Association for Behavior Analysis International

When humans engage in organized gambling, they are generally choosing sub-optimally. That is, losses are almost always greater than gains. We have developed a model of sub-optimal gambling in which animals prefer an occasional signalled high payoff (10 pellets 20% of the time; 2 pellets on average) rather then a reliable alternative with a signal for a lower payoff (3 pellets 100% of the time). This effect appears to result from the strong conditioned reinforcement associated with the stimulus that is followed by a high payoff. Surprisingly, although it is experienced four times as much, the stimulus that is never followed by reinforcement does not appear to result in significant conditioned inhibition. Similarly, human gamblers tend to overvalue wins and undervalue losses. We have also found that pigeons gamble less when food is less restricted (rich people gamble less than poor people) and they also gamble less when they have been exposed to an enriched environment rather than being kept in an individual cage (for humans, gambling is said to be a form of entertainment). This animal model may provide a useful analog to human gambling behavior, one that is free from the influence of human culture, language, social reinforcement, and other experiential biases.

When behaviour analysts are called to school settings as consultants they are often asked to "put out fires." They often arrive late on the scene, after the school has exhausted all other resources. Very often, the behaviour analyst's role is seen by the school as one that is briefly involved and only specifically focused on a behaviour problem of a specific, individual child. The behavior analyst may need to navigate multiple and sometimes conflicting priorities by different stakeholders. It's unheard of for a behaviour analyst to be requested by the specific child for whom s/he may be intended. This can create additional challenges for the school and the behaviour analyst, forcing reactive patterns, rather than allowing for proactive planning and solutions. This presentation will approach the application of behaviour analytic practice to the school setting as a system, identifying some of the tactics that have been used and sharing some of the lessons that have been learned.

Information technology permeates our everyday lives. Until recently, it has been relatively neglected as a medium to deliver contingencies of reinforcement to change behavior. In this talk, I will discuss a variety of methods to harness technology to change problem behavior such as cigarette smoking and medication non-adherence. I will discuss methods to deliver contingency management to promote smoking cessation at the national level and to high-risk groups, reduce the costs associated with treatment, and integrate social consequences to promote and potentially sustain behavior change. These innovations may address many of the limitations (access, cost, sustainability, dissemination potential) inherent in traditional contingency management delivery models. Information technology offers unprecedented and rapidly expanding opportunities to facilitate behavior change.

Behavioral challenges underpin our most significant global issues. As a result, non-scientific "behavior change" methodologies are being branded by a multitude of sources at a pace never experienced by Behavior Analysts' and they appeal to a broader market than we have ever imagined. Even though ABA continues to be the most evidence-based approach to achieving sustainable behavior change, we have been ineffective in establishing a "brand" that differentiates us from other providers, except in a few specialized areas such as Autism. A model will be presented for creating a paradigm shift among the general public in how Behavior Analysis is viewed relative to other behavior change methodologies. We will illustrate how other comparable cultural paradigms have been created and evolved globally, including Strategy, Six Sigma, American Cuisine, etc. We then will present a straw model of an updated cultural brand for ABA, showcase the results of testing that brand across a broad group of Behavior Analysts and their clients, gain feedback from the audience, and present the components of a brand strategy plan that could be used to reposition Behavior Analysis in the very near future.

This event is open to all behavior analysts interested in the branding of behavior analysis.

• Describe how other cultural brands have evolved and how the variety of people who delive against those brands benefit on a daily basis
• Discuss the power of behavior analysis using terms, principles, and values that attract today's end-users
• Identify 2-3 actions they can take immediately to help build a more contemporary brand for behavior analysis

The last century has given birth to numerous influential paradigms which have evolved to the point where they have become cultural brands that are recognized globally (e.g., American Cuisine, Six Sigma). The development of these brands follows a typical pattern, from first being invented by 'disruptive gurus' to being positioned effectively in the market by pioneers, to becoming embedded in educational institutions as the 'way to do things,' to eventually becoming global and well-respected. This pattern of brand development will be applied to illustrate one powerful way to create a paradigm shift among the general public in how behavior analysis is viewed relative to other behavior change methodologies. A new, contemporary model for behavior analysis will be presented, based on the applications of key learnings from how other paradigm shifts occurred globally.

