Association for Behavior Analysis International

B. F. Skinner left us a legacy of “how to” nuggets across his prolific verbal offerings of publications, interviews, and speeches. It is a luxury to be able to re-visit some of these contributions to ponder the impact of what he said and what it might mean for our own lives, particularly in coping effectively with unexpected or challenging events. In this talk, Dr. Esch shares passages from Skinner that can serve as exemplars to model and support effective verbal and nonverbal behavioral repertoires throughout the life span, thus providing inoculation against spinning our wheels and instead getting on with the business of experiencing a meaningful life. Attendees may wish to refresh their own familiarity with some of Skinner’s rich source material for this topic, in particular Enjoy Old Age (Skinner & Vaughan, 1983), About Behaviorism (1974), Science and Human Behavior (1953), and Contingencies of Reinforcement (1969).

Researchers and professionals interested in learning, the development of habits, and response inhibition.

Mark E. Bouton received his BA from Williams College and his PhD from the University of Washington (Seattle). He is currently University Distinguished Professor and Robert B. Lawson Green and Gold Professor of Psychology Emeritus at the University of Vermont, where he has held appointments since 1980. He has done research on the effects of context on conditioning and learning, with an emphasis on behavior change (including extinction, punishment, and the transition of operant behavior from goal-directed to habitual), for over four decades. His research was continuously funded by grants from NSF or NIH between 1981 and 2023. He has received a number of awards, including the Gantt Medal from the Pavlovian Society and the Quad-L Award from the University of New Mexico, and he is a Fellow of several organizations, including the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, the Society of Experimental Psychologists, and the Eastern Psychological Association, of which he is a past president. He is the author of a textbook on learning and behavior theory [Learning and behavior: A contemporary synthesis (2nd ed.)], published in 2016 by Sinauer Associates, an imprint of Oxford University Press.

The increasing availability of behavior analytic services for individuals with autism is addressing a critical service gap, yet a significant portion of providers are relatively new to the practice, presenting unique challenges and opportunities for the field. Each service delivery model, whether a school, clinic, or consultancy, needs mechanisms to ensure that providers are relying on best practice informed by research, teaching socially relevant and important skills to learners, and contributing to the growth and development of its service providers along the way. This presentation explores the pillars of a strong clinical service delivery model situated in a school for learners with autism. Those pillars include an ecosystem for professional development and research, both of which then offer the opportunity for continuous program improvement; a system for identifying and teaching important skills that relies on the principles of behavior analysis; and a well-considered set of logistical practices that are specifically designed to meet the needs of learners with autism. This presentation highlights NECC's commitment to evidence-based practices and its ongoing contributions to advancing autism education.

Dr. Jessica Sassi is President and Chief Executive Officer at the New England Center for Children, a school committed to transforming the lives of children with autism through education, research, and technology.  Dr. Sassi’s professional interests include the functional analysis and treatment of severe behavior disorders, education and support for those with autism, and public policy advocacy for those most severely affected by autism. Dr. Sassi graduated with her doctorate in Behavior Analysis from the University of Florida in 2007. She taught and mentored master’s and doctoral students as faculty in the Western New England University programs in Behavior Analysis, and served as guest Action Editor and Reviewer for several journals, including the Journals of Applied Behavior Analysis and Behavioral Interventions.  Dr. Sassi is a board member of the Massachusetts Association of Private Special Education Schools and serves as Non-Legislative Member of the Massachusetts Autism Commission.

Attendees should have a basic understanding of what discounting is. The presentation will briefly review the basics of model fitting in discounting so not a pre-requisite per se. But, having some familiarity with how this process currently works will be useful.

