Jonathan W Ivy

Pennsylvania State University | Penn State · Penn State Harrisburg

The primary goals of behavior analysis are the prediction and influence of behavior. These goals are largely achieved through the identification of functional relations between behaviors and the stimulating environment. Behavior–behavior relations are insufficient to meet these goals. Although this environment–behavior approach has been highly succ...

The field of behavior analysis has dictated an Ethics Code (Behavior Analyst Certification Board, 2020), requirements for instructing ethics content within a Verified Course Sequence, and the mandate that behavior analysts address unethical behavior of others. However, no evidence-based practice for how to instruct behavioral ethics, nor the specif...

Cultural awareness reminds ABA service providers of the importance of considering the cultural practices of others when programming for behavior change. Decisions about the appropriateness of services may be difficult, however, when the values of the client conflict with the values of the culture(s) to which the client belongs or with the cultural...

This study evaluated the efficacy of a treatment package which included tongue lateralization as part of chewing instruction. Participants consisted of three children who consumed only pureed food and had no history of chewing. Using the outcome measures, tongue lateralization and chewing, we demonstrated improvements in these outcomes for each of...

This study examined the effect of pre-meal presentation on the consumption of vegetables in a sample of 16 students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These 16 students (75% male; mean age = 13 years; age range 8–18 years) were enrolled in a private school serving children with autism. School staff offered participants 10 small pieces of two vege...

Token schedules of reinforcement are ubiquitous in clinical settings, yet little research has thoroughly evaluated the effects of token schedules on responding in clinical settings. Basic research has shown token schedules of reinforcement produce lower response rates and larger pre‐ratio pauses compared to tandem schedules. The purpose of the curr...

Noncontingent reinforcement is a time-based schedule of reinforcement that has been shown to decrease problem behavior. Although the intervention is considered well established, there exist concerns that much of the supporting research has been conducted under highly controlled experimental conditions that may lack ecological validity. That is, alt...

The Autism Mental Status Exam (AMSE) is a brief clinician-completed observational instrument that has shown promise in identifying autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a referred sample. Our study explores the feasibility of the AMSE in both developmental pediatric and primary care samples. Fifty-three toddlers with ASD and other disabilities were sco...

SCIENTIFIC Skinner (1957) offered a behavioral account of language in his book Verbal Behavior. Compared to more traditional, structural accounts of language at the time, Skinner’s analysis attempted to identify the variables that control and maintain verbal behavior. This behavioral account of language has proven useful, especially in the area of...

Repetitive or stereotyped patterns of responding are a defining characteristic of autism. These repetitive patterns of responding often extend to leisure or free time during which an individual may engage in a limited range of activities, resulting in missed opportunities to contact other potential reinforcers. Lag schedules of reinforcement have b...

A multiple treatment reversal design was used to evaluate the effects of three different antecedent-based interventions on the post-use cleaning of gym equipment. Unidentified students, faculty, staff, and community members participated in this study. An announcement, signs, and signs together with increased accessibility to cleaning materials were...

A mass killing is a complex behavior that is the product of a range of variables. Recent research suggests one such variable by showing that when a mass killing occurs there is a heightened chance of another occurring in the near future. This increase in probability has been referred to as contagion and one possible mechanism for contagion may be g...

The token economy is a well-established and widely used behavioral intervention. A token economy is comprised of six procedural components: the target response(s), a token that functions as a conditioned reinforcer, backup reinforcers, and three interconnected schedules of reinforcement. Despite decades of applied research, the extent to which the...

Mass shootings are a particular problem in the United States, with one mass shooting occurring approximately every 12.5 days. Recently a “contagion” effect has been suggested wherein the occurrence of one mass shooting increases the likelihood of another mass shooting occurring in the near future. Although contagion is a convenient metaphor used to...

The use of applied behavior analysis (ABA) across the lifespan for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) evolves as young children mature to adolescents and then to adults. In childhood, instruction of comprehensive skill repertoires in combined treatment packages (e.g., early intensive behavioral intervention) in conjunction with instru...

The interaction effects between motivating operations and reinforcer classes were evaluated using a superordinate multielement design. Two individuals with developmental disabilities participated. Participants were exposed to a motivating operation condition-pre-session access until rejection or pre-session restriction for 24h-followed by a reinfor...

Generalized conditioned reinforcers (GCRs) in the form of tokens are commonly used in behavioral treatment. However, it is possible for non-tangible consequences to also function as GCRs. For example, a vocal stimulus (e.g., good job) associated with completion of a work task, access to preferred actives, and peer interaction could function as a GC...

Fluency-based strategies such as Say All Fast a Minute Each Day Shuffled (SAFMEDS) effectively promote fluent responding (i.e., high rate and accuracy). It is possible, however, that the stimulus control developed through these activities inhibits stimulus generalization. We investigated this concern in a two-part study with college students. Study...

We examined college students' procrastination when studying for weekly in-class quizzes. Two schedules of online practice quiz delivery were compared using a multiple baseline design. When online study material was made available noncontingently, students usually procrastinated. When access to additional study material was contingent on completing...

Day care workers are not only responsible for meeting the needs of the children they care for but creating an enriched and friendly environment as well. Few daycare centers require any specific inservice training for their staff members. When provided, training typically occurs as a didactic workshop. For this study a multiple baseline design acros...

Secondary analyses were conducted for children participating in the school-based Kids Choice Program [Hendy, H. M., Williams, K., & Camise, T. (2005). "Kids Choice" school lunch program increases children's fruit and vegetable acceptance. Appetite, 45, 250-263.] to examine whether fruit and vegetable consumption and preference ratings by overweight...