence and potential sources of bias, and identifying areas in need of further investigation. Despite their utility and widespread use in other disciplines, systematic reviews are underused in many behavior analysis domains. This technical report is part of a series on research synthesis methods in behavior analysis, with Part 1 focusing on systematic reviews and Part 2 focusing on meta‐analysis. In Part 1, we provide a step‐by‐step guide to conducting systematic reviews using current best practices and adhering to international guidelines. Examples of tables and figures commonly included in these types of reviews are also provided. We conclude by emphasizing the importance of these reviews for behavior analysis research, practice, and theory and calling for increased numbers of published systematic reviews in behavior analysis. Finally, we provide annotated references to additional in‐depth methodology resources for the interested behavior analyst.

ABSTRACT Individuals with neurodevelopmental conditions sometimes engage in self‐induced vomiting, a behavior associated with serious medical complications and increased risk of exposure to communicable diseases. Despite its clinical significance, the functional dimensions of self‐induced vomiting remain understudied, particularly in cases where it occurs within a hierarchical response class of attention‐maintained behavior. This study describes the functional assessment and treatment of self‐induced vomiting in an adolescent male with multiple neurodevelopmental conditions. A response class hierarchy analysis was conducted to evaluate whether self‐induced vomiting, self‐gagging, pica, and other challenging behaviors were functionally related. Findings revealed systematic shifts in challenging behavior topographies with sequential exposure to extinction, supporting the presence of a hierarchically organized response class maintained by attention. Treatment involved functional communication training, extinction, and an individualized levels system involving token reinforcement and a probabilistic exchange schedule. This multicomponent intervention eliminated self‐induced vomiting, self‐gagging, pica, and other challenging behaviors within the attention‐maintained response class. These findings underscore the need for function‐based assessments in the treatment of self‐induced vomiting and related behaviors.

Abstract This experiment was designed to examine the question of how different force‐exertion requirements in effect prior to extinction affect force exertion during extinction of the previously reinforced response, with an emphasis on such effects early in extinction. Human participants were exposed to one of three conditions in which making a force‐exertion response resulted in points displayed on a computer screen. In two conditions, the response‐force requirement was fixed during the reinforcement phase at a force exertion of either 50%–65% or 100%–125% of the force criterion exerted in a pretest. During the third condition, the force‐exertion criterion was decreased progressively from 100%–125% to 50%–65% of the force criterion during the reinforcement phase. After a short adjustment period, response‐force exertions generally conformed to the force requirements for reinforcement. Removing the opportunity for reinforcement reduced the number of responses relative to those occurring in the reinforcement phase, although some responding was still occurring for most participants at the end of the extinction phase. The results are discussed in relation to the variables responsible for the extinction of a force‐defined response, emphasizing changes in force early in extinction.

Experimentos sobre metacontingência demonstraram que a seleção de culturantes ocorre mais facilmente quando os participantes interagem verbalmente entre si. No entanto, a expressão “interação verbal” tem sido usada para se referir a diferentes eventos verbais, apenas alguns dos quais parecem efetivamente facilitar a seleção de culturantes: um ou mais participantes instruírem e reforçarem diferencialmente os demais. O presente trabalho argumenta que respostas como instruir e reforçar diferencialmente integram uma classe maior de respostas (inclusive não verbais) efetivamente responsável por facilitar a seleção de culturantes: respostas de liderança. A partir da literatura da Economia e da Psicologia Organizacional e do Trabalho, o presente trabalho define detalhadamente respostas de liderança como: quaisquer respostas de um indivíduo (i.e., líder) que modifiquem ou mantenham as respostas de outro(s) indivíduo(os) (i.e., seguidores) e que estejam sob controle de consequências específicas produzidas pelas respostas do(s) seguidor(es) de acordo com critérios definidos externamente. A seguir, o conceito é aplicado a alguns experimentos sobre metacontingência, sua centralidade para a análise da estrutura e da dinâmica da seleção de culturantes é destacada e suas implicações para a ciência culturo-comportamental são discutidas.

Ressurgência comportamental refere-se à recorrência de um comportamento-alvo (R1) previamente reforçado, posteriormente extinto, quando uma resposta atual (R2) é empobrecida de alguma maneira. Foi realizada uma pesquisa para investigar se ocorre a ressurgência da variabilidade comportamental do mesmo modo como ocorre com a frequência por meio de um empobrecimento paramétrico da magnitude do reforço. Para isso, realizou-se um delineamento intrassujeito, com três fases experimentais e balanceamento de ordem na Fase 3. Na Fase 1, os participantes foram expostos a uma contingência de Lag 10 Variação. Na Fase 2, foram expostos a uma contingência de Lag 3 Repetição. Na Fase 3, permaneceu a mesma contingência, mas foi realizado o empobrecimento paramétrico da magnitude do reforço. Houve ressurgência tanto do nível quanto do padrão de variabilidade, mas dependeu da ordem de exposição. Discute-se que a ressurgência da variabilidade é resultado da história de reforçamento, e não apenas induzida pela extinção. Além disso, sugerese que qualquer forma de empobrecimento da R2 pode ser suficiente para causar ressurgência de R1, o que tem implicações significativas para a compreensão da ressurgência comportamental e da variabilidade como uma dimensão operante do comportamento.