Date of Award
7-2023
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Behavioral Analysis
First Advisor
Catherine Nicholson
Second Advisor
Jonathan K. Fernand
Third Advisor
Anthony LoGalbo
Fourth Advisor
Robert A. Taylor
Abstract
Cheerleading has a high rate of serious injuries, but the safety of cheerleaders has seldom been researched. Behavior analytic research has never investigated cheerleading and has rarely focused on improving the safety of athletes. The present study examined scored observations, a common intervention in the behavior-based safety literature, as a method to increase the safety of cheerleaders completing basic movements. This has previously been shown to produce the observer effect, wherein an observer’s safe behavior is increased after observing and scoring the behavior of another performer. Scored observations alone increased basic cheerleading movements to a mastery criteria for one of six applications, and behavioral skills training was added for an additional three applications. These results extend behavior analytic research to a new population, cheerleaders, and provide implications and suggestions when using behavior-based safety interventions to increase athlete safety.
Recommended Citation
Duke, Madison Elizabeth, "Increasing Cheerleader Safety Through the Observer Effect" (2023). Theses and Dissertations. 1325.
https://repository.fit.edu/etd/1325