Behavior Analysis in Practice

Behavior analytic translations of nonbehavioral treatments were recommended by Brodhead in Behavior Analysis in Practice, 8 (1), 70-78 (2015) as part of a decision-making framework for practitioners working on interprofessional treatment teams. Professionals from different disciplines often have overlapping scopes of practice and competence, yet each recommends interventions according to their discipline-specific worldview and training. Nonbehavioral treatment recommendations may be especially challenging for behavior analytic practitioners who are committed to the science of human behavior and who are also ethically obligated to work cooperatively and in the best interest of the client...

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) organizations that provide services to children with autism can apply contingencies to improve employee performance or behavioral processes. Such contingencies may be especially important for maximizing ABA service delivery quality (ASDQ). For some behavioral processes, group contingencies applied to the behavior of individuals within the process may be more appropriate than individualized contingencies. In the history of the profession, behavior analysts have used group contingencies at the operant level of selection, such as independent, interdependent, and dependent group contingencies...

UNLABELLED: Resurgence as Choice in Context (RaC2 ) is a quantitative model for evaluating the reemergence of a previously extinguished response when alternative reinforcement is worsened. Rooted in the matching law, RaC2 proposes that allocation between target and alternative responding is based on changes in the relative value of each response option over time, accounting for periods with and without alternative reinforcement. Given that practitioners and applied researchers may have limited experience with constructing quantitative models, we provide a step-by-step task analysis for building RaC2 using Microsoft Excel 2013...

The curr ent study aimed to evaluate the effects of asynchronous online instruction on correct fieldwork data entry for graduate students in behavior analysis preparing to sit for the BACB exam. Previous research has been conducted on using synchronous instructional methods to teach fieldwork data entry. To our knowledge, this is the first examination of a completely asynchronous approach to teaching the new Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) fieldwork requirements (BACB, 2020a). Experimenters focused on the completion of daily fieldwork activities, as well as the completion of monthly fieldwork forms...

Researchers have recently had greater interest in publishing data on women's participation in behavior analysis. This emphasis has resulted in analyses of women's representation as authors of peer-reviewed publications, and the results have been largely encouraging. Another area to study in this line of research is serving as a keynote or invited speaker at conferences. Although there are some limited data published in this area, no study has yet examined women's participation in these roles across all U.S...

There is a paucity of data that describe how program characteristics relate to program outcome goals. This gap limits the use of data to guide and support decisions concerning the selection of applied behavior analysis (ABA) program characteristics. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to describe a methodology for the evaluation of the relationships between program characteristics and program outcome goals in the context of identifying the ideal program characteristics to propose for a new master of science in ABA program at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University (FranU)...

The presence of stereotypy is one of the core features exhibited by individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Stereotypy can interfere with academic engagement and become a major barrier to appropriate education and social development of individuals with ASD. Studies have shown that antecedent physical exercise can produce reductions in stereotypy and positive collateral effects. The purpose of the current systematic review was to examine the collateral effects of antecedent physical exercise on stereotypy and engagement in nonstereotypic behaviors...

Buprenorphine is an important medication for treating opioid use disorder, but medication adherence and treatment retention are key issues that can limit its impact, especially when patients have concurrent stimulant use. Contingency management is efficacious in promoting medication adherence and drug abstinence. Delivering contingency management via smartphones addresses practical barriers to its adoption and improves patient access. A single-group ( n = 20) nonexperimental study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of smartphone-based contingency management to promote adherence to buprenorphine treatment in people with opioid use disorder...

In the West, the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA) evolved over 7 decades from the experimental analysis of behavior. In this evolutionary process, seven dimensions of ABA emerged: applied, behavioral, analytic, technological, conceptual, effective, and generality. In contrast, ABA was introduced into mainland China only about 20 years ago as a direct result of the rise in autism diagnosis in that country, and only since then has it become an area of research there. The purpose of this study is to critically evaluate ABA research published in China by focusing on its seven dimensions...

