Study objective: Effects of individual consumers’ interventions on corporate behavior were examined using consumers’ attempts to reduce the amount of direct mail (DM). Design: Multiple baseline across households. Setting and Participants: 5 collaborators were recruited from different households. Unwanted direct mail delivered to their houses was targeted. Intervention: Each collaborator put a sticker on their mailbox indicating their rejection of direct mail delivery, returned direct mail with a rejection label, and requested the companies’ customer services departments to stop sending direct mail. Measure: The collaborators took a photo of each direct mail item received, categorized its delivery methods and forms, and reported this information to the experimenter. The experimenter calculated the amount of direct mail delivered per week to each collaborator’s household. Results: A comparison of the baseline and intervention data showed that the amount of direct mail delivered was reduced for all households, with an overall reduction rate of 65.2%. All collaborators evaluated the intervention method and the effect size positively. Conclusion: This reduction in the amount of direct mail demonstrates that individual consumers’ intervention can change corporate behavior.

Study objectives: To compare the effectiveness of 2 types of graphic feedback, competition scores and archery form, in behavioral coaching for archery competitions. Design: ABCA and ACBA designs were used. Possible effects of the order of the 2 types of graphic feedback were controlled for by counterbalancing the order across the participants. Participants: 4 female athletes who were members of a university athletic association’s Western-style archery club. Intervention: The athletes were split into a form feedback first group (n=2) and a competition-scores feedback first group (n=2), and graphic feedback was given. Measures: The percentage of achievement of 5 behaviors, and the participants’ scores in competition. Results: After the intervention, the scores in competition of 1 of the 2 participants in the form feedback first group increased, as did her form performance. These increases were maintained in the competition-scores feedback condition. In contrast, after the intervention, neither of the participants in the competition-scores feedback first group had increased form or competition scores, and the competition scores of both participants in this group decreased when they transitioned to the form feedback condition. Conclusion: It had been suggested that form feedback alone could improve competition scores in addition to form performance. However, receiving feedback on competition scores before form feedback may have inhibited effects of form feedback. Furthermore, self-correction may have interfered with the behavior that was measured, resulting in the lower scores. The competitive nature of archery as a closed-skill sport may also have influenced the results.

Study objectives: To examine effects of an intervention using goal setting and graphic feedback with 3 college students who had been spending a great deal of time using their smartphones, and to examine whether reducing the duration of smartphone usage affected the quality of their sleep. Design: Mixed design with multiple baselines across participants and changing criterion. Setting: Online. Participants: 3 college students. Interventions: Graphic feedback was provided daily, and goals were reset depending on the participants’ results. The average amount of time of smartphone usage during baseline multiplied by 90% was the target. Measures: Self-report measures, including the amount of time using their smartphones, the time at which they went to bed, and scores on the Japanese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Results: 2 of the 3 students were able to reduce the amount of time that they used their smartphones, and their sleep quality scores improved. In addition, 1 student went to bed earlier. Conclusions: Goal setting and graphic feedback were identified as possible methods for reducing the amount of time the students used their smartphones. The results suggest that reducing the amount of smartphone usage may improve sleep quality in some individuals by providing an opportunity for engaging in alternative behaviors. In addition, the results of the present study suggest that it may be possible to change behavior related to lifestyle habits through an online intervention.

Evidence for the effectiveness of behavior support plans based on functional assessment for the behavior problems of children with developmental disabilities has accumulated, and research is underway on the implementation of the findings in school settings. In order for teachers, who are not behavior analysis experts, to be able to implement these plans, however, issues remain, such as the handling of information and planning based on the three-term contingency and validation through evaluation. The purpose of the present study was to develop an assist system that helps teachers create behavior support plans based on functional assessment through digitization of behavioral information. The assist system that was developed uses Microsoft Excel (ver. 2016); teachers can use it on their own devices. When behavioral information for a child is inputted, three-term contingencies are displayed for each scene. When the teacher selects the function of the behavioral problem from those contingencies, support methods based on the function are proposed. Behavioral data for the child are entered into a graph, so that any changes following implementation of the support can be examined. Data are automatically accumulated and can be shared. Trials and evaluations of the system were done when training 10 pairs of special education coordinators and regular classroom teachers to create behavior support plans, with each pair developing a support plan for 1 child. The effectiveness and weaknesses of the system are discussed based on the results of trials and evaluations reported in the present article.

Although applied behavior analysis has become widely used in practical settings such as developmental support, it is mainly used as a technique for intervention. In field settings, the visualization and quantification of intervention effects typically seen in research reports are rarely used, which hinders the use of intervention practice findings in basic research. An important reason for this is that tasks such as inputting behavioral data, creating graphs, and quantifying effects are time-consuming and difficult for practitioners in the field. The present article gives an overview of AI-PAC LAB. (ABA integrated programs for children with autism spectrum disorders for laboratory), an application developed with the aim of making these tasks easier for practitioners. The article also examines characteristics of the effect-size indicators used in that application. Practitioners can access AI-PAC LAB. on the internet, enter the values of dependent variables in a convenient way, and immediately view graphs and effect-size indicators. The application allows ongoing monitoring of the current state of an intervention and can be used to inform decisions about moving from baseline to intervention, ending an intervention, and modifying intervention methods. Furthermore, if many practitioners use an identical application, the results of various interventions can be accumulated in the same format, making it easier to investigate them in research. The present article reports an examination of changes in the effect-size indicators when various virtual intervention results are inputted, as well as their characteristics and how they can be utilized effectively.

Purpose: The present article reports guidelines that aim to establish basic rules for interventions based on behavior analysis for individuals with severe behavioral disorders, and to provide guidance for support providers so that they engage in appropriate clinical activities. The guidelines were developed by a committee appointed by the Japanese Association for Behavior Analysis. Overview: The expected outcome of interventions for individuals with severe behavioral disorders is the minimization of problem behavior, resulting in an improved quality of life through reconstruction of their living environment and expansion of their behavioral repertoire. However, these individuals are at high risk of exposure to violence, threats, and abuse, such as physical restraints, so support providers must always take steps to prevent these risks. To provide appropriate interventions, it is necessary to conduct functional assessments, establish an environment in which severe behavioral disorders are less likely to occur, and develop individual behavior support plans to expand individuals’ desirable behavior repertoires. Recording target behaviors and modifying plans based on the results of evaluations are means of improving interventions. When providing support for individuals with severe behavioral disorders, it is important to establish family support and a system that aims to prevent caregivers and support providers from becoming socially isolated. To build such a support team, it is necessary to foster an organization and relationships in which family members and support providers can freely express their opinions and be respected.