Essential Reading
In a seminal 1978 article, Montrose Wolf introduced behavior analysts to the term “social validity”. As you’ve learned in earlier lessons, it is a requirement for ABA to be applied and effective. Social validity complemented these dimensions and provided a basis for measuring and evaluating social importance.
As ABA has matured, many behavior analysts have questioned how we should define appropriate outcomes of behavioral interventions. In this recent article, Schwartz and Kelly argue that we should consider the importance of goals with reference to quality of life:
Optional Viewing
This video from Hacking ABA introduces examples of how behavior analysts can measure some dimensions of social validity:
Conversation Exercise
Complete the conversation exercise with FRED, our AI-powered chatbot by clicking the icon in the bottom right of your screen. Alternatively, click here to open the chatbot directly.
If you haven’t already, read this article to learn how to get the most from your learning conversation with FRED.
Reflection Exercise
After completing the reading and viewing tasks, reflect on your learning using the prompts below. Your reflection should:
- Be between 100 and 500 words (about 5-7 sentences minimum)
- Be written in your preferred language
- Be expressed in your own words — do not copy text from chatbots, websites, or this course
Read our guide on completing Reflection Exercises if you’re unsure where to start.
You’ll receive an email copy of your reflection to aid your RBT exam preparation.
Click to view Reflection Prompts & Example
Reflection Prompts (choose one or more):
- Summarize Key Concepts: What are the main concepts or techniques you learned about in this lesson?
- Define in Your Own Words: How would you explain these concepts simply to someone else?
- Importance and Connections: Why are these ideas important? How do they connect to other ABA principles?
- Practical Application: Where might these concepts be useful? Any potential limitations?
- Application to Your Practice: How might you apply these ideas in your own work or study?
- Interesting Insights: What insights or surprises did you encounter?
Example Reflection:
Before this lesson, I thought that if an intervention worked and helped someone learn a skill, that was enough. But now I see that we also have to ask if the intervention is socially valid — does the person actually want to learn this skill? Is it being taught in a way that respects them? I thought the example of habilitation was really interesting because it made me think about how we sometimes assume independence is always the goal…
This also made me think about how social significance connects to the Applied and Effective dimensions from the last lesson. Just because a skill is generally practical or useful doesn’t mean it’s meaningful to the person. In my example, cooking was a useful skill, but it wasn’t socially significant or valid for that person because they didn’t value it the same way. This is where habilitation comes in — we have to think about both the benefits and costs of a skill in the person’s life.
When you’re ready, submit your reflection below:
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