Dr. Marcella Hangen is a board certified behavior analyst with over a decade of experience working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a PhD from the University of Kansas.
Dr. Hangen began her career at the Neurobehavioral Unit inpatient program at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, where she specialized in assessing and treating severe challenging behaviors.
She also has delivered early intervention services to young children with various disabilities, assessed and treated challenging behaviors in outpatient settings, and supervised future behavior analysts.
Her areas of expertise include early intervention and using a compassionate approach to managing challenging behaviors. Her current research interests involve examining the mechanisms of token reinforcement and evaluating the effectiveness of preferred versus neutral tokens during reinforcement schedule thinning.
Education
- PhD, Behavioral Psychology, from University of Kansas
- MA, Human Services Psychology: Applied Behavior Analysis, from University of Maryland, Baltimore County
- BA, Applied Behavioral Sciences, from University of Kansas
Courses
- BEHVO 471 Practicum I
- BEHVO 472 Practicum II
Publications and Presentations
Research Articles:
- Hangen, M. M., Romero, A. N., Norris, H. M., Gorycki, K. A., Roberts, B. R., & Neidert, P. L. (2023). An assessment of token value and effectiveness: A replication. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 56(4), 898–913. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.1011
- Kamana, B. U., Dozier, C. L., Kanaman, N. A., DiGennaro Reed, F., Glaze, S. M., Markowitz, A. M., Hangen, M. M., Harrison, K. L., Bernstein, A. M., Jess, R. L., & Erath, T. G. (2023). Large-scale evaluation of staff training in programs for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Behavioral Interventions, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.1971
- Hangen, M. M., Romero, A. N., Neidert, P. L., & Borrero J. C. (2020). Further measurement of other behavior during the differential reinforcement of other behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. 53(4), 2385-2404. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.736
Book Chapter:
- Hangen, M. M., Weyman, J. R., Valdovinos, M. (in press). Challenging behavior in IDD. In Valdovinos (Eds), Intellectual and developmental disabilities: A dynamic systems approach. Spring Nature
Paper Presentations:
- Hangen, M. M., WOOLBERT, R., Neidert, P. L., & Kuhn, R. (May, 202 1) A Systematic Review of the Literature on Teaching Graphing: Trends and Their Implications. Paper presented at the 47th meeting of Association for Behavior Analysis International, Virtual.
- Hangen, M. M., Romero, A. N., Norris, H. M., Roberts, B., Gorycki, K., & Neidert, P. L. (May, 2020) An Assessment of Token Value and Effectiveness: Does Token Form Matter? Paper presented at the 46th meeting of Association for Behavior Analysis International, Virtual.
- Hangen, M. M., Romero, A. N., Neidert, P. L., & Borrero J. B. (May, 2019) Further Measurement of Other Behavior During the Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior. Paper presented at the 45th meeting of Association for Behavior Analysis International, Chicago, Illinois
Professional Affiliations & Memberships
- Association for Behavior Analysis International
- Arizona Association of Behavior Analysis
- Four Corners Association of Behavior Analysis
Marcella Hangen in the News
Simmons University’s School of Sciences and Health Professions Welcomes Six New Faculty Members
The new faculty members have joined the Behavior Analysis, Biology, Physical Therapy, Psychology, and Public Health programs.