Association for Behavior Analysis International

Memory as a phenomenon is not widely understood by behavior analysts, however, operant processes can explain mnemonic behavior. Neuroscientists have accomplished a lot in their study of memory, but their theories rely on explanations such as the storage metaphor and these theories cannot be supported by our current understanding of mnemonic processes. Behavior analytic work on memory is limited, however, radical behaviorism allows us to reexamine neuroscientific literature with a behavior analytic focus on the procedures used, which are compatible with our science. Study-test procedures, interspersed continuous recognition, and source accuracy will be reviewed within the context of the three-term behavioral contingency, focusing specifically on complex stimulus control and positive reinforcement We contend that memory can be understood behaviorally avoiding essentialistic categories and locationist tendencies, prominent in some sectors of neuroscience.. Practical avenues for behavior analytic research, specifically related to stimulus control and its role in memory, will also be explored.

Despite the expanding legal cannabis market, few studies examine situations associated with reduced or elevated cannabis demand. Therefore, we examined the impact of various everyday drug-use contexts on cannabis demand using a series of hypothetical marijuana purchase tasks (MPTs). These data are presented as a preliminary analysis of an initial subset of 20 weekly cannabis users (50% male; 40% female; and 10% non-binary; mean age 21.35; target N = 80) recruited from the University of Kansas campus and surrounding community. Participants first completed two standard MPTs followed by two MPTs in the context of having to drive and having to go to sleep during expected peak concentrations of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (e.g., within 30-minutes of inhalation). All consumption data appear to be systematic and 95% of participants passed all embedded vignette-check questions. Although we observed idiosyncratic differences, aggregated mean change in intensity of demand showed a 3.37 “hit” reduction in the driving context and a 1.26 “hit” increase in the sleep context. Omax was highest in the sleep context ($18.51) followed by the typical contexts ($13.56-$14.31), and lastly the driving context ($7.03). These preliminary results suggest cannabis demand can fluctuate throughout a typical day.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of abstinence-contingent wage supplements in promoting employment and abstinence from alcohol in adults with alcohol use disorder who are experiencing homelessness. The study was a 6-month randomized clinical trial in which 119 participants were randomly assigned to a Therapeutic Workplace group (n = 62) or a usual care control group (n = 57). Usual care participants were offered counseling and referrals to employment and treatment programs. Therapeutic Workplace participants received employment services and abstinence-contingent wage supplements for working at a community job. They also wore alcohol biosensors (BACtrack Skyn) that continuously monitored alcohol use. If the biosensors detected alcohol use, the magnitude of wage supplements temporarily decreased. Therapeutic Workplace participants reported significantly higher rates of alcohol abstinence than usual care participants (mdn = 100% vs 67% of months, respectively). Additionally, Therapeutic Workplace participants reported higher rates of employment than usual care participants (mdn = 50% vs 33% of months, respectively). This intervention could be an effective and economically sound way to promote long-term alcohol abstinence and employment in adults with alcohol use disorder who are experiencing homelessness.