ABA Inside Track

After hours and hours of sun and fun at the beach, Rob brings you his favorite books on behavior from the past three months. Plus, the origin of Uncle Scrooge. Rob's Summer Reading List Najdowski, A.D. (2017). Flexible and focused. London, United Kingdom: Acacdemic Press. Brodhead, M.T., Cox, D.J., & Quigley, S.P. (2018). Practical ethics for effective treatment of autism spectrum disorder. London...

Boldly going beyond the original research, it's Preschool Life Skills: The Next Generation! We engage in this updated review of the PLS research with our discussion captain, Dr. Einar Ingvarsson, and lock phasers on new topics such as whether PLS can be used as a proactive learning curriculum, how behavior analysts could adopt a tiered model of teaching, and why Romulan Ale and warp drive don't mi...

To get ready for this week's all-new episode all about Preschool Life Skills (PLS), here's our original review of the PLS research in podcast form. Reacquaint yourself with the basics or learn about them for the first time. Then join us and special guest, Dr. Einar Ingvarsson, on Wednesday to discuss PLS: The Next Generation! Love learning about classroom management strategies but wonder what's av...

As a bunch of cisgender podcasters, we figured we could use some help in discussing issues related to gender diversity in behavior analysis. That's why we invited our friends, Erin Donovan and Kristen Lancaster, from Confessions of a Behavior Analyst to share their knowledge and experience on how behavior analysts can improve their competence working with nonbinary or transgender colleagues and cl...

Taking into account its renewed popularity, Rob busts out the dice for this Dungeons and Dragons-themed preview episode. Possible topics this month: gender diversity, preschool life skills, or goblins. Then, in errata, one of the nicest emails we've ever received. Articles discussed this episode: Gender Diversity in Behavior Analysis w/ Erin Dononvan and Kristen Lancaster Priola, V., Lasio, D., De...

This week we're putting the virtual in our virtual studio with two amazing guests, Dr. Sveinbjornsdottir and Dr. Clay, discussing how they're pulling behavior analysis training into the future with virtual reality training technology. If you ever wanted to imagine what behavior skills training might look like as the world's coolest video game, this is definitely the episode for you. Articles discu...

How hot is our book club discussion of chapters 11-19 in Murray Sidman's Coercion and Its Fallout? So hot Rob had to edit out about 15 minutes of our takes! What's left goes into detailed descriptions of how many of the societal systems we take for granted are, in fact, coercive. And, of course, that there's got to be a better way (hint: positive reinforcement). Plus, Rob and Diana describe old Di...

It's time for the 3rd Annual ABA Inside Track book club. This year we'll be discussing the late, great Murray Sidman's important social work Coercion and Its Fallout. Rob, Diana, and Jackie go on a deep dive through chapters 1-10 of the book including a discussion of rat behavior, societal shocks, and a laundry list of the crummy ways in which society treats itself. Book discussed this episode: Si...

We behavior analysts work hard, right? We effect behavior change for our clients and feel pretty darn good about our efforts. But what happens if our clients don't actually like anything we've done? This week we're talking all about social validity, how to make sure we're paying attention to it, and why some BCBAs might be a bit wary about it. Articles discussed this episode: Wolf, M.M. (1978). So...

Summer may be heating up, but ABA Inside Track is staying cool with a remote guest from Iceland and our third annual book club (which we'll pretend was recorded on a beach). This month, we discuss social validity, virtual reality training with special guest Dr. Berglind Sveinbjornsdottir, and how coercive practices may be synonymous with nuclear war. All that and listener emails and our typical pr...

From the archives: If one were to enter the virtual world, could we really expect that person to come out the other side with great fire safety skills and a fearlessness about spiders?  Well, this week we discuss two articles that say, "Yes."  Featuring our very first call-in co-host, anecdotes galore about Rob's favorite video games, and more terrifying spider scenarios than you could shake a sti...

Everybody loves the idea of teaching complex behaviors. Everybody loves teaching new skills efficiently. Is it always possible to do both? Dr. Stacie Bancroft joins us to explain how these two great goals can go great together. This ain't your parents' chaining procedure. Articles discussed this episode: Bancroft, S.L., Weiss, J.S., Libby, M.E., & Ahearn, W.H. (2011). A comparison of procedural va...

