We conducted a quasi‑experimental evaluation of a six‑session, classroom psychoeducation informed by Relational Frame Theory (RFT) and integrating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to reduce adolescent test anxiety (TA). Two of three 8th‑grade classes were selected by lot and assigned to intervention or control (n = 37; ages 12–13). Primary outcome was Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI) Total; secondary outcomes were TAI Worry, TAI Emotionality, and Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire–Youth 8 (AFQ‑Y8). Analyses used pretest‑adjusted ANCOVA with Holm–Bonferroni across secondary endpoints; with one cluster per arm, heteroskedasticity-consistent (HC3) standard errors provided design sensitivity. At post, the intervention scored lower than controls on TAI Total and AFQ‑Y8; Worry and Emotionality did not survive family-wise correction among secondary endpoints. We assessed detectability using minimum detectable effects (80
User testing, also referred to as developmental testing or formative evaluation, is an instructional design methodology which helps program developers and instructors refine their teaching tools and programs. This step-by-step process allows instructors to identify how individuals respond to the instructions developed while they use the tool or complete the program. Doing so gives instructors the opportunity to create desired stimulus control relations before employing the resources needed to conduct an experimental evaluation. Despite the potential usefulness of user testing, the process is not commonly detailed within the literature. The purpose of this manuscript is to detail a case example of user testing, in which a decision tree based on a concept analysis of assent, consent, and compulsion, was developed. The decision tree and 150 corresponding written vignettes underwent user testing with 15 different behavior analysts across different points in time. A description of the user testing process and the changes that occurred throughout the development of the decision tree and vignettes will be outlined. An overview of each step of the decision tree and applied examples are also be provided.
Disruptive behaviors can function as mands and this may limit speaker-listener interactions. In the current study, our objective was to empirically examine the function of disruptive behaviors in three Brazilian children with ASD to ultimately reduce the frequency of these behaviors. We conducted a functional analysis of disruptive behaviors and then taught participants to mand for access to tangible items based on the results of this assessment. All participants learned to emit mands and the frequency of their disruptive behaviors decreased as a result of the intervention. These current results confirm the effectiveness of using functional analysis technology to generate data that can guide intervention selection.
Service-delivery models that promote collaboration with families and systematically program for generalization may produce socially significant and generalized outcomes. However, valid empirical demonstrations of the impact of these interventions on generalized outcomes are difficult to generate via single case design research. Ongoing measures of caregiver report of behavior change and intervention challenges could be a valuable metric for guiding formative evaluation of behavior change programs. In this paper, we present a fully integrated mixed methods case study using convergent-design elements to demonstrate how incorporating qualitative and quantitative measures focused on behavior that occurred outside of formal therapy sessions informed socially valid and generalized outcomes.