The results of a "social networking test" of the newer, more contemporary model for behavior analysis will be presented. Volunteer behavior analysts have agreed to test the model in the first quarter of 2012, across a variety of constituents and clients to see if the terms, positioning, and value proposition for a "contemporary" view of behavior analysis resonate. The premise is that nothing is wrong with our science; the trouble lies in how we talk about it and how we discuss the brand promises. The results of this test will be presented, and the audience will be asked to provide further input and data.

A branding professional will help us understand the path forward. He will describe the components of a brand strategy plan to reposition behavior analysis in the value context of today's market. Such a plan will deliver a profile of the re-positioned, re-valued brand and will suggest communications plans for delivering the new brand message. He will help us understand what we would need to do to support such a collective effort, and what the benefits will be for all behavior analysts.

Behaviorists often eschew explanations of performance (response rates and locations) that are based on psychological constructs (learning, preference, memory, impulsivity, etc.), for such constructs often lead to dualisms, homunculi, and pseudoexplanations. Their primary interest is in explaining behavior. For many others, however, this diet is too lean. Neuroscientists, for instance, often invoke psychological constructs to interpret performance. Their primary interest is psychological constructs, not behavior. Can there be a principled integration of these approaches? The conventional solution is to operationalize constructs (e.g., define preference as proportion of choices, memory as percent successes), but this often results in arbitrary and misleading indices that constrain commensurability to "procedure fetishism." An alternative solution, advanced in this talk, consists of identifying constructs with hidden parameters, states, and processes defined with quantitative precision in generative models. These models specify random processes that generate instances of performance, thus providing the basis for explaining performance from psychological constructs, and for reverse engineering the principles that govern behavior. Basic psychological research, according to this approach, should focus on developing and testing generative models, and on estimating the sensitivity of model parameters to relevant manipulations. Empirical research on memory, learning, and impulsivity in animal models illustrate these ideas.

Researchers

The profession of Applied Behavior Analysis is currently the subject of an unwarranted hostile take-over by both organizations and individuals representing the profession of psychology. Recent actions of the American Psychological Association (APA), along with those of numerous state APA affiliated chapters, suggest that they have identified a need to lay claim to the field of applied behavior analysis, which they claim is unique to the profession of psychology. These actions by APA are correlated with the recent rise in popularity of behavior analytic treatment techniques, especially with children diagnosed with autism. Given the recent reduction in fee structure of Psychologists for more typical "psychological services" by many of the major members of the insurance industry, their demands to require that those practicing applied behavior analysis work under the supervision of a psychologist appear to be 'guild' in nature, motivated by concerns related to the financial implications for Psychologists. This has been exacerbated over the past few years with the number of states that have passed not only behavior analyst licensing bills, but also autism insurance mandates that require providers of ABA services to be Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs). The paper will review the history of the development of the field of behavior analysis in relation to that of psychology, specifically noting factors that support the hypothesis that behavior analysis is an independent and unique profession that should not be assumed to be subordinate to Psychology. Data supporting this hypothesis will be presented, along with a review of the changes in the relationship between the professions of Psychology and Behavior Analysis over the past 20 years in which the members of the profession of psychology has distanced itself from behavior analysis. Additionally, the paper will attempt to respond to many of the criticisms raised by members of the profession of psychology concerning the inadequate training of applied behavior analysis to serve as independent practitioners. Finally, the negative impact on both consumers as well as the insurance industry, if such a take-over is successful, will be reviewed.

Clinical psychologists, BCBAs, practitioners, administrators, students

• Identify the stance that the American Psychological Association has had in payment for ABA services and how it is at odds with ABAI.
• Describe the history that the field of psychology has had in relation to Behavior Analysis and how it is now an independent and unique profession that should not be subsumed under the field of psychology.

