James T. Chok, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Title: Expanding the Analysis of Behavior
Abstract: This presentation will examine how behavior analysis can contribute to the assessment and treatment of private events, such as thoughts and emotions. The presentation will include a review of the literature as it relates to the manner in which scientists have tried to make these unobservable events observable, through the use of functional neuorimaging, the measurement of physiological experiences, and permanent product measures of thoughts. Behavior analytic research of private events will be reviewed, along with areas of study that require further inquiry to advance the science of behavior analysis.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
Presentation #2
Jon S. Bailey, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Title: A Passion for Ethics
Abstract: I became formally involved in ethics in 1988 when I developed a Code of Ethics for the Florida Association for Behavior analysis but my sojourn began in my youth when I memorized the Boy Scout Law. My professional passion for ethics began when Jerry Shook asked me to promote the new BACB Guidelines for Responsible Conduct in 2001; one thing led to another and in 2007 I began answering ethics questions online for a national audience. This opened up a whole new world of ethical conflicts to analyze. Over the years the conduct problems in our industry have become more nuanced, complex, and weighty. Now we have an enforceable Compliance Code to hold behavior analysts accountable and I have recently assembled a team of ethicists who are devoted to helping people with ethics questions through our independent ABAEthicsHotline.com Over the years I have come to view unadulterated ethical conduct as a somewhat rare repertoire that is constantly under attack by larger social and economic forces in our culture. In this talk I will explore the contingencies which I believe account for my passion for ethics and hope to enlist your assistance in promoting this spirit in others.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
Presentation #3
Shawn Quigley, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Title: A Review of Ethics and Behavior Analysis
Abstract: The application of behavior analysis to socially significant needs has led to an increase in consumer demand (e.g., Burning Glass Technologies, 2015; Deochand & Fuqua, 2016; Carr & Nosik, 2017). As the science has become professionalized, a need for a unified code of ethics arose. A formalized ethics code has only existed for 20-30 years, depending upon what code one considers as the original (Chamberlain & Houck, 2018). Yet, discussion of ethical values that affect behavior was present in the early days of the science (e.g., Skinner, 1953, 1959). The purpose of this presentation is to provide a historical review of ethics within behavior analysis. Historical and contemporary resources for supporting the development of personal ethical behavior will be discussed.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
Presentation #4
Patrick McGreevy, Ph.D, BCBA-D
Title: Making Skills Functional Again
Abstract: In an age of the Common Core State Standards and the proliferation of developmental skills curricula, Dr. McGreevy will provide an argument for a return to the teaching of functional, life skills for children and adults with moderate-to-severe disabilities, including, but not limited to autism. This argument is based on a rich history of the effective teaching of these skills by pioneers in the field of behavior analysis prior to the time when the numbers of children with autism began to increase substantially. This argument is also based on considerable evidence that most of these learners, including many with autism, regardless of the quality and intensity of instruction, experience the barriers described by M. L. Sundberg and others: limited stimulus generalization and induction, along with difficulty acquiring abstract concepts, forming equivalence classes, making conditional discriminations, and exhibiting meaningful intraverbal responses.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
Presentation #5
Jaime A. DeQuinzio, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Title: Social Referencing and Autism: Translating Research into Successful Practice Outcomes
Abstract: Responding to the non-vocal affective behavior of others (e.g., facial expressions and gestures), is an important component of the development of social behavior. One type of social interaction that relies heavily on the ability to respond to such cues is social referencing. During social referencing, infants as young as 6 months of age look to the non-vocal cues of caregivers when confronted with unfamiliar or unexpected events in the environment as a means of determining how to respond. Typically, approach or avoidance responses are learned by responding to positive and negative affective cues of the parent or caregiver (e.g., smiling and frowning). Unfortunately, social referencing repertoires are limited, delayed, or completely lacking in children with autism. Despite these documented social deficits, little to no research has focused on ameliorating social referencing deficits. On the other hand, behavior analysts have been successful at addressing join attention deficits, a different but related skill. The purpose of this talk is to present a behavior-analytic conceptualization of social referencing, discuss the implications for ameliorating these deficits in children with autism, describe the differences between social referencing and joint attention, and present protocols that can be used in treatment and research.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
Presentation #6
Panel Discussion
Jon S. Bailey, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA-D, & Thomas Zane, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Title: Real-World Ethical Dilemmas: Demonstrations of Different Paths for Resolution
Abstract: Behaving ethically is a core requirement for behavior analysts. Tacting when an ethical violation has occurred is the first step in resolving ethical problems. The second and most difficult step is exactly how to resolve them in the most effective and quickest way. Learning exactly what to do when possibly involved in an ethical dilemma is a critical skill that will enhance ethical behavior and promote better protection of clients. The members of this panel are all involved in the teaching of ethics and promotion of ethical behavior of behavior analysts. The purpose of this panel discussion is to present actual dilemmas and potential solutions. The panel members will hear the cases for the first time, and then present their proposed solutions and reasoning behind those solutions. It is our belief that presenting different perspectives on ethical dilemmas, as well as the different courses of action to resolve them, will provide learning opportunities that will enhance future ethical behavior.
Learning Objectives
Participants will: