47th Annual Convention; Online; 2021
All times listed are Eastern time (GMT-4 at the time of the convention in May).
Event Details
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 Contextualizing, Checking, and Challenging Privilege: Exploring Traditional and Behavioral Conceptualizations of Privilege |
| Monday, May 31, 2021 |
| 5:00 PM–5:50 PM |
| Online |
| Area: CSS/PCH; Domain: Translational |
| Chair: Thomas B. Sease (Texas Christian University, Louisiana Contextual Science Research Group) |
| Discussant: Karen Kate Kellum (University of Mississippi) |
| CE Instructor: Emily Kennison Sandoz, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: The concept of privilege has become increasingly controversial recently as police brutality against the Black community has received more attention. However, despite its long history, the concept of privilege has not been subjected to a behavioral analysis focusing on the contextual conditions involved therein. In this symposium, we will discuss such an analysis, focusing on privilege as a manipulable aspect of context and its relationship to behavioral repertoires of both the privileged and the underprivileged. This analysis will focus on how divergent proportions of appetitive to aversive stimulation in the learning environment impact the sensitivity of the repertoire to appetitive and aversive learning opportunities. In the first paper, traditional conceptualizations of privilege will be discussed, along with what a behavioral conceptualization adds, and why it is pertinent today. In the second paper, the implications of a behavioral conceptualization and specific recommendations for self-evaluation for those committed to equity are discussed. These papers are intended to contribute to a discussion of larger societal issues from a behavior analytic framework, with the ultimate goal of the innovative intervention strategies supporting larger-scale behavior change. |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
| Keyword(s): appetitive control, aversive control, equity, privilege |
| Target Audience: Service providers, behavior analysts, clinicians, higher education instructors, school professionals, teachers, graduate students, undergraduates |
| Learning Objectives: (1) Discuss historical conceptualizations of privilege as well as current uses of the term; (2) Operationalize privilege from a behavior analytic perspective; (3) Identify implications this conceptualization has for the field at large; (4) Describe recommendations to address and self-evaluate context and experienced privileges; (5) Describe ways in which behavior analysts can go beyond “checking” privilege in our attempts to have socially significant influence. |
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| Why Now?: Traditional Conceptualizations of Privilege and Why a Behavior Analytic Approach is Pertinent |
| (Theory) |
| MAKENSEY SANDERS (University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Louisiana Contextual Science Research Group), Morgan E Maples (University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Louisiana Contextual Science Research Group), Emily Kennison Sandoz (University of Louisiana Lafayette, Louisiana Contextual Science Research Group) |
| Abstract: Historically, the term “privilege” has been used to refer to and describe basic rights withheld from people of color and the lack of equity between groups. While privilege is not a new concept, inequities in privilege have received increased attention due to the alarming rates of police brutality directed towards the Black community. “Checking” privilege has become a mainstream activity in an effort to call attention to the inequities in privilege, presumably to motivate actions toward equity. Operationally defined, privilege from a behavioral perspective consists of the conditions under which the term is employed. The historical conditions under which the term, privilege, emerged will be discussed as well as current uses of the term. Privilege will be discussed, from a behavioral perspective, as the contextually-bound resources to which a person has access due to their specific characteristics which afford membership to a particular social group. A lack of privilege, then, is denial or decreased access to resources which could serve as appetitives, thus resulting in inequity between groups of privileged and underprivileged. |
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| Implications of a Behavioral Conceptualization of Privilege and Self-Evaluative Recommendations |
| (Theory) |
| MORGAN E MAPLES (University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Louisiana Contextual Science Research Group), MaKensey Sanders (University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Louisiana Contextual Science Research Group), Emily Kennison Sandoz (University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Louisiana Contextual Science Research Group) |
| Abstract: Inequities of the privileged and the underprivileged may be addressed by approaching privilege as an aspect of context. This has implications for behavioral analyses and interventions that might address behavioral excesses and deficits related to both responses to and maintenance of inequities in privilege. Specifically, it is proposed that the degree of privilege involves the ratio of appetitive to aversive control apparent in the learning history and the repertoire. This analysis will be explored in terms of (1) its implications for explaining and intervening on behavioral excesses of the privileged that maintain inequity, (2) its implications for explaining and intervening on behavioral deficits of the privileged that maintain inequity, and (3) its implications for creating increased opportunities for appetitive learning for the underprivileged. The implications of this conceptualization for self-evaluation will be described for the audience, along with examples for how this practice might bring behavior analysts beyond “checking” privilege in our attempts to have socially significant influence. |
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