Year: 2020
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Approximately 1,600 attempted kidnappings occurred within 2018 (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, 2019). In a 2016 report by Wolak, Finkelhor, and Sedlak, of the 105 stereotypical kidnappings that occurred in 2011, many resulted in sexual assault, the children are never found, or death. These dangerous circumstances warrant a method of teaching safety skills to children to avoid abduction. Research has shown that small-scale simulation is effective for teaching firearm safety to 3- to 5-year-olds children (Maxfield, Miltenberger, & Novotny, 2019). This research has not been applied to abduction prevention safety. The current study aimed to address this research gap and evaluated small-scale simulation to train abduction prevention skills. Two typically developing 5-year-olds were trained in their homes using behavioral skills training with a small-scale model and dolls. They were assessed using in situ assessments in store aisles, front yards, or a neighborhood park. All participants acquired abduction prevention skills, with one participant requiring a few booster training sessions.
Author: Jessica E. Ritzmann
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3048848626