RBT Module 1: Lesson 4 – Readings

Essential Reading

In a seminal 1978 article, Montrose Wolf introduced behaviour-analysts to the term “social validity”. As you’ll know from your earlier lessons, it is requirement for ABA to be applied and effective. The concept of “social validity” complimented these dimensions and provided a basis for practitioners and researchers to measure and evaluate social importance.

Wolf, M. M. (1978). Social validity: the case for subjective measurement or how applied behavior analysis is finding its heart 1. Journal of applied behavior analysis11(2), 203-214.

As ABA has matured, many behaviour-analysts have questioned how our 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.

Schwartz, I. S., & Kelly, E. M. (2021). Quality of Life for People with Disabilities: Why Applied Behavior Analysts Should Consider This a Primary Dependent Variable. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities46(3), 159-172.

Optional Watching

In the below video from Hacking ABA, you’ll be introduced to examples of how behaviour-analysts can measure some dimensions of social validity.

Conversation Exercise

In the bottom right-hand corner of your screen, you’ll see a conversation icon. Click on this to being the conversation exercise with FRED our AI-powered chatbot. Alternatively, click this link to open the chat interface directly.

If you have not already, read this article to learn how to get the most from your learning conversation with FRED.

You need to be registered and logged in to take this quiz. Log in or Register

Shopping Basket
Scroll to Top