Burgio et al.

(1986) Study Questions

1. What was the purpose of the study?
 To test the effectiveness of a prompt-and-praise procedure for increasing walking
independence in eight nursing home residents
2. Be able to describe key features of the Method:
a. Participant demographics
i. 7 women and one man ranging from 69-90 years old
ii. Two suffered cerebrovascular accident, one had degenerative rheumatoid
arthritis, one had hip fracture
iii. Four were diagnosed with dementia, four with depression, and five
received regular doses of neuroleptic medication
b. Dependent variables
i. Mobility- walking distance and independence
1. Independent walking
2. Walking with a cane
3. Walking with a walker
4. Walking with a wheelchair
5. Walking with staff assistance
6. Sitting in wheelchair, self-propelled
7. Sitting in wheelchair, staff-propelled
8. Sitting in chair
9. In bed
ii. Social interactions
1. Touching, speaking, or listening to another person
c. Experimental conditions
i. Dining areas
1. Observations in the dining area were conducted twice daily
ii. Living areas
1. Time-sampling procedure was used to assess mobility and social
interaction in the living areas
iii. Observations were conducted in a predetermined sequence of areas in the
institution- when a subject was spotted, the observer immediately recorded
mobility status and the occurrence or nonoccurrence of social interaction
iv. If a patient was not located during observation rounds, the patient was
scored “off-unit”
 Pre/post measure
 Baseline
 Intervention
d. Research design
i. Multiple baseline design
3. In what ways did the authors measure generalization?
  Generalization of walking to the second meal was observed in al four of the
subjects whose data allowed this assessment
4. What were the differences in staff training procedures for the dining and living areas?
5. What were the main findings of the study?
 Simple prompt-and-praise procedure increased ambulation in selected nursing
home residents
 Two subjects began to walk during baseline when they were regularly given the
opportunity to walk to their tables
 The increases in walking were in most cases immediate
 Generalization occurred in all four subjects who were assessed
 Findings suggest that the absence of walking prior to intervention was not due to
physical impairment or skill deficit, but to environmental contingencies that either
discouraged walking or failed to prompt and reinforce the behavior