Association for Behavior Analysis International

This symposium explores innovations in addressing critical issues in society and the field of behavior analysis, focusing on the development of relational networks and their impact. The first presentation revisits Watt et al.'s (1991) equivalence model to assess advancements in research on social stereotyping. Through a systematic literature review of empirical studies on derived relational responding and social categorization, findings reveal that contextual factors may influence the perpetuation of social stereotypes. Insights and recommendations are provided to aid behavior analysts in mitigating harmful biases which can impact behavior analytic practice. The linkage between the strength of relational networks and how these relations can impact practitioners leading to challenges in navigating demands in the workplace is explored in the second presentation. This presentation addresses practitioner burnout which is a pervasive concern for ABA professionals. This study examines the potential of integrating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) within Behavioral Skills Training (BST) to enhance psychological flexibility and reduce burnout in ABA practitioners. These talks provide an explanation as to how the establishment of some types of relational networks can lead to challenges within broad society and the smaller community of behavior analysis. Further we explore how our field can address issues.

Participants should have some familiarity with derived relational responding and how this is related to acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).

Thirty four years have passed since Watt et al. (1991) proposed the equivalence model as a way of studying social categorization. This presentation aims to provide an update on the status of this line of research to support behavior analysts who are interested in this important research area. We conducted a systematic literature review of existing empirical studies on derived relational responding and social categorization from nine major behavior analytic journals. The current body of research demonstrates that variables such as pre-existing relations in line with social stereotypes, training and testing order, and other relevant context likely impact the formation of new stimulus classes. This is relevant to the formation of both implicit and explicit bias. A considerable amount of work remains if we wish to understand and target behaviors and practices that perpetuate harmful social stereotypes, which can impact society at large, as well as behavior analytic practice. Recommendations for future directions will be discussed.