Association for Behavior Analysis International

This symposium focuses on cultural contingencies in the context of the dissemination of behavior analysis, highlighting the importance of sociocultural analysis. We begin with outlining how cultural dimensions, including social power structures, institutional norms, and resource allocation, impact the goals and practices of behavior analysis, often limiting its broader application. Then, we explore the role of attribution of causation in third-wave behavioral therapies, emphasizing the need for context-focused assessment when identifying targets of intervention to avoid harm to clients. The symposium further emphasizes integrating multicultural competency into clinical training, moving beyond traditional approaches to embrace the complexity of cultural contexts in functional analytic case conceptualizations. This comprehensive approach ensures that both the client's and therapist’s verbal behaviors align with broader cultural systems, ultimately improving the effectiveness of behavioral analytic practices across varied social settings. Lastly, we present the analysis of behavior at the socio-cultural level, particularly the concept of cultural milieu—shared stimulus functions such as values, beliefs, and opinions—and its role in effectively applying behavior analysis in different cultures. We compare various socio-cultural models and emphasize the significance of verbal behavior in establishing and maintaining behaviors at this level. This presentation discusses a theoretical framework from a behavior analytical perspective in which the dissemination of behavior analysis to different cultures can be analyzed. Within behavior analysis, different conceptual and theoretical frameworks of cultural behavior analysis have been proposed. This presentation starts with the comparison of these frameworks, and emphasizes the importance of understanding cultural milieu, the difference between cultural milieu and cultural organizational milieu and the important role played by verbal behavior in the understanding of cultures. Ultimately, the paper advocates for a unified framework to propel the development of a new discipline focused on cultural behavior.

Intermediate Audience should have basic knowledge about behavior analysis at socio-cultural level; it is preferred that the audience has clinical experience working with people from different cultural background.

There are many aspects of culture that impact the implementation of behavior-analytic interventions. While culture is often viewed in terms of ethnic community or geography-based social systems, other elements of cultural systems—like policies, guidelines, training competencies, resources, and social expectations— also play a crucial role in shaping the dissemination and practice of behavior analysis. These often overlooked factors impact intervention focus, implementation, and the field's overall direction, especially through the translation of practices and professional training. This presentation begins by providing a broad overview of these layers of culture, both within and outside practice settings, to raise awareness of their influence on interventions and their implementation. We will explore specific examples that illustrate how these cultural forces shape behavior analysis beyond traditional settings, as well as how policies and guidelines impact the application of other behavioral therapies. Ultimately, this presentation encourages behavior analysts to consider how both external and internal contexts shape their practice, urging them to stay informed and reflective about these influences in order to improve the effectiveness and ethics of their work.

Attributions of causation are fundamental to addressing intervention targets in behavioral health. Inadequate identification of intervention targets – as a consequence of insufficient assessment – often leads to the selection of interventions that fail to provide optimal service and may even risk harm to the client. This presentation discusses the role of functional assessment in the implementation and dissemination of third-wave behavioral therapies, emphasizing both the intervention process and its outcomes. Third-wave behavior therapies have components that attribute ineffective behavior patterns to verbal behavior. Given prevalent cultural contingencies, therapists may then attend to verbal behavior as privileged explanatory attribution and neglect other aspects of the client's context that may impact functioning. The importance of a comprehensive contextual assessment to inform treatment decisions will be reviewed, including its impact on the causal attributions made. School related anxiety will be used as an example to illustrate how the same topography can have multiple functions dependent upon context.

Incorporating multicultural competency into clinical training has long been recognized as a critical component of professional development. However, traditional approaches of teaching multiculturalism as a stand-alone course often lead to an oversimplified understanding of cultural issues, making it challenging for students and early-career clinicians to apply this knowledge effectively in real-world scenarios (Sue et al., 2019). While APA Multicultural Guidelines (APA, 2017) and recommendations for behavioral analysts (Fong et al., 2016) provide a robust foundation for working with multicultural clients, implementing these guidelines in clinical practice and clinical decision making can be challenging. This presentation focuses on how practitioners can integrate functional analytic case conceptualizations to address cultural complexity and diversity. This will be followed by a case illustration to demonstrate how practitioners can navigate these complexities by incorporating a case conceptualization that respects and honors client’s own values within a larger social context and how social advocacy and problem solving can be applied to address systemic barriers when necessary.