Application Exercise #3 (100 points)
Overview and Directions
Your third application exercise is designed to help you make connections and apply
content that was reviewed during weeks 12 and 13.
• Answer each question using a professional writing style.
o Respond using complete sentence/paragraph structure
o Use a professional font, sizing, and double spacing
o It is not necessary to restate the entire question as part of your response
o It is expected and recommended that you will reference your notes and
prep guide from the corresponding weeks. However, you should not
copy/paste large portions of your prep guide as part of this submission.
o Properly defend your points with reference to course materials:
▪ Include in-text citations within your responses
• For content that is not original, including reference to
procedures and/or principles, include an intext citation
o Content only: (author, year)
o Direct quote: (author, year, pg #)
▪ Include a full reference for each source cited at the end of the
document under the header References
o Proofread your work before making a final submission.
Scoring:
You will be able to earn up to 100 points on this assignment.
• Scoring will be based on the attached rubric (see next page), which outlines
expectations for response content (i.e., clarity, thoroughness, originality and
accuracy) as well as overall written presentation (i.e., formatting, references,
writing style, writing conventions).
o Note that any response that does not include reference to the literature
and/or course materials will not receive a score of excellent (satisfactory
will be the highest possible score).
Do your best to submit your best work as your first submission. However, this exercise
is intended to be a learning activity, so you will be able to revise and resubmit your
assignment based on feedback to improve your score if you wish. See more
information regarding scoring and guidelines for resubmission in the syllabus. This is
strongly recommended if your score is below 80% (80 pts).
Rubric
Each part of the assignment is weighted, and will be scored separately. You will earn a
percentage of the points available for that response based on the guidelines below
Content Scoring
Excellent Satisfactory Fair Below Expected Poor
100% of points 75% of points 50% of points 25% of points 0 points
All of the following:
Clarity: easy to read
and understand the
purpose of each
statement
Thoroughness:
addresses all parts
of prompt
Originality:
identifies content,
makes connections
and/or identifies
unique examples
Accuracy: correct
understanding of
content
Clarity: easy to read
and understand the
purpose of each
statement
One of the following:
Thoroughness: minor
omissions in
addressing prompts
completely
Originality/Accuracy:
limitations or minor
inaccuracies in
translating/explaining
content or generating
examples
Missing citations
More than one of
the following:
Clarity: phrasing is
hard to follow or
main point unclear
Thoroughness: minor
omissions in
addressing prompts
completely
Originality/Accuracy:
limitations or minor
inaccuracies in
translating/explaining
content or generating
examples
Missing citations
Any of the following:
Clarity: points are
unclear, excessively
brief or excessively
wordy
Thoroughness: omits
portion of response
or omits novel
examples where
required
Originality: quotes
excessively from
book without
translating into own
words (includes
excessive citations)
Accuracy: significant
inaccuracies in
translating/explaining
content
Any of the following:
Clarity: Cannot be
understood by a
novel reader
Thoroughness: does
not address prompt
Originality/Accuracy:
reflects inaccurate
content/application
suggesting lack of
reading or
comprehension
Written Presentation
Excellent Fair Poor
2.5 points each 1.5 point each 0 points
Formatting Typed, double-spaced, full
sentences, appropriate font
and size
Some formatting errors
are present
Multiple formatting errors;
Document is not presented in a
professional/academic format
References In-text citations are provided
as needed; Full references are
provided at end of document
Minor errors in
citations and/or
reference list
Overt omission of citations or
reference page
Writing
Style
Main ideas and
recommendations are easily
identified and well-reasoned;
Ideas and rationales flow
naturally
Some areas are difficult
to read, follow, or
determine main
ideas/sequencing of
ideas
Responses simply restate the
prompt without original content;
difficult to understand as a novel
reader; uses unprofessional
language and/or style
Writing
Conventions
Absent of spelling and
grammatical errors;
Proofreading has occurred
Document includes
some errors
Document includes many errors
Evidence that proof-reading has not
occurred (e.g., spell check)
Application Exercise #3 (100 points)
Complete all parts of the exercise below. Remember content is worth 90 points
(10+10+10+15+20) & writing worth an additional 10 (90+10), for a total of 100 points.
Part I (10 points): Briefly introduce ACT. Be sure to include a short introduction to
RGB and RFT, as they relate to ACT (5 pts). Identify how ACT concepts and
procedures are linked to behavioral principles (5 pts).
Part II (10 points): Briefly describe the type of clients for whom ACT practices can be
particularly helpful (including when ACT practices would not be appropriate) (5 pts).
Describe a hypothetical client for whom you think an ACT-based intervention could be
effective. Include a rationale as to why you believe this approach might be effective
(consider pre-requisites, behavioral repertoire, etc.) (5 pts).
– Remember, the “client” may be a student, or may be any person whose behavior
you are trying to change (e.g., teacher, parent, para).
Part III (10 points): Briefly introduce the concepts of values and committed action.
Introduce the concept of “values” as it relates to ACT. Hypothesize what some values
might be for the client you have identified above (5 pts). Next introduce the concept of
“committed action”. Describe what types of behaviors would be considered committed
actions for your hypothetical client, based on the values you have described (give some
examples) (5 pts).
Part IV (15 points): Provide an example of a maladaptive behavior occurring in the
behavioral repertoire of this client that is under the control of a faulty rule. More
specifically, choose a behavior that is meant to gain access to positive reinforcement (5
pts). Provide a behavioral definition for this behavior (5 pts). Include an example of a
faulty rule that might be controlling the behavior (be sure to clearly outline all
components of the RGB) (5 pts)
Part V (20 points): Introduce the concept of “experiential avoidance”. Provide an
example of a maladaptive behavior that could be maintained by experiential avoidance
for the client you have described (5 pts). Provide a behavioral definition for this
behavior (5 pts). Introduce the concepts of “acceptance” and “suppression” as they
relate to ACT (5 pts). Describe how acceptance and suppression would look different
for the maladaptive behavior described (5 pts).
Part VI (25 points): Describe how you might implement an ACT-based intervention to
change the behaviors discussed. Identify (at least) four specific strategies discussed in
the literature (e.g., components of the hexiflex) (5 pts each). First briefly introduce the
concept, then describe in detail how you will apply the strategy with this specific client.
Be sure to include strategies for decreasing maladaptive behaviors, and for increasing
adaptive behaviors. Your description should indicate how behavior will be objectively
defined, and how behavior change will be measured (5 pts).