The Effects of Jargon on Parent Acceptability and Implementation of Behavioral Interventions
Most professions develop unique jargon and terminology for the practitioners oftheir field to use, and the field of behavioral science is no exception to this practice. Theapplied branch of behavioral science demands a remarkable interdependence betweenanalysts and change agents in the environment, such as parents, to implementprocedures outlined in interventions. A three-phase study was conducted with parentsto evaluate the effects of behavioral jargon on the acceptability, comprehension, andimplementation of simulated treatments. In the first phase, participants listened to twovoice recordings describing a behavioral intervention in both technical and non-technicallanguage, and then selected the treatment they preferred. In the second phase,participants read and recalled three technical and three non-technical descriptions ofinterventions. In the third phase, participants viewed video clips of behavior and wereasked to respond to the behavior following a technical or non-technical interventiondescription. Results indicated a greater preference for procedures described in non-technical jargon. However, there was no clear conclusion regarding the effects of jargonon comprehension and implementation. These findings suggest that the effects ofjargon may vary individually based on extraneous factors specific to the client experience.
Behavioral sciences, acceptability, behavior terminology, comprehension, jargon, parents, treatment integrity
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