Microaggressions are daily verbal and nonverbal behaviors directed toward individuals from historically marginalized and stigmatized groups that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages. Unlike overt acts of discrimination, microaggressions are often subtle, ambiguous, and may be unintentional on the part of the person engaging in them.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via Jade Health
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Join Free →Microaggressions are defined as daily verbal and non-verbal assaults directed toward people from historically marginalized and stigmatized groups. When compared with overt acts of racism, microaggressions can cause just as much, if not more, psychological damage. Individuals from historically marginalized groups experience microaggressions in the workplace at an alarming rate, with Black/African American women experiencing the most out of any group. Over the last 10 years, social psychologists have done a lot of work to research the effects of microaggressions and have evaluated ways to address them in many different contexts. Often diversity and inclusion trainings use this body of literature to educate and bring awareness to the concept in order to help address the issue in work spaces. However, research on these types of trainings show mixed results in terms of their effectiveness. One reason we may see mixed results is because of the subjectivity inherent in the definition. Subjective definitions leave room for interpretation which can be problematic when trying to teach the concept of microaggressions. In this workshop, Dr. Denice Rios will review the literature on microaggressions and outline examples on how we can use the research in concept teaching and learning to help objectively define microaggressions. Additionally, we will outline a model that organizations can adopt to bring awareness, train their staff, and help reduce microaggressions in the workplace.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BICC | 0 | — |
| BACB® | 1 | Ethics |
| QABA | 0 | — |
| IBAO | 1 | General |
Dr. Denice Rios is an assistant professor in psychology at Georgia Southern University on the Armstrong Campus. Dr. Rios earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree from California State University, Northridge and her doctoral degree in Behavior Analysis from Western Michigan University. Her research interests include examining effective staff training strategies (e.g., feedback), assessment and treatment of problem behavior, use of behavior analytic strategies via telehealth, and addressing microaggressions in the workplace. Dr. Rios is also passionate about issues related to equity and inclusion within the field of behavior analysis. Dr. Rios has published research in a number of peer-reviewed journals including: Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, and the Journal of Behavioral Education. She has presented her research in regional, national, and international conferences.
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
280 research articles with practitioner takeaways
239 research articles with practitioner takeaways
195 research articles with practitioner takeaways
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All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.