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Curadoria científica com IA
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Pesquisa em Análise do Comportamento, organizada por evidências
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The importance of culturally responsive practices in behavior analysis has been widely discussed in the literature, emphasizing the need to develop a behavioral repertoire that will allow practitioners to serve diverse clients optimally. However, empirical work aimed at increasing awareness, knowledge, and skills of cultural responsiveness in behavior analysis trainees is limited. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) evaluate whether an eight-hour online course on culturally responsive behavior analytic practices would impact awareness and knowledge and (2) evaluate whether completing the online course and receiving hands-on training would improve trainees’ skills in clinical situations. After completing the online course, participants demonstrated improved levels of knowledge of the material included in the course and most measured dimensions of cultural competence. The three participants for whom clinical skills were evaluated demonstrated increases in culturally responsive skills. The findings suggest online training can increase knowledge, and when combined with hands-on training via culturally responsive supervision, can support the development of clinical skills that align with cultural responsiveness.
This scoping review examines how skill-based treatment (SBT) has been implemented to address challenging behavior in school settings. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA-ScR) framework, seven peer-reviewed studies and one dissertation involving a total of 20 participants aged 4–18 were reviewed. All participants received SBT in school settings following a Practical Functional Assessment (PFA). Data were coded on participant characteristics, target behaviors, setting and implementers, intervention characteristics and reported outcomes. Across studies, most participants demonstrated suppression of dangerous target behaviors and reductions from baseline in non-dangerous behaviors. Although preliminary findings suggest SBT can be integrated into school contexts, its use in general education classrooms remains limited. This review highlights promising preliminary outcomes for SBT in school settings but underscores the need for further research examining scalability and implementation in typical school environments. Limitations and recommendations for future research are also discussed.
Applied behavior analysis increasingly emphasizes cultural responsiveness, cultural humility, and interdisciplinary collaboration, yet implementation remains inconsistent. This conceptual paper proposes that these represent advanced competencies requiring foundational interpersonal repertoires. Drawing on established behavioral principles and empirical evidence from training effectiveness, supervision, and performance management literature, this paper proposes that generalized responsiveness, humility, and collaboration skills serve as prerequisites for culture-specific and discipline-specific applications among behavior-analytic practitioners. This paper provides operational definitions, practical examples, and non-examples of these foundational repertoires across three general domains: responsiveness, humility, and collaboration. Each domain is then accompanied by a multi-level implementation framework that allows practitioners to identify and organize potential skills for further development. This prerequisite skills model offers a systematic pathway for developing the complex competencies necessary for effective, ethical service delivery in increasingly diverse contexts. While it is clear that further research is necessary within this specific topic, this framework may provide a worthwhile starting point for future research in the development of practitioner skillsets.
LeBlanc et al. (2018; doi.org/10.1007/s40617-018-0206-3) provided recommendations for creating research review committees that might oversee participant protections for human service agencies. Since that time, multiple organizations have implemented some version of a research review committee and other options for protocol review have become more commonly available. The purpose of this paper is to describe implementation efforts by five organizations (e.g., timelines, which recommendations were followed and how, challenges and solutions). The lessons learned through these implementations are synthesized and resources created by the organizations are shared for those interested in conducting research in applied settings. In addition, the costs and benefits of developing an internal committee are compared to those for external review options.
We replicated and extended Kranak et al. (2023b) and analyzed all keynote and invited speakers at state-level behavior analysis conferences from 2021 to 2025. Our results show that women now constitute the majority of keynote and invited speakers, reflecting clear and measurable progress in representation. A small subset of highly visible individuals delivered a disproportionate number of presentations. Recent publications, years certified, and gender did not predict invitations. The greatest predictor of serving as a keynote or invited speaker was previously doing so. Our results suggest that representation has substantially improved among women, and that the greatest predictor of serving as a keynote or invited speaker is repeatedly doing so. Implications and considerations are discussed, particularly for supporting conference organizers within the framework of professional development and continuing education.
Applied behavior analysis is grounded in data-based decision-making and evidence-based practice (EBP). EBP is increasingly reliant on evidence syntheses (i.e., the combining of findings from multiple research studies to inform on a particular topic). Within this context, outcome heterogeneity is defined as variability in the outcome measures employed across research studies evaluating a particular intervention, including what is measured, how, and when. Outcome heterogeneity has been identified as a substantive barrier to evidence synthesis across health and social care, with direct consequences for clinical guideline development and policy. This article draws on examples from behavior-analytic and adjacent research to argue that outcome heterogeneity represents a methodological challenge for behavior analysis. A Core Outcome Set (COS) is a consensus-based, standardized set of outcomes that should be measured and reported as a minimum when evaluating a particular intervention. COS have been developed across a range of health behavior change interventions (e.g., for sedentary behavior, behavioral weight management, self-management of diabetes) as a structured response to the challenge of outcome heterogeneity. This article proposes increased engagement with the broader movement toward COS and argues that behavior analysis offers methodological resources not currently included in COS frameworks. Engagement with COS infrastructure should be approached with critical consideration, incorporating reflection on both its potential risks and benefits, as well as its alignment with the principles and practices of the field of behavior analysis. Risks of engagement, including the potential marginalization of idiographic measurement and inductive experiment techniques, are identified and mitigations proposed.
