Association for Behavior Analysis International

Behavior analysis is a science of the behavior of individual organisms interacting with their environment, and yet the intention of the science has always been to create knowledge of great generality, applicable to larger groups of humans (Skinner, 1953). Relatively little research in behavior analysis has been dedicated to group behavior. Prosocial is a recently developed intervention approach combining evolutionary science with applied behavior analysis (ABA) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), for producing positive behavior change in groups, ranging from small groups (e.g., classrooms), to very large groups (e.g., counties or states). Although the principles and procedures that form the components of the Prosocial model are strongly supported by basic and applied research, relatively little research has evaluated the Prosocial approach as a whole. This symposium brings together two presentations and a discussion on the topic of Prosocial. The first presentation, by Dr. Scott Herbst, will describe the Prosocial model, review existing research, and discuss directions for future research and practice. The second presentation, by Tiffany Hamilton, describes a multiple baseline evaluation of the Prosocial model for increasing equity in vocal participation in university classroom instruction. The symposium concludes with a discussion by Dr. Yukie Kurumiya.

The target audience should have a beginner's knowledge of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

This study aimed to identify the necessary and sufficient conditions for improving equity of student engagement in an online graduate school level course. Equity was defined as contingencies that favor balanced duration of vocal responding and participation from all group members during non-proctored, small-group InterTeaching (IT) sessions. Little previous research has evaluated procedures for increasing equity in university instruction. Prosocial is an evolutionary, behavior analytic group-level intervention that, in part, is designed to increase equity in the performance of small groups. However, no previous research has evaluated the effects of Prosocial on university instruction. Therefore, we investigated the use of repeated exposures to brief ACT Prosocial exercises in conjunction with interdependent group contingencies for group performance. We evaluated the effects of Prosocial in increasing equitable participation in discussion, thereby contributing to a more equitable university instruction environment. Results suggested that the prosocial model was effective and that additional treatment components from the OBM literature may also contribute. Results are discussed in terms of implications for university instruction, as well as group-level behavioral interventions aimed at increased equity and social justice.