Association for Behavior Analysis International

Behavior analysts teach others to engage in behavior analytic ways, but we do not always do so using our own methods and evaluation tools while doing so. This symposium presents 3 studies that examine a variety of methods of using behavior analytic methods and evaluation tools in our training. The first study examines code names variables (e.g., use of jargon, everyday language) that might impact the effectiveness of training observers to code behavioral data. This study uses an errorless expert training system and fluency techniques. The second study in the symposium examines the effects of prompts on the teacher's use of active listening techniques and subsequent effects on the rates of student participation in the class. This study uses prompts, behavioral observation, and a multiple baseline design. The final study in the symposium examines the effects of a short simple discrimination training task on the production of visually-interesting slides for use in lectures. This study uses discrimination training and a multiple-baseline design.

Train-To-Code (TTC) is an errorless expert training system designed for training observers to symbolically code ongoing behavior with high degrees of inter-observer accuracy. TTC itself is simply a generalized training software engine for wedding any video-presented behavior exemplars with any symbolic coding taxonomy via the use of expert-generated continuous-coding of the video. Typically, a sequence of such videos is presented to generate what TTC's User Guide manuals (c.f., Ray 2011a, 2011b) refer to as training programs (TPs). Some observers trained via TTC have not only demonstrated rapid development of nearly errorless coding skills, but also have readily demonstrated generative transfer of that training by producing the very behaviors they were trained to discriminate and code (Ray, Ruah, Bourdon, & Sanford, 2011). Yet, trainers who design TPs with such generative transfer as an outcome goal have many complex issues to consider. Unfortunately variables that might impact the effectiveness of training-especially those that might negatively impact generative outcomes such as generalized response production-are often overlooked. This presentation details a study of pre-training fluency with different symbolic codes used for behavioral categorization as a critical variable in such TP designs.

One understanding of verbal behavior is behavior for which reinforcement is mediated by a listener who has been specifically conditioned by a verbal community to mediate reinforcement. Active listening involves paraphrasing and summarizing anothers verbal behavior for the purposes of verification. This paper examines the definition of active listening in terms of the definition of verbal behavior, and investigates the effects of active listening on student participation in a graduate level behavior analysis class. Using a multiple baseline across class sections, this study will examines the use of prompts to increase active listening behavior of the instructor, then any changes in that behavior against changes in rates of student participation.

Recently sales and other professional speakers have relied less upon default bullet-point styles in presentation software and more upon visually interesting slides that augment rather than duplicate what the speaker is saying (e.g., Presentation Zen). There is some evidence to suggest that college students prefer such visually-interesting slides over bullet-point slides in classroom settings. New presenters and teachers seem to use the bullet-point slides. Such use of bullet-points may be due to a number of factors, including these are the default in various presentation software, history of seeing others use bullet-points, and learning to develop visually-interesting slides can be time-consuming. Using a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design, the present study examines the effectiveness of a short simple discrimination training task on the development of visuals. Participants were given several sets of information to present in visual form to accompany a fictitious future lecture. Following baseline slide development, participants underwent a short simple training during which participants received points for selecting the slide with fewer words and better images. The number of slides as well as the number of words and bullets per slide was examined pre- and post-training.