Developing and maintaining ethical competence is critical for ongoing professional development. Although the Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB®) requires continuing education units (CEUs) focused on ethics, individual certificants have the flexibility to select specific topics to pursue based on their individual needs or interests. One way to obtain CEUs is by attending designated continuing education events, such as the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) annual convention. However, it remains unclear what topics are typically offered for ethics CEUs at the ABAI annual conference for certificants to further their competency. Thus, in this exploratory study, we sought to describe the topics of events that are offered at ABAI events as ethics CEUs by extracting archival data (e.g., year, title, and abstract) from ABAI’s annual convention events labeled as offering ethics CEUs between 2016 to 2024. We then used topic modeling techniques (BERTopic; Grootendorst, 2022) to analyze the text in the titles and abstracts and create structured clusters (topics) of events with similar content. We found 540 presentations within 326 events offering ethics CEUs during this time period at ABAI annual conventions. Our model extracted 25 topics that covered a breadth of professional issues. We discuss the implications of our results for the types of content in ethics CEUs that certificants may or may not be able to obtain at ABAI based on our data and note the value of using topic modeling techniques to analyze large text datasets in organizational settings.
Historically, research and practice in applied behavior analysis (ABA) are conducted separately from one another. This separation creates a disconnect between researchers and practitioners that is known as the research-to-practice gap. The purpose of this preliminary study was to evaluate whether a six-week group supervision curriculum for 10 ABA practitioners working in a university-based autism services setting increased their ability to (a) ethically design and conduct practice-based research and (b) disseminate their findings in peer-reviewed journals and professional presentations. A mixed-methods design was used, including pre- and post-self-reported assessments of research skills, content review of research products, tracking of dissemination outcomes, and social validity measures. Results indicated that participants showed noticeable gains from pre-assessment to post-assessment self-reported ratings and documented research activity in the three months following group supervision. Qualitative thematic analysis indicated increased clarity in participants’ descriptions of research capacity, applied impact, and mentorship, while time remained a notable barrier. Social validity ratings indicated that most participants were satisfied with the group supervision experience. Findings suggest that more advanced skills, including research literacy, experimental designs, data graphing and analysis, and manuscript writing, are likely to require additional instructional support beyond weekly group supervision. Given the preliminary nature of the study, the findings are discussed along with implications for practice and future research.
Applied behavior analysis (ABA) continues to face a research-to-practice gap that limits uptake of evidence-based procedures in routine service settings. This article introduces a participatory action research collaborative (PARC) model that formalizes university–agency partnerships to build research infrastructure. PARC establishes shared governance through MOUs, ethical infrastructure, and co-production with practitioners and client/family advisors. We describe governance, workflow, and training procedures that effectively embed research into routine care by building capacity in research ethics, context assessment, and treatment integrity. We identify common barriers, such as time pressures, turnover, skill gaps, and ethical oversight, and outline feasible mitigation strategies, including protected time, incentives, role clarity, and standardized protocols. The PARC model proposes that ABA agencies are learning health systems that iteratively generate practice-based evidence, enhance social validity and cultural responsiveness, and sustain durable improvements in service delivery.
Xenophobia involves the display of prejudiced, discriminatory, or aggressive behavior toward foreigners or individuals unfamiliar with the environment. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, approximately 130.8 million people, including 5.6 million Venezuelan citizens, are currently forcibly displaced, living in territories where they are foreigners. Institutional helplessness, rejection, and xenophobic behavior are often observed when they seek shelter. It is urgent to investigate this phenomenon to propose interventions aimed at preventing the emergence of this aversion and the worsening of xenophobic behaviors. This study examined 102 Brazilian individuals’ explicit and implicit xenophobic attitudes toward Venezuelan immigrants. Explicit attitudes were measured through a questionnaire, and implicit attitudes were evaluated by observing individuals’ differential response rates in a Functional Acquisition Speed Test (FAST). Results suggested explicit attitudes not marked by negative bias and implicit attitudes possibly negative biased, particularly among participants from cities that have welcomed more refugees. The study also revealed that questionnaire-measured lower xenophobia levels correlated with better performance in the FAST inconsistent block, which counteracts xenophobic bias. Stratified data allowed insights into how the environment may influence xenophobic bias, explicit and implicit attitudes, and how individuals with and without direct experience with refugees hold different opinions on related issues.
This study examined the reinforcing value of social media based on its putative function using a hypothetical social media purchase task (SMPT). Mixed-effects modeling (R2 = .91) evaluated behavioral patterns among 328 university students. We found that function significantly affected consumption at minimal cost (log10 Q0) but not price sensitivity (log10 α). Social media accessed for escape, information, or automatic positive reinforcement generated greater demand than seeking likes/engagements. Individual Q0 values showed moderate cross-condition correlations (rs = .31–.49), while α values correlated strongly (rs = .81–.95). The Social Media Use Disorder Scale interacted with function to predict Q0, whereas the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale predicted α independently of function. These findings reveal how different functional contexts affect demand parameters and suggest attention-seeking motivation may confer vulnerability to problematic use, while individual differences in addiction severity modulate price sensitivity across functional domains.
Classism occurs when behavior differentially favors members of a social class over members of other social classes and can occur along boundaries of social inequality. Relational framing can account for symbolic behavior underlying classism, emphasizing the transformation of social class functions to everyday decisions and economic consumption. The purpose of the present set of translational experiments was to explore the influence of relational behavior within a relational density theory (RDT; Belisle & Dixon, 2020) on symbolic economic classism. In Experiment 1, participants underwent a stimulus pairing observation procedure (SPOP) to establish a symbol as “rich” and another symbol as “poor.” A multidimensional scaling procedure was used to evaluate the relational volume and density of emergent classes that contained stimuli presented in the training and a test set of stimuli. Results revealed clear fractionated relational classes along the social dimensions of rich and poor following the training. In Experiment 2, participants underwent a similar training procedure and selected among various common objects/commodities (e.g., shirt, soda, garage, house) in a paired choice preference assessment, where the commodities contained the symbols denoting economic class. Preference for the commodities containing the “rich” symbol increased across all commodities, including the abstract commodity of “trust.” Taken together, these results support RDT as a theoretical framework to explore the development of social economic classism.
Despite growing attention to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), empirical research on anti-Black bias within behavior analysis remains scarce. This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines and adopted a methodological and conceptual framework grounded in behavior analysis to identify and examine 23 empirical studies published in 27 behavior-analytic journals between 1964 and 2026. The selected studies were categorized into three methodological domains: (1) cross-sectional and correlational surveys; (2) validity of implicit and explicit measures for detecting anti-Black bias; and (3) experimental interventions on anti-Black bias. Cross-sectional and correlational studies examined associations between values, psychological flexibility, mental health, and racial attitudes, highlighting contextual influences on bias. Measurement studies primarily used relational frame theory–based tools, including the implicit relational assessment procedure (IRAP) and the Function Acquisition Speed Test (FAST), demonstrating sensitivity to implicit anti-Black biases not captured by self-report measures. Intervention studies included equivalence-based training, particularly with children, showing promising but preliminary effects in modifying biased relational networks. Interventions with adults also yielded favorable outcomes, especially those involving values clarification and exposure to relationally inconsistent stimuli. Across cross-sectional studies, common limitations included reliance on convenience samples, incomplete reporting of sampling procedures, and inadequate control of confounding variables. Experimental studies frequently lacked control groups or baseline comparability included limited follow-up assessments, and relied on self-report or emerging measures with limited validation. Overall, findings highlight the need for a more cumulative, conceptually precise, and functionally grounded research agenda to advance antiracist efforts within behavior analysis.
Stability of preference is critical for understanding how environmental enrichment can support welfare in managed care. This study investigated whether textile preferences in domestic cats (Felis catus) are stable across repeated exposures. Thirty-six female domestic cats housed in a research colony were individually presented with four textile types (absorbent pad, blanket, cardboard, and towel) across three consecutive days. Cats’ sniffing and touching behaviors were recorded to quantify interaction, and total interaction duration was used as the primary measure of engagement. Mean total interaction time increased over days, with the absorbent pad consistently receiving the highest engagement overall. However, individual interaction patterns varied widely, and a stable preference for a specific textile across days was rare, occurring in only 2 of the 36 cats, suggesting that short-term preference assessments may not reliably predict future choice behavior. These data indicate that preferences in cats may be dynamic rather than trait-like, varying across time and context. For clinical and welfare applications, repeated assessments or offering multiple enrichment options may better accommodate individual variability and fluctuating motivational states. Preference testing for enrichment planning should therefore account for temporal instability and avoid assumptions based on limited observations.
Federal oversight calls for decreased reliance on psychotropic medication to reduce challenging behavior in state foster care systems; however, some professionals may oppose a shift toward using behavioral interventions. This study replicated Almanza et al. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 23, 448–456, (2020) and Massey et al. Education and Treatment of Children, 47, 35–49, (2024) by assigning 115 child welfare service providers to one of four groups: Medication information (Med info), Behavioral information (Beh info), No change control, and Reverse video (Rev vid) control. Participants in the Med info, Beh info and No change groups watched a 5-min video (video A) of a child engaging in low to moderate levels of problem behavior. After watching video A, participants rated seven statements on a 5-point Likert scale. Thereafter, participants were informed that the child received behavioral intervention (Beh info group), psychotropic medication (Med info group), or no changes in supports (No change and Rev vid [participants watched video B first and video A second] control groups). Subsequently, participants watched a second 5-min video of the same child and rated the same seven statements. Notably, video B depicted the same child engaging in slightly more problem behavior than in video A. Although the Med info, Beh info, and No change groups all observed the same videos in the same order, only participants in the Beh info group provided more negative ratings of the child’s behavior for six of the seven statements after viewing the second video (video B). We discuss implications of these findings for children in child welfare systems.
Multiperson activity schedules involve pairs and small groups of individuals who work cooperatively to accomplish tasks, and capitalize on the benefits of independent activity schedules, such as minimizing the need for adult prompting and increasing independence with complex tasks. This review aimed to (a) identify contexts in which multiperson activity schedules have been applied; (b) identify characteristics of the independent variable; (c) describe the dependent variable; (d) analyze the results of the studies; (e) examine the social validity of multiperson activity schedules; and (f) investigate the quality of the single-case research studies using the Single Case Analysis and Review Framework. We conducted a systematic search of two electronic databases and identified 146 articles and dissertations that were screened; of these, 11 met the inclusion criteria. Across a variety of cooperative tasks, the majority of studies demonstrated strong functional relations and positive effects on engagement, cooperation, and task completion. Despite generally promising findings, methodological limitations were common, including insufficient procedural fidelity and reliability data, limited assessment of maintenance and generalization, and inconsistent measurement of social validity. Overall, multiperson activity schedules appear to be a promising intervention, though stronger research rigor and more comprehensive reporting are needed. Practitioners could consider embedding multiperson activity schedules within naturally occurring classroom routines and collaborative activities to promote sustainable peer engagement while systematically planning for fading, generalization, and long-term independence.
In 2020, the U.S. government, like other countries, instated a nationwide quarantine to reduce the spread of COVID-19, which had reached pandemic status. Though challenging on a number of levels, the quarantine also provided a unique opportunity to examine the effects of a cultural phenomenon that reduced access to many sources of reinforcement and the potential impact on behavior and health. From a behavioral economic standpoint, the quarantine likely resulted in greater consumption of reinforcers that were highly available in the home, such as social media, sleep, substances, and food, while lowering consumption of reinforcers that were restricted by quarantine policies. These two trends likely combined into a net reduction in the diversity of reinforcers that were available to individuals during the quarantine. For some individuals, these shifts in consumption also predicted changes in health and mental health status, especially those involving consumption of social media, sleep, substances, and food. We discuss the implications for health and mental health associated with these trends and end by offering suggestions on how a more careful programming of available reinforcers during times of low reinforcer diversity may prevent excessive consumption of reinforcers that may affect health or mental health risks.
The peer-review and publication process can often seem opaque, especially to those outside of academia or settings in which research is a frequent occurrence. Those who may not have received training and mentorship on the peer-review and publication process could therefore be seen as being at a disadvantage when attempting to navigate those spaces. That lack of knowledge of the process could readily be seen as a barrier for those in less research-intensive settings, hindering their ability to submit their work for peer review. Accordingly, to alleviate such barriers, we provide a primer on the overall peer-review and publication process encountered in behavior analysis. This includes describing the process as a whole; types of decisions that could be rendered and received, and how to navigate each decision; how to select a journal to which to submit; timelines; and the roles of Associate Editors and reviewers in the process. We also describe several behavior-analytic journals most applicable to practitioners and the conditions under which they would (or would not) elect to submit to that journal. Moreover, and critically, we offer discourse on and clarify many common misconceptions surrounding the peer-review process (e.g., authors pay for publication).
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in applied behavior analysis (ABA) services has received increasing attention from researchers and practitioners. Although the integration of AI in the field is still in its early stages, several studies have explored how AI may support ABA service delivery. These studies suggest promising applications while also highlighting areas that require further investigation, including ethical considerations. Hence, the purpose of the current study was to examine the perceptions of Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs®) regarding the role of AI in understanding, implementing, and evaluating ethical concerns across the domains of the BACB® Test Content Outline. Participants were 111 US-based BCBAs who completed an online questionnaire. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using Likert-scale and open-ended questions. Results indicated that participating BCBAs reported relatively cautious views toward the use of AI in ABA, particularly regarding its role in implementing clinical practices, with concerns related to ethical decision-making, reduced individualization of interventions, and potential risks to client confidentiality. Limitations and implications for research and practice are discussed.