View all articles in this issue
A Preliminary Examination of the Effects of Behavioral Descriptions on On-Task Behavior
Download this article for $1.00 (FREE for Members)
by Kristin B. Lemaster , Stephanie M. Wagner, Ashley B. Tempel, Cheryl B. McNeil - West Virginia University
Categories: Learning | Psychotherapy
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an empirically-supported treatment containing several skill components that have not been individually examined. Behavioral descriptions are one component hypothesized to improve children’s attention-to-task. Researchers coded 3 children (ages 3-6) exhibiting attention and hyperactivity/impulsivity problems as on- or off-task while the children completed a coloring task. Researchers coded participants in conditions with or without behavioral descriptions using a single subject reversal design (ABA design). Based on visual inspection of the data, participants exhibited more on-task behavior during the behavioral descriptions component, supporting the hypothesis that behavioral descriptions may have clinical utility. Due to observed practice effects and limitations to generalizability, alternative experimental designs may provide a better method of investigating treatment components.
Summer 2010 | Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research (Vol. 15, No. 2, p. 106), published by Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology (Chattanooga, TN). Copyright, 2010, Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology. All rights reserved.