A Historical Perspective on the Future of Behavior Science.

Like all natural sciences, behavior science has much to offer toward an understanding of the world. The extent to which the promise of behavior science is realized, though, depends upon the extent to which we keep what we know before us. This paper considers fundamental concepts in behavior science, including the concepts of behavior, stimulation, setting conditions, and language. In considering these concepts, we revisit comments from B. F. Skinner and J. R. Kantor and also consider some areas of behavior analytic research and the implications they have for reconsidering long-held assumptions about the analysis of behavior. We hope that, in considering our foundations, the vitality and strength of the discipline might be enhanced, our impact on science improved, and our future secured.

Constructs, Events, and Acceptance and Commitment Training.

The present article considers acceptance and commitment training (ACT) from the perspective of interbehavioral psychology. Specifically, J. R. Kantor's (1957) explicit distinction between constructs and events is reviewed, with particular attention given to the use of ACT in the practice settings of applied behavior analysis. It is recommended that practitioners be especially sensitive to the distinction between constructs and events as they consider employing ACT interventions. The interbehavioral field construct of interbehavioral psychology is briefly described as a context for conceptualizing both practice and research related to ACT in behavior analysis. Related conceptual issues, especially issues pertaining to the subject matter of behavior analysis and the Skinnerian concept of private events, are considered. The potential value of further integrating interbehavioral thinking into ACT practice and research is described.

Further Evaluation of the Stimulus Pairing Observation Procedure with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

A large amount of learning occurs through the observation of stimulus-stimulus relations. One procedure that involves this sort of learning is the stimulus-pairing observation procedure (SPOP). The current study involves a systematic replication of Byrne, Rehfeldt, and Aguirre (2014). Tests for the emergence of tact and listener relations were conducted pre- and post-SPOP intervention, which consisted of a therapist presenting auditory-visual stimulus relations to participants. The SPOP intervention resulted in the establishment of tact and listener relations for all participants. The importance of assessing prerequisite skills is considered in the context of previous research.

Interbehavioral psychology and the behavior systems framework: A brief reply.

The present commentary considers a paper by Silva, Silva, and Machado (2019) published in this special issue, which describes some relations between Behavior Systems Theory and Interbehavioral Psychology. In particular, the systems aspects, field orientation, and role of experimentation in both Behavior Systems Theory and Interbehavioral Psychology are discussed. Similarities and differences among the two perspectives are highlighted, and misconceptions about Interbehavioral Psychology are addressed.

Assessment of Parental Acceptability and Preference for Behavioral Interventions for Feeding Problems.

The present study evaluates the treatment acceptability and preference for behavioral interventions for feeding problems with parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other developmental disabilities. The impact of behavioral severity on acceptability and preference was also evaluated by comparing results of parents who responded with respect to a vignette of a child with food refusal with those who responded to a vignette of a child with food selectivity. Overall, parents rated differential reinforcement of alternative behavior as the most preferred and most acceptable strategy across both food selectivity and food refusal groups. Escape extinction was the least acceptable and least preferred across both groups, and the severity of the behavior had no impact on acceptability or preference scores. Implications for future research on the social validity of feeding interventions are provided.

Training Parents in Saudi Arabia to Implement Discrete Trial Teaching with their Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The present study evaluates the effects of a behavioral skill training package on parent implementation of discrete trial teaching with their children with autism spectrum disorder. Three mothers of children with autism participated in the study. The training package improved implementation for all three of the mothers. Moreover, these improvements generalized to skills that were not taught during training, maintained during follow-up probes, and resulted in improvements in child behavior.

The Practical Importance of the Distinction Between Open and Closed-Ended Indirect Assessments.

The identification of functional relations is a hallmark of applied behavior analysis. Building upon this foundation, applied behavior analysts have developed and researched a number of practices that fall within the purview of Functional Behavioral Assessment, a framework used to understand factors that influence a target behavior. Indeed, there now exists a wide range of procedures that fall within the purview of Functional Behavioral Assessment, with different procedures being associated with different strengths and limitations. Indirect assessments are commonly featured in most descriptions of the Functional Behavioral Assessment process. This paper focuses on the distinction between open and closed-ended indirect assessments specifically, highlighting their strengths and limitations. After distinguishing between these two types of indirect assessments considerations for practice are provided.

Evaluating the High-Probability Instructional Sequence to Increase the Acceptance of Foods with an Adolescent with Autism.

