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The current study evaluated the efficacy of a video-based training to teach 4 staff working in a human service setting to use behavioral skills training (BST) to teach job-related skills to others. Low levels of BST integrity were observed during baseline. Immediately after viewing a 13-min training video, 2 participants implemented BST at mastery (i.e., 100% integrity). The remaining 2 participants required brief supplemental performance feedback to reach criterion performance. The effects of the training generalized to training 2 novel skills and maintained in follow-up probes conducted 1 to 4 weeks posttraining. A social validity measure indicated high levels of satisfaction with the video-based training and high acceptability of BST. Implications of these findings for organizational training practices and directions for future research are discussed.

Introduction Considering recent and proposed bans on menthol cigarettes, methods are needed to understand the substitutability of potential menthol cigarette alternatives (MCAs) for menthol cigarettes. This study examined the prospective relationship between behavioral economic demand indices and subjective effects of usual brand menthol cigarettes (UBMC) and preferred MCAs with subsequent performance on a laboratory-based concurrent-choice task comparing UBMC and MCAs. Methods Eighty participants who typically smoked menthol cigarettes completed this clinical laboratory study. After sampling each product, participants completed the cigarette purchase task (CPT) and modified cigarette evaluation questionnaire (mCEQ). Following 1 week of substituting their preferred MCA for their UBMC, participants completed a 90-minute concurrent-choice self-administration (SA) task comparing their UBMC and preferred MCA. Linear regression models explored associations between CPT demand indices and mCEQ subjective effects in the laboratory with subsequent response effort for UBMCs on the concurrent-choice task. Results Three demand indices for UBMC were positively associated with UBMC response effort: essential value (EV; p  = .02), O max (p  = .02), and breakpoint (p  = .04). Four CPT demand indices for the preferred MCA significantly corresponded with UBMC response effort: EV (p  = .03), price associated with maximal expenditure (P max) (p  = .04), maximal expenditure (O max) (p  = .03), and breakpoint (p  = .03). Subjective effects captured by the mCEQ were not associated with response effort. Conclusions Demand indices reflecting Persistence (ie, sensitivity to escalating price) predicted effort to obtain UBMC puffs on the concurrent-choice task. Among this sample, the CPT captured information on the relative reinforcing value (ie, addiction potential) of combustible tobacco products similar to the longer SA task. Implications In an ever-changing product market, assessing the reinforcing efficacy of menthol cigarettes and putative substitutes quickly and with validity is an important methodological tool for understanding abuse liability. Results suggest that behavioral economic demand indices of CPT efficiently capture information on the relative reinforcing value of UBMC and plausible alternative tobacco products, similar to a 90-minute in-laboratory SA task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment used a pyramidal training model to evaluate the effects of behavioral skills training (BST), delivered in a 1-time group-training format, on the extent to which 25 human service staff implemented BST when training others how to implement behavioral procedures. Results indicated that (a) the training workshop increased BST integrity to mastery levels for the majority of participants with varying levels of education, organizational positions, and training experience, (b) the training effects generalized to teaching an untrained skill, and (c) high levels of BST integrity maintained at follow-up 4 to 6 weeks after training for all 3 participants with whom probes were conducted. Moreover, participants indicated high levels of satisfaction with both the training workshop and BST as a training procedure.

Failure to provide adequate teacher training related to a specific intervention or approach during consultation may be associated with a host of negative outcomes. Requiring teachers to implement an intervention with little to no training increases the probability that the intervention will not have the intended effect and subsequently will fail to bring about desired change in student behavior. Moreover, substantial time and effort are necessary to implement a consultation model (Erchul & Martens, 2010). Activities typically entail a series of interviews between a teacher and consultant (e.g., problem identification), student assessment, classroom observations, data collection, and analysis to gather sufficient information to develop an intervention plan that is then followed by teacher training and progress monitoring. The activities collectively can span dozens of hours. If the plan is ultimately ineffective due to low teacher integrity resulting from insufficient training, these expended resources are wasted. In contrast to the potential for poor outcomes associated with insufficient teacher support, this article presents a model, developed by several researchers of consultation that applies the principles of behavioral science to the training and support of teachers. The model contains two broad components: (a) initial teacher training and (b) ongoing teacher support.