Skinner and other behavior analysts appear to have conceded that the conceptual system of behavior analysis is 'merely descriptive,' perhaps to evade the disputes that might arise from claiming explanatory status for our unconventional approach to psychological science. In contrast, I propose that our approach is at least as explanatory as any other. My basic premise is that all explanations are descriptions, but that not all descriptions are acceptable as explanations. Technically, the descriptions arise as tacts with adduction of additional functions that have been identified with naming. Then: What are the characteristics that result in a description being viewed as an explanation? First, it must be generic, a criterion that often is conflated with that of familiarity. Carefully construed, however, generality includes the important characteristic of parsimony. Second, separate (or basic) descriptive concepts must be interrelated to comprise a network that, along with generality, breaks the constraints of circularity. These characteristics are most commonly achieved through reductionistic strategies, while behavior analysis is best implemented through a multi-scaled approach, whereby the same principles can apply irrespective of the size of the behavioral unit.

All who are interested in the nature of behavior-analytic theory and in its defense against alternative viewpoints. Academic Level: I shall try to supply something for beginners as well as advanced theorists: For example, beginners are likely to have been told in psychology lectures that the concept of reinforcement is circular and therefore trivial. I will document the point that most any scientific theory includes (indeed, is based upon) fundamental principles that are circularly defined. The reinforcement principle's circularity is not problematic, for that principle is interrelated in a network of additional concepts or principles. For the advanced theorist, we can dispense with determinism, and even with the conventional, almost moralistic defenses of parsimony (which have been successfully ignored by cognitivist theorists, at their ultimate peril), by adopting a conceptually clean exposition of behavior-analytic concepts, that is consistent with behavior-analytic terminology while still using mainly ordinary language.

The rate of biodiversity loss, degradation of the atmosphere, global warming and other human-induced changes to our environment are accelerating and exceeding planetary boundaries for sustained human development. Governance and management of human behavior is needed to go beyond sectoral reduction of negative externalities and now extend to protecting and restoring a global habitat fit for humanity. This invited symposium presents three provocative papers describing roles for behavior analysts in preparing us for what lies ahead and to be resilient in the face of coming challenges.

People interested in a sustainable planet

• Describe the many opportunties for behavior analysts to work to improve our planet for humanity.

For decades scientists who study the Earth's atmosphere, waterways, and the ground have issued fact-filled warnings about our planet's declining health and its ability to continue to sustain human activity. Human behavior is responsible for the Earth's rapidly changing climate and the depletion of some ofits limited resources to dangerously levels. While behavior analysts have contributed to at least partial solutions to many problems faced by society—improving education, helping people achieve healthier life styles, making highways and factories safer, caring for people exhibiting challenging and life-threatening behavior, and treating individuals with autism to name just a few—our field has paid scant attention to the impact of human behavior on the environment. But this is changing. Behavior analysis is uniquely poised to contribute to a broad range of interventions to promote the husbandry of our planet's resources, restore damaged eco-systems, and perhaps prepare us to adapt and be resilient in the face of inevitable changes to come. This talk will survey some of the initiatives developing within the behavior analysis community in response to climate change and challenges to sustaining a healthy planet for future generations.

'Sustainable' consumer choices pose a paradox. A sustainable choice may pay off in the future but most likely has no immediate positive impact. Punishing 'non-sustainable' consumer choices through taxes and surcharges is politically unpopular, regressive and often unfeasible. Instead, the challenge for motivating sustainable consumption choices is to make the payoff for these choices fairly immediate and fairly certain. These payoffs may not necessarily be monetary or material; they can also be social. The Behavior Perspective Model differentiates between informational and utilitarian reinforcement; an important concept in understanding and motivating sustainable consumer choices. Strategies involved in increasing the immediate informational reinforcement of consumer goods, immediate economic incentives or 'green choices' and manipulating motivating operations for such choices are promising beginnings. The challenge here is to develop 'set and forget' interventions that will nudge consumers towards sustainable choices. Interventions based on a behavioral economic analysis of consumer choice, combined with a deft use of technology will lead the way in changing consumer choices from destructive overconsumption to constructive sustainable choices.

