Social validity in applied behavior analysis remains critically important. However, assessing social validity and responding to its results pose challenges for the field. Social validity assessments are often treated as a one-time measure conducted after intervention. Researchers have urged consideration of social validity as an ongoing, dynamic, and interactive process (i.e., interventions are adjusted based on social validity assessment results). Yet, there has been limited discussion on the interactive process of social validity and the variables that may influence it. This article (a) reviews definitions of social validity and the purpose of its assessment; (b) examines how studies published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis from 2010 to 2020 have assessed social validity as an interactive process; and (c) offers considerations for researchers and practitioners to enhance opportunities for an interactive process of social validity, including issues related to the measurement rigor and data interpretability of social validity assessments.

Kisamore et al. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 44(2), 255-278 (2011) taught typically developing preschoolers the problem-solving strategy of visual imagining to increase intraverbal categorization (e.g., "Tell me some animals") responses. The visual imagining teaching involved showing the participants scenes with items to be emitted as intraverbals and instructing them to close their eyes, imagine the items, and state what they saw. The purpose of the current study was to modify and extend the procedures of Kisamore et al. to individuals with autism. In the context of a multiple probe design across categories with sessions conducted remotely, the participants demonstrated increases in intraverbal responses, in some cases with visual imagining teaching alone, and in some cases when also shown "scenic picture prompts" (i.e., scenes without the target items). Behavioral correlates of visual imagining were grouping responses based on trained subcategories and stating untaught items from the scenes. Future research recommendations are discussed, including conducting in-person sessions and fading the scenic picture prompts.

Functional communication training (FCT) is a commonly used treatment for socially maintained challenging behavior. Although highly efficacious, increases in challenging behavior are often observed during schedule thinning within FCT. Prior research has demonstrated that providing competing stimuli in the extinction component of a multiple schedule reduced socially mediated challenging behavior during schedule thinning. Another difficulty practitioners may face is an increase in incorrect functional communication responses (FCRs) during extinction. In the current study, we sought to extend research on FCT and competing stimulus assessments (CSAs) by identifying competing stimuli for FCRs, rather than challenging behavior, for three individuals who exhibited high rates of incorrect FCRs during schedule thinning. We identified high-competition stimuli when we placed the FCR on extinction during the CSA and observed challenging behavior infrequently. Competing stimuli combined with FCT facilitated schedule thinning during treatment, reducing incorrect FCRs while maintaining low levels of challenging behavior.

The Step it UP! Game, a modified version of the Good Behavior Game, has been implemented to increase physical activity levels among elementary school children and adults with disabilities. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate Step it UP! Game sessions that differed in duration within a given reinforcement arrangement on steps. Participants included young adults with disabilities (n = 15). Six conditions were alternated randomly within a multielement design: baseline (10, 20, and 40 min) and Step it UP! Game (10, 20, and 40 min). Participants took more steps during the Step it UP! Game relative to baseline, but no clear step differences were observed across game conditions. Pauses in step taking and the percentage of time engaging in moderate-intensity physical activity changed as game duration was manipulated.

This study extended prior observer-effect training research by evaluating whether scoring video models improved procedural fidelity when implementing discrete-trial instruction (DTI) with early intervention clients. Fifteen undergraduate students were assessed on implementation of three DTI skills (e.g., matching) following written instructions alone and received asynchronous, online training where they scored video models of DTI implementation using a procedural fidelity checklist. A multiple-baseline design across participants was used to evaluate the efficacy and generalization of the observer effect on procedural fidelity across skills. After scoring a matching video, 73.33% of participants (n = 11) met mastery criteria for implementing matching and 46.67% (n = 7) generalized skills to imitation and listener responding. Consistent with prior research, observation alone produced improvements in procedural fidelity and for most participants, mastery without in vivo modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. Results support observer-effect training as an efficient method for establishing high-fidelity DTI implementation.

Competing stimulus assessments (CSAs) are designed to identify stimuli that reduce challenging behavior through reinforcer competition or substitution. Haddock and Hagopian (2020) found that CSAs demonstrate utility across functions and topographies of challenging behavior. Stimuli identified by CSAs often performed similarly in validation tests. Since that review, augmented CSA (A-CSA) procedures have demonstrated efficacy in identifying greater numbers of competing stimuli compared with free-access tests. Given these rapid advancements, another review appears warranted. The current review analyzed individual participant data to measure the prevalence, procedural characteristics, efficacy, and predictive validity of CSAs and A-CSAs across functions and use of high-competition stimuli in treatment packages. Approximately one third of applications used augmented procedures. Applications for socially reinforced behavior and subsequent treatment evaluations appear to be increasing. The efficacy of A-CSAs for automatically maintained behavior suggests that augmentations for socially reinforced behavior may prove fruitful. Future directions for CSA research are discussed.

Treatment durability can be compromised when challenging behavior recurs following context changes (i.e., renewal), yet the temporal features of lapses have not been well described in large clinical samples. We examined latency to onset and persistence of renewal to inform clinical monitoring and planning following context changes. Using a retrospective consecutive case series of 98 patients receiving intensive outpatient treatment for challenging behavior, we analyzed 749 context changes involving person, setting, and task variables. Renewal emerged quickly (M = 1-2 sessions), with half beginning in the first postchange session. Persistence was often brief (49.74% resolved within one session), whereas 32.28% persisted for three or more sessions and 12.17% for five or more. Latency and persistence did not differ meaningfully across context-change types. Latency was not systematically associated with magnitude or persistence, whereas greater renewal magnitude predicted prolonged persistence. Results support extended monitoring and high-fidelity implementation following context changes.