As of 2022, board certified behavior analysts who are certified for less than 1 year and have met the qualifications to serve in a supervisory capacity are required to meet with a consulting supervisor if they wish to supervise trainees' fieldwork experience. These guidelines establish a different supervisory level of accountability in our field, supervision for supervisors. Recommendations that are uniquely tailored for new supervisors and address the relationship between new and consulting supervisors have not yet been published...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s40617-022-00729-1.].

UNLABELLED: We sought to evaluate the efficacy of an equivalence-based instructional program to teach vocational information to a young adult. This work has the potential to aid in workplace or vocational programming to teach declarative information about employment settings. We directly reinforced a subset of relations [Employee names (A) to job titles (B) (A-B) and a job titles (B) to a job responsibilities (C) (B-C)] and tested for the untrained emergence of other relations [Employee names (A) to job responsibilities (C) (A-C) and job responsibilities (C) to employee names (A) (C-A)]...

UNLABELLED: Supervision is paramount within applied behavior analysis. This is particularly true in the case of Board Certified Behavior Analysts® (BCBAs® ) and trainees (i.e., those accruing hours and experience to become BCBAs). Given the importance of supervision in shaping future BCBAs (and subsequently the field of applied behavior analysis), researchers have emphasized supervision practices as they relate to BCBAs and trainees. However, what type of work is occurring in this area, such as empirical intervention studies or provision of supervisory recommendations through discussion-style articles, needs to be clarified...

Within the field of applied behavior analysis, there is a recognized need for increased training for practitioners on cultural responsiveness, as well as to improve behavior analysts' demonstration of compassion and empathy towards the families with whom they work. The present study used behavioral skills training via telehealth to teach three skillsets-functional assessment interviewing, empathic and compassionate care, and cultural responsiveness. Participants were seven graduate students who had no previous coursework in behavioral assessment and whose caseload mainly included clients who did not share the participant's cultural, ethnic, or religious backgrounds...

We conducted a systematic replication of Kodak et al.'s Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 53 (1), 265-283 (2020) and Vladescu et al.'s Behavior Analysis in Practice, 14 (1), 193-197 (2021) experiments on the effects of stimulus set sizes on skill acquisition. The researchers manipulated the stimulus set sizes by teaching 3, 6, and 12 sight words simultaneously during learn unit instruction. Researchers taught participants until the participant's responding reached the acquisition criterion for 12 different sight words per set size condition...

The behavior analytic literature on neurodiversity remains limited. This article aims to begin filling the lacuna. We will introduce the neurodiversity perspective and demonstrate an important congruence between the behavior analytic and neurodiversity perspectives on autism. Despite this congruence, applied behavior analysis is often targeted for criticism by proponents of the neurodiversity perspective. A central concern raises questions about the aims of behavior analytic interventions for clients with autism...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s40617-022-00718-4.].

Parents and caregivers of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are faced with a vast array of treatment options, which vary greatly in evidence-based merits, and it is unclear what factors affect their final selections. Understanding the factors that influence family decisions can shed light on avenues for more effectively communicating the importance of selecting empirically supported treatments. In this article, we conducted a systematic literature review on how parents select evidence-based treatments for their children with ASD...

Attending is a requisite behavior for interactions between animals in zoological care and their care specialist (trainers). Head-dropping behavior (HDB) is incompatible with attending and was observed with two killer whales during whale-trainer interactions (WTI). Initial observations also noted inconsistencies in the trainers' application of shaping procedures during WTI. A three-part plan was developed to address trainers procedural fidelity, increase whale attending during WTI, and program for the behavioral generalization and maintenance of the whale-trainer dyads (dyad)...

UNLABELLED: Recent data indicate that BACB certificants are largely homogenous with respect to racial and gender identity. There is also evidence that many practitioners do not receive training in culturally responsive service delivery (CSRD). Applied behavior analysis (ABA) graduate programs would therefore benefit from incorporating training on diversity and CSRD. In this pilot investigation, a pre/post design was used to evaluate the effects of providing ABA faculty members with a supplemental diversity/CRSD curriculum on the presence of diversity/CRSD content in course syllabi...