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Biomedical subjects

R Van Houten

Publications and source records attributed to R Van Houten.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Increasing motorist compliance and caution at stop signs.

This study evaluated strategies to improve motorist compliance and caution at three stop-sign-controlled intersections with a history of motor vehicle crashes. The primary intervention was a light-emitting diode (LED) sign that featured animated eyes scanning left and right to prompt drivers to look left and right for approaching traffic. Data were scored from videotape on the percentage of drivers coming to a complete stop and the percentage of drivers looking right before entering the intersection. Observational data were collected on the percentage of right-angle conflicts (defined as braking suddenly or swerving from the path to avoid an intersection crash). The introduction of the LED sign according to a multiple baseline across the three intersections was associated with an increase in the percentage of vehicles coming to a complete stop at all three intersections and a small increase in the percentage of drivers looking right before entering the intersections. Conflicts between vehicles on the major and minor road were also reduced following the introduction of the animated eyes prompt.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

The use of feedback signs to increase observed daytime seat belt use in two cities in North Carolina.

Well publicized enforcement programs in North Carolina have raised seat belt use to about 80%. In an effort to find techniques to raise belt use further, signs providing feedback to drivers on belt use rates were introduced in two communities, Asheboro (population 18,000) and Greensboro (population 183,000). Feedback signs remind motorists about belt use and imply a constant and vigorous enforcement presence. The signs were prominently posted by the roadside at high volume locations; belt use information was changed weekly based on observational surveys. Observed daytime driver belt use in Asheboro increased from an average of 75% before the signs to 89% after the signs were established. At urban sites in Greensboro, driver belt use increased from 80% to 86%. Right front passenger belt use increased significantly in Asheboro but not in Greensboro. There were no changes in belt use at two interstate exit sites in Greensboro. Reasons for the differential success rates may relate to differences in initial belt use rates, community size, amount of publicity, and numbers of encounters with the signs. It is clear, however, that feedback signs can be an important supplement to belt use enforcement programs.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1994

Operant extinction in the treatment of severe maladaptive behavior: adapting research to practice.

Operant extinction involves termination of reinforcement for a previously reinforced response. As a clinical intervention for severe maladaptive behavior operant extinction is often repudiated because of intensity of side effects, length of treatment time required, and implementation difficulties. This article discusses both theoretical and practical aspects of extinction, including components of the extinction process and the importance of functional assessment to its effective use. Potential strategies for increasing the effectiveness of extinction while diminishing intrusiveness are recommended. Based on recent research innovations, a technology is emerging for effective use of operant extinction in the treatment of severe maladaptive behavior.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

The effects of low alcohol beverages on alcohol consumption and impairment.

We examined the effects of providing drinks with half the alcohol level on alcohol consumption and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 4 patrons of a private club. Alcohol consumption was measured by observers and level of impairment was determined from breath samples obtained by digitalized ALERT (Alcohol Level Evaluation Road Tester) breath testing devices. An alternating treatments design was employed to compare the sessions during which people drank mixed drinks with their usual alcohol concentration with sessions during which they drank mixed drinks with half the alcohol concentration that cost half as much as the regular drinks. All 4 participants consumed less alcohol during sessions when they received drinks with the lower alcohol content. BAC was also less on all but two sessions during the low alcohol condition.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1993

The use of wrist weights to reduce self-injury maintained by sensory reinforcement.

The participant in this study was a boy with a long history of self-injurious face slapping. Following a functional analysis indicating that face slapping was maintained by sensory consequences, the participant was given soft wrist weights to wear for progressively longer periods. Data on the frequency of face slapping were collected 5 min before the weights were put on, while the weights were on, and 5 min after the weights were removed. At all other times a protective helmet was placed on the participant's head for 30 min contingent on face slaps. When weights were worn for 30 min each day, face slapping decreased during 5-min observation periods before and after wearing the weights. The use of protective headgear was eliminated by the end of the study. Face slapping did not occur during a follow-up check conducted 5 months after completion of the study.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed1993

The failure of feedback on alcohol impairment to reduce impaired driving.

