Health And Behavior Integrative Treatments (HABIT) Research Unit

Ongoing Projects

• Behavioral Economic Interventions for Opioid Use Disorder
• Evaluating Demand for:
  • Physical Activity
  • Non-prescription Stimulant Misuse
  • Opioids
• Technology-Based Behavioral Interventions for:
  • Smoking Cessation
  • Physical Activity
  • Alcohol Abstinence

Please visit the HABIT Lab Webiste for more information.

Videogame-based smoking cessation

Principal Investigator: Bethany R. Raiff, PhD, BCBA-D and Darion Rapoza, PhD (Entertainment Sciences, Inc)

These two NIH funded projects involve developing video games that incorporate evidence-based contingency management interventions in to the context of fun and engaging video games to promote smoking cessation. Contingency management involves delivering incentives contingent on objective evidence of smoking abstinence. To verify abstinence, we have participants submit videos of themselves breathing in to a carbon monoxide monitor. If the participant has not been smoking, s/he will be given a video game-based reward. One of the games, Up from the Ashes, consists of a post-apocalyptic environment where players are trying to rejuvinate their city  and world by building housing, water purification plants, research plants, theaters, and so on. One way to earn the resources to do this is by submitting videos showing that they have not been smoking, and the longer a person is abstinent, the better the rewards for their game. Players are also organized in to groups so that they can support other people who are trying to quit by giving them special gifts that are based on the person’s success with not smoking, and they can earn group rewards by working together on special tasks. The second game that we are developing is called Breath Free and it is for mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. Although the game is different, the same general principles are applied to both. If you or someone you know is interested in participating in this study, please email the Principal Investigator at raiff@rowan.edu.

Social Acceptability and Functional Evaluation of Behavior Lab (SAFE)

PI: Dr. Christina Simmons

My work focuses on the assessment and treatment of severe behavior in individuals with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. My overarching research interest is the promotion of socially valid outcomes for children and adolescents who engage in severe behavior (e.g., aggression, self-injury, property destruction). Toward that goal, I am exploring how to best facilitate caregiver involvement in the assessment, treatment, and maintenance of treatment effects through research comprising three areas: (a) refinements to the assessment of problem behavior, (b) parent and teacher training in behavioral interventions, and (c) implementation of evidence-based practice across settings. Current research projects focus on developing novel indirect and direct assessment measures to identify tasks that evoke problem behavior, evaluating alternative instructional methods that do not rely on physical guidance, and examining how to most effectively increase the amount of time children can appropriately wait to access functional reinforcers (e.g., attention, tangible items). 

My approach to research is behavior analytic in nature and combines my unique training in psychology and applied behavior analysis. Students in my lab receive intensive training in personal protective procedures to safely manage challenging behavior and work in the Severe Behavior Disorders Clinic as part of the Center for Applied Behavior Analysis. If you would like more information about my research or if you are interested in getting involved with any related projects, please contact me at simmonsc@rowan.edu or visit my office in Robinson 117S.