Overview
Be careful whit plagiarism, be nice whit her
Wolf (1978) explained that in ABA, we have to think not only about whether an intervention works, but also about the goals we choose, the way we apply the procedure, and the results it produces. In other words, changing behavior is not enough; the intervention also needs to make sense in the environment and be meaningful for the others.
In ABA, the first step is always to define and measure behavior clearly. This makes it possible to know exactly what behavior we are targeting and to check if real change happens (Cooper et al., 2020; Walden University, LLC, 2019–2021). Having good definitions allows us to take accurate data, but scientific validity alone does not guarantee success. Social validity makes sure the goals are important for the client; the procedures are acceptable to everyone involved.
One example is using planned ignoring during tantrums. Ignoring the behavior can reduce tantrums because the child no longer gets reinforcement for crying or yelling (Cooper et al., 2020). However, in a classroom, if a child has a very big tantrum, ignoring might seem inappropriate to the teacher, and it could disrupt the other students. Therefore, even though it works scientifically, in that setting it may not be socially valid.
A second example is using candy or chocolate as reinforcement. Edibles are often powerful motivators, but if the child is diabetic or overweight, using sweets could harm their health. Even if the disruptive behavior decreases, the intervention would not be socially valid because it goes against the child’s well-being and most parents would not approve (Wolf, 1978).
A third example is response blocking when a child tries to escape or becomes aggressive. Blocking can stop the child from running away or hurting others and is effective for safety (Cooper et al., 2020). However, people watching—like teachers or parents—may think it looks too restrictive or rough. Even though it protects everyone, the procedure may not be seen as socially valid if it causes negative reactions from others.
References
Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied behavior analysis (3rd ed., pp. 48–72). Pearson.
Volpe, R. J., Dipteran, J. C., Hintze, J. M., & Shapiro, E. S. (2005). Observing students in classroom settings: A review five coding schemes. School Psychology Review, 34(4), 454–474. https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.2005.12086299
Wolf, M. M. (1978). Social validity: The case for subjective measurement or how applied behavior analysis is finding its heart. Journal of Applied BehaviorAnalysis1), 203–21https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1978.1
Walden University, LLC. (2019). Observing problem behaviors [Video]. Walden University Blackboard. https://waldenu.instructure.cLinks to an external site.
Walden University, LLC. (2019–2021). Introduction to defining and measuring behaviors [Video]. Walden University Blackboard. https://waldenu.instructure.com
Walden University, LLC. (2019–2021). Defining and measuring behaviors with Steven Little, PhD, and Angeleque Akin-Little, PhD [Video]. Walden University Blackboard. https://waldenu.instructure.com