Behavior analysis finds itself at a critical juncture where the field's relationship with ethics is being tested by internal criticism, external scrutiny, and the natural tensions that arise when a growing profession confronts the limits of rigid adherence to rules. Janani Vaidya addresses this challenge by proposing that ethical behavior in behavior analysis should be understood not as the rote application of ethical codes but as a flexible, values-driven repertoire that adapts to context while remaining anchored in principled commitments to human welfare.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via Illinois Association of Behavior Analysis
Take This Course →Including ethics, supervision, and topics like this one. New live CEU every Wednesday.
Join Free →Behavior analysis is no stranger to criticism from within and outside the community, some of which question the ethics of our practices, principles, and even our fundamental philosophies. Responses to such criticism range from orienting to practitioner and client values and calls to valued action, to rigidification of rules about how to implement an evidence-based science. This rigidity can lead to a disconnect from our values around human service and our ethical responsibility (BACB, 2020), and create a bias towards select aspects of our scientific perspective. Explicitly targeting the roots of our community's philosophy, principles, and practices with curiosity, humility, and intentionally relating to our values (Wilson et al., 2010) may enhance valued expansions for our community (e.g., trauma informed ABA, compassionate ABA, culturally humble ABA, progressive ABA, etc.). This presentation will conceptualize functionally ethical repertoires, congruent with the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (BACB, 2020), that promote breadth and flexibility of the behavior analyst's repertoire and honor our community's values. This conceptualization will be examined as it intersects with the relative power and privilege of those participating in shared contexts. Finally, implications for how individual and interactive culture-shifting repertoires can evolve in the community will be discussed. References: Behavior Analyst Certification Board (2020). Ethics code for behavior analysts. https://bacb.com/wp-content/ethics-code-for-behavior-analysts/ Wilson, K. G., Sandoz, E. K., Kitchens, J., & Roberts, M. (2010). The Valued Living Questionnaire: Defining and measuring valued action within a behavioral framework. The Psychological Record, 60, 249-272.coming soon
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | Ethics |
Janani Vaidya (they/them) is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, researcher, writer, and editor. Currently, they are a faculty member of the Applied Behavior Analysis program at National Louis University. Janani also serves as an affiliate researcher with the Louisiana Contextual Science Research Group and the Assent Lab, and a co-chair for the Gender and Sexual Diversity Special Interest Group (GSD SIG) of the Association of Contextual Behavior Science (ACBS). Trained in behavior analysis and contextual behaviorism, Janani's work outside of higher education includes (1) skill-building and advocacy work with disabled and/or neurodivergent adults (2) facilitating related staff training, (3) conducting research that focuses on developing theoretical frameworks for gender and sexuality, implicit bias, harm reduction, assent-based skill building and practice, disability justice and access, and equity and (4) working for and conducting sensitivity training for a variety of media and publishing outlets. You can learn more about them at jananivaidya.com.
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.