This study evaluates the effectiveness of a variation of the high-probability (high-p) sequence involving bites of food as high-p tasks on the acceptance of low-probability (low-p) foods in an adolescent with autism spectrum disorder. After demonstrating the effectiveness of the high-p sequence using a reversal design, the participant's mother implemented the intervention. Intervention effects were partially maintained during 7-month maintenance probes. Implications for research and practice are provided.

Interpersonal closeness and conflict in interbehavioral perspective

This paper presents an interbehavioral conceptualization of interpersonal relationships, emphasizing both interpersonal closeness and conflict. In doing so, processes of association and subsequent substitution of stimulus function are described, setting the foundation for an analysis of how relationships are formed from an interbehavioral perspective. Specific attention is given to factors that impact intimacy and closeness in relationships, especially ways in which closeness may be fostered and conflict made more likely. The topic of communication is addressed, and possible therapeutic targets are highlighted from a novel conceptual context. The analysis is contrasted with more traditional ways of thinking, including more common behavior analytic perspectives. The implications of adopting the proposed interbehavioral conceptualization are provided

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Antecedent interventions for pediatric feeding problems.

Behavior analysts have implemented and evaluated several antecedent strategies for treating pediatric feeding problems. The extent to which antecedent interventions are beneficial, however, is not yet clear. This review examines recent research in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (2000-2012) that evaluated antecedent interventions. We found that the feeding diagnosis (food refusal vs. food selectivity) and presence of feeding-related medical conditions were related to the differential implementation of antecedent interventions.

Constructs and events in verbal behavior.

Skinner's (1957) analysis of verbal behavior has been the subject of much controversy in recent years. While criticism has historically come from outside the field of behavior analysis, there are now well-articulated arguments against Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior from within the field as well. Recently, advocates of Skinner's analysis have attempted to respond to the critiques, particularly to those regarding Skinner's definition of verbal behavior articulated by proponents of relational frame theory. Specifically, it has been suggested that talk about definitions equates to making the essentialist error. This paper provides an overview of these issues in the context of understanding the role of constructs in science more generally. It will be argued that definitions are central to scientific progress, and are not only relevant to a functional analysis, but a central prerequisite to the pursuit of such an analysis.

Impact of treatment integrity on intervention effectiveness.

Treatment integrity has cogent implications for intervention effectiveness. Understanding these implications is an important, but often neglected, undertaking in behavior analysis. This paper reviews current research on treatment integrity in applied behavior analysis. Specifically, we review research evaluating the relation between integrity failures and the efficacy of behavioral interventions. Avenues for future research are provided.

Using high-probability foods to increase the acceptance of low-probability foods.

Studies have evaluated a range of interventions to treat food selectivity in children with autism and related developmental disabilities. The high-probability instructional sequence is one intervention with variable results in this area. We evaluated the effectiveness of a high-probability sequence using 3 presentations of a preferred food on increasing acceptance in a child with autism who refused a few specific foods. The high-probability sequence increased acceptance of 3 foods. We then systematically faded the intervention for 2 foods.

A developmental behavioural analysis of lying

Lying is a common behavior in society and causes a number of problems in social relationships, the workplace, political affairs, and more. Most often, individuals who lie are considered to be liars and are therefore held responsible for their behavior. Unfortunately, the practice of assuming that the individual is responsible for engaging in lying behavior prevents an understanding of the context that supports the development and persistence of lying. As an alternative, the current paper considers contextual-behavioral factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of lying during both childhood and adulthood. In doing so, the unique features of lying as a target behavior are described, and specific targets for prevention and intervention are identified. The detection of lies is given specific attention, highlighting both conceptual and applied issues

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Understanding observational learning: an interbehavioral approach.

Observational learning is an important area in the field of psychology and behavior science more generally. Given this, it is essential that behavior analysts articulate a sound theory of how behavior change occurs through observation. This paper begins with an overview of seminal research in the area of observational learning, followed by a consideration of common behavior analytic conceptualizations of these findings. The interbehavioral perspective is then outlined, shedding light on some difficulties with the existing behavior analytic approaches. The implications of embracing the interbehavioral perspective for understanding the most complex sorts of behavior, including those involved in observational learning are considered.

Relational Responding as a Psychological Event

Research and scholarship in the area of relational responding has had a large impact on the field of behavior analysis. While theoretical disagreement remains, all can agree that issues which have historically received relatively less attention in behavior analysis are now topics of frequent discussion. Through the lens of interbehavioral psychology this paper conceptualizes relational responding as a psychological event. In doing so it will be argued that workers in the area of relational responding might find the interbehavioral perspective to be relevant; and further, to be a thoroughly consistent and parsimonious foundation. The value of the interbehavioral position for workers in this area, particularly in their interpretive efforts, will be emphasized (AU)

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