We examined the effects of rules to govern drinking, individual feedback on blood alcohol concentration (BAC), and public posting of group data on impaired driving on the incidence of impaired driving. Level of impairment was determined from breath samples taken from tavern patrons. Following baseline, an intervention package consisting of (a) cards to guide patrons in pacing their drinking to stay under the legal limit, (b) individual feedback on BAC, and (c) posted group feedback on the percentage of patrons driving while impaired the preceding week was introduced in two taverns. Results indicated that the intervention package did not reduce the percentage of impaired drivers departing either tavern. The addition of a brief intensive police enforcement program directed at impaired driving produced a short-term reduction in impaired driving.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1992

The influence of signs prompting motorists to yield before marked crosswalks on motor vehicle-pedestrian conflicts at crosswalks with flashing amber.

The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of signs reading "STOP HERE FOR PEDESTRIANS" alone and in conjunction with advance stop lines on pedestrian safety at multilane crosswalks with pedestrian-activated amber flashing lights. Motorist and pedestrian behaviors measured throughout this experiment included the occurrence of various types of motor vehicle-pedestrian conflicts; the distance that motorists stopped before the crosswalk when yielding to pedestrians; and the percentage of motorists yielding to pedestrians. The introduction of the sign alone 50 feet (15.15 m) before the crosswalk increased the distance before the crosswalk that motorists yielded to pedestrians and reduced the percentage of motor vehicle-pedestrian conflicts whether the flashing light was activated or not. The addition of the advance stop line was associated with further improvements in both measures.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1992

Increasing generalized social interactions in psychotic and mentally retarded residents through peer-mediated therapy.

This study investigated whether withdrawn adults living in a residential center for psychotic and mentally handicapped persons could serve as peer therapists to increase the social interaction of other withdrawn residents. Two pairs of residents served as participants. Treatments were introduced and evaluated within a multiple baseline with reversal design. After baseline, the peer therapist was instructed to increase the social interactions of a target peer through engagement in social interactions. The results demonstrated that the peer therapist increased the social interactions of target peers. However, these increases did not generalize to other residents until the introduction of a multiple peer therapist condition. The percentage of time the peer therapists interacted with other nontarget residents also increased throughout the study. These results were maintained during a 4-month follow-up condition.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Using time delay to promote spontaneous speech in an autistic child.

One of the frequently observed deficits in autistic children is their lack of spontaneous speech. We used a multiple baseline across behaviors to investigate the effectiveness of a time delay procedure for inducing spontaneous speech in a 10-year-old male autistic child during play. We first taught the child to imitate the experimenter's verbal prompts that described the child's motor response. Once the child reached criteria on imitation, we implemented baseline wherein an immediate verbal prompt for speech was provided after each of the child's motor responses. Intervention consisted of a gradual delay in the presentation of the verbal prompts. The time delay effectively increased the child's spontaneous speech on trained items; some generalization to untrained items also occurred, but only within the same behavioral class of car play. Generalization was also observed across settings. Spontaneous speech remained at high levels during the 4-month maintenance for the behavior of car play but decreased for a second behavior. Decreases in the child's response latencies suggest that spontaneous speech may be an anticipatory verbal response.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed1991

Side effects of therapeutic punishment on academic performance and eye contact.

The effects of therapeutic punishment delivered following inappropriate behavior on the academic responding and eye-to-face contact of 2 persons with developmental handicaps was examined using a counterbalanced alternating treatment design. Each subject was sequentially taught by two therapists each day. While one of the therapists taught the subject, the second therapist stood in close proximity directly behind the subject. During baseline, neither therapist delivered punishment following inappropriate behavior. During the treatment condition, one of the therapists delivered all punishment regardless of whether she was teaching or standing behind the subject. The therapist who delivered all punishment for 1 subject did not deliver any punishment for the other subject. During the last condition, the therapist delivering all punishment was reversed for 1 of the subjects. The results indicated that the task being taught was mastered by each subject only when the therapist delivering punishment was teaching. Data collected also indicated that each subject made more eye-to-face contact when the therapist delivering all punishment was teaching. Although neither therapist had to deliver punishers often, punishment had to be administered less often when the therapist teaching the subject was also the therapist delivering punishment.

Achievement↗
PubMed1988

Recreating the scene: an effective way to provide delayed punishment for inappropriate motor behavior.

