Association for Behavior Analysis International

A Long-Lasting Partnership for the Study of Symbolic Behavior From a Behavioral Perspective

This presentation will summarize the achievements of The National Institute of Science and Technology on Behavior, Cognition, and Teaching, as an example of a collective effort in developing and applying Behavior Analysis to the understanding of relational learning and symbolic behavior. I have been coordinating the Institute since 2008, but its foundations were laid long before, under the leadership of Carolina Bori, Maria Amelia Matos, and Julio de Rose. Strong contributions from the E.K. Shriver Center research group and other internationally renowned researchers also helped to shape our research theme, which has been explored in basic, translational, and applied research. The Institute’s Basic research program is devoted to the development of new knowledge and new methodologies relevant to the understanding of symbolic function. The translational research component seeks the validation of new principles or procedures derived from basic studies in preliminary clinical/educational trials. The applied research component intends to develop feasible solutions to the challenge of providing scientifically based procedures in typical service settings, such as schools, clinics, etc. The integration of these research components demonstrates how basic, translational, and applied research constitute a continuum, leading from basic knowledge to service implementation. The Institute has devoted considerable effort in developing teaching programs to promote symbolic behavior and to remedy deficits in this repertoire, aiming to reach increasingly larger groups. Over the years, we have reported the main results of reading programs, but the Institute has also invested in math, music, and second language acquisition, and their prerequisites, with a particular interest in some challenging populations that may need intervention for the development or rehabilitation of symbolic repertoires. The Institute has also invested in the formation of human resources at all levels, from undergraduate students to post-doc researchers, many of which have been incorporated as members of the research team, thus increasing the Institute’s potential for research and application.

Deisy de Souza is Full Professor at the Psychology Department, Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), Brazil, where she teaches behavior analysis in graduate and undergraduate courses in Psychology, and in Special Education. She obtained her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology at Universidade de São Paulo (USP), under the direction of Carolina Bori, and she held a post-doctoral position at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, in Charlie Catania’s Laboratory. She has published articles on avoidance behavior, choice, discriminative learning, and cooperative behavior in non-human subjects, and articles, books, and book chapters on human relational learning, including studies applying the stimulus equivalence paradigm to investigate the acquisition of symbolic relations involved in reading and writing repertoires, and to develop curricula to teach those skills. She is past-Editor of the Brazilian Journal of Behavior Analysis (BJBA), past-Associate Editor of Acta Comportamentalia, and she is currently a member of the Board of Editors of JEAB. She was President and member of the Council of the Brazilian Association of Psychology and member of the Brazilian Association of Psychology and Behavioral Medicine. She received the 2015 Distinguished Contributions to the Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Award from the Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Special Interest Group (EAHB SIG), she is a Fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI), and she is currently the International Representative in the ABAI Executive Council and in the SABA Board of Directors.

Leveraging the Reinforcement Process to Improve Health

This presentation will briefly review how the reinforcement process underpins drug use and addiction and can be leveraged to reduce illicit and licit drug use. This potential also extends to improving other challenging public-health problems (e.g., preventing unplanned pregnancies) and adherence with life-saving secondary prevention interventions (e.g., cardiac rehabilitation). Because these health problems are often overrepresented in socio-economically disadvantaged populations, reinforcement-based interventions are also important to reducing health disparities.

“We Happy Few, But Why So Few?”: Dissemination of Radical Behaviorism as a Response to Skinner

In 1981, at the Association for Behavior Analysis annual meeting in Milwaukee, B. F. Skinner presented his “We Happy Few” paper. He lamented about the small number of behavior analysts ready to solve societal problems with behavior analytic methods. In the 40-year period since Skinner’s remarks there has been a substantial increase in the number of behavior analysts. The majority of these individuals are applied behavior analysts responding to the demand for their service to children and adults with autism. While these behavior analysts are addressing a social issue of extreme importance, does their training also prepare them to disseminate the philosophy of radical behaviorism through their daily interactions leading to cultural benefits, e.g., end poverty, eliminate societal inequities, etc? Schlinger (2015) suggests that graduate training programs in behavior analysis that are responding to the demands of the autism epidemic, are not taking advantage of the opportunity to broaden the influence of the field by providing training in the conceptual and theoretical aspects of behavior analysis. Through the Carbone Clinics’ efforts to meet the needs of children with autism internationally, we have acknowledged the need for training in the philosophy of our science by incorporating heavy emphasis upon radical behaviorism. This emphasis can be found in our approach to treatment, trainings and workshops as well exposing our staff to a generalized approach consistent with Michael’s (1977) notion of “Radical Behaviorism as a Way of Life.” Where and how we have approached this dual-purposed mission of international dissemination will be discussed during this brief talk.

