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| The Things We Say About the Things We Do |
| Monday, May 26, 2025 |
| 5:00 PM–5:50 PM |
| Marriott Marquis, M2 Level, Marquis Salon 1-5 |
| Area: PCH/VBC; Domain: Theory |
| Chair: Caio F. Miguel (California State University, Sacramento) |
| CE Instructor: Matthew P. Normand, Ph.D. |
| Presenting Author: MATTHEW P. NORMAND (University of the Pacific) |
| Abstract: Self-reports are verbal responses evoked by questions posed to a respondent about their own experiences. However, a self-report is not what we say about what we do, it is more of what we do. Self-reports might tell us something about the past, the present, or the future. But often they do not. The research literature contains many examples of self-reports differing from more direct measures of behavior and relatively few examples of close correspondence. This should not be surprising, as most of the relevant variables are absent at the time of reporting. Ultimately, the verbal responses that constitute self-reports and their controlling variables must be analyzed in and of themselves, not just taken as a proxy for direct observation of the things described. Although behavior analysts have historically avoided the use of self-report data, such data do play a role in contemporary behavior analytic research, including reports on the social validity of our applications, surveys about the characteristics of our science and practice, and reports of the experiences of our students and professionals. It seems important to consider what these reports can and cannot tell us, and what we might do to buttress them when they are used. |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
| Target Audience: Audience members should have a basic understanding of B.F. Skinner's (1957) analysis of verbal behavior, especially the characteristic controlling variables for the elementary verbal operants, and an understanding of the multiple control of verbal behavior. |
Learning Objectives: 1. Describe the relevant controlling relations involved in "ideal" self-reports.
2. Describe the types of multiple control likely influencing actual self-reports.
3. Describe several ways to potentially improve the accuracy of self-reports. |
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| MATTHEW P. NORMAND (University of the Pacific) |
 Dr. Normand is a Professor of Psychology at the University of the Pacific. He earned his B.A. in Psychology at Western New England College, his M.A. in Behavior Analysis at Western Michigan University, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences at the Florida State University. His is a past Editor of The Behavior Analyst (now Perspectives on Behavior Science), and a past Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, The Behavior Analyst, Behavior Analysis in Practice, and the European Journal of Behavior Analysis. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (SEAB) and on the Executive Council of Division 25 (Behavior Analysis) of the American Psychological Association (APA). He was the 2011 recipient of the B.F. Skinner New Researcher Award from Division 25 of APA. |
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