Considering Contingencies of Gambling Research in Conjunction with the \u3ci\u3eBehavior Analyst Certification Board Professional and Ethical Compliance Code\u3c/i\u3e

The issues that are the focus of this paper can be exemplified in two questions relevant to danger and validity in behavioral gambling research: Is there danger of reinforcing problem gambling behavior in experiments where gambling is a dependent variable? And, do reliable laboratory effects represent something key in development or maintenance of gambling problems, or have some other applied pragmatic value? Behavior analytic research is performed in an ethical manner, and the concerns of the above questions are typically minimized. The persistence of the questions is discussed, as well as the value of research in relation to behavioral treatments. These issues are discussed in conjunction with the Behavior Analyst Certification Board Professional and Ethical Compliance Code

A Brief Behavioral Intervention of Harm Reduction for Online Poker Players

Given the high rates of gambling in the United States and the growing population of problem and pathological (disordered) gamblers, there is a need for effective interventions which will eliminate or reduce disordered gambling, or, at minimum, reduce harm resulting from disordered gambling. High-risk populations for development of disordered gambling include college students and online poker players. This study sought to develop and test a brief behavioral intervention for decreasing monetary loss, time spent gambling, and risky betting for college-aged self-identified problem gamblers who play online poker. This study included four participants in a multiple baseline across participants. Post-intervention, all participants gambled fewer days overall, and three of four participants lost less money overall. The fourth participant was never at a net monetary los

Effects of a Multicomponent Intervention on Motivation and Sun Protection Behaviors Among Midwestern Beachgoers

Skin cancer is the most prevalent of all cancers in the United States. Although avoiding sun exposure and using sun protection reduces skin cancer risk, rates of such behaviors are moderate at best. The present study examined the impact of a multicomponent intervention that aimed to increase the saliency of skin cancer risk while promoting the use of sun protection. Midwestern beachgoers (n =100) participated in an intervention or questionnaire-only control group. Sun protection, stage of change, and sun exposure were measured at baseline and 2-month follow-up. The intervention group significantly improved in sun protection use and stage of change, but not sun exposure, compared with the control group. Personalizing the risks of unprotected sun exposure combined with providing education about sun protection facilitated healthy changes in behavior and motivation

Self- and cross-citations in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior: 1983—1992

We examined self- and cross-citation practices in JABA and JEAB from 1983 through 1992. Mean levels of self-citation for JABA and for JEAB were 22.6% and 36.1%, respectively. Overall, 2.4% of JABA citations were JEAB articles, and 0.6% of JEAB citations were JABA articles, which suggests limited integration of basic and applied research