Association for Behavior Analysis International

Behavior analysis is at a critical point in its existence. To remain on the cutting-edge as a science of human behavior, it's imperative that we continue to attempt to explore, assess, and account for the unexplained, the misunderstood, or that which we may have initially overlooked. To that end, the current symposium considers the proposal of a new term, "evocative point", that may serve to advance our understanding of the conditions under which behavior occurs, impact our ability to conduct more robust analyses of behavioral events, and in turn, enable us to develop more individualized behavior plans. In the second presentation, we investigate the way(s) in which the lesser-known axiom, "The Platinum Rule", may operate in today's society from a Relational Frame Theory perspective.

Michael (2000) described the effects of an establishing operation in regards to its reinforcer-establishing effects and its evocative effects of behavior. Technologies are often used to minimize the evocative effects of establishing operations on problem behaviors. Noncontingent reinforcement schedules, for example, are used to provide individuals with reinforcers prior to the onset of problem behavior, i.e., they have an abative affect on the behavior. Often these schedules are assigned without an analysis of the temporal delay between reinforcement and the onset of the problem behavior. However, the analysis of the depravation operation has not consistently been used to quantify schedules of reinforcement for treatment. We contend that further analysis may be conducted with minimal cost to the duration of behavior assessment. The purpose of this presentation is to propose terminology and processes that describe the moment in which the establishing operation has an evocative effect, i.e., evocative point, on an operant. Additionally, we will describe how and when a depravation assessment may be integrated into behavior analyses. Finally, we will discuss how the evocative moment may be used to inform schedules of reinforcement.

The societal reach of the widely-known maxim that is "The Golden Rule" can't be overstated. Many of us heard this in school, from our parents, or from those in positions of power...and following of this rule has generally, one might hypothesize, led to an increased contact with reinforcers. However, what if the "...as you would have them do unto you" inclusion isn't the most accurate way to describe what we might mean from an altruistic perspective? In an attempt to propose an alternative stance, we turn to "The Platinum Rule" and provide an account of this lesser-known rule to societal change couched in Relational Frame Theory (Hayes, Barnes-Holmes, Roche, 2001).