Date of Award
8-2024
Culminating Project Type
Thesis
Styleguide
apa
Degree Name
Applied Behavior Analysis: M.S.
Department
Community Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy
College
School of Health and Human Services
First Advisor
Benjamin Witts
Second Advisor
Odessa Luna
Third Advisor
Jane Bagley
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
workplace violence, applied behavior analysis, autism spectrum disorder, tact training, signal detection theory
Abstract
Workplace violence is a pervasive issue in human service fields, including applied behavior analysis, where instances of such violence are significantly underreported in the literature. Professionals in this field often work with children with autism spectrum disorder who may exhibit challenging behaviors, such as physical aggression. This study aimed to employ a variation of tact training combined with signal detection theory to teach clinicians in an autism clinic to be more aware of their environment to enhance safety. Clinicians were trained to verbally identify primary (immediate) and secondary items that could pose a risk if a client escalates during a session, while avoiding overtraining and mislabeling non-threatening distractor items. Although all three participants reached mastery criteria across four different training scenarios, their behavior did not generalize at similar levels, suggesting that the training did not exert functional control over their attending. The implications for extending this research are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Ashburn, Alyssa, "Using Tact Training to Teach Clinicians Environmental Awareness" (2024). Culminating Projects in Community Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy. 117.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/cpcf_etds/117
