Things that I have been working on lately have forced me to take a harder look at applied behavior analysis (ABA), it’s applications, my ineptitude at remembering to utilize it as a tool…and let’s just say it plays a very important role in a piece of fiction I’m currently working on. Forgive me for simplifying, but what ABA comes down to in it’s smallest component is looking at a behavior and figuring out what occurs immediately before it and then what occurs immediately after it. By changing one or both of these things (antecedent and consequence) you influence the frequency of the behavior. Welcome to two new ongoing threads– ABA and new or interesting research in animal behavior.
I frequently get accused of training people like I train animals, but let’s get real here. I was taught to train animals using the basics of psychology. So am I training humans like animals or animals like humans? Does it make a difference? Isn’t everyone getting something great out of my interactions? Well– yes. I’m a firm believer in using positive reinforcement. Not because punishment doesn’t work (and yes, it does sometimes have a place) but because it is often a bandaid and frequently has repercussions, especially when working with nondomestics. And as a human, would you rather I noticed and responsed favorably to all of the wonderful things you do or point out your every flaw and bad habit?
Tell me, why is it that training through a reward system is considered demeaning and manipulative when shaming and nagging is considered the appropriate way to teach those around us to act?
The applications for ABA and positive reinforcement are amazingly endless — check out this list of topics at a the Association for Behavior Analysis International Conference at the end of the month in San Diego:
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Cutting-edge research findings on successful early intensive treatments for children with autism and methods for earlier diagnosis
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“What Shamu Taught Me about a Happy Marriage” — using the techniques exotic animal trainers use with dolphins to influence your spouse’s behavior
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Practice makes perfect — how athletes, musicians and other performers become “experts” through practice
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Influencing voters — how political strategists and radio talk show hosts manipulate our votes and how political candidates get us to vote for them
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Improving airport screening methods in a post-9/11 world
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High-risk student drinking behaviors
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Applied behavior analysis as an alternative to psychotropic drugs for the treatment of severe behavior disorders
Could we take over the world if we pulled together with a common goal and used ABA? NAH! We can’t control every single element of an environment. Behavior is still a complex beast. You can’t control much of anything entirely. What you can do is change the way you react to your environment and those animals (including humans) with whom you interact, ultimately influencing their behavior in regards to you. And the possibilities for teaching others to do the same can be tremendous. Also the applications for using ABA to help problem solve behaviors in the wild are amazing. (how do you get the California condors to stay away from humans? -break down the behavior with ABA and problem solve– here’s a place where negative reinforcement might be the ticket)
If we all learned how to interact in ways that encouraged appropriate and kind behavior, the world would change. It would change for the better. Hmmn. Perhaps a better world begins with animal trainers.
