Thoughts & Rants of a Behavior Scientist

In this episode, Dr. Bruce Tinor and I talk shop about leadership in schools and organizations. We will be presenting on leadership in education at the sold-out BABACon 2023.

Motivational Interviewing: Getting Educator Buy-In is a comprehensive online course designed to equip behavior interventionists is a goal-oriented, person-centered approach that encourages individuals to explore and resolve ambivalence toward behavioral interventions and change.

The Behavioral Toolbox equips those charged with supporting behavior change in schools with practical applications of the science of human behavior for making a positive difference in the workplace. In this case, the classroom and school!

Be sure to subscribe to Dr. Paulie's Heart & Science YouTube channel for a variety of content related to behavior science and bringing out the best in yourself and others.

In his book Beyond Freedom and Dignity, Skinner (1971) reminds us that “culture is the social environment that shapes and maintains the behavior of those who live in it. A given culture evolves as new practices arise, possibly for irrelevant reasons, and are selected by their contribution to the strength of the culture as it “competes” with the physical environment and with other cultures.”
Now, we (Steve Ward and I) mention the term culture because there are words in our culture that have strong connotations and evoke conditioned emotional responses, bias, and bias confirmation as people tend to unknowingly search out data and surround themselves with other people who reinforce their bias. Words that are common yet evoke strong emotional responses from those both outside and inside of our field like:
• Positive, negative, consequence, manipulate, control, and punishment
• Assent, trauma-informed, and compassion
In other sciences, this may not be an issue. But when you begin talking about behavior and using any one or combination of the words above, people, including behavior analysts, are going to fall back on their extensive learning history, which may or may not be directly related to the science of human behavior. Those newer to the field may have a stronger emotional response than veterans who have, over time, been conditioned to respond differently. Still, many responses, in both cases, might fall into a classification of behaviors that might be considered rule-governed behavior. And while rule-governed behavior may serve a general set of circumstances that meet our personal and shared values, it can also lack nuanced and functional sophistication to produce socially valid outcomes for those we serve.
When we exceedingly follow rules, we sacrifice empiricism. We become less likely to recognize when an intervention is not working. This, of course, preempts analysis. There is no impetus for problem-solving if a problem is not identified. We can’t begin to analyze why an intervention is not working if we don’t realize that it is not working.
In the episode, Steve Ward, Kayla Perry, and Dr. Merrill Winston take a deep dive into the concepts of assent, trauma-informed care, and compassion; moreover, they illuminate current challenges within the field of behavior analysis as they relate to the exceedingly broad use of terms like these that lack nuance and seemingly promote rule-governance.
NOTES:
Article by Steve and Paulie referenced in the podcast
Steve Ward:
Whole Child Consulting
Kayla Perry:

Motivational Interviewing: Getting Educator Buy-In is a comprehensive online course designed to equip behavior interventionists is a goal-oriented, person-centered approach that encourages individuals to explore and resolve ambivalence toward behavioral interventions and change.

The Behavioral Toolbox equips those charged with supporting behavior change in schools with practical applications of the science of human behavior for making a positive difference in the workplace. In this case, the classroom and school!

Be sure to subscribe to Dr. Paulie's Heart & Science YouTube channel for a variety of content related to behavior science and bringing out the best in yourself and others.

The concept of assent has garnered a lot of attention in recent years. And rightfully so. Engaging learners in their treatment is extremely important. Like you, they don't want things done "to" them but done "with" them. Behavior Analysts recognize they have assent when a learner verbally or non-verbally agrees to participate in treatment.
But is assent ALWAYS needed? Are there conditions where compliance is necessary? In this episode, veteran behavior analyst, Steve Ward, takes a deep and sometimes humorous dive into the concepts of assent and compliance.
If you are interested in Steve's work, be sure to pick up a copy of one of his books on Amazon. Here is a link to one that will get you going!
Also, if you are interested in Steve's services, click here for more information.

Motivational Interviewing: Getting Educator Buy-In is a comprehensive online course designed to equip behavior interventionists is a goal-oriented, person-centered approach that encourages individuals to explore and resolve ambivalence toward behavioral interventions and change.

The Behavioral Toolbox equips those charged with supporting behavior change in schools with practical applications of the science of human behavior for making a positive difference in the workplace. In this case, the classroom and school!

Be sure to subscribe to Dr. Paulie's Heart & Science YouTube channel for a variety of content related to behavior science and bringing out the best in yourself and others.

Organizational Justice refers to employee perceptions of fairness in the workplace. But while the concept has been around for close to four decades, can it be explained behaviorally, and is the research sound? In this episode, Behavior Analyst Rob Scalise takes a look at the concept of Organizational Justice through a Behavior Analytic lens.
Show notes:
Rob's organization, villiv, is always looking for content creators for The Wider Path. Email Rob Scalise if you have behavior analysis skills and want to challenge yourself to present your ideas to a general audience.
Rob's email: [email protected]

The co-Author of Rob's paper on Organizational Justice is Dr. Kirk Silvernail, UNLV

Correction: In this episode, Rob discussed three seminal papers with 20,000 citations. The correct number of citations is 22,000 plus.

Motivational Interviewing: Getting Educator Buy-In is a comprehensive online course designed to equip behavior interventionists is a goal-oriented, person-centered approach that encourages individuals to explore and resolve ambivalence toward behavioral interventions and change.

The Behavioral Toolbox equips those charged with supporting behavior change in schools with practical applications of the science of human behavior for making a positive difference in the workplace. In this case, the classroom and school!

Be sure to subscribe to Dr. Paulie's Heart & Science YouTube channel for a variety of content related to behavior science and bringing out the best in yourself and others.

Poor performance happens. Sometimes it might be related to skill, and other times, will. Even in the greatest organization, people are bound to make mistakes. When this happens, feedback must be provided to get performance back on track. Unfortunately, people tend to avoid providing this type of feedback as it is often aversive to them and the recipient. But it doesn't have to be. In this episode, I offer you 7 tips for delivering feedback that helps performance, not hurts.
By the way, if you like this episode, consider picking up a copy of The 5 Scientific Laws of Life & Leadership: Behavioral Karma. It's available in hardback, paperback, Kindle, and Audible!

Motivational Interviewing: Getting Educator Buy-In is a comprehensive online course designed to equip behavior interventionists is a goal-oriented, person-centered approach that encourages individuals to explore and resolve ambivalence toward behavioral interventions and change.

Be sure to subscribe to Dr. Paulie's Heart & Science YouTube channel for a variety of content related to behavior science and bringing out the best in yourself and others.