This episode explores the often-confused concepts of morality and ethics and examines how each guides human action both in daily life and in professional practice. Morality reflects the norms and values individuals and cultures use to judge right and wrong, while ethics serves as a formal system for evaluating and regulating behavior within professions. Building on this distinction, the episode introduces a scientific perspective on moral truths: the idea that morality can be grounded in facts about what increases or decreases the well-being of conscious creatures. Finally, the hosts apply these ideas to behavior analysis, discussing how moral considerations, empirical outcomes, and ethical codes intersect in real practice. Using examples ranging from family interactions to clinical decision-making, the hosts illustrate how a data-driven understanding of well-being can shape more humane, effective, and responsible behavior-analytic work.

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Show Notes:

https://www.samharris.org/books/the-moral-landscape https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3739395-when-slow-is-fast-enough

In this episode of ABA On Call, Rick and Doug sit down with doctoral student Christina Sena from the University of Pittsburgh to explore how ethical principles guide mentorship, clinical decision-making, and professional development in Applied Behavior Analysis. The conversation spans three critical areas: the ethics of mentorship and what it truly means to guide another professional beyond mere supervision; the ethical implications of using or rejecting punishment and extinction, highlighting the analyst's duty to understand behavioral processes while safeguarding dignity, consent, and least-restrictive practice; and finally, the BACB's decision to exclude podcasts from supervised fieldwork hours, which raises broader questions about how evolving technologies challenge traditional standards of evidence, accountability, and ethical oversight in training the next generation of practitioners.

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Show Notes:

Sidman, M. (1989/2001). Coercion and its fallout. Basic Books. Boston: Authors Cooperative (reprinted).https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/714514.Coercion_and_Its_Fallout Tarbox, C., Tarbox, J., Bermudez, T.L. et al. (2023). Kind Extinction: A Procedural Variation on Traditional Extinction. Behavior Analysis Practice.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40617-023-00833-w

This episode of ABA On Call features an engaging discussion with Jennifer Shahin and Nicole Lockerman, co-founders of Social Wise VR, a company pioneering the use of immersive virtual reality to teach social skills. Drawing from backgrounds in applied behavior analysis and education, the guests describe how outdated methods, such as worksheets and role-plays, often fail to generalize to real-life contexts. Social Wise VR addresses this challenge by providing realistic, actor-driven scenarios in controlled VR environments, allowing learners to safely practice social interactions, build confidence, and experience the natural consequences of different choices. The conversation explores the development journey, the integration of ABA principles and curriculum design, expansion into workplace and safety scenarios, and the future of VR and AR technologies in behavioral intervention. This dialogue highlights the potential of technology to bridge critical gaps in social skills training for individuals with autism and beyond.

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Show Notes:

SocialWise VR creates authentic social experiences in the virtual world helping people feel confident in real-life situations.

https://www.socialwisevr.com/

Rick and Doug are joined by Dr. Jen Wertalik of Georgia Southern University and Dr. Pam Wolfe, retired from Penn State University, to discuss their groundbreaking new book on sexuality education for individuals with disabilities. The conversation explores why sexuality education is essential, the heightened risks of abuse faced by this population, and how comprehensive instruction extends far beyond physiology to include relationships, self-advocacy, and decision-making. The guests highlight both the challenges and opportunities of preparing teachers, parents, and caregivers to navigate an often-taboo topic with empirical, practical strategies. Listeners will come away with a deeper understanding of how sexuality education empowers individuals with disabilities to live safer, more fulfilling lives.

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Show Notes:

Coming Soon!

In this episode of ABA On Call, Drs. Rick Kubina and Doug Kostewicz delve into the cognitive psychology classic "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman. With wit and depth, they explore System 1 and System 2 thinking, cognitive biases, regression to the mean, and the law of least effort, recasting each concept through a behavioral analytic lens. Rather than dismissing the cognitive approach, Rick and Doug model respectful synthesis, showing how behavior analysts can both challenge and learn from other psychological traditions. This engaging conversation helps bridge the gap between behavior science and mainstream psychology, offering practical insights for clinicians, researchers, and curious practitioners alike.

