Instructor and Supervisor Guide

for

A Workbook in Behavioral Systems Analysis and Ethical Behavior

About this Document

The following serves as supplementary instructional materials for A Workbook in Behavioral Systems Analysis and Ethical Behavior, by Matthew T. Brodhead, Ph.D., BCBA-D.

General Recommendations for Using This Workbook

It is recommended the instructor or supervisor assigns one section at a time, then reviews the answers with the student or supervisee before they are asked to complete additional sections. During pilot tests of the workbook, users generally found the guided practice component the most helpful if the steps were assigned in discrete sections vs. all at once. This format allowed the users to receive feedback on the appropriateness of their answers, and to make adjustments (if necessary) for future steps in the analysis. You may also assign multiple steps at a time. If this is the case, it is recommended you assign the following steps concurrently: Step 1 and 2; Step 3 and 4; Step 5 and 6.

During pilot tests of this workbook, sometimes users would note they were worried that by identifying potentially unethical behavior (as required in Step 1 in the workbook) they could potentially make it seem like they were accusing their employer or colleague of doing something bad or inappropriate. The response to the student or supervisee should be that “being ethical” is a process, not something that is “met and then forgotten about.” As emphasized on page 25, there’s no perfect system, and behavior can always be better. So encourage the student or supervisee to recognize that just because something may not fully align with the BACB Code does not mean someone should be immediately reported to the BACB. Instead, use this behavior as an indicator of need for potential change within the organization.

Additional Exercises

The below exercises may serve as supplements to the guided practice component of the workbook. Some exercises are reflective in nature, whereas others require the student or supervisee to review research and answer a specific question, based on that review. These exercises serve as examples and can certainly be modified to fit your own needs as an instructor or supervisor.

Exercises are listed under specific sections in the workbook. Each section is in bold and centered. Each exercise also contains a brief description of the purpose of that exercise.

Introduction

Exercise #1. (The purpose of this exercise is to identify examples of behavioral systems not described in the book in order to further illustrate how common behavioral systems are in service delivery.)

Provide an example of two behavioral systems in ABA service delivery that are not described in the workbook, then briefly describe how it fulfills the definition of a system.

• Example system #1:
• Organized:
• Integrated:
• Unified:
• Goals/objectives:

• Example system #2:
• Organized:
• Integrated:
• Unified:
• Goals/objectives:

Exercise #2. (The purpose of this exercise is for the student or supervisee to consider the strengths and weaknesses of their current approach to improving ethical behavior of employees.)

Reflect on your own experiences as a supervisor, and indicate how much time and attention you have previously paid to making sure the people you supervise engage in ethical behavior. Specifically, describe: 1) Some things you may have done well; and 2) Some things you could have done a better job at. Please note that even if you are new to this topic, you have certainly done things well, but maybe have not realized it. Have you ever helped people be better data collectors? Have you ever helped to improve the quality of programs people are providing? If so, you’ve helped to improve ethical behavior!

Step 1: Analyze the Natural Environment

Exercise #3. (The purpose of this exercise is to generate discussion about the student or supervisee’s experiences in matching a behavior excess or deficit with an element (or elements) of the BACB Code. In general, we have found that students or supervisees may have trouble with this initial exercise because it may require them to think critically about what each element of the BACB Code may represent.)

Complete the charts for Step 1a and Step 1b. Then, reflect on the difficulties that arose while you worked to identify behavioral excesses or deficits that were not congruent with the BACB Code.

Exercise #4. (The purpose of this exercise is to help the student or supervisee identify their own scope of competence for the presenting problem(s) they have identified, and to consider what additional activities they may need to engage in (if any), in order to improve their competence.)

Read the following paper: Brodhead, M. T., Quigley, S. P., & Wilczynski, S. M. (2018). A call for discussion about scope of competence in behavior analysis. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 424–435.

Using the Competence and Confidence Checklist described in Brodhead, Quigley, and Wilczynski (2018), evaluate your own scope of competence relative to each behavioral excess and deficit you list in the charts for Step 1a and Step 1b. If you decide you may require additional supervision or professional development, describe how you may obtain that supervision or professional development. Also, identify the potential limitations of those trainings.

Step 2: Specify the Performance Objectives

Exercise #5. (The purpose of this exercise is to help the student or supervisee become more familiar with operationally defining employee behavior, and in defining goals for employee behavior change interventions.)

Identify 3 research studies that have been published within the last 5 years in peer reviewed journals that focus on changing the behavior of adults who work in human-service settings. Below, list each article in APA format and provide the operational definitions of adult behavior from each of those studies.

• Study #1 citation:
• Study #1 operational definition(s):

• Study #2 citation:
• Study #2 operational definition(s):

• Study #3 citation:
• Study #3 operational definition(s):

Exercise #6. (The purpose of this exercise is to provide an opportunity for the student or supervisee to reflect on their newly created goals and how they may align with those they have written previously for their clients / students).

Complete the chart for Step 2. Then,
1. Identify the similarities your performance objective(s) may have to goals you have previously written for your client(s).

2. Identify the differences (if any) your performance objective(s) may have to goals you have previously written for your client(s).

3. Identify the challenges that may have arose when identifying a measurement system to evaluate progress toward your performance objective(s).

Step 3: Design the Intervention

Exercise #7. (The purpose of this exercise is for the student or supervisee to become more familiar with applications of the Performance-Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services.)

Identify 2 research studies that have been published within the last 5 years in peer reviewed journals that evaluated the effects of the Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services on changing employee behavior. Then, briefly describe the outcomes of those studies.

• Study #1 citation:
• Study #1 brief description of study outcome(s):

• Study #2 citation:
• Study #2 brief description of study outcome(s):

Exercise #8. (The purpose of this exercise is for the student or supervisee to identify at least one additional tool they may use to help identify an appropriate employee behavior change intervention.)

In addition to the Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services, identify at least 1 additional tool that may help you to systematically identify an intervention to use to change employee behavior.

Step 4: Implement the Intervention and Step 5: Evaluate the Intervention

Exercise #8. (The purpose of this exercise is for the student or supervisee to identify the similarities their intervention may have to ones they have designed in the past for their clients.)

Based on your past experiences in practicing behavior analysis, how close does the intervention you have designed to be implemented in Step 4 align with interventions you have developed in the past?

Exercise #9. (The purpose of this exercise is for the student or supervisee to practice graphing data.)

Create hypothetical data for the intervention designed in the workbook. Then, graph the data using the guidelines described in the workbook.

Step 6: Revise Until You Reach Your Performance Objectives

Exercise #10. (The purpose of this exercise is for the student or supervisee to reflect on how they may integrate the concept of continuous quality improvement into their own service delivery.)

The concept of continuous quality improvement makes behavioral systems analysis a very powerful tool. By maintaining attention to improvement and revision, systems should continue to be more effective and efficient. Describe how the concept of continuous quality improvement may be integrated into components of your own service delivery, such as in your own supervision, training, and/or intervention design practices.

About These Materials

The above instructional materials are licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 (This license requires that reusers give credit to the creator. It allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, for noncommercial purposes only.)