A mediated punishment procedure that involved recreating a behavioral sequence by guiding the subject through the behavior in the situation in which it occurred was used to suppress several severe problem behaviors in two developmentally delayed children. The mediational procedure was first used with a 4-year-old autistic boy for biting and then for foot stomping. Next the procedure was used for stealing and hoarding behavior with a multiply handicapped 17-year-old girl. Results indicated that the procedure was effective and produced relatively rapid results. One advantage of the procedure is that it provides an opportunity for trained personnel to apply restrictive procedures to low frequency behavior that occurs in their absence rather than relying on less qualified staff to implement the procedure immediately after the behavior occurs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

The effects of nighttime seat belt enforcement on seat belt use by tavern patrons: a preliminary analysis.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of police enforcement and the use of signs and posters in promoting seat belt use by nighttime tavern patrons. Ten taverns in two cities served as sites. Data were collected on the nighttime seat belt use of tavern patrons and daytime citywide seat belt use. Results indicated that the intervention increased nighttime seat belt use by tavern patrons. Daytime seat belt use increased in one city and remained at a high level in the other following the intervention. Because previous research has shown that tavern patrons are overrepresented in the impaired driving population, and that seat belt use decreases the likelihood of serious injury or death, results of this study suggest that enforcement of seat belt use could reduce casualties resulting from impaired driving.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1988

The right to effective behavioral treatment.

We propose that individuals who are recipients or potential recipients of treatment designed to change their behavior have the right to a therapeutic environment, services whose overriding goal is personal welfare, treatment by a competent behavior analyst, programs that teach functional skills, behavioral assessment and ongoing evaluation, and the most effective treatment procedures available.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1987

The effects of a specific prompting sign on speed reduction.

The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether a specifically worded prompting sign ("BEGIN SLOWING HERE") could reduce speeding where a highway entered an urban area with a residential speed limit. Speed measurements were obtained on vehicles at the start of the residential speed limit zone. Following a baseline period the prompting sign was introduced, removed and reintroduced. The results indicated that the prompting sign produced clear reductions in the percentage of motorists travelling 10, 15 and 20 km or more over the speed limit. These results suggest the importance of more specific road signs in influencing the behavior of motorists.

Automobile Driving↗
PubMed1985

Treatment of constipation-caused encopresis by a negative reinforcement procedure.

During a baseline condition soiling and the cumulative number of bowel movements of a child suffering from retentive encopresis were recorded. Following this, a DRO (differential reinforcement of other behavior) alone, a DRO plus overcorrection procedure, and a negative reinforcement procedure were each evaluated using a reversal design. The negative reinforcement procedure, which involved having the child sit on the toilet three times a day for increasing time periods if no bowel movement occurred, suppressed soiling and led to regular unprompted daily bowel movements in a very brief period of time. The DRO alone and DRO plus overcorrection conditions produced only a small decline in soiling.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1985

Movement suppression time-out for undesirable behavior in psychotic and severely developmentally delayed children.

The effects of a movement suppression time-out, which involved punishing any movement or verbalization while a client is in the time-out area, were evaluated in four experiments. The first experiment examined the effects of a DRO procedure and movement suppression plus DRO in suppressing self-injurious behavior in a psychotic child in three different situations. In Experiment 2, the results of the previous experiment were replicated with two dangerous behaviors in a second psychotic child. In a third experiment, movement suppression plus DRO was compared with contingent restraint in reducing inappropriate poking behavior in two settings. The movement suppression procedure eliminated poking whereas contingent restraint had little effect. In the final experiment, movement suppression time-out alone was compared with exclusionary time-out alone and simple corner time-out alone. Self-stimulation occurred at high levels during the exclusionary and simple corner time-out procedures. Self-stimulation was either suppressed or reduced during movement suppression time-out. The movement suppression time-out procedure produced a larger reduction in the target behavior in all three children. The effectiveness of the movement suppression procedure was explained in terms of the suppression of self-stimulation while the time-out procedure was being applied.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Large-scale reductions in speeding and accidents in Canada and Israel: a behavioral ecological perspective.

We assessed the effects of posted feedback and warning ticket programs on speeding and accidents in two cities. In Experiment 1, speeding feedback signs were effective even when 10 were used in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and reductions in speeding were associated with reductions in accidents. The effectiveness of the signs was correlated with the number of intersections and residences within 0.5 km beyond them, and the signs had no effect on untreated streets. In Experiment 2, posted feedback and a warning program reduced speeding and accidents on 14 streets in Haifa, Israel.

Accidents, Traffic↗