Behavioral skills training and on‐the‐job feedback are effective in changing staff behavior as evidenced by years of staff‐training research. However, community programs for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often do not utilize these best‐practice training methods. The purpose of the current study was to train four empirically derived practices to staff who work with adults with IDD. We trained the staff to provide positive interactions, provide effective instructions, provide correct responses to problem behavior, and promote consumer engagement with items and activities. We used behavioral skills training and on‐the‐job feedback to increase staff implementation of these practices on a large scale in a community‐based organization despite some barriers such as high staff turnover rates. Overall, results showed that our training procedure was effective in increasing staff implementation of the four practices in many homes and programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The observer effect refers to an increase in a trainee's performance following an observation in which the trainee records data on the behavior of another individual performing that skill. We examined three variations of observation and data recording to teach guided compliance implementation. Experiment 1 investigated the effects of data recording during video observation. Experiment 2 examined whether recording the performance of a peer and providing feedback improved performance. Experiment 3 required participants to accurately collect data during video demonstrations. Across all experiments, we observed performance improvements for some but not all participants. Experimenter feedback was necessary for most participants to meet criterion levels. Hence, the observer effect was not consistently found. We discuss implications of these findings as they relate to previous research and apply to staff training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This brief review summarizes recent research on technology‐based antecedent staff training procedures, highlights key methodological components, and concludes with potential directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizational settings are replete with changing stimulus contexts and contingencies, which makes relapse a particularly relevant framework for understanding the ways in which controlling stimuli influence employee responding. The purpose of the current study was to develop a translational model to assess renewal of desirable behavior in a simulated workplace with neurotypical adults. Experiment 1 assessed renewal of desirable behavior using a computerized check processing task. Experiment 2 extended the findings and the translational utility of the experimental arrangement to implementation of a behavior‐analytic teaching procedure. Results across both experiments demonstrated renewal of desirable behavior. Overall, the current methodology and findings extend the human operant literature on renewal and demonstrate a translational model that brings together operant renewal and organizational behavior management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Understanding disparities in adolescent cigarette smoking is important for effective prevention., Methods: We investigated disparities in adolescent smoking based on cumulative reported psychosocial/health risk among respondents ages 12-17 years in the US National Survey of Drug Use and Health from 2002 to 2019. Multivariable regression estimated associations of cumulative risk, survey years, and their interaction predicting past-month and daily smoking. Eleven psychosocial/health variables associated with youth smoking formed composite measures of cumulative risk, categorizing risk as Low (0-2), Moderate (3-4), or High (5+). The main outcomes were weighted past-month and daily smoking by cumulative risk and time, examining prevalence and proportional change across years., Results: Among 244,519 adolescents, greater cumulative risk predicted higher smoking prevalence across all outcomes. Compared to the Low-risk category, past-month smoking odds (adjusted odds ratio, 95%CI) were 9.14 (8.58-9.72) and 46.15 (43.38-49.10) times greater in the Moderate- and High-risk categories. For daily smoking, odds were 14.11 (11.92-16.70) and 97.32 (83.06-114.03) times greater among the Moderate- and High-risk categories. Regarding proportional change, the Low-risk category exhibited the steepest decline in past-month smoking from 2002-2003 to 2018-2019 (-85.1%), followed by the Moderate- (-79.2%) and High-risk (-65.7%) categories. Daily smoking declined more steeply among the Low- (-96.5%) and Moderate- (-90.5%) than High-risk category (-86.4%)., Conclusions: Cumulative risk is a robust predictor of adolescent smoking. While record-setting reductions in adolescent smoking extend across risk categories, disparities favoring youth with fewer risks are evident throughout. Recognizing cumulative risk can inform the development of more targeted and effective prevention efforts., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Introduction: People with disabilities disproportionately use tobacco products. However, little is known about cessation interventions tailored for people with disabilities. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of smoking cessation interventions for adults with disabilities., Methods: Six electronic databases (Cochrane, CINAHL Plus [EBSCOhost], Embase [Ovid], Medline [Ovid], PsycINFO [Ovid], and Web of Science) were searched to identify eligible interventions for people with disabilities (e.g., vision, hearing, mobility, communication, cognition, self-care) through July 2023. Two independent coders evaluated the records and extracted data from studies that met inclusion criteria. Qualitative synthesis was conducted on the included studies in 2023., Results: One randomized controlled trial and one nonrandomized study met the inclusion criteria. Both studies used mindfulness-based procedures to reduce cigarette use in adults with mild intellectual disability. The outcome was defined as self-reported cigarette use at follow-up, which ranged from 1 year to 3 years. Limited information was provided on how the interventions were tailored to meet the unique needs of people with disabilities in either study., Conclusion: Two interventions conducted in adults with mild intellectual disability showed promising results using mindfulness-based procedures; however, the studies did not address barriers reported by people with disabilities, nor tailor the interventions to meet the needs of the target population. Research is needed to address tobacco use disparities among people with a range of disabilities. Current cessation interventions would be enhanced by integrating disability identifiers alongside other demographic information in future studies and reporting subgroup analyses in adults with disabilities., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. ACV was supported by P30CA072720-5931 and the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. SDR was supported by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (T32DA035200) of the National Institutes of Health. We acknowledge support from the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence Award (P20 GM103644) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. The funding agency had no role in study design, data collection or analysis, or preparation and submission of the manuscript. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)