ABA Inside Track

Despite being a cornerstone of the science of behavior, we’ve gone nearly 300 episodes without ever really delving into the details of the matching law. Maybe it’s because it involves too many equations. Maybe it’s because a lot of the research seems to focus exclusively on choice in basketball shots. In any case we’re getting every up to speed on the basics of the matching law and its importance in studying choice. Plus, Rob has spicy hot takes. Sweet sassy mo-lassy!

This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU.

Articles discussed this episode:

Reed, D.D. & Kaplan, B.A. (2011). The matching law: A tutorial for practitioners. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 4, 15-24. doi: 10.1007/BF03391780

Alferink, L.A., Critchfield, T.S., Hitt, J.L., & Higgins, W.J. (2009). Generality of the matching law as a descriptor of shot selection in basketball. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 42, 595-608. doi: 10.1901/jaba.2009.42-595

Morris, S.L. & Vollmer, T.R. (2022). The matching law provides a quantitative description of social time allocation in children with autism. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 55, 934-957. doi: 10.1002/jaba.934

If you're interested in ordering CEs for listening to this episode, click here to go to the store page. You'll need to enter your name, BCBA #, and the two episode secret code words to complete the purchase. Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.

As a continuation of our ongoing review of neurodiversity in society and in the practice of ABA, we decided to make space for less talking and more listening. In this episode we’re joined by a special guest panel made up of neurodivergent behavior analysts including returning guest, Brian Middleton, and new guests, Alex Astrella and Michelle LaFrance to discuss their insights on the field, what’s going right, and what’s going wrong.

This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU.

Resources discussed this episode:

Neuroqueer Heresies by Nick Walker

Unmasking Autism by Dr. Devon Price

Prosocial by Dr. Paul Atkins, Dr. David Wilson, and Dr. Steven Hayes

Veneziano, J., & Shea, S. (2022). They have a voice; are we listening? Behavior Analysis in Practice, 16, 127-144. doi: 10.1007/s40617-022-00690-z

The Functional Contextualist Newsletter

Middleton, B. & Mingo, S. (2024, March 31). Beyond the divide: Understanding and addressing the root concerns behind #ABAisabuse. The Functional Contextualist. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/beyond-divide-understanding-addressing-root-concerns-bmkuc/?trackingId=9WIRODFWRluHW%2BzNHZlYmw%3D%3D

If you're interested in ordering CEs for listening to this episode, click here to go to the store page. You'll need to enter your name, BCBA #, and the two episode secret code words to complete the purchase. Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.

As behavior analysts, we all know how much fun work can be. But, somehow, people in other fields don’t always think of doing their jobs as fun. Suspend disbelief and learn all about what can be done to be sure that the staff at your organization are effectively reinforced. From lotteries to the paradox of the fun boss, our final Supervision September episode is the definition of a good time.

Articles discussed this episode:

Tews, M.J., Michel, J.W., & Stafford, K. (2013). Does fun pay? the Impact of workplace fun on employee turnover and performance. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 54, 370-382. doi: 10.1177/1938965513505355

Johnson, D.A. & Dickinson, A.M. (2010). Employee-of-the-month programs: Do they really work? Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 30, 308-324. doi: 10.1080/01608061.2010.520144

Wine, B., Edgerton, L., Inzana, E., & Newcomb, E.T. (2017). Further effects of lottery odds on responding. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 37, 75-82. doi: 10.1080/01608061.2016.1267064

If you're interested in ordering CEs for listening to this episode, click here to go to the store page. You'll need to enter your name, BCBA #, and the two episode secret code words to complete the purchase. Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.

We knew we had to have special guest, Dr. Camille Kolu, on the show when we heard her amazing talk about buffers at last year’s Thompson Center conference. This week, our wish comes true as we discuss how buffers can contribute to our focus on improving trauma-informed practices. But, what exactly is a buffer and how does it differ from other buzzwords circling trauma-informed treatments? And is there such a thing as an evergreen TIC playbook that clinicians should be using for every client ? Spoiler: That treatment you assume must be universally trauma-informed probably isn’t!

This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU.

Articles discussed this episode:

Kolu, T.C. (2023). Providing buffers, solving barriers: Value-driven policies and actions that protect clients today and increase the chances of thriving tomorrow. Behavior Analysis in Practice. doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00876-z

Kolu, C. (2023). Reflections on choice and control, informed by lessons in parenting. Operants, 44, 24-27.

If you're interested in ordering CEs for listening to this episode, click here to go to the store page. You'll need to enter your name, BCBA #, and the two episode secret code words to complete the purchase. Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.

Though many of us likely use AI to auto-filI search results and find the name of songs, behavioral health has been steadily increasing the use of artificial intelligence in new and interesting ways for years. But is the tech outrunning our ability to ethically implement it? Dr. David Cox brings his deep knowledge of deep learning to the show this week to review what AI can offer, will offer, and what behavior analysts need to do to be prepared to accept or refuse its call. Though the part about AI doing all the scheduling does sound pretty great.

This episode is available for 1.0 LEARNING CEU.

Articles discussed this episode:

Cox, D.J. & Jennings, A.M. (2024). The promises and possibilities of artificial intelligence in the delivery of behavior analytic services. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17, 123-136. doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00864-3

Jennings, A.M. & Cox, D.J. (2024). Starting the conversation around the ethical use of artificial intelligence in applied behavior analysis. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 17, 107-122. doi: 10.1007/s40617-023-00868-z

If you're interested in ordering CEs for listening to this episode, click here to go to the store page. You'll need to enter your name, BCBA #, and the two episode secret code words to complete the purchase. Email us at [email protected] for further assistance.