Acceptability of Social Media Incentives to Increase Physical Activity

Background: Contingency management can be effective in promoting physical activity, but the change frequently does not sustain after the intervention is withdrawn. A feasible and sustainable physical activity intervention is needed. Social media may meet the criteria for a sustainable intervention, as it is free to use and enormously popular. Introduction: The goal of the current study was to assess acceptability of using social media as an incentive for a physical activity intervention. Materials and Methods: The current study surveyed 102 Mechanical Turk users on their social media use, physical activity habits, and interest in a proposed physical activity intervention. Results: There was moderate interest in social media as an incentive, with 32.35% of participants indicating initial interest in the intervention and 62.75% of participants interested in a free trial. Interest in increasing physical activity predicted interest in the intervention. Discussion and Conclusions: Social media can be an acceptable incentive for use in a physical activity intervention

A Comparison of Auditory and Visual Stimuli in a Delayed Matching to Sample Procedure with Adult Humans.

Five humans were exposed to a matching to sample task in which the delay (range = 0 to 32 seconds) between sample stimulus offset and comparison onset was manipulated across conditions. Auditory stimuli (1” tone) and arbitrary symbols served as sample stimuli for three (S1, S2, S3) and two (S4 and S5) subjects, respectively. Uppercase English letters (S, M, and N) served as comparison stimuli for all subjects. Results show small but systematic effects of the retention interval on accuracy and latency to selection of comparison stimuli. The results fail to show a difference between subjects exposed to auditory and visual sample stimuli. Some reasons for the failure to note a difference are discussed

Tiempo-fuera del reforzamiento: Restaurando un balance entre análisis y aplicación

El tiempo-fuera del reforzamiento es una de las tecnologías mas exitosas quehan emergido de la investigación conductual básica, pero sorpresivamentese sabe poco sobre sus principios de operación. La mayoría de la investigaciónsobre el tópico del tiempo-fuera ha sido tecnológico—demostrandoque el tiempo fuera funciona—en vez de analítico—porqué funciona. Esteensayo llama a un mayor énfasis sobre las características funcionales deltiempo-fuera, las condiciones bajo las cuales tiene una función aversiva, y afundamentar el trabajo empírico en un marco teórico. Tal retorno a las raícesfuncionales del tiempo fuera del reforzamiento hará que avance no sólo laciencia del tiempo-fuera, sino también sus aplicaciones exitosas

Topiramate for cocaine dependence during methadone maintenance treatment: A randomized controlled trial

BackgroundDual dependence on opiate and cocaine occurs in about 60% of patients admitted to methadone maintenance and negatively impacts prognosis (Kosten et al. 2003. Drug Alcohol Depend. 70, 315). Topiramate (TOP) is an antiepileptic drug that may have utility in the treatment of cocaine dependence because it enhances the GABAergic system, antagonizes the glutamatergic system, and has been identified by NIDA as one of only a few medications providing a "positive signal" warranting further clinical investigation. (Vocci and Ling, 2005. Pharmacol. Ther. 108, 94).MethodIn this double-blind controlled clinical trial, cocaine dependent methadone maintenance patients (N=171) were randomly assigned to one of four groups. Under a factorial design, participants received either TOP or placebo, and monetary voucher incentives that were either contingent (CM) or non-contingent (Non-CM) on drug abstinence. TOP participants were inducted onto TOP over 7 weeks, stabilized for 8 weeks at 300 mg daily then tapered over 3 weeks. Voucher incentives were supplied for 12 weeks, starting during the fourth week of TOP induction. Primary outcome measures were cocaine abstinence (Y/N) as measured by thrice weekly urinalysis and analyzed using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) and treatment retention. All analyses were intent to treat and included the 12-week evaluation phase of combined TOP/P treatment and voucher intervention period.ResultsThere was no significant difference in cocaine abstinence between the TOP vs. P conditions nor between the CM vs. Non-CM conditions. There was no significant TOP/CM interaction. Retention was not significantly different between the groups.ConclusionTopiramate is not efficacious for increasing cocaine abstinence in methadone patients