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Using wearable technology to evaluate the electrodermal activity of therapists assessing challenging behavior
Ano: 2026
Abstract Identifying objective ways to measure a therapist's physiological responding when encountering challenging behavior has the potential to guide future work in staff performance, well‐being, and retention. The current technical report summarizes controlled measures of therapists' electrodermal activity (EDA) while implementing functional analyses of challenging behavior. The technology used to monitor EDA, analyses relevant to EDA in the context of challenging behavior, and technical barriers related to the use of these measures are discussed. Preliminary data from three therapists suggested that indicators of acute physiological arousal are present in functional analyses, particularly surrounding occurrences of challenging behavior. Support for the further development of these technologies is provided.
Video game engines as the new “virtual” Skinner box
Ano: 2026
Abstract The Skinner box has provided a standardized method of conducting experiments on operant behavior throughout the history of behavior analysis. As technology has advanced, these operant chambers have become increasingly complex to allow for the study of new stimuli, behavior, and outcomes. The present article takes this variability one step further by advocating for the use of video game engines in the study of operant behavior in humans. Game engines provide high levels of flexibility, control, and realism as well as continuous behavioral tracking, dynamic stimulus presentation, and complex reinforcement schedules that greatly expand the range of research questions that can be addressed. Importantly, the potential for increasing stimulus, response, and outcome variability provides the basis for assessing and maximizing the generalizability of operant and related principles. This article illustrates the use of video game engines to study causal inference, delay discounting, loot boxes, foraging, and multiplayer dynamics. Adopting game engines in behavioral research not only expands the scope of behavior analysis but also increases its relevance to real‐world behavior, offering a promising path forward for innovation.
2024 Guest Reviewer List
Ano: 2025
A concise review of social validity assessments during functional analyses of challenging behavior
Ano: 2025
Abstract This concise review summarizes the trends and outcomes of social validity assessments specifically related to functional analyses published between 2020 and 2024. Results indicate that very little data on the social validity of functional analyses have been published. However, data that have been published are generally positive. We conclude with discussion and recommendations for researchers and clinicians.
A contemporary quantitative model for continuous choice under reinforcing and punishing contingencies
Ano: 2025
Abstract We developed five novel quantitative models of punishment based on the generalized matching law (GML). Two of the new models were based on Deluty's additive theory of punishment, two were based on de Villiers's subtractive theory of punishment, and the last was based on the concatenated GML (cGML). Using information criteria, we compared the descriptive accuracies of these models against each other and against the GML. To obtain a data set that fairly compared these complex models, we exposed 30 human participants to 36 concurrent random‐interval random‐interval reinforcement schedules via a recently developed rapid‐acquisition operant procedure (procedure for rapidly establishing steady‐state behavior). This experimental design allowed us to fit the models to 30 data sets ranging from 22 to 36 data points each, comparing the models' descriptive accuracy using Akaike information criteria, corrected for small samples (AICc). The punishment model based on the cGML had the lowest AICc value of the set, with an Akaike weight of 0.99. Thus, this cGML‐based punishment model is presumed to be the best contemporary quantitative model of punishment. We discuss the theoretical strengths and weaknesses of these models and future directions of GML‐based punishment model development.
A digital intervention package to teach rapport‐building skills to caregivers of children with autism
Ano: 2025
Abstract Research shows that caregivers of children with autism can be taught a variety of behavioral strategies, but there is little research on teaching caregivers to prioritize rapport building over skill acquisition during play. The current study evaluated the effects of a digital training package on the rapport‐building skills of four caregivers of children with autism. Target skills were derived from parent–child interaction therapy with specific adaptations for children with limited communication and play skills. The intervention package included asynchronous online modules with video models, active response opportunities, and automated feedback as well as synchronous feedback via video chat. All four caregivers demonstrated increases in rapport building skills, and three of four dyads showed increases in interactive play postintervention. Caregivers also rated the intervention favorably. Data on participant and interventionist time to complete the intervention guide a discussion of the efficiency of combining asynchronous and synchronous strategies.
A discounting framework for trade‐offs between risk and delay
Ano: 2025
Abstract Every day we encounter situations in which decisions require trade‐offs between the delay to one reward and the likelihood of receiving another reward. The current study was designed to extend a general discounting framework to gain insights into this fundamental trade‐off process. Forty‐three undergraduates adjusted the probability of receiving an immediate hypothetical monetary reward (either $200 or $10,000) until that probabilistic reward was judged subjectively equal in value to the same reward received with certainty after a delay (ranging from 1 month to 25 years). We replicated previous findings that demonstrated a linear relation between log ( delay ) and log ( odds‐against ), derived from the subjective probabilistic values. This linear relation was predicted when these choices were analyzed with the hyperboloid functions that describe simple delay and probability discounting in human decision making. Additionally, we extended the discounting framework and showed that the trade‐off between risk and delay was well described by a modified hyperboloid discounting model ( R 2 s = .99). These findings suggest that the discounting framework provides a valuable approach for capturing complexities of human decision making.
A durable dance partner
Ano: 2025
A free‐operant olfactory choice procedure to assess preference for social and nonsocial scents in female rats
Ano: 2025
Abstract Rats are a social species, often used as a research model to study social behavior. However, isolating the factors (i.e., environmental stimuli, experiences with social interactions, novelty, etc.) that influence rats' social behavior can be difficult in many existing social choice assessments. A procedure that may help researchers investigate these variables more systematically is the olfactory choice procedure. The present set of experiments used a free‐operant olfactory choice procedure to assess individually housed female rats' preference for social and nonsocial scents. In Experiment 1, rats ran daily sessions in which a response to a nose‐poke port produced either a social or nonsocial scent. A response to a second nose‐poke port produced a control scent. In Experiment 2, the same female rats could respond in one nose‐poke port to produce a social scent and in a second port to produce a nonsocial scent. The results from Experiment 1 indicate that rats prefer social and nonsocial scents over a control scent and that this preference persists across a location reversal and 100+ daily sessions. Although there were individual differences, group results from Experiment 2 suggest that rats prefer social and nonsocial scents relatively equally.
A human‐operant evaluation of commission and omission errors during differential reinforcement of other behavior
Ano: 2025
Abstract Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) involves the delivery of a reinforcer following the absence of target behavior. Little is known about DRO with fidelity errors. Three experiments examined DRO implemented with various percentages of fidelity with commission (Experiments 1 and 3) and omission (Experiment 2) errors in a human‐operant arrangement. Both commission and omission errors degraded the response‐suppressing effects of DRO for some participants. In some cases, commission errors resulted in response rates exceeding baseline levels. Experiment 3 evaluated the potential order effects of first experiencing DRO with high fidelity followed by degraded fidelity with commission errors. When exposed to the conditions ordered 100, 60, and 80% fidelity with commission errors, increased response rates occurred more frequently during the degraded fidelity phases than when participants were exposed to fidelity that decreased in a stepwise fashion (i.e., 100 to 80 to 60%).