The problems of sustainability are deeply woven into the fabric of modern society. Current attempts to address problems like climate change and energy depletion are mainly centered on making energy use more efficient and maintaining an economy of perpetual growth on a planet of finite resources. An alternative set of solutions emerges from cultural reinvention in which work time is reduced and noneconomic reinforcers assume greater individual and societal importance. This type of cultural reinvention is inherent in B. F. Skinner's WaldenTwo, Tibor Scitovsky's proposal for an arts-based society, Paul Schafer's call for a cultural renaissance to supplant our current economic age, in the voluntarysimplicity movement, and in bohemian subcultures. Potential examples of behavior-analysis applications and research to facilitate cultural reinvention are provided.

In the early days of behavior analysis, extinction was seen not as failed maintenance following from discontinued reinforcement but as an active inhibition of responding. Pavlov had treated respondent extinction in inhibitory terms. In that tradition, extinguished operant behavior was viewed as "there all the time but inhibited." What was inhibited was clear enough but what did the inhibiting was inferred and unmeasurable. This way of talking persisted partly because phenomena like spontaneous recovery, often accompanying extinction, had not been adequately analyzed. Later, when extinguished responding in one component of a multiple schedule increased responding in the other unchanged component, the phenomenon, called behavioral contrast, was attributed to an excitatory side-effect of inhibited responding in extinction. Skinner criticized this concept of inhibition and this inhibitory interpretation. But a different variety of inhibition operates within sensory and other biological systems, as when increased neural firing produced by one photoreceptor reduces the firing of neighboring cells. Recasting schedule interactions as inhibitory effects of reinforcement rather than excitatory side-effects of extinction makes operant interactions analogous to receptor interactions within sensory systems. The language of inhibition and contrast remains appropriate but the direction of effect is inverted, and the interactions become consistent with similar ones in concurrent schedules, typically seen as reductions of one response by increased reinforcement of others. Experimental explorations of contrast and related effects illustrate the productivity of this approach but imply that behavioral contrast does not work as assumed when it is used to increase responding in applied settings.

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Some children have difficulty learning to read despite phonics instruction. Considerable progress has been made in identifying the prerequisite and component skills that underpin success. I will characterize these skills in terms of the stimulus control involved, and tie this characterization to effective instructional programming. The critical skills are in two domains, auditory and visual. In the auditory domain, there is incontrovertible evidence that children who demonstrate "phonemic awareness" are more likely to succeed in learning to read. Phonemic awareness is the abstraction of individual sounds from spoken syllables, for example, recognizing that "can," "cut," and "cod" all begin with the same sound, or that "cat" and "cab" have the same middle sound. Phonemic abstraction does not automatically result from typical phonics instruction, yet it is crucial to success. In the visual domain, the number of printed letters that a child names at the beginning of reading instruction is a strong predictor of instructional success, as is the speed with which letters are named. Although these facts may seem prosaic, they are sometimes overlooked. Moreover, a child may have difficulty discriminating printed words despite mastery of individual letters. Ample evidence supports the explicit instruction of these auditory and visual skills.

Dr. Bill Hopkin's career is a model for sustained dissemination of behavior analysis. His enduring lifetime contributions, unsung by Bill, provide many examples of large-scale applications of behavior analysis that span decades and hemispheres. This session describes his substantial contributions to organizational behavior management, occupational safety, community development, university instruction and more. His skillful promotion of our science and its applications stands as a model for the next generation of unsung heroes that will continue expansion of behavior analysis and build on the foundations laid down by our pioneers.

