626 Week 6 Discussion
Variability is the “degree to which the rate of the behavior varies (sometimes from the measure of central tendency) from one assessment to another (Mayer, 2019).” This is true of both data that appears on a graph after collection, and the rate that is recorded. This fundamental property of behavior can tell us the consistency of behavior or the lack of consistency. It can also help us to identify the power of control in a situation and allow us to get a better understanding of a visual analysis. Level is “the value on the vertical axis around which a series of behavioral measures converge (Cooper et. al, 2020).” This is a very valuable fundamental property of behavior as it can allow us to see how much or how little behavior has been able to change overall. This can be located on a graph on it’s y-axis and can help bring clarification to a visual analysis. Trend is “the overall direction taken by a data path. It is described in terms of direction, degree, and the extent of variability of data points around the trend… it can be used [when] predicting future measures of the behavior under unchanging conditions (Cooper et. al, 2020).” This fundamental property of behavior is essential as it can tell us where behavior is headed. It can help us to plan farther ahead and make better decisions with interventions. Cultural competency and diversity are extremely important aspects to include within ABA. They help us to provide better care and to better understand those we care for. When speaking about culture, Skinner said, “culture is a collection of the contingencies of reinforcement into which individuals are born and to which they are exposed throughout their lives. The contingencies are part of both the social and the physical environment and may not be readily observable, especially in the case of social contingencies in which the reinforcers are values and ideas that generate the behavior (Skinner 1971).” Because of these differences in environments, cultures are unique and can impact behavior in so many ways. I can incorporate culture and diversity as a practitioner by implementing appropriate replacement behaviors, I have learned it is important to
make sure that it aligns with the cultural values the patient has. If they don’t align, this can create
issues with caregivers and the home environment. I can also do this by utilizing diverse resources. There is a great value that can come when we use diverse resources so that each child that comes can feel more included and comfortable in their environment. I can also make sure those I am working with have access to diverse curriculum and training material when necessary.
This is a vital part of increasing diversity and takes place when “multicultural and culture-
specific knowledge… [is given and taught to] applied practitioners [to help them] become more competent in their ability to understand and interact with consumers from different cultures (Fong et. al, 2017).” When we are properly trained on this issue, we can help to create more inclusive and applicable treatment plans and know how to better relate those we are serving.
Bibliography:
Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied Behavior Analysis
(3rd ed.). Pearson Education Limited. Fong, E. H., Ficklin, S., & Lee, H. Y. (2017). Increasing cultural understanding and diversity in applied behavior analysis. Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, 17(2), 103–113.
Mayer, G. R. (2019). Behavior analysis for lasting change
(4th ed.). Sloan Publishing.
