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| Cluster 2: Cultural Systems |
| Monday, October 28, 2024 |
| 1:50 PM–4:50 PM |
| The Drake Hotel; Lobby Level; Grand Ballroom |
| Area: PCH; Domain: Theory |
| Chair: Carol Pilgrim (University of North Carolina Wilmington) |
| CE Instructor: Carol Pilgrim, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: Cultural Systems |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
| Target Audience: Behavior Analysts |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to: (1) Explain how Darwin’s natural selection and Skinner’s selection by consequences together with cultural selection now represent the prime pillars of evolutionary thought; (2) Describe a contingency-based theory of the origins and evolution of sociocultural phenomena; (3) Discuss how the building blocks of culturo-behavioral science can combine to form the behavioral and cultural complexities that we observe in the world around us. |
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| Unhinging Design From Darwinian and Skinnerian Selection |
| EDWARD WASSERMAN (University of Iowa) |
| Abstract: Darwin explained how purposeful and foresightful design could be unhinged from natural selection. Skinner followed suit for selection by reinforcement. These complementary selectionist ideas together with cultural selection now represent the prime pillars of evolutionary thought in biological and behavioral science. |
 Edward Wasserman received his B.A. from UCLA and his Ph.D. from Indiana University. His only academic home has been The University of Iowa, where he is the Stuit Professor Experimental Psychology. He was President of the Comparative Cognition Society as well as President of Divisions 3 (Experimental Psychology), 6 (Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology), and 25 (Behavior Analysis) of APA. He is a member of the Society of Experimental Psychologists. And, he has received the Hebb Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from Division 6 of APA, the Career Research Award from the Comparative Cognition Society, the Distinguished Contributions to Basic Behavioral Research Award from Division 25 of APA, and the Gantt Medal from the Pavlovian Society. He has edited four volumes, including the Oxford Handbook of Comparative Cognition, and he has recently authored, As if by Design: How Creative Behaviors Really Evolve. Wasserman has published extensively in the areas of comparative cognition and perception with support from NSF, NIMH, NEI, NICHD, and HFSP. |
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Behavior and Cumulative Cultural Evolution |
| SIGRID S. GLENN (University of North Texas), MARIA MALOTT (Association for Behavior Analysis International) |
| Abstract: Cultural evolutionary theory has been approached from writers in numerous disciplines who often draw from literature both within and outside their own disciplines. Although virtually all the writers view behavior as fundamental to cultural evolution, the function of behavioral contingencies is reliably neglected. A subset of this interdisciplinary work has focused on cumulative cultural evolution, which features the cultural environment more prominently than has been typical. Here we offer a first approximation of a contingency-based theory on the origins and evolution of sociocultural phenomena. We propose that this behavioral approach adds a missing dimension to the earlier interdisciplinary work. We also address topics such as the origin and evolution of cultural organization, which have rarely been tackled in this literature. |
 Sigrid Glenn is Regents Professor Emeritus at the University of North Texas. Her published work includes four books, 60+ articles and six book chapters on experimental, conceptual and applied topics in behavior analysis and culturo-behavior science. She has served on multiple publication boards and as editor of The Behavior Analyst (1988-1989). As founding chair of the Department of Behavior Analysis at the University of North Texas, Dr. Glenn established master's and bachelor's degree programs in behavior analysis, leading the faculty in the first accreditation of a graduate program by ABAI. She is a founding fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis and a fellow of the American Psychological Association. Awards from students and colleagues include the 2015 SABA Award for Distinguished Service to Behavior Analysis, TxABA’s 2011 Award for Career Contributions in Behavior Analysis and its 2015 Award for Pioneers of Behavior Analysis in Texas; and awards from the University of North Texas, Cal ABA, the Behavior Analysis Certification Board, and the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. Students at UNT named her Honor Professor in 1987 and ABAI student committee gave her Outstanding Mentorship Award in 2008. Dr. Glenn served as president of Texas Association for Behavior Analysis in 1992 and President of the Association for Behavior Analysis International in 1994. |
