Objective: The University of Washington (UW) psychiatry residency program attempted to determine how participation in a dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) training program influenced the practice of its graduates. Methods: A survey was completed by 30 graduates who participated in elective DBT training. This survey obtained information about their…

Although applied behavior analysis has made a significant contribution in the area of challenging behavior, to date, researchers have not systematically investigated the episodic severity of behavior as a dependent variable. "Episodic severity" is defined as the measure of intensity or gravity of a behavioral incident. Research up to now has…

The authors propose a person-centered relational framework in which C. R. Rogers's (1957) core conditions remain the primary catalyst of therapeutic change and cognitive-behavioral work is accomplished while adhering to person-centered principles. Important ideas asserted include the following: Cognitive-behavioral tasks occur naturally within the…

Effects of a Lag 1 reinforcement schedule on appropriate and varied responding to the social question, "What do you like to do?" and effects of the proportion of preferred stimuli present during training on the amount of varied responding in each session were investigated with students with autism. An ABAB reversal design and a multielement design…

In this article, the author discusses the distinction between positive and negative reinforcement and some additional considerations. He states that the concept of negative reinforcement has caused confusion, and he believes that the difficulty stems from conventions of ordinary speech, in which the term "negative" usually denotes the opposite of…

The field of clinical behavior analysis is growing rapidly and has the potential to affect and transform mainstream cognitive behavior therapy. To have such an impact, the field must provide a formulation of and intervention strategies for clinical depression, the "common cold" of outpatient populations. Two treatments for depression have emerged:…

The ability of a reinforcer to maintain behavior decreases as a hyperbolic function of its delay. This discounted value can help explain impulsivity defined as the choice of an immediate, small reinforcer over a delayed, large reinforcer. Human operant studies using consumable reinforcers such as videos have found impulsivity with delays under 1…

Two lick suppression studies were conducted with water-deprived rats to investigate the influence of spatial similarity in cue interaction. Experiment 1 assessed the influence of similarity of the spatial origin of competing cues in a blocking procedure. Greater blocking was observed in the condition in which the auditory blocking cue and the…

Objective: To examine the potential benefits of adding a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, sertraline, versus placebo, to trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) for improving posttraumatic stress disorder and related psychological symptoms in children who have experienced sexual abuse. Method: Twenty-four 10- to 17-year-old…

An anxiety management group utilizing a cognitive behavioural intervention, of 12 weeks duration, for six people with mild to moderate learning disabilities is described. A number of techniques to assist in developing clients' understanding of their anxiety, cognitive and behavioural coping strategies and maximizing generalizability of skills…

Based upon empirically supported cognitive-behavioral treatment approaches, this paper aims to outline the use of homework to enhance the therapeutic relationship, patient motivation, and skills for managing delusions, hallucinations, and negative symptoms. The nature and timing of homework is outlined for the different phases of treatment.…

In individual behavior therapy two clients were evaluated using behavior categories created by the therapist. Both clients were observed to improve in terms of social competence. One demonstrated a significant inverse correlation between improvement of social competence and weight loss during treatment (16 sessions) and lost weight. The other…

The 1% or Less Campaign is an effective research-tested program for reducing saturated fat intake by encouraging individuals to switch to low-fat milk. All published studies have been conducted in small communities with mostly White populations. The 6-week intervention included a media campaign, public relations, and taste tests. Campaign…

The present study compares the impact of individualized treatment provided by trainee therapists based on a traditional cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) model. Fourteen therapists were given initial training in CBT and ACT. Outpatients (N = 28) were randomized to either approach, with each therapist…

The advantages of emphasizing discrete trials "teaching" over discrete trials "training" are presented first, followed by a discussion of discrete trials as a method of teaching that emerged historically--and as a matter of necessity for difficult learners such as those with autism--from discrete trials as a method for laboratory research. The…