We all live in an interconnected, WiFi world. So shouldn't our work as behavior analysts be the same? Telehealth provides an exciting means to share our science at a distance; however, if we're not careful, who knows what ethical dilemmas using this technology might lead us into. Have no fear! Your pals at ABA Inside Track hit the books—well, research articles—to figure out some tactics for the et...

Starting summer off right with journal articles! This month we get back into a discussion of ethical dilemmas with the use of telehealth and telemedicine before inviting Dr. Stacie Bancroft to share some advance chaining variations. Finally, while we all enjoy some time off, a look back into the archives with our classic episode on research related to virtual reality. Bonus: Rob's award-winning wr...

We wind down "It's Gonna Be MAY" with a final topic that none of us have actually conducted research in but we think the field needs to know more about. Remember how we talked about behavioral momentum last week? Remember how "your BCBA friend" referred to the high-p/low-p sequence as an example of behavioral momentum. Well, THEY'RE USING THAT TERM WRONG!!! Find out why and how to avoid ever makin...

This week, we welcome returning guest, Dr. Bill Ahearn, to share in the "Gonna Be May" fun to discuss research related to behavioral momentum. And, in a behavior analytic podcast first, we discuss research with not one, not two, but three article authors! Remember, listeners, don't be scared of the behavioral momentum metaphor: Dr. Ahearn has faith in your abilities to understand it. Articles disc...

The topics for "It's Gonna Be May" keep on a-comin' with Jackie's award-winning work in observational learning research. Sure, we discuss some other articles about how important learning just by watching other people can be, but Jackie spends most of the episode thrilling us with tales of gluing toy boulders into trucks and the Cookie Man. Research sure sounds hard. Articles discussed this episode...

We kick off "It's Gonna be May" with a discussion of Diana's work in early intensive behavior intervention (EIBI) including a discussion of what is and what isn't considered EIBI and how providing effective services passes the educational savings on to you. All that and Diana's favorite research article ever! Articles discussed this episode: MacDonald, R., Parry-Cruwys, D., Dupere, S., & Ahearn, W...

It's gonna be MAAAAY! Technically, it's May right now. And, in honor of May, all our episodes will be about ME! Well, about Diana and Jackie, to be exact. This month, we'll be discussing research articles actually written by our dynamic doctor duo . There's even an article that they wrote together. Plus, we finally dish out the answer to the question you've all been asking: What's the difference b...

From beneath the depths of the sea comes a creature unlike any man has ever known. It destroys cities without care. Our mightiest weapons cannot stop it. It is Godzilla, King of the Monsters! Only Grab Bag, friend to all children of the world, can help us now. Though Grab Bag may be small, he fights with the spirit of a million behavior analytic research articles. Go, Grab Bag! Save the world with...

At some point in everyone's life, you will be forced to sit through a job interview. This modern rite of passage may well spell the difference between being employed and being flat broke. This week, in our most meta episode ever, we interview Dr. Rocio Rosales on the topic of interview skills. Will a firm handshake, fancy suit, and boastful claim that your biggest weakness is your lack of weakness...

In honor of Autism Awareness Month, a portion of all of ABA Inside Track's proceeds in April will be donated to the New England Center for Children . For those of you who haven't heard of this internationally recognized school for individuals with ASD, Kim Walter joins us for a bonus chat about the ongoing mission of NECC to improve the lives of students, families, and behavior analysts. Fun fact:...

Snacking sure is great. But, snacking isn't usually the healthiest choice available. Since chiding people to eat better doesn't seem to be cutting down the worldwide obesity epidemic, it looks like we'll need behavior analysis to save the day. What does the research tell us about food preferences and promoting healthy food choices at a young age? And is there any way that we could make the whole t...

Spring has sprung here at ABA Inside Track and a new garden of topics have grown into this months trio of podcasts. First, we take a look at what goes into making healthy food choices and how a space opera might be the key to battling obesity. Then we meet with special guest, Dr. Rocio Rosales, to discuss how to train individuals with ASD to improve job interview skills. Finally, we pull out the o...

You may think that discrete trial teaching requires you to present only one stimulus at a time. But, what if you could present more? And, what if, like magic, your students learned both without taking any additional time. Special guest Dr. Jason Vladescu   joins us to share this seemingly magical procedure known as instructive feedback. Then stay tuned to hear our million-dollar ideas for scented...