This research focused on the changes in stimulus control that influence an animal's ability to master a behavioral skill. We assessed stimulus control by (a) predictive environmental cues (panel lights) and (b) practice cues resulting from the subject's own behavior, as rats learned to complete a leftright lever-press sequence. Following a demonstration of overshadowing by Reid, Nill, and Getz (Behavioural Processes 84: 511-515, 2010), in which stimulus control by the panel lights overshadowed control by practice cues, four additional experiments replicated and assessed this overshadowing effect. In Experiment 1, we discovered a powerful asymmetry: Rats failed to adapt to a lights → reversed-lights transition, but adapted immediately to a reversed-lights → lights transition. Experiment 2 was designed to measure the interactions between these stimulus conditions and practice cues. In Experiment 3, we measured the effect of these stimulus conditions on acquisition rates. Finally, in Experiment 4 an ABA design was used to assess the effects of prior exposure to condition A on B → A transitions, and we found that prior exposure generally reversed the effects observed in B → A transitions presented first or in isolation. We discuss feature-positive bias and spatial S-R compatibility as potential explanations of the observed insensitivity to cues that should be, at face value, highly predictive of food during the acquisition of a behavioral skill. Perfectly predictive cues in behavior chains do not always guide behavior.

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The challenges observed in health service psychology (HSP) training during COVID-19 revealed systemic and philosophical issues that preexisted the pandemic, but became more visible during the global health crisis. In a position paper written by 23 trainees across different sites and training specializations, the authors use lessons learned from COVID-19 as a touchstone for a call to action in HSP training. Historically, trainee voices have been conspicuously absent from literature about clinical training. We describe longstanding dilemmas in HSP training that were exacerbated by the pandemic and will continue to require resolution after the pandemic has subsided. The authors make recommendations for systems-level changes that would advance equity and sustainability in HSP training. This article advances the conversation about HSP training by including the perspective of trainees as essential stakeholders.

Background: This paper describes the development of a brief self-report screening measure of adherence to social distancing and self-protective behaviors in pandemic situations. Items measured behaviors currently established as primary strategies to prevent and reduce the spread of the COVID-19 infection. Methods: An item pool of 29 questions was generated with the aim of estimating the frequency of specific behaviors and were written to avoid confounding the description of behavioral actions with evaluative judgements. Responses were collected from 401 young adults using an anonymous online survey. Results: An Exploratory Factor Analysis was conducted with the purpose of item reduction and subscale development. A 14-item Social Distance Scale emerged, consisting of four subscales: Isolation from Community (IC), Work from Home (WH), Family Contact (FC), and Protective Behaviors (PB). The initial psychometric evaluation of the scales indicated adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability. (4) Conclusions: The Social Distance Scale (v1) is a promising new instrument which may be applied at the population or individual level. It may be used in conjunction with COVID-19 testing to measure interactions between social distancing factors and transmission. In addition, a reliable screening measure has utility for health service providers to assess patient risk and to provide educational/counseling.

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