Private events: Do they belong in a science of human behavior?

Abstract

The role of thinking, feeling, and other private events has received a great deal of attention in mainstream psychology but has been virtually ignored in behavior analysis until recently. This paper introduces a series of papers from a symposium that explored the roles of private events in a science of human behavior. We briefly explore the role private events are assigned in several behavioral orientations. Next, we discuss several positions on how private events might be conceptualized within a behavior-analytic framework. We conclude by noting that the dearth of research and conceptualizations about private events unnecessarily limits the theoretical or conceptual understanding on which applied behavior analysts base their work. With this paper and the papers that follow, we hope to spark research, discussion, and yes, thinking, about the roles of thinking and feeling.

An Experimental Analysis of Another Privacy

“…(E-mail: okouchi@cc.osaka-kyoiku .ac.jp). Freeman, & Scotti, 2000). Methodological behaviorism defines psychology as the study of behaviors that are observable by others (e.g., Guthrie & Horton, 1946, p. 7), whereas cognitive behaviorism allows the study of events unobservable by others as intervening variables (Bandura, 1977;Mahoney, 1977).…”

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Individuals with Disabilities: A Behavior Analytic Strategy for Addressing Private Events in Challenging Behavior

“…That is, evidence has demonstrated that individuals with disabilities have varying language abilities and experience private events that may influence behavior (Reid et al 2011). Further, behavior analysts have encouraged more consideration of private events in treatment (Anderson et al 2000;Friman et al 1998;Moore 2000). Finally, ACT may be an appropriate approach because it is conceptually systematic with and grounded in the assumptions and principles of behavior analysis.…”

“…However, traditional behavior analytic (i.e., function-based) interventions tend not to take the client's language and private events into account when assessing and treating behavior. Some behavior analysts would argue that this may be problematic, based on the knowledge that private events are behavior that can further affect other behaviors (Anderson et al 2000;Friman et al 1998;Moore 2000). Over the past two decades, several behavior analysts have called for broader consideration of the role of private events in behavior analysis.…”

“…They also suggested that behavior analysts no longer avoid private events such as anxiety but approach them from an empirical and theoretical standpoint. Anderson et al (2000) discussed whether private events belong in a science of human behavior. They point out that private behaviors are often ignored in Banalyses of environmentbehavior interactions^and that behavior analytic journals contain minimal literature on the roles of private behavior.…”

Verbal Establishing Stimuli: Testing the Motivative Effect of Stimuli in a Derived Relation with Consequences

“…Behavior analysts have been using the concept of establishing operations (eo) for over 50 years (e.g., Dougher & Hackbert, 2000;Keller & Schoenfeld, 1950;leigland, 1984;Michael, 1982), but few empirical studies continue the topic beyond those of deprivation and aversive stimulation (Anderson, Hawkins, Freeman, & Scotti, 2000;Dougher & Hackbert, 2000). Process accounts of eos (particularly conditioned eos) remain speculative and largely untested empirically.…”