The aim of this study is twofold. First, to investigate whether the imagined contact method (an indirect method of contact) can improve behavioural intentions towards a hypothetical peer with Asperger syndrome (AS). Second, to test whether the effect of the method can be generalised on attitudes towards young people with AS in general.…

We report a randomized trial of a revised Behavioral Family Systems Therapy for Diabetes (BFST-D) intervention. Families of 104 adolescents with diabetes were randomized to standard care (SC) or to 6 months of an educational support group (ES) or BFST-D. Family communication and problem-solving skills were assessed at 0, 6, 12, and 18 months by…

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of percentile schedules as a method of quantifying the shaping procedure in an educational setting. We compared duration of task engagement during baseline measurements for 4 students to duration of task engagement during a percentile schedule. As a secondary purpose, we examined the influence on…

This study investigated the effectiveness of implosive therapy with emotionally disturbed retardates. Subjects (N=24), matched according to age, sex, race, and IQ, were randomly assigned to one treatment and two control groups. Following treatment, subjects in the implosive therapy group showed significantly more improvement than those who…

Psychotherapeutic systems derived from psychoanalytic-learning and from client-centered models both predict that subjects' openness to environmental feedback will increase in the course of therapy. It was hypothesized that counseled teachers would become more open to feedback from pupils than control teachers, specifically that counseled teachers…

Level of spontaneous social initiating by three adult caregivers toward a youth with autism was studied during a program to increase the youth's level of social initiating. The youth's social initiations toward each adult were systematically reinforced. Frequency of spontaneous initiating toward the youth increased for each adult as the youth's…

A wide variety of counseling techniques based on behavioral principles have been described. While the therapeutic advantages of these techniques have been demonstrated, there is limited evidence to suggest that systematic procedures have been developed to train people to use these techniques. The proposed discrimination model is based on…

Prior to the adoption of a Restrictive Procedures Guidelines Draft, baseline measures on the use of restrictive procedures were collected by observing selected retarded adult clients (N=13) in seven pre-selected settings (group homes or vocational shops) of the Vocational and Rehabilitation Research Institute (VRRI) in Calgary, Alberta. An…

At Western Illinois University a three segment workshop has been initiated to help participants become aware of intimacy skills and facilitate their actual practice. The model has three separate sections; each is devoted to a distinct but related series of concepts and activities. (Author)

The study compared four methods of increasing quantity and quality of play interactions between nonhandicapped and 11 moderately/severely handicapped children in an integrated preschool. Results of contingent reinforcement, reinforcement plus modeling, reinforcement plus behavior management, and reinforcement plus modeling plus behavior management…

The present study evaluated the likelihood that volunteers for behavior therapy research are self-selected on variables known to moderate therapeutic outcomes. Compared with nonvolunteers, volunteers reported greater anxiety and externality. Among speech-anxious subjects, however, no volunteer bias was observed. (Author)

A job interview skills workshop model was compared with the traditional lecture-discussion group approach. Results indicated the behavioral group made significant gains in percentage of eye contact. The discussion group was superior in ratings of ability and expression of feelings and personal opinions relevant to the interview. (Author)

Reciprocity counseling is a rapid reinforcement-based procedure developed for teaching marriage partners how to increase their individual happiness within their marital relationship. The major obstacle to implementing reciprocity techniques is convincing the partners to engage in the procedures, even if they feel these procedures appear contrived…

Reviews investigation of therapist recommendations, an aspect of counseling that previously was vaguely understood. Results indicate a high frequency of recommendations, with most sessions containing multiple recommendations. Therapists provided eight types of recommendations; validation of internal experiences, reframing meaning, decision-making,…

The author uses a professional case study to recommend that counselors not become engaged in efforts to change persons' sexual orientations when working with homosexuals. This paper was presented at the annual convention of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, San Francisco, 13 December, 1975. (Author)