The Behaviorist Diaries

3/24/22

Current Mood: Reflective

Listening To: Yo-Yo Ma

Dear Diary,

As you know, March 20th is not only World Behavior Analysis Day, but also, quite fittingly, B.F. Skinner’s birthday (www.behavioranalysisday.com). Skinner’s contributions to the field of behavior analysis cannot be overstated. In fact if we were forming equivalence classes, Skinner and behavior analysis would most certainly be in the same class, mutually substitutable for one another (Sidman & Tailby, 1982). 

Skinner had a vision for the application of behavior analysis far beyond what it was in his time. He reflected upon this in his 1987 chapter, “Why We Are Not Acting to Save the World”. A read-through of this chapter 35 years later has left me concluding that there is still so much to be done to fulfill Skinner’s vision and realize the true power of the science. Others have commented on this in great depth, including Dixon and colleagues in their 2018 article, “Why We Are Still Not Acting to Save the World: the Upward Challenge of a Post-Skinnerian Behavior Science”. 

I’ve been thinking about what can I, as one person, do to help advance the science forward. What can I do to help solve the “world’s problems” (Dixon, 2018, p. 260)? Of course no one can single handedly do this, but there are some places to start. Below is a modest list of just a few possible ideas.

1. Volunteer: Supporting local or national behavior analysis trade or professional organizations through volunteer efforts can benefit you as well as the organization. Many such organizations have a variety of volunteer opportunities which may be project-based or more of an on-going commitment. Depending on the opportunity, you may get to exercise your behavior analytic skills or possibly get to dust off some non-behavior analytic skills that you have. Through volunteering you can learn more about some of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into running such organizations. You may also gain a better understanding of some of the larger discussions within the field as a whole. Additionally, volunteering will allow you to connect with other behavior analysts in the field, outside of your workplace. 

2. Make A List: I know if you’re like me, the thought of adding yet another list to the already overwhelming number, may seem like much too much. This list is different than a traditional to-do list in that items can be both added and removed over time, and there are no set deadlines. This is a list of behavior analytic topics that you either want to learn more about or self-identify as areas in need of further skill development. In about 5 minutes, I was able to come up with more than 10 topics. Some of the topics are of relevance for my everyday work, but some are areas that are just interesting. This list can then be used as a guide when you are deciding what conferences or events to attend, to help you focus on your targeted areas for learning. It is of course necessary to stay up to date with the literature in the field, but expanding your knowledge beyond what is needed for your everyday work, can help to make you a better-informed behavior analyst. Dixon and colleagues (2018) identified derived relations as a critical area in which more behavior analysts should develop competency, to which I would agree. Everyone has a different history and so, of course, my list will be different than your list. 

3. Pursue Your Interests: You may be currently working in an area of behavior analysis where you absolutely love what you do and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. If that’s you – congratulations!! It’s an awesome thing to be exactly where you want in your career. Continue honing your craft and develop even more expertise in your area. If that is not exactly where you’re at – maybe you’ve been wondering about beginning some work in a different area of behavior analysis – then this one’s for you. LeBlanc and colleagues (2012) paper is an excellent resource for steps to take to expand your scope of competence. It may, however, seem overwhelming when you look at all the things that must be done to be able to expand into a new area. I would suggest, however, that this does not need to happen all at once. It’s ok to start gradually, without being fully committed to a complete change in your area of work. Perhaps start by reading some journal articles or attending some trainings relevant to that content area. See if you enjoy the content. It does not need to be an all-or-none approach. Even if you decide to change your focus, competence does not develop overnight. It will take time, and that’s ok. With so many different areas of behavior analysis, you want to be working in one that you are truly passionate about and can make a difference.

Looking at this list, it may seem very small and unlikely to result in “saving the world with behavior analysis”. That’s true; taking these actions will not save the world. Nor can one person save the world on their own. It takes a committed community of people who believe in the science and through sharing their expertise and skills, a larger impact can be made possible. To quote Skinner, “It is not a question of starting. The start has been made. It’s a question of what’s to be done from now on” (1948, p. 257). Here’s to taking one small step forward in “saving the world” together.

~Colleen

References

Dixon, M. R., Belisle, J., Rehfeldt, R. A., & Root, W. B. (2018). Why we are still not acting to save the world: the upward challenge of a post-Skinnerian behavior science. Perspectives on Behavior Science, 41(1), 241–267. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-018-0162-9

Leblanc, L. A., Heinicke, M. R., & Baker, J. C. (2012). Expanding the consumer base for behavior-analytic services: meeting the needs of consumers in the 21st century. Behavior analysis in practice, 5(1), 4–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03391813

Sidman, M., & Tailby, W. (1982). Conditional discrimination vs. matching to sample: an expansion of the testing paradigm. Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 37(1), 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.1982.37-5

Skinner, B. F. (1948). Walden Two. Macmillan Publishing.

Skinner, B. F. (1987). Why we are not acting to save the world. In B.F. Skinner (Ed.) Upon Further Reflection, p.1-14. Prentice Hall PTR

World Behavior Analysis Day Alliance. (n.d.). About Behavior Analysis. http://behavioranalysisday.com/about