The Nonlinear Path of Drake University’s Program in Applied Behavior Analysis

The history of the behavior analysis program at Drake University is long and has undoubtedly experienced a nonlinear path over the last 50 years. Scott Wood, Kenneth and Maggie Lloyd were instrumental in initiating the Master’s program at Drake University in 1974. Four new positions that were added in 1974 were filled by behavior analysts including William Klipec and Larry Alferink in the experimental analysis of behavior (EAB), and John Williams and Maryann Powers in applied analysis of behavior (AAB). Through the seventies the program earned a strong national reputation for excellence in both EAB and AAB with an additional specialists’ degree in school psychology. During this time, in the mid to late 70s, the department, and its faculty, was a prime mover in the organization of Midwestern Association of Behavior Analysis (MABA) and the separation from Midwestern Psychological Association (MPA), which ultimately lead to the formation of the Association of Behavior Analysis (ABA; later added International; ABAI). Despite the contributions to the field, the weight of factors that contributed to its success ultimately led to the demise of the program during the late 80s. Nonetheless, the department continued its emphasis on behavior analysis and continued to send undergraduates to doctoral programs in behavior analysis developed in the 80s. Through the 2000’s, faculty in the program have worked to address the need for behavior analysts within Iowa with faculty holding leadership positions within the Iowa Association for Behavior Analysis. Their contributions led to licensure within the State of Iowa for behavior analysts and professional recognition by the Board of Educational Examiners thus continuing to impact the landscape of the profession on a broader scale. Dr. Klipec will expand upon the history of the department describing the height of the program and the pressures faced at a small liberal arts institution.

With sadness and great admiration, we pay tribute to several remarkable individuals who left tremendous footprints in our field. We honor the legacy left behind by these friends, colleagues, and mentors whose contributions are indelible in the fabric of our discipline. While they may be lost to us, the importance of their research, writing, and the many people they have inspired will endure for decades to come.

All convention registrants are welcome and encouraged to attend.

This competition is designed to encourage, promote, and reward behavior analytic scholarship on topics and issues in DEI, both in the field of behavior analysis and more broadly. Students (graduate or undergraduate) and post-graduate professionals who have completed empirical or conceptual papers relevant to DEI that are informed, at least in part, by a behavior-analytic perspective were invited to submit. This symposium includes presentations by the 2021 Student category winner, the 2022 Student category winner, and the 2022 Professional category winner.

Board certified behavior analysts; licensed psychologists; graduate students.

Students of color are more likely to receive negative teacher-student interactions compared to their peers. Some have attributed the inequalities of teacher-student interactions to implicit bias or bias-based behaviors. Given the impact of bias-based behaviors on student academic and social outcomes, it is critical for school-based practitioners to objectively measure bias-based behaviors to assist in providing culturally relevant and socially significant treatments. The most commonly cited procedure for assessing bias is the Implicit Bias Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP). While the IRAP assessment has produced socially significant results, the utility and acceptability of the IRAP in school-based settings may be limited due to several factors. Moreover, there is limited research that extends the assessment of bias-based behaviors to treatment in primary educational settings. Practitioners must have an efficient data collection system to measure interactions and use the data collection system when providing feedback to school personnel. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to discuss considerations to current procedures being used to assess bias-based behaviors and propose the Teacher Student Interaction Tool (T-SIT) for school-based practitioners. The utility and considerations of the T-SIT will be discussed.

This systematic review consists of 22 peer-reviewed single subject and group design studies that used culturally responsive assessment, implementer training, and intervention to yield positive outcomes for children and adolescents from diverse cultural backgrounds. The studies were published across 15 journals (2010-2021) and included at least 281 implementers and 536 service recipients. The review identified culturally responsive interventions targeting behavioral, social skills, academic, and social-emotional outcomes. Results indicated that most studies considered race, ethnicity, nationality, or language for cultural adaptations in assessment, implementer training, and intervention and addressed the specific culturally sensitive elements suggested by the Ecological Validity Model to some degree. The studies addressed cultural responsiveness in conducting research suggested in the literature, mostly in the area of problem formulation; scant research adequately addressed cultural responsiveness in the area of dissemination. Recommendations, implications, and directions for future research and behavior-analytic practices are discussed.

The aim of this study was to identify and learn about the cultural values and beliefs held by Latinx families in Nevada. In addition, we also examined barriers faced by Latinx families when accessing ABA services. In Study 1, we distributed the Participant Demographic and Experience Survey to Latinx families who were currently receiving ABA services or had received services in the past. The survey included questions about the family’s cultural identity, their primary language spoken in the home, and parent educational level. The second part of the questionnaire asked the parents to share their experiences in receiving ABA services and the extent to which those services were received. In Study 2, we conducted structured interviews and focus groups with some of the families who participated in Study 1. From the structured interviews and focus groups, we identified four main themes: (1) family and cultural values; (2) reaction of receiving a diagnosis; (3) impact of ABA services (4) future recommendations for the field of ABA. From these themes, we found what aspects were meaningful in receiving ABA services, as well as barriers that families faced when seeking services.

