Amel Becirevic

Basic Research on the Behavioral Economics of Reinforcer Value

Reinforcer value is a complex and multifaceted concept necessitating numerous levels of analyses and integration of both visual and quantitative approaches. This chapter summarizes the seminal basic operant laboratory work with both humans and nonhumans on this topic. In doing so, we provide the reader with numerous references and examples for prototypical approaches to the assessment and measurement of reinforcer demand and efficacy. Topics covered include: (a) basic preparations for measuring reinforcer value, (b) common design elements in evaluating reinforcer value, (c) quantitative analyses of reinforcer value, and (d) modulating factors.

Normative Emotional Responses to Behavior Analysis Jargon or How Not to Use Words to Win Friends and Influence People

It has been suggested that non-experts regard the jargon of behavior analysis as abrasive, harsh, and unpleasant. If this is true, excessive reliance on jargon could interfere with the dissemination of effective services. To address this often discussed but rarely studied issue, we consulted a large, public domain list of English words that have been rated by members of the general public for the emotional reactions they evoke. Selected words that behavior analysts use as technical terms were compared to selected words that are commonly used to discuss general science, general clinical work, and behavioral assessment. There was a tendency for behavior analysis terms to register as more unpleasant than other kinds of professional terms and also as more unpleasant than English words generally. We suggest possible reasons for this finding, discuss its relevance to the challenge of deciding how to communicate with consumers who do not yet understand or value behavior analysis, and advocate for systematic research to guide the marketing of behavior analysis.

Erratum to: On the Social Validity of Behavior-Analytic Communication: a Call for Research and Description of One Method

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s40616-017-0077-7.].

Consumer Foraging for Safer Tanning Alternatives: A Naturally Occurring Experiment on Informational Reinforcement in the UK

In this study, we examined whether ultra-violet indoor tanning (UVIT) bans for minors in the United Kingdom increased consumer foraging for spray tanning – a safer alternative to UVIT. Research suggests that the use of UVIT can result in an increased likelihood of developing skin cancer and/or indoor tanning addiction, and is predictive of other maladaptive behaviors (Reed, 2015). Furthermore, an increased prevalence in indoor tanning among minors correlates with health complications later in life (Wehner et al., 2012). Using data from Google Trends, we constructed a natural multiple baseline investigation to demonstrate that searches for spray tans increased as a function of the UVIT legislation. Findings suggest that spray tanning may serve as a substitute for UVIT, offering implications for behavioral economic approaches to policies aimed at decreasing UVIT in the United States.

Ask the Experts: How Can New Students Defend Behavior Analysis from Misunderstandings?

The success of behavior analysis as a field depends on the successes of its students, researchers, practitioners, and advocates. A new generation of graduate students will ultimately speak on the behalf of the field. In order to further promote the field, students must not only learn about what behavior analysis is, but also about what behavior analysis is not. We must prepare ourselves to adequately defend behavior analysis from those who disseminate misperceptions and misunderstandings. As such, an electronic survey designed to glean some information on how behavior analysts would respond to various inaccuracies or misunderstandings of behavior analysis was distributed through behavior-analytic listservs and social media websites. Findings show that the majority of respondents indicate that any graduate student ought to correct the misunderstandings about the field. What do seasoned behavior analysts have to say about the majority opinion about the responsibilities of graduate students and what recommendations do they have for new graduate students who come across misunderstandings about behavior analysis?

Function-Altering Effects of Rule Phrasing in the Modulation of Instructional Control.

This study evaluated the effects of four instructional variants on instruction following under changing reinforcement schedules using an operant task based on Hackenberg and Joker’s Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 62, 367–383 (1994) experimental preparation. Sixteen college-aged adults served as participants and were randomly assigned to one of four instruction conditions (directive, generic, non-directive, and control). Results suggest textual verbal behavior modulated instruction following. Specifically, directive and generic instructions produced greater levels of instructional control and relatively lower levels of schedule control compared to non-directive instructions. Thus, participants in the directive and generic groups responded in accordance with the instructions even when schedules of reinforcement favored deviation from the instructed pattern. In contrast, participants in the non-directive group responded toward the optimal pattern. In the control condition, participant responding was variable but toward the optimal pattern. Findings are interpreted within the framework of Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior and formulation of rule governance.

The Self-perception of Text-message Dependency Scale (STDS): Psychometric update based on a United States sample

ABSTRACT Background: Some have suggested that text messaging is an addictive behavior. However, this characterization is uncertain, partly due to lack of well-validated measures of text messaging attitudes and behaviors. One standard instrument for measuring text messaging attitudes and behaviors is the Self-perception of Text-message Dependency Scale (STDS), though the psychometric properties of this scale have only been examined with a sample of Japanese youth. Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the STDS in the United States to determine its utility as a measure of text messaging dependence. We were interested in examining the factor structure and determining the extent to which this scale would correlate with two important outcome measures: motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) and moving violations. Methods: We analyzed data from 468 adults (age 18–74; 274 women) recruited via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (mTurk) service. Participants completed the STDS and provided information about their driving-related incidents in the past year. Results: First we performed a confirmatory factor analysis, which supported the instrument’s original factor structure. Then we tested the relationship between scores on the STDS and two important variables, MVAs and moving violations. We found that the STDS significantly correlated with both MVAs and moving violations. Conclusion: The present study confirms that the STDS is a potentially useful instrument for studying texting dependence in the United States and with adults of all ages. The instrument may be particularly useful in predicting motor vehicle outcomes.

An initial study of behavioral addiction symptom severity and demand for indoor tanning.

Indoor tanning remains a popular activity in Western cultures despite a growing body of literature suggesting its link to skin cancer and melanoma. Advances in indoor tanning research have illuminated problematic patterns of its use. With problems such as difficulty quitting, devoting resources toward its use at the expense of healthy activities, and excessive motivation and urges to tan, symptoms of excessive indoor tanning appear consistent with behavioral addiction. The present study bridges the gap between clinical approaches to understanding indoor tanning problems and behavioral economic considerations of unhealthy habits and addiction. Eighty undergraduate females completed both the Behavioral Addiction Indoor Tanning Screener and the Tanning Purchase Task. Results suggest that behavioral economic demand for tanning significantly differs between risk classification groups, providing divergent validity to the Behavioral Addiction Indoor Tanning Screener and offering additional evidence of the sensitivity of the Tanning Purchase Task to differentiating groups according to tanning profiles.

Computer-Assisted Technologies for Collecting and Summarizing Behavioral Data

Abstract Since the inception of behavioral psychology, basic and applied researchers have relied on machine-assisted technologies for collecting and summarizing behavioral data. Early researchers used cumulative recorders attached to microswitches in nonhuman operant chambers to record behavior. Later translations of these technologies resulted in human operant devices such as the Lindsley plunger to describe the effects of environmental manipulation on simple human performance. Despite such laboratory advances, field-based research remained relegated to paper-and-pencil techniques until the proliferation of mobile device and laptop applications in the 1990s. The ubiquity of smart-phone technologies has since revolutionized the ways in which behavioral psychologists can discreetly, yet accurately, collect and summarize data. This chapter delves deep into the literature regarding the best practices of behavioral data collection and how advances in computer-assisted technologies can render quality measurement both efficient and psychometrically sound. Exemplary computer-assisted data technologies are reviewed and best practice recommendations are provided.