Current & Recent Research Studies

  • Study: Acceptability, Perceived Usage and Preference of Direct Behavior Rating among School Psychologists
    Lead: Jessica Amon & T. Chris Riley-Tillman
    Description: The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the perceived usage of DBR by School Psychologists among four constructs: Acceptability, Feasibility, Understanding and Knowledge of DBR, and System Support. In addition, a brief preference assessment will be included.

  • Study: Diagnostic Accuracy of Direct Behavior Rating as a Behavior Screener for Elementary and Middle School Students
    Lead: Sandra M. Chafouleas
    Description: The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of DBR cut scores across three single item scales (i.e., Disruption, Academic Engagement, Respect) as related to two criterion measures which have historical use in school settings.

  • Study: Single item DBR scales of Academic engagement, Disruption, and Respectful: Impact of the Wording of Target Behaviors on the Accuracy of Data
    Lead: Sandra M. Chafouleas & T. Chris Riley-Tillman
    Description: Historically, there has been little empirical investigation of the selection of target behaviors and impact of the item wording (positive/negative) on DBR outcomes. Although results of a preliminary study (Riley-Tillman et al, 2009) suggested that individuals are able to produce more accurate ratings when asked to judge global behaviors (molar), results were inconsistent with regard to target wording (positive/negative). A follow-up study by Christ et al (2009) that examined molar behaviors (only general outcome, not molecular) found that, wording of the behavior (positive or negative) did not have a substantial effect on rating accuracy for either Academic Engagement or Disruption. However, raters more accurately rated some behaviors over others, supporting previous statements that "defensibility" must be considered separately for each target behavior. The purpose of the current study is to replicate and extend previous findings regarding use of molar behaviors that can be worded in a positive or negative manner.

  • Study: Evaluation of an On-line DBR Training Module to Enhance Rater Accuracy
    Lead: Sandra M. Chafouleas
    Description: The primary purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an on-line training module in enhancing rater accuracy using DBR.

  • Study: Critical Components of DBR Training to Enhance Rater Accuracy: An Investigation of Training Content and Exposure
    Lead: Sandra M. Chafouleas & T. Chris Riley-Tillman
    Description: The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of adding components to DBR training that incorporates the "standard" package of overview/modeling/practice/feedback. In addition, amount of exposure (i.e. number of practice/feedback opportunities) will be evaluated. The ultimate goal is to develop recommendations for the most effective and efficient training "package" for improving rater consistency and accuracy.

  • Study: An Investigation of the Generalizability and Dependability of Direct Behavior Rating Single Item Scales (DBR-SIS) to Measure Academic Engagement and Disruptive Behavior of Middle School Students
    Lead: Sandra M. Chafouleas
    Description: The current study serves as both a partial replication and extension of the findings reported by Chafouleas, Christ, and colleagues (2007). In this study, standardized DBR instrumentation to measure academic engagement and disruptive behavior within a middle school setting was evaluated to determine whether previous findings replicate and generalize across target behaviors, student age groups, and raters.

  • Study: The Impact of Alternative Scale Formats on the Accuracy and Generalizability of Direct Behavior Rating Data
    Lead: Sandra M. Chafouleas
    Description: The current investigation serves as an extension of previous DBR-related scaling research, which found minimal variability across DBR scaling arrangements (Chafouleas, Christ, & Riley-Tillman, 2009). Specifically, researchers examined how the accuracy and generalizability of DBR data was affected by (a) the number of DBR scale gradients provided (i.e., 5 or 10), (b) the length of the scale itself (i.e., 50 or 100 millimeters), and (c) the use of either a discrete or continuous scale.

  • An Evaluation of Stimulus Control: Student Behavior and Rater Behavior When Using Standard Form for Single Item Scale Direct Behavior Rating (DBR-SIS)
    Lead: Theodore J. Christ
    Description: The primary rationale for the study is to provide evidence of stimulus control using common ABA research designs - primary focus is on GOM behaviors. Researchers hypothesize that ratings of student behavior (DBR)are under the stimulus control of the observed behavior. Although there is limited data to support the use of specific/narrow measures DBR outcomes, ratings of specific behaviors are under the stimulus control of behavior.

