High schoolers’ experiences with an infant simulation
Document Type
Poster
Department
Psychology
Conference Title
Association for Behavior Analysis
Location
Minneapolis, MN
Conference Dates
May 24-28, 2013
Date of Presentation
5-24-2013
Abstract
There is a need to develop and disseminate effective infant abuse prevention programs. Infant simulators (e.g., RealCare baby) are currently used to discourage teen pregnancy. However, these experiences also provide an infant caregiving history and may be useful in preventing abuse. The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of high schoolers participating in a typical infant simulation. Twenty-five students took the RealCare baby home for one night. Infant crying, successful caregiving, and abusive responses were automatically recorded by the RealCare baby. Participants who were less successful in caring for the infant experienced more infant crying. Inconsolable crying has been linked to child abuse (Krugman, 1985) and learned helplessness (Donovan & Leavitt, 1985), and behavioral history is an important determinant of caregiving responses to crying (Bruzek, Thompson, & Peters, 2009). The results of this study suggest that the typical use of infant simulators might provide an undesirable behavioral history for adolescents. Infant simulations that create a history of successful caregiving might be used as a tool in abuse prevention.
Recommended Citation
Stocco, C. S.,
Thompson, R. H.,
&
Floeckher, T.
(2013).
High schoolers’ experiences with an infant simulation.
Paper presented at Association for Behavior Analysis in Minneapolis, MN.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/cop-facpres/1026