This talk tells my story as an applied researcher in behavior analysis for the last 40 years, with an emphasis on evaluations of behavioral skills training (BST) and its variants. My research on BST has been applied to several different target behaviors, often chosen as opportunities arose at different times in my career. I conducted early work in behavioral interview skills training as these were important skills in my work as a clinical behavior analyst with outpatient clients. Also early in my career, I because interested in safety skills such as sexual abuse prevention, abduction prevention, and firearm injury prevention and evaluated BST for the acquisition and generalization of these skills. In this research, I discovered the importance of in situ assessments to measure the generalization of skills to natural settings. Due to my consultation in agencies serving persons with disabilities, I became interested in staff training and management and again evaluated BST interventions for promoting the acquisition and generalization of skills exhibited by staff and teachers. This research also emphasized the importance of in situ assessments to measure generalization to natural settings when a supervisor was not present. Finally, my more recent research, fueled by student athletes with whom I worked, has evaluated BST and other feedback approaches for enhancing athletic performance across a variety of sports. The presentation ends with a review of lessons learned from my research on BST.

The target audience consists of applied behavior analysis researchers, behavior analysts in practice, and graduate students in behavior analysis.

Researchers and professionals interested in human learning using virtual environments.

Dr. Michael Young is a Professor of Psychological Sciences at Kansas State University.  He received his Bachelor’s (U. of Illinois) and Master’s (U. of Minnesota) degrees in Computer Science and his Ph.D. in Psychology (U. of Minnesota).  During his 35+ year academic career his research program has included causal learning by humans that was built on the principles of classical and operant conditioning, avian judgment and perception, the integration of reward magnitude, delay, probability, and resource limitations in decision making, and quantitative methods used in data analysis.  For the past 20 years, a large portion of his behavioral data has been collected by architecting research-specific video games.  His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Mental Health, Air Force Office for Scientific Research, the Hershey Corporation, and RTI International.  He has served as a Graduate Program Director, Department Head, Provost Fellow, and Acting Associate Dean of the Graduate School. 

Basic

In the United States, health disparities persist across race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, socio-economic status, etc. (CDC, 2020). Black, Indigenous, and Other People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQIA2S+ individuals, those living in rural areas, and people with disAbilities experience much greater health inequities than their white, heterosexual, cisgender, and non-disAbled, counterparts. People from historically minoritized and marginalized (HMM) groups are often excluded from accessing conditions, factors, and resources associated with positive health outcomes (University of Wisconsin, 2023). Research has shown that health outcomes are influenced by several eco-social determinants of health (eSDoH), which are the conditions in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health behavior and quality-of-life outcomes (Johnson et al., 2022). Moreover, eSDoH are fundamental social and structural factors that impact our wellness, well-being, and longevity. When one or more of these conditions pose challenges, it greatly increases the likelihood that they will becoming risk factors for poor health outcomes (Hold-Lundstad, 2022). Discriminatory and othering behaviors often play a role in poor health outcomes. Accordingly, eSDoH can have a significant, negative effect on client care, education and training, the diversity of the health care workforce, inequitable distribution of research funding, and career advancement (New England Journal of Medicine, 2022). This presentation will center the impact of eSDOH on HMM populations, highlight eSDoH considerations for behavior analysts, and provide recommendations for mitigating harmful contingencies that occur on the individual and cultural levels of selection (Danquah-Brobby, 2023; Skinner, 1981).

Paula Danquah-Brobby (she/they), PhD, BCBA, LBA, IBA is the Associate Dean of Access, Belonging, and Community Engagement for the College of Science at George Mason University. They have dedicated their career to social justice and advocating for historically minoritized and marginalized populations, both in the US and internationally. As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), licensed behavior analyst in the state of Maryland, Culturo-Behavioral Scientist, and International Psychologist, Dr. Danquah-Brobby has worked with children and adults diagnosed with [neuro]developmental delays (in various environmental  and cultural contexts) for over 20 years, including 13 years providing sustainable and capacity building consultative services to families, professionals, and organizations in low- and middle-income countries (LAMICs).

Prior to joining Mason’s College of Science, she was the department chair of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) at a minority serving institution (MSI). In this role, she created and embedded access, justice, equity, diversity, & inclusion (AJEDI) strategic planning initiatives throughout departmental policies, procedures, and systems; this included cultivating culturally responsive teaching/pedagogic approaches and practicum training for ABA students.

