Assessment of a metacontingency instructional package for a rehabilitation day training classroom

Author

Toni Danielle Hargraves, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

5-1-2015

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Behavior Analysis and Therapy

First Advisor

Rehfeldt, Ruth Anne

Abstract

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Toni Hargraves, for the Master of Science degree in Behavior Analysis and Therapy, presented on April 2015, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: ASSESSMENT OF A METACONTINGENCY INSTRUCTIONAL PACKAGE FOR A REHABILITATION DAY TRAINING CLASSROOM MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Ruth Anne Rehfeldt The following study evaluated the effects of a metacontingency instructional package on interlocking behaviors by measuring the products produced by the interlocking behaviors of four adults attending a specialized rehabilitation center and working to obtain financial gain and community inclusion. The package was a manipulation of the environment of a day training classroom by incorporating a program where contingencies were available on an interrelated level and targeted as many individuals as possible to provide the largest societal gain. For 3 adults with mild to severe intellectual disabilities, task completion increased above task completion averages observed during baseline conditions where only individualized tasks were presented. For all participants, cooperative behaviors were only observed in the condition where tasks were interrelated with tasks of peers and returned to baselines levels once the package was removed. Producing the changes at this level may be socially relevant due to the potential gains of the participants, potential gain of the rehabilitation setting in relation to funding for productivity results, and the potential gain to the overall community through increased social skills of individuals who interact in that setting.