Mariela Castro-Hostetler is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Licensed Behavior Analyst in Nevada. She is a Project Coordinator at the Nevada Positive Behavioral Interventions at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) and doctoral candidate in the behavior analysis program at UNR. In her role, she provides behavioral support services for families and children with disabilities and dual diagnoses in Nevada. Castro-Hostetler completed her MS in behavior analysis at Southern Illinois University in 2016. Castro-Hostetler’s experience includes more than 8 years working with children and adults across various settings including homes, treatment centers, and schools. Her current research interests include parent and staff training, Acceptance and Commitment Training, and cultural responsiveness for culturally diverse and linguistically diverse individuals.

Misophonia is an understudied but relatively common learned respondent behavior condition, the impact of which ranges from annoying to debilitating. Misophonia is known as a condition where commonly occurring innocuous stimuli (e.g. chewing sound, specific voice) elicit anger and accompanying physiological responses which function as motivating operations for overt aggression, escape, and avoidance. Although there are many common misophonic stimuli, each person has a unique set of trigger stimuli. Misophonia has similarities with general sensory sensitivity which is common with autism, but is distinctly different. Misophonia was first identified and named by audiologists and has been considered a hearing disorder. Recently misophonia has come to be viewed as an anger disorder and the focus of psychologists and neuroscientists, however our research indicates the core of misophonia is a Pavlovian conditioned muscle reflex, so it may be more appropriate to view misophonia as a conditioned behavioral disorder. Once a misophonic respondent behavior develops, it generally strengthens with repeated exposure to the trigger stimulus and persists indefinitely unless there is an intervention to reduce the respondent behavior. One intervention that has been effective for misophonia is counterconditioning of trigger stimuli by paring a continuous positive stimulus with an intermittent trigger.

basic

Misophonia is a disorder in which specific innocuous stimuli trigger negative emotional and physiological responses. Reactions can range from annoyance to fight-or-flight. Commonly occurring triggers are oral and nasal sounds, but can be any stimulus. This study reports a successful intervention of a male high school student diagnosed with the primary educational classification of intellectual disability, a secondary classification of autism spectrum disorder, and speech and language impairment. Prior to intervention, the student was frequently triggered by vocal stimuli of one student, and he was continually removed from class due to aggressive and perseverative episodes towards that student. Pre-intervention rate of perseverative behavior was 12.3 times per hour. The intervention consisted of 10-30 minute counterconditioning sessions in a public education setting for three recorded trigger stimuli. Counterconditioning was accomplished by pairing continuous preferred stimuli (e.g., video or music) while the trigger played intermittently using the Misophonia Trigger Tamer app on an iPad. Staff observed overt behavior which indicated physiological responses after the trigger played and increased or decreased volume to maintain a minimal response. The intervention successfully reduced the misophonic respondent behavior, and the aggressive behavior extinguished. Preliminary post intervention rate of perseverative behavior is 0 times per hour.

Behavior analysis is a science of the behavior of individual organisms interacting with their environment, and yet the intention of the science has always been to create knowledge of great generality, applicable to larger groups of humans (Skinner, 1953). Relatively little research in behavior analysis has been dedicated to group behavior. Prosocial is a recently developed intervention approach combining evolutionary science with applied behavior analysis (ABA) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), for producing positive behavior change in groups, ranging from small groups (e.g., classrooms), to very large groups (e.g., counties or states). Although the principles and procedures that form the components of the Prosocial model are strongly supported by basic and applied research, relatively little research has evaluated the Prosocial approach as a whole. This symposium brings together two presentations and a discussion on the topic of Prosocial. The first presentation, by Dr. Scott Herbst, will describe the Prosocial model, review existing research, and discuss directions for future research and practice. The second presentation, by Tiffany Hamilton, describes a multiple baseline evaluation of the Prosocial model for increasing equity in vocal participation in university classroom instruction. The symposium concludes with a discussion by Dr. Yukie Kurumiya.

The target audience should have a beginner's knowledge of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

This study aimed to identify the necessary and sufficient conditions for improving equity of student engagement in an online graduate school level course. Equity was defined as contingencies that favor balanced duration of vocal responding and participation from all group members during non-proctored, small-group InterTeaching (IT) sessions. Little previous research has evaluated procedures for increasing equity in university instruction. Prosocial is an evolutionary, behavior analytic group-level intervention that, in part, is designed to increase equity in the performance of small groups. However, no previous research has evaluated the effects of Prosocial on university instruction. Therefore, we investigated the use of repeated exposures to brief ACT Prosocial exercises in conjunction with interdependent group contingencies for group performance. We evaluated the effects of Prosocial in increasing equitable participation in discussion, thereby contributing to a more equitable university instruction environment. Results suggested that the prosocial model was effective and that additional treatment components from the OBM literature may also contribute. Results are discussed in terms of implications for university instruction, as well as group-level behavioral interventions aimed at increased equity and social justice.