Tourism is a global phenomenon whose relationship with cultural change has attracted increasing attention across multiple