Why We Do What We Do

There are several quintessential psychology experiments whose notoriety transcend beyond college Intro Psych Courses. Walter Mischel’s “Marshmallow Test,” as it became popularized as, was no exception. The seminal study gave kids a chance to wait for preferred items or demonstrate limited self-control by selecting a less-preferred option earlier. Mischel and his colleagues, as well as several foll...

Shane and Abraham (Shanebraham) explore the not-a-disorder, but still very real experience that many people have. Misophonia (not the sound of musical miso, although that's what the name seems like it should imply) is a relatively common experience of an extreme aversion to certain sounds. For Abraham it is heavy machinery, for Shane, Avril Lavigne (jk!). Shane and Abraham have fun unpacking the s...

If the last episode was the end, consider this the epilogue. The making-of, if you will. We recount our experiences with anxiety, ethics, planning, and all of the wonderful feedback we received. This is our postmortem for the process. Links for Today: https://childmind.org/article/controversy-around-applied-behavior-analysis/ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311908.2019.1641258# :~:t...

The end. Fin. The culmination of the miniseries on the controversy around Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) as harmful. This final discussion is what we have been working toward over this entire series: the comparison of ABA to conversion therapy. The argument focuses on stereotypic behaviors and other "quirky" or non-normative behaviors in which non-neurotypical people might engage (not to mention...

The argument is that Behavior Analysts don't consider a child's emotional well-being and ignore their feelings. Specifically, this is in regard to blocking or preventing self-soothing behaviors such as self-stimulatory "stereotypic" behaviors. Discussions of feelings are essentially absent from professional discussions as well. The first thing to address in this space is that behavior analysts are...

Teaching, managing, supervising, etc. requires some amount of scaffolding to train new skills. For example, providing explicit instruction, demonstrating the performance, immediate feedback, and even physical guidance are all used to help learn a new skill. However, if not faded from the instruction, then the learner becomes dependent on the guidance to perform the task. Several strategies can hel...

Over compliance can arise in coercive situations inside of many contexts including workplaces, relationships, and in ABA. It can also arise under multiple circumstances such as a highly reinforcing, or a highly coercive environment. Either way, we want people to think for themselves and ask for help. Noncompliance for the win! Links for Today: https://childmind.org/article/controversy-around-appli...

One of the most substantial hurdles is ensuring that what we do can be applied to real-life situations. Generalization is one of the stated goals of the field of ABA and much has been done to increase the likelihood that kids can generalize their skills. Nevertheless, it is one of the areas in which we can and should do better. Links for Today: https://childmind.org/article/controversy-around-appl...

One of the challenging aspects of teaching new behaviors is to teach them in such a way that they are meaningful to the individual, their social community, and to their family. Doing so can result in behaviors and speech that sound repetitive to the point of appearing robotic. It is something that can be offputting, and something that we can improve. Onward! Links for Today: https://childmind.org/...

This discussion follows us into the past as we talk about the use of punishment as an intervention for changing behavior. This practice stood alongside a host of horrific treatments from a range of different fields for neuro-diverse individuals. But the use of punishment is all but completely absent from contemporary ABA. Nevertheless, we understand the concern about seeing our loved ones in distr...

Recent increases in the controversial accusations that Applied Behavior Analysis is harmful, abusive, and similar to conversion therapy, have lead to a vitriolic feud online. Although the message isn't very clear, we did our best to listen and distill the most common arguments into several points specific points. This is the first part introducing what is shaping up to be our most ambitious projec...

Sex work is one of the oldest professions. In places where it is legal (or at least decriminalized), sex work is safe, healthy, and protects the workers. In places where it is blocked and criminalized, sex workers are raped, brutalized, exploited, and suffer mental health issues. The "righteous" path is the dangerous path. The worst part is, the people who condemn sex work are often benefitting fr...