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Show Notes:

https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Kahneman

In this insightful episode of ABA On Call, Rick Kubina and Doug Kostewicz tackle some of the most commonly misunderstood and misapplied concepts in Applied Behavior Analysis. From the mislabeling of reinforcement to the confusion between negative reinforcement and punishment, the hosts explore why technical accuracy matters and how misunderstanding core terms can derail effective practice. Using real-world stories, data interpretation, and even a behavioral lightning round, the episode clarifies foundational concepts like prompting, fluency, task analysis, motivation, and generalization. Whether you're a student, a supervisor, or a seasoned BCBA, you'll walk away with a deeper appreciation for precision in both language and application.

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In this episode of ABA On Call, Rick and Doug dissect the behavioral science behind app design, revealing how tech companies use variable reinforcement schedules to hijack user behavior and drive compulsive engagement. Drawing from core principles of behavior analysis, they explore how seemingly harmless interactions, such as likes, swipes, and notifications, are systematically engineered to reinforce usage patterns. The conversation moves beyond theory into the ethical minefield of digital design, especially its impact on children, teens, and vulnerable users. With examples ranging from red-dot alerts to algorithm-driven content loops, the hosts challenge behavior analysts to confront the weaponization of reinforcement and consider their role in advocating for more ethical technology.

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Show Notes:

A Wall Street Journal investigation

The science of behavior has a lesser-known but powerful framework that draws inspiration from physics - behavior dynamics. In this episode, we discuss core concepts such as force, mass, and acceleration as they relate to behavior change, illustrating how behavior is not static but constantly in motion. While valuable, we highlight how traditional steady-state logic can limit our understanding in applied settings, especially where control is minimal. The discussion emphasizes the value of acceleration, bounce, and replication logic as valid indicators of experimental effects through examples from precision teaching and historical insights from Skinner. This episode challenges listeners to reconsider what constitutes strong evidence and invites a broader, more dynamic perspective on data-driven decision-making in practice.

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Show Notes:

Cooper, J. O. (2005). Applied research: The separation of applied behavior analysis and precision teaching. In W. Heward, T. Heron, N. Need, S. Peterson, D. Sainato, G. Cartledge, R. Gardner, L. Peterson, S. Hersh, & J. Dardig (Eds.), Focus on behavior analysis in education: Achievements, challenges, and opportunities (pp. 295–303). Pearson.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40617-020-00482-3

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1901/jeab.1992.57-249

In this episode of ABA On Call, we kick off our new series, They Got It Wrong, by dissecting the legacy of Sigmund Freud and his controversial theory of psychoanalysis. Despite its historical influence, Freud's work was built on untestable assumptions and speculative reasoning rather than empirical science. We contrast his approach with the rigorous methods of behavior analysis, highlighting the importance of falsifiability, experimental validation, and data-driven interventions. Along the way, we explore the problematic implications of psychoanalytic thinking, from the harmful "refrigerator mother" theory of autism to the permissive reinforcement of maladaptive behaviors in therapy. Join us as we discuss why Freud's ideas persist in popular culture and academia and why behavior analysis provides a more reliable and humane approach to understanding human behavior.

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Show Notes:

https://www.livescience.com/why-freud-was-wrong.html

https://www.verywellmind.com/sigmund-freud-his-life-work-and-theories-2795860

In this episode, we explore the scientific perspective on free will—or the lack thereof. Is human behavior truly a matter of personal choice, or is it shaped by biological, environmental, and cultural factors? We dive into an article discussing neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky's book Determined, which argues against the existence of free will. His conclusions align with behavior analytic principles that emphasize reinforcement and contingencies as the true drivers of behavior. We also examine the broader societal implications, from criminal justice to education, and discuss the importance of compassionate, data-driven approaches in understanding and supporting individuals—rather than blaming them for their actions.

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Show Notes:

Scientist, after decades of study, concludes: We don't have free will