ABA supervisors, Administrators, Behavior analysts, Behavioral consultants, Behavioral psychologists, Educational service providers, Educators/teachers, Students, Psychologists, Researchers

Bill Hopkins was an accomplished overt and behind the scenes leader within the OBM culture. Upon reflection I can see that his work with and contributions to our culture were presaged by his history of work with a "mental" health hospital. His contribution to Control of Human Behavior: From Cure To Prevention (Ulrich, Stachnik & Mabry, 1970) entitled The First 20 Years Are the Hardest leaves no doubt that Bill "cared" for the quality of life among others and the effects of large scale institutional practices on the quality of those lives. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that Bill used his expertise in applied behavior analysis (aka OBM) to create large scale high impact contingencies of reinforcement resulting improved rates of safe behavior among working people and thereby reducing accidents and injuries among them (Fox, Hopkins, and Anger, 1987). I believe, based on Bill's interests expressed in JOBM that Bill's interest in large scale interventions arose from (among other reasons) a belief that improvements in organizational members' productivity should be fairly shared among members of formal organizations. If so, then pay plays a role in the OBM "equation." And Bill saw to it that we paid attention to the issue of pay practices (Hopkins & Mawhinney, 1992). In this talk I review and express my appreciation of Bill's unique contributions to the OBM culture in the pages of JOBM as well other venues (e.g., Cambridge Center for Behavior Studies), time permitting.

Bill Hopkins began to be a reference for the Italian OBM community since the early 1980s. His article on “Managing Behavior for Productivity” has been a must for the very few OBM’ers (B.L. Hopkins & J. Sears, in “Handbook of Organizational Behavior Management”, edited by L.W. Frederiksen, 1982). Nevertheless, the growth of Behavior Analysis applied to the workplace became suddenly wide and pervasive starting from his speech at the 2nd European Conference on BBS, on 2007. Surely, as an invited speaker, Bill delighted an audience of entrepreneurs with his colloquial, simple and direct approach. However, nobody knew how much its contribution would be huge after the conference, much more than during it! During his sojourn, he simply planned to change the world of safety in Italy. Consequently, he asked to meet the people active in the field of Behavior Analysis in Italy and the most prominent authorities, able to change the widest contingencies insisting on the European safety managers and consultants. He managed in order to be in touch with the local committees involved in safety and in making decisions about it, and he agreed on becoming a member of some of these committees. Further, he compelled the Italian ABA community to change its view in marketing BBS, e.g. warning the Italian behaviorists to train engineers, not the psychologists. Simultaneously, he began to support the development of regulations and legislative initiatives based on the principles of behavior, aware of the fact that teaching and presenting, in itself, would only pale antecedents, leading to a small number of apostles, and nothing more. Finally, he understood the local environment and culture, prompting and mentoring the Italian colleagues in order to get a rigorous BBS accreditation and certification being careful to avoid abuses and misconceptions. As a result, Italian Association for Behavior Analysis got two medal by the President of the Italian Republic for spreading BBS, and the Senate asked for a formal presentation of the principles of our science applied to the work safety. Bill was great in evaluating the effects of large scale institutional practices and in arranging circumstances for a broad dissemination of OBM and BBS, as nobody else. Its ability to look ahead and prepare the conditions to change the culture of an entire nation has been incredible. The fruits of his strategic mind will continue to be for many years to come.

SuperValu’s Advanced Logistics MDRC’s Illinois distribution center has been accredited by the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies since 2005 for application of behavioral principles within management of worker safety. The accreditation was earned after MRDC successfully implemented SuperValu’s Critical Activities Management (CAM) program, which uses systematic feedback and positive reinforcement to strengthen safe workplace practices. Following CAM implementation, MRDC noted a reduction in OSHA frequency rates from 13.1 to 0.0 and a reduction in severity rates from 1.6 to 0.0. This extraordinary achievement was enabled by the many efforts of Dr. Bill Hopkins who advised and mentored us. His work with the Commission for the Accreditation of Behavioral Applications to Safety within the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies guided our efforts to develop safety management at the Advanced Logistics MDRC’s Illinois distribution center. Since 2005, Bill's extensive volunteer efforts with SuperValu went far beyond the distribution center outside Chicago. More sites within SuperValu's vast supply chain are following the lead of MRDC. In 2010, Dr. Hopkins organized and led a think-tank on disseminating innovation throughout SuperValu (180,000 employees) that was attended by 20 corporate executives. His actions have made a lasting impact on our organization.