Publication Date

2025

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

Frederick Grieve, Michelle Durham

Degree Program

Department of Psychology

Degree Type

Master of Arts

Abstract

The clinical utility of assessment and treatment practices is of growing concern in the field of psychology. The Dyadic Parent Child Interaction Rating System (DPICS) is an analog behavioral observation that is the primary assessment measure in Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). The clinical utility of the DPICS has the potential to be improved. Using archival data from a community sample in eastern Kentucky, this study examined the effectiveness of the five-minute warm-up segment at the beginning of the observation. The warm-up segment is meant to control for reactivity effects that may occur, however, there is little evidence that the warm-up segment serves its intended purpose. This study compares the composite codes from the warm-up segment and the typically coded segment to determine if there are any significant difference.

Results of this study found that there was no statistical difference between the warm-up segments and typically coded segments in composite categories. These findings suggest that the warm-up segment is not effective at controlling for reactivity effects of behavioral observations. These findings are consistent with previous research.

Disciplines

Child Psychology | Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences

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