Training staff to conduct competing items preference assessments using enhanced written instructions

Document Type

Thesis

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Degree

M.S. Applied Behavior Analysis

Date Completed

2017

First Committee Member

Graff, Richard B.

Second Committee Member

Roscoe, Eileen

Third Committee Member

Karsten, Amanda

Abstract

"Recent research has demonstrated that inexperienced staff accurately implemented paired-stimulus (Fisher et al., 1992) and multiple stimulus without replacement (DeLeon & Iwata, 1996) preference assessments when provided with enhanced written instructions (Graff & Karsten, 2012b; Shapiro, Kazemi, Pogosiana, Rios, & Mendoza, 2016). Providing inexperienced staff with antecedent-only training packages is a viable alternative to expert facilitated training, which may not be available in all settings. In this study, the efficacy of an antecedent training tool to teach inexperienced individuals to implement a competing items preference assessment (Piazza, Adelinis, Hanley, Goh, & Delia, 2000) was evaluated. Four newly hired staff members working at a center for children with autism and developmental disabilities participated. When provided with written instructions alone (information taken from the methods section from the published study), accuracy was below criterion levels for all participants. When access to enhanced written instructions was provided (i.e., technical jargon was minimized; instructions included pictures, diagrams, and step-by-step examples), accuracy for all participants immediately increased to the mastery criterion. Self-instruction packets provide opportunities to disseminate behavior-analytic technology and serve as a training tool that is both accessible and cost effective."

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