Research Laboratory: W. Larry Williams, Ph.D, BCBA
Our group is interested in research in the general field of developmental disabilities. We have conducted studies involving behavior analytic approaches to clinical assessment and intervention for behavioral issues, teaching & training, organizational level assessment and intervention, staff training and basic behavioral processes such as basic discrimination processes and equivalence / RFT. Although we operate from the PATH program, we also conduct activities in the broad community and within the service delivery system.
Recent Selected Publications
Williams, W. L. and Jackson, M. (2009). The Assessment of Basic Learning
Abilities (ABLA) and Its Relation to the Development of Stimulus
Relations in Persons with Autism and Other Intellectual Disabilities.
In R. Rehfeldt and Y. Barnes-Holmes (Eds.) Relational Responding
and Child Development, New York, New Harbinger.(P.25-40).
Williams, W.L. and Jackson, M. (2010) Enuresis. In P. Sturmey and
M.Hersen (Eds.) Handbook of Evidence Based Practice in Clinical
Psychology, Volume 1: Child and Adolescent Disorders, New York,
Wiley.
Butterfield, S. Boyce, T, & Williams, W.L. (In Press) Examining the Effects of a Low- Cost Prompt to Reduce Retail Theft Journal of Organizational Behavior Management.
Williams, W.L. & Gallinat, J. (In Press ) The Effects of Judging Video Examples of Staffs’ Own versus Others’ Performance on Discrete-Trial Training Skills in a Human Service Setting. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management.
Funding Opportunities
P.A.T.H. 2005-2011-$2,000,000
State of Nevada- BECS-UNR-PBS whole organization model 2010-2012-$170,000
State of Nevada Health & Human services PBS 2008-2010 $300,000
State of Nevada Health & Human Services—Positive Behavioral Supports 2006-2008 $76,000
Lab Members
Thesis title: Effects of Discrimination Abilities on Functional Analysis Outcomes (Advisor: W. Larry Williams, Ph.D.)
Research interests: Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities; Autism; Parent Training; Treatment of Severe Problem Behavior; Prevention of Problem Behavior; Choice; Functional Analysis; Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities
Thesis title: Examining the Effects of Active Responding on Student Performance in an Introductory Psychology Course (Advisor: Ramona Houmanfar, Ph.D.)
Research interests: Social Skills Training; Individual and Large-Scale Health Behavior; Developmental Disabilities; Verbal Behavior; Autism Treatment
Thesis title: Evaluation of Video Based Training Methods for Backward Chaining and Discrete Trial Instruction (Advisor: W. Larry Williams, Ph.D.)
Research interests: Staff and Parent Training; Asssessment and Treatment of Behavior Problems
Lauren Pearson
Research interests: Green Behavior; Choice; Staff Training; Intellectual Disabilities; Behavioral assessment; Teaching behavior analysis; Dissemination
Thesis title: The Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities: The Role of Conditionality (Advisor: W. Larry Williams, Ph.D.)
Research interests: The Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities; Conditional Discrimination; Intellectual Disabilities; Autism; Functional Assessment
Thesis title: Toward an Account of Habituation Patterns in Young Children with Autism (Advisor: W. Larry Williams, Ph.D.)
Research interests: RFT & other contemporary approaches to complex stimulus control; Acceptance & Commitment Training/Coaching; Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure(s); BSA & OBM approaches to cultural design; Habituation, Extinction, and Satiation
Recent Publications:
Szabo, T. G., Williams, W. L., Rafacz, S. D., & Newsome, W. (in press). Technical evaluation of the service review model with perforance scorecards.
Szabo, T. G. (2007). Stimulus Control. In Encyclopedia of Special Education, 3rd Edition (Vol. 3, pp. 1921-1923). Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Szabo, T. G. Interval Schedules. (2007). In Encyclopedia of Special Education, 3rd Edition (Vol. 2, pp. 1148-1150). Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Szabo, T. G. Ratio Schedules. (2007). In Encyclopedia of Special Education, 3rd Edition (Vol. 3, pp. 1673-1674). Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Szabo, T. G., Raetz, P.B., & Winter, B.L. (2007). Response Generalization. In Encyclopedia of Special Education, 3rd Edition (Vol. 3, pp. 1737-1738). Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Raetz, P.B., Szabo, T.G., & Winter, B.L. (2007). Stimulus Generalization. In Encyclopedia of Special Education, 3rd Edition (Vol. 3, pp. 1924-1925). Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Grants Awarded:
Williams, W. L., & Szabo, T. G. (2011). Technical Evaluation of an Organization-Wide Approach to Implementing Positive Behavior Support in Human Services. Grant awarded to the University of Nevada, Reno from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services from 2011-2012.
Williams, W. L., & Szabo, T. G. (2009). Technical Assessment of Whole-Organization Adaptations of the PBS Model. Grant awarded to the University of Nevada, Reno from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services from 2009-2010.
Research interests: Parent training; staff training; intellectual disabilities; skill acquisition; problem behavior reduction; dissemination
Research interests: Broad-Scale Dissemination; Media; Green Behaviors; Parent Training
Contact
For further information please contact Dr. Williams at:
W. Larry Williams
Department of Psychology / 296
University of Nevada, Reno
Reno, NV 89557
USA
Phone #: (775) 682-8689
Fax #: (775) 784-1126
Email: larryw@unr.edu