  • Study: Direct Behavior Rating: An Evaluation of Alternate Behaviors with Positive and Negative Definitions
    Lead: Sandra M. Chafouleas & Theodore J. Christ
    Description: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of positively/negatively worded behaviors given context of connotative consistence (as reported by Chang). Researchers investigate accuracy and reliability of a variety of behaviors with both positively and negatively worded definitions (e.g., Disruptive v. Well-Behaved). In part, this study is intended to replicate and extend the previous wording study (Riley-Tillman et al, 2009).

  • Direct Behavior Rating (DBR): Generalizability and Dependability Across Raters and Observations by Facet and Universe of Generalization.
    Lead: Theodore J. Christ
    Description: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of DBR data when interpreted to generalize within individual or multiple raters and within individual or multiple observations. The results of this will help define the universe of generalization along with guidelines for data collection (e.g., how many observation and raters do we need). This study extends the findings of Chafouleas et al. (2009).

  • Direct Behavior Ratings Scale (DBR-S): How Many Points on a Scale Do We Need?
    Lead: Theodore J. Christ
    Description: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and define the optimal number of rating scale gradients that should comprise a DBR item. The study reanalyzed the Data from Chafouleas et al. (2007), which depended on a pseudo-continuous 105 gradient item scale. The results of this reanalysis, and the review of Christ & Boice (2007) provide support for a 6 to 10 gradient scale for single item scales.

  • Study: Direct Behavior Rating to Assess Prosody During Oral Reading
    Lead: Skylar Werde & Theodore J. Christ
    Description: Researchers reviewed the available literature on Prosodic Reading (reading with intonation in response to the meaning of text) to identify three critical elements: Stress, Pitch and Juncture. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of student achievement (across 2nd, 3rd, 4th grades), passage/occasion, and rater on the quality of DBR Prosody ratings.

  • Study: Teacher Preference Assessment of Direct Behavior Rating (DBR)
    Lead: T. Chris Riley-Tillman
    Description: In this study, teachers who have had a formal training of DBR are surveyed to determine their preference in regard to DBR instrumentation and procedures. This study is a systematic replication of Chafouleas, S.M., Riley-Tillman, T.C., & Sassu, K.A. (2006). Acceptability and reported use of Daily Behavior Report Cards among teachers. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 8, 174-182.

  • Study: Effects of Differential Training Sessions on the Accuracy of Direct Behavior Rating (DBR)
    Lead: T.Chris Riley-Tillman
    Description: In this study, teachers who have had a formal training of DBR are surveyed to determine their preference in regard to DBR instrumentation and procedures. This study is a systematic replication of Chafouleas, S.M., Riley-Tillman, T.C., & Sassu, K.A. (2006). Acceptability and reported use of Daily Behavior Report Cards among teachers.Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 8, 174-182.

  • Study: The Impact of Scaling and Effect Size on the Decisions Made with Graphed Intervention Data
    Lead: T. Chris Riley-Tillman
    Description:This study was designed to examine two questions. First, does the scale (6, 8, 10 or 100) used to present data influence the decisions that school psychologists make about interventions? Second, what decisions do school psychologists make about intervention effectiveness when presented with "typical" intervention data of varying effect size (Cohen's d)? In summary, the results of this study suggest that the scale of presentation does not have a significant effect on decisions made by practicing school psychologists across a range of effect sizes (varied by level). In regard to practitioners' decisions about intervention data varied by effect size, there seems to be some general census. The majority of respondents suggested an ES of 0 was "not effective", an ES of 1 was "somewhat effective" or "effective", an ES of 2 was "effective or "highly effective", and an ES of 3 was "highly effective" or "effective".