Distinguishing Units of Analysis, Procedures, and Processes in Cultural Selection: Notes on Metacontingency Terminology

Baia, Fábio Henrique; Sampaio, Angelo Augusto Silva

doi:10.1007/s42822-019-00017-8

Cited by 19 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…A metacontingency is, "a contingent relation between 1) recurring interlocking behavioral contingencies having an aggregate product and 2) selecting environmental events or conditions" (Glenn et al, 2016, p. 13; emphasis in original). The metacontingency is considered by some behavior analysts to be a basic unit of analysis that enables an experimental approach to understanding cultural selection, in particular organizational culture (Glenn, 1986; although see Baia & Sampaio, 2020, for an alternative view on the unit of analysis). The idea that the concept of the metacontingency could help us understand quality at the organizational level seems to originate with Thomas Mawhinney (1992a).…”

Section: Blogsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Quality in the Applied Behavior Analysis Service Delivery Industry

Silbaugh¹,

Fattal²

2021

Behav Analysis Practice

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As the applied behavior analysis (ABA) service industry ("the industry") continues to rapidly expand, it faces three major problems. First, ABA service delivery quality (ASDQ) is undefined in ABA research and the industry. Second, we cannot rely exclusively on professional organizations that oversee licensure and certification to control ABA service delivery quality because they do not have control over the relevant contingencies. Third, without objective indicators of ABA service delivery quality, it is difficult for ABA organizations to distinguish the quality of their services from competitors. In this article, first we explain the need for more critical discussion of ASDQ in the field at large, briefly describe a sample of common views of quality in ABA research and the industry, and identify some of their limitations. Then we define ASDQ and present a cohesive theoretical framework which brings ASDQ within the scope of our science so that we might take a more empirical approach to understanding and strengthening ASDQ. Next, we explain how organizations can use culturo-behavioral science to understand their organization's cultural practices in terms of cultural selection and use the evidence-based practice of ABA at the organizational level to evaluate the extent to which methods targeting change initiatives result in high ASDQ. Lastly, in a call to action we provide ABA service delivery organizations with six steps they can take now to pursue high ASDQ by applying concepts from culturo-behavioral science and total quality management.

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Section: Blogsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Quality in the Applied Behavior Analysis Service Delivery Industry

Silbaugh¹,

Fattal²

2021

Behav Analysis Practice

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“…This is not necessary if cultural events are considered as behavioral events operating in accordance with well-established behavioral principles and processes when other factors are recognized. A molar perspective does not disagree with the unit of analysis of the metacontingency enterprise (i.e., the culturant; Baia & Sampaio, 2019), only how it is described. By focusing on the descriptive culturant (Baia & Sampaio, 2019) in terms of coordinated operant contingencies that are correlated with specific organizing events from a molar orientation, specific factors that likely contribute to the reoccurrence of those environmental alterations-that are related to both operant events and the conditions under which they occur-can be emphasized to orient research toward a wider array of functional relations relevant to the prediction and control of cultural events.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Built upon the selectionist framework proposed by Skinner (1948Skinner ( , 1961Skinner ( , 1981, the metacontingency enterprise views the metacontingency as the basic mechanism of cultural selection. A metacontingency refers to a contingent relation between a culturant and a selecting event or condition external to the culturant that increases the probability of culturant reoccurrences (Baia & Sampaio, 2019;Glenn et al, 2016). A culturant consists of interlocking behavioral contingencies, or IBCs (i.e., functionally related behavior of individuals that produces a certain environmental alteration), and an aggregate product (i.e., the environmental alteration; see Hunter, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Culture and Contingencies: Molar Insights for the Metacontingency Enterprise

2021

RMAC

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“…Grande parte das CCEs são compostas pelo comportamento verbal (CV) dos membros que facilitam ou dificultam a produção de PAs (Glenn et al, 2016;Todorov, 2012). Ao tratar de metacontingências, a unidade de análise representa o culturante, os procedimentos indicam o arranjo de metacontingências e os processos denotam os efeitos sobre os culturantes (e.g., aumento ou diminuição da frequência de produção culturante) (Baia & Sampaio, 2019).…”

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O Estudo Experimental das Relações entre Cultura e Comportamento Verbal: uma Revisão de Escopo

Fonseca¹,

Costa²,

Sampaio³

2022

perspectivas

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No modelo causal de seleção por consequências, o nível cultural descreve a origem e a manutenção de ambientes culturais, em que os efeitos produzidos afetam coletivamente o grupo como um todo. Na análise do comportamento, destacam-se as produções com os conceitos de metacontingência e macrocontingência, sobretudo o estudo da função do comportamento verbal na seleção cultural. Este trabalho realizou uma revisão de escopo da literatura analítico-comportamental sobre a relação entre metacontingência, macrocontingência e comportamento verbal. Seguindo o Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), foi realizado o levantamento sistemático de artigos publicados em revistas especializada da área em português, inglês e espanhol, bem como dissertações e teses brasileiras. Foram incluídos 28 trabalhos. Em geral, houve o predomínio de estudos sobre metacontingência, tendo como variável independente o comportamento verbal e como tarefa experimental a da matriz e o dilema do prisioneiro repetido. Os estudos discutiram seus resultados sobre a influência do comportamento verbal na seleção, transmissão e manutenção de comportamentos sociais e culturantes sobretudo a partir das propostas de Sigrid Glenn sobre o tema.

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Distinguishing Units of Analysis, Procedures, and Processes in Cultural Selection: Notes on Metacontingency Terminology

Cited by 19 publications

References 37 publications

Exploring Quality in the Applied Behavior Analysis Service Delivery Industry

Exploring Quality in the Applied Behavior Analysis Service Delivery Industry

Culture and Contingencies: Molar Insights for the Metacontingency Enterprise

O Estudo Experimental das Relações entre Cultura e Comportamento Verbal: uma Revisão de Escopo

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