Evaluation of increasing antecedent specificity in goal statements on adherence to positive behavior‐management strategies. Issue 4 (26th May 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cohrs, Corey M.; Shriver, Mark D.; Burke, Raymond V.; Allen, Keith D.
• Is Part Of: Journal of applied behavior analysis. Volume 49:Issue 4(2016:Winter)
• Page Start: 768
• Page End: 779
• Publication Date: 2016-05-26
• Subjects: goal setting -- praise -- schools -- treatment integrity; Psychology, Applied -- Periodicals; Social Behavior -- Periodicals; 150
• DOI: 10.1002/jaba.321
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0021-8855

Abstract

Abstract : We evaluated the impact of antecedent specificity in goal statements on adherence to positive behavior‐management strategies. Teaching staff were recruited from 2 different school settings where there were routine expectations to use behavior‐specific praise in the classroom, but adherence was poor. In a concurrent multiple baseline design, the use of behavior‐specific praise by 4 participants was found to be unaffected by goal statements that increasingly specified the behavior to be used and the conditions under which the behavior should occur. However, adherence by 3 of the 4 participants did change when goal statements included teacher‐specified frequencies with which the behavior should occur. Results were systematically replicated in a second study in which, in a concurrent multiple baseline design, 3 participants showed marked increases in adherence when goal statements specified the target behavior, the conditions under which it should occur, and the frequency with which it should occur.