SABA Experimental Fellowship Recipients
2006: Bethany Raiff, University of Florida
Bethany Raiff became interested in behavior analysis as an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where she worked with Dr. Gregory Madden on choice research, covering current issues in delay discounting and the matching law. After graduating with her B.A., Bethany entered the doctoral program in Behavior Analysis at the University of Florida (UF), under the supervision of Dr. Jesse Dallery. Bethany’s research is centered on a common theme: conditioned reinforcement. In collaboration with Dr. Timothy Hackenberg, Bethany uses tokens, exchangeable for grain, with pigeons. She found that response-dependent removal of tokens suppresses responding, suggesting that token loss is an aversive consequence. This finding provides a framework for using tokens to arrange response-cost with nonhumans, opening up many avenues for future research. Bethany also conducts research on conditioned reinforcement in animal and human behavioral pharmacology laboratories, in collaboration with Dr. Jesse Dallery. Her master’s degree project demonstrated that nicotine exposure increases responses maintained by conditioned reinforcers in rats, and this work might provide important information regarding the variables that maintain smoking. This study is currently in press in Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology. Bethany also developed a laboratory model of voucher-based abstinence reinforcement therapy with smokers. She is interested in using the model to test a range of variables that may improve cessation techniques.
Upon completing her Ph.D., Bethany will pursue a faculty position so that she can continue teaching and conducting research in the areas of basic behavior analysis and behavioral pharmacology.
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