In the evolving field of applied behavior analysis, there is a growing recognition of the value that qualitative research brings to understanding and improving interventions (Burney et al., Perspectives on Behavior Science, 46, 185-200, 2023; Leif et al., Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 57(3), 542-559, 2024). Our group of academics and practicing behavior analysts aim to share our journey towards incorporating qualitative approaches in our research and practice, underscoring their importance and application in enhancing our scientific endeavors. This article will guide readers through the process of qualitative inquiry, from thinking of words as data through to an introduction to qualitative inquiry methods and how to collect and analyze data. We then discuss some of the ethical considerations around qualitative research (researcher reflexivity, centering participant voice and cultural responsivity) and conclude with highlighting the value of mixed methods research, as we work towards enhancing the social validity of behavior-analytic interventions. Through sharing this journey, we are hoping our behavior-analytic peers will recognize that the path to including qualitative approaches in their research is not daunting and will lead to valuable insights into how we meet the needs of those we serve.

We examined the effects of varied versus constant high-probability (high-p) instructional sequences on cooperation with a low-probability (low-p) task. Three children diagnosed with autism participated. We first conducted an instruction identification phase to verify high-p and low-p instructions and then compared varied-to-constant high-p instructional sequences to improve cooperation with low-p instructions using reversal designs. The results of the study show that the varied high-p instructional sequence was more efficacious to increase cooperation with low-p instructions for one participant and that the varied and constant high-p instructional sequences were equally efficacious for the other two participants. We discuss the implications of these results for the use of the high-p instructional sequence in practice.

Previous research on the relation between heart rate patterns and severe behavior has yielded mixed findings. Specifically, some studies have identified distinct heart rate patterns surrounding challenging behavior, whereas others have found it to be an unreliable predictor. Notably, the relation between heart rate and precursors remains largely unexplored. It remains unclear whether changes in heart rate surrounding severe behavior are due to physical exertion or physiological arousal. The purpose of the current study was to (a) replicate Fritz et al. (2013) to identify precursors to aggression, (b) replicate and extend the methodology of McCabe and Greer (2023) by comparing heart rate surrounding precursors to differing levels of motor activity, and (c) examine the relations between heart rate and precursors to aggression during a precursor functional analysis. Results were idiosyncratic across participants when analyzing heart rate before and after precursors.

Effect size measurements in single-case experimental designs are essential for identifying evidence-based practices; however, each effect size index has notable limitations. To address constraints of nonoverlap-based indices, Aydin and Tanious (2022) introduced the performance-criteria-based effect size (PCES), which quantifies socially meaningful behavioral change. However, the original PCES for trend correction (PCEStrend) uses a basic split-middle method. This study sought to enhance PCEStrend measurements by incorporating five advanced linear trend-fitting techniques. A total of 87 published graphs with therapeutic baseline trends were analyzed, comparing techniques using performance indicators such as mean absolute scaled error, coefficient of variation, and R[2], along with visual judgments and ancillary outcomes (e.g., out-of-bounds forecasts and missing data imputation). Results revealed that ordinary least squares (OLS) provided the most accurate and reliable adjustments. Based on these findings, PCES calculations with OLS were incorporated into a user-friendly Google Sheet tool to increase accessibility and facilitate applied use.

To date, only one behavior analytic study has systematically examined the use of functional analysis to assess arranging and ordering, which is a form of higher level restricted and repetitive behavior (Rodriguez et al., 2012). The researchers found that arranging and ordering was automatically maintained and developed efficacious interventions that involved some form of prompting and response disruption. The current study applied the Hagopian et al. (2020) treatment model (i.e., augmented competing stimulus assessments) for automatically maintained self-injury to higher level repetitive behavior. A variety of pretreatment assessments including preference assessments, functional analyses, process-versus-product analyses, and augmented competing stimulus assessments were conducted to inform treatment. Following treatment, generalization probes were conducted. For all four participants, efficacious treatments were identified that consisted of providing competing stimuli identified via the augmented competing stimulus assessment.

Behavior analysts have studied the development of early vocal behavior in the context of infant-caregiver interactions. In the current article, we focus on two specific aspects of a caregiver's contingent response to infant vocalizations: contingent vocal imitation, which involves an adult imitating the speech sounds emitted by the child, and parentese, which involves short phrases with high pitch, exaggerated intonation, and slower tempo. We present the evidence for (a) effects of these forms of contingent responding on children's vocalizations and (b) effective intervention in studies with clinical populations. We highlight key aspects of prior studies, including methodological and procedural details and the observed effects on the frequency and quality of children's vocalizations. We discuss the potential mechanisms underlying the observed effects on children's vocal responses, including conditioning, social reinforcement, automatic reinforcement, and evolutionary adaptations. We discuss clinical implications for practitioners and identify 10 critical areas for future research.

Systematic reviews based on single-case experimental designs (SCED) are increasingly common in the scientific literature. However, researchers reviewing SCED research may employ varying approaches and strategies, not all of which correspond with recognized standards of review quality, including those specific to SCED. Furthermore, unique features of SCED may necessitate the development of new standards specific to research synthesis. In this article, we provide an overview of the current status and functions of systematic reviews in SCED research. We offer recommendations and guidance to novice and advanced researchers to support consistency, replicability, and transparency of systematic reviews that include SCED research.