More Summer Research Updates from the ITLS Lab
One summer research blog post, apparently, was not enough. The lab has been very productive! We're excited to share several more recent contributions from the ITLS Lab. From research that began at the University of Florida to collaborations here at Sacramento State and broader scholarly contributions, these recent works highlight the collaborative nature of our research and scholarship.
Observer-Effect Training and Discrete-Trial Instruction
We're excited to share a new publication featuring ITLS Lab member Anna Quintero-Giegeling! This project began during our time at the University of Florida and represents a research project that has continued as Anna has become part of the ITLS Lab at Sacramento State. Published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, the study evaluated the observer effect as a training approach for teaching discrete-trial instruction skills, including whether skills acquired through observation generalized to other instructional programs. We're especially excited to see this project in print!
Read the article:
McKeown, C. A., Williams, M. T., Quintero-Giegeling, A. M., & Vollmer, T. R. (2026). Further evaluation of the observer effect to train discrete-trial instruction skills. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 59(4), e70075. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.70075
Collaboration with the Performance Improvement Lab
We're excited to share a recent publication resulting from a collaboration with Sacramento State's Performance Improvement Lab. The project began as Sydney Burlison's master's thesis, for which Dr. McKeown had the opportunity to serve as a member of her thesis committee.
Now published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, the study examined how varying levels of procedural fidelity errors affected learning. Results showed that fidelity errors delayed learning for most participants, highlighting the importance of procedural fidelity during skill acquisition. We especially value opportunities to support student research and collaborate with researchers across labs at Sacramento State, and we're excited to see Sydney's work in print!
Read the article:
Burlison, S., Brand, D., Wittman, M. R., Bensemann, J., McKeown, C. A., Miguel, C. F., & Moo, H. N. (2026). A parametric analysis of varying levels of consequence-based procedural fidelity errors when learning new tasks. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 59(4), e70084. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.70084
An Invited Contribution to the Verbal Behavior Matters Blog
Dr. McKeown was recently invited to contribute to ABAI's Verbal Behavior Matters blog series. In the post, she explores how findings from developmental psychology may inform our understanding of early language development and verbal behavior intervention. Why Wait? Using Developmental Psychology to Inform Verbal Behavior Intervention highlights opportunities to draw from research across disciplines to inform behavior analytic research and practice.
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