There are certain gifts expected for specific anniversary traditions. What may have started out as genuine support eventually blossomed into a practice guide and capitalist boondoggle. Plus, we found some bizarre and fascinating trends along the way. Four more years, four more years! Links for Today: https://www.thespruce.com/history-of-wedding-anniversary-gift-lists-2302036 https://people.howstuf...

Emotional marketing is a strategy that has been deeply incorporated into campaigns to solicit donations, sell products, gain brand loyalty, and other uses for decades. Finding successful methods to persuade people to buy into a product or an idea has been around since ancient times. Whether with familiar faces, hard facts, or clever stimuli, advertising experts play into our very predictable behav...

Emotional marketing is a strategy that has been deeply incorporated into campaigns to solicit donations, sell products, gain brand loyalty, and other uses for decades. Finding successful methods to persuade people to buy into a product or an idea has been around since ancient times. Whether with familiar faces, hard facts, or clever stimuli, advertising experts play into our very predictable behav...

We are dipping our toes into the bio-cast style of discussions. What do you know about the scientist behind the classic(cal) experiment with teaching dogs to salivate to a bell? Starting out as a religious man, Pavlov eventually made is way to science. From there, he worked in biology, only accidentally contributing one of the most ground-breaking studies of all time to psychology. Links for Today...

This is an exploration of the "psychology" of the circumstances that lead to the decision to cannibalize others to survive. This large group of ambitious, largely white emigrants made several ill-informed decisions that put them several months behind schedule to reach their destination. Their delay had them stranded in an inescapable snowstorm in already nearly impassable terrain. The rest, as the...

Coined by psychologist Edward Thorndike in 1920, “The Halo Effect” helps us explain how a strong first impression or perceived relation among characteristics leads us to view other individuals as more perfect than they may be. Similarly, the “horns effect” works inversely, allowing for one negative characteristic to sour an overall impression of someone. Together, these terms help explain how bias...

Science doesn't really know why sleepwalking occurs. We know it has something to do with certain parts of our brain. What we understand about psychology implies that there is essentially reduced cognitive capacity while still interacting effectively with one's environment. We also bust some myths about sleepwalking. Links for Today: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/U...

In just the last couple of decades, people have started anonymously donated organs to strangers. In this episode, we tell the story of two people who decided to donate their organs to someone they had never met or had just barely met. Why would someone do this? We explain the psychology of anonymous organ donors, why living donors are so important, and the process of donating organs. Links for Tod...

Are you one of those people who has trouble falling or staying asleep? There are things you might be doing to make it worse. Tossing and turning, the snooze button, and sleeping in are but a few of the things you can do to ensure that your sleep is wrecked. We'll count them down. In addition, we cover the world record for staying awake, and why sleep is important. We will either help you stay awak...

What do our old friend Stu Law, our writers, Ryan O'Donnell, Matt Cicoria of the Behavioral Observations Podcast, Salena Schilling, and our composer have in common? They are all guests on our 200th episode variety show celebration extravaganza. Join us for trivia, fun, and jokes! Links for Today: https://www.thedailyba.com/ https://behavioralobservations.com/ listennotes.com/podcasts/marriage-and-...

In 1968, an Iowa teacher named Jane Elliott created a powerful lesson demonstrating the effects of prejudice with a classroom of white children, in an effort to foster empathy that she believed was sorely needed around the world at the height of racist tension. As prejudice evolved in different forms during subsequent decades, she repurposed the lesson as an effective exercise that could be tailor...

Why we punk rock? Counter-cultures and sub-cultures are a fascinating evolution in the social dynamics of a society when a population reaches a threshold that is no longer unified by a shared set of values. Small cliques and offshoots might work toward something or against something and either way stand apart from the group whence they originated. These occur because cultural norms shift and chang...

Within certain communities that contain a hierarchal structure, most notably the military, the existence of an authoritative figure has a unique effect on behavior. Some scientists suggest that the coercive effects of following orders shifts the agency of responsibility onto a superior, allowing for a slippery slope of questionable behavior to take place. Many individuals throughout history have p...