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| A Behavior Regulation Approach to Learned Performances |
| Monday, May 26, 2025 |
| 12:00 PM–12:50 PM |
| Marriott Marquis, M2 Level, Marquis Salon 1-5 |
| Area: EAB; Domain: Basic Research |
| Chair: Darlene E. Crone-Todd (Salem State University) |
| CE Instructor: Kenneth W. Jacobs, Ph.D. |
| Presenting Author: KENNETH W. JACOBS (Salem State University) |
| Abstract: Regulation is a feature of life itself. To live is to transact with the external environment to maintain one's internal environment. Learning and behavior, however, extend beyond the organism's basic life functions. Whole-organism behavior may be regulated for its own sake, independent of biological needs. This presentation will outline a Behavior Regulation Theory (BRT) that accounts for the time and effort devoted to life's non-essentials. Why do we find a television series "binge-worthy," and how does TikTok lead to "brain-rot"? BRT addresses these questions by examining how behavioral equilibrium—an organism's preferred distribution of activities—is maintained in the face of environmental challenges. While organisms typically defend their behavioral equilibrium, language-capable humans often disrupt it in an endless pursuit of "goals." This presentation offers an experimental framework to study language as a regulatory mechanism itself, exploring how verbal regulation can either preserve or destroy behavioral equilibrium. |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
Learning Objectives: 1. Describe behavior regulation
2. Identify behavioral equilibrium
3. Apply disequilibrium contingencies |
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| KENNETH W. JACOBS (Salem State University) |
 Kenneth W. Jacobs, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Salem State University. Dr. Jacobs received his doctoral training at the University of Nevada, Reno under the mentorship of Linda J. Hayes. He was trained in theory, philosophy, and the experimental analysis of human behavior. Dr. Jacobs has published both theoretical and empirical articles on the status of reinforcement in behavior analysis. Among his most influential works is a collaboration on the roles of affordances and dispositions within the analysis of behavior. His more recent research has explored an alternative approach to reinforcement called response disequilibrium theory. Dr. Jacobs' published works on response disequilibrium can be found in Behavioural Processes, The Psychological Record, and Behavior Analysis in Practice. |
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