Graduation Date

Summer 8-13-2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Programs

Medical Sciences Interdepartmental Area

First Advisor

Amanda Zangrillo

Second Advisor

Keith Allen

Third Advisor

Bethany Hansen

Fourth Advisor

Amy Nordness

Abstract

Behavior analysts often use behavioral skills training to teach caregivers to implement treatment for their child’s destructive behavior with high levels of integrity. Even when trained to high levels of integrity, caregivers may revert to undesirable behaviors, and treatment integrity may decrease if high rates of destructive behavior occur (i.e., relapse). In the present study, we implemented a translational evaluation with adult participants to determine the impact of training under low- or high-rate destructive behavior on treatment integrity during subsequent treatment challenges involving exposure to high rates of destructive behavior only. Participants trained to implement the treatment package under conditions of high-rate destructive behavior maintained higher levels of treatment integrity during treatment challenges compared to those exposed to low-rate destructive behavior during training. We discuss potential implications of these results for clinicians to consider when training caregivers in applied settings as well as areas for future research.

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