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Behavioral function effects on intervention acceptability and effectiveness for self-injurious behavior.

Richard P Hastings¹, Holly V N Boulton, Louisa C Monzani

¹School of Psychology, University of Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2AS, Wales, UK. r.hastings@bangor.ac.uk

Research in Developmental Disabilities

|March 18, 2004

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Behavioral intervention acceptability is influenced by severity and staff experience, but not typically by the behavior

Area of Science:

Behavioral psychology
Applied behavior analysis

Background:

Social validity is crucial for the acceptance of behavioral interventions.
Understanding factors influencing intervention acceptability is essential for effective implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the effect of behavioral function on the perceived social validity of interventions.
To examine how behavior severity and rater experience influence intervention acceptability.

Main Methods:

Sixty students and 60 experienced staff watched videos of self-injury.
Videos depicted self-injury maintained by attention or escape, with mild or severe consequences.
Participants rated the acceptability and effectiveness of six interventions.

Main Results:

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Reinforcement-based procedures were rated as more acceptable and effective, replicating a known hierarchy.
Behavior severity and rater experience significantly affected intervention ratings.
Behavioral function had minimal impact on perceived acceptability and effectiveness.

Conclusions:

Staff may not differentiate interventions based on behavioral function.
Further research is needed to understand undifferentiated attitudes towards functional treatments.
Implications for training and practice regarding functional behavior assessment are discussed.