Their areas of interest include (but not limited to): ABA capacity-building and sustainability in LAMICs, international psychology, culturo-behavioral science (CBS), access, justice, equity, diversity, & inclusion, othering behaviors (e.g., racism, homophobia, misogynoir), intersectionality, eco-social determinants of physical and mental health, verbal behavior, naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBI), social validity, cultural competence (comprising cultural awareness, sensitivity, humility, & responsiveness), and mixed methodology research designs. Dr. Danquah-Brobby has given numerous presentations, interviews, and educational workshops throughout her career, and is the author of the chapter Spiritual Activism, in the book Women in Behavior Science: Observations on Life Inside and Outside the Academy. Moreover, she is an Advisor for the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies; serves on the editorial board for Behavior and Social Issues (BSI); a member of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) and the Virginia Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (VADOHE); and participated on the Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP) Accreditation DEI workgroup.

Interbehaviorism has not been widely disseminated in behavior analysis. Even when it has been considered, questions about its everyday practical value have always been present. This presentation addresses these questions directly – highlighting the implications of interbehaviorism for practice. This includes practice in the workplace, education, and clinical settings. Most work in applied behavior analysis is dominated by operant concepts and practices. This approach is appealing for several reasons and has been associated with a great deal of success. Still, there are limits to strictly approaching behavior change efforts this way. And while these limits may be experienced in many areas of the science of behavior, they seem particularly present in complex practice settings. This presentation describes some of the core features of interbehaviorism and how they might facilitate a more comprehensive approach to clinical work. The role of language in behavior change efforts is given special attention. Examples from clinical behavior analysis, including a consideration of relationships and psychological flexibility, are provided.

-General understanding of basic behavioral principles -Experience working in the practice of behavior analysis

Dr. Hanley has been applying the principles of learning to improve socially important behaviors of children and adults with and without disabilities for over 30 years. He worked and trained at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, was degreed at the University of Florida, was tenured at the University of Kansas, and directed the Behavior Analysis Doctoral Program and Life Skills Clinic at Western New England University. Dr. Hanley has published over 100 book chapters and articles in peer-reviewed journals in areas such as the assessment and prevention of problem behavior, teaching tactics for young children, and evidence-based values. Dr. Hanley is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Div. 25), past Associate Editor of The Behavior Analyst, and past Editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and of Behavior Analysis in Practice. He currently serves as a Research Professor at Western New England University and as CEO of FTF Behavioral, an international training and consulting group based in Worcester, Massachusetts.  

Autism practitioners at all levels.

Behaviorism is often contrasted with mentalism, which purports that behavior is attributable to the mind or “mental activity.” In this way, mentalism includes the attribution of behavior to constructs found within the person like personality, mood, diagnosis, will, or the Self (among others) - a perspective which dominates mental health treatment. Behaviorism is distinct, however, in viewing behavior in terms of context-behavior interactions. One conceptualization of context-behavior interactions is as functional relations, or relationships where participants convolve (i.e., co-evolve), bidirectionally, with neither serving as cause nor effect.This approach centers the functional relationship as the primary unit of analysis, with distinctions among individual factors secondary to further analytic purposes. The functional relationship is a powerful construct, honoring the complexity of our subject matter without foregoing an actionable foundation for analysis. One application of the construct of functional relationship might be as a referent for translating mentalism. We will explore the idea that treating the mind (along with personality, mood, the Self or other mentalist constructs) as a metaphor for functional relations could allow for improved discourse with non-behavioral mental health practitioners and effective integration of non-behavioral data and wisdom relevant to mental health. Examples and challenges will be discussed.

behavior analysts interested in mental health

Dr. Emily K. Sandoz (she/they) is the Director of the University Honors Program, the Emma Louise LeBlanc Burguieres/BORSF Endowed Professor of Social Sciences, and Full Professor in the Psychology Department at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Emily is also the Director of the Louisiana Contextual Science Research Group, which supports collaborative contributions from students and professionals from all over the world. They have co-authored three books on acceptance and commitment therapy for struggles with eating and body image, along with chapters and journal articles on contextual behavioral science, social justice, clinical behavioral processes, and psychological flexibility. Emily has led more than 100 training workshops for professionals around the world, and serves as a peer-reviewed ACT trainer. They also practice as a Clinical Psychologist and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, focusing on clinical behavior analysis.

Basic instruction for behavior analysts.