 Dr. Maria E. Malott has served as consultant for a variety of businesses in service, retail, manufacturing, education, government, and others. In all this work, she has combined systems analysis with the analysis of individual behavior. Since 1993, Dr. Malott has served as Executive Director/CEO of the Association for Behavior Analysis International. She has used organizational behavior management to improve every aspect of the operation of ABAI, which now serves more than 7,000 members and is the parent organization for nearly 100 affiliated chapters. Dr. Malott has served as an affiliate faculty several universities in the United States and Mexico. She published over 40 peer review publications and nearly 100 newsletter articles. She has made over 300 presentations in 22 countries, including lectures and seminars in 37 universities around the world. She is a fellow of ABAI and was the recipient of the 2003 Award for International Dissemination of Behavior Analysis, the 2004 Award for Outstanding Achievement in Organizational Behavior Management, and the 2012 Award for Distinguished Service to Behavior Analysis. She also received the 2002 Outstanding Alumni Award from the Department of Psychology at Western Michigan University |
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Discussant: Perspectives on Behavioral Complexity From Cultural Systems Analysis |
| JONATHAN KRISPIN (Valdosta State University) |
| Abstract: Dr. Krispin’s presentation will offer: 1) analysis of each contribution to this cluster; 2) consideration of the commonalities and differences represented; and 3) discussion of the implications of these for furthering understanding of behavioral complexity in cultural systems. |
 Jonathan Krispin is Associate Professor of Management, joining the Langdale College of Business at Valdosta State University in January, 2013, returning to academics after a 17-year career in the private sector. His research interests are primarily in the areas of organizational culture, business process improvement, organizational change and adaptation, and leadership development.
After completing his Ph.D. in Social and Organizational Psychology from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA in 1997, Jonathan joined the Prestolite Wire Corporation, a Tier One Supplier in the Automotive Industry. While there, he led the effort to implement a leadership and process improvement process that resulted in a 20% productivity improvement, and commensurate improvements in quality and safety. Based on these and other achievements, the plant was awarded the Georgia Oglethorpe Award for Organizational Excellence (based on the Malcolm Baldrige Award Criteria) in 2000 by the Governor of Georgia.
In 2002, Jonathan joined Heatcraft Worldwide Refrigeration, the commercial refrigeration division of Lennox International. In 2004, while he was Acting Director of Operations for the Tifton manufacturing plant, the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education recognized the facility he led as the mid-sized Manufacturer of the Year. Jonathan continued at Heatcraft in several positions of increasing responsibility, including roles as a Master Blackbelt in the Lennox LeanSigma program, and then as Global Operations Leader for Marketing and Product Development, coordinating efforts across operations in North America, South America, Europe, China and Australia. In 2008, Jonathan joined Pinnacle Prime Contractors in Valdosta, GA, first as Vice President for Human Resources, then Vice President of Operations, and finally as Executive Vice President, a role in which he continued until leaving the company to return to academics.
Since returning to academics, Jonathan has focused his writing and research efforts on joining concepts from behavior analysis with concepts from systems analysis, particularly from theory related to self-organizing systems. This has led to several publications in Behavior and Social Issues and Perspectives on Behavior Science. He has presented at numerous conferences including numerous ABAI Annual Conventions, the ABAI International Conferences in Paris and Stockholm, as an invited speaker at the Culturo-Behavior Science for a Better World Conference sponsored by ABAI in 2020, and as an invited speaker at the 12th Annual European Conference on Behavior-Based Safety and Performance Management hosted by AARBA (the Italian Chapter of ABAI) in Como, Italy in 2018. He serves on the editorial board of Behavior and Social Issues. He has also been a guest lecturer at Oslo Metropolitan University, instructing in their Master’s in Behavior Analysis (formerly Learning and Complex Systems) program since 2018. |
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