Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
6-2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Program
Psychology
Advisor
Joshua Jessel
Committee Members
Daniel M. Fienup
Bertram O. Ploog
Art Dowdy
Subject Categories
Other Social and Behavioral Sciences
Keywords
crying, head elevation, preference assessment, tummy time
Abstract
Tummy time is an activity for infants to practice their early motor skills. Although most pediatricians recommend tummy time, parents may avoid the procedures due to infant discomfort during this period. The present study investigated whether a preferred item functioned as a reinforcer to increase head elevation and decrease crying during tummy time with 16 consecutive, typically developing infants. The study compared the preferred items selected from a preference assessment to that of caregiver attention. In addition, we directly evaluated parental choice by allowing the mothers to select which tummy time treatment they would like to implement. We found that both preferred items and caregiver attention were effective in increasing head elevation and decreasing negative vocalizations during tummy time; however, the caregivers tended to prefer the treatment including the preferred item.
Recommended Citation
Ortega, Rika, "A Consecutive Case Series Evaluation of Tummy Time With and Without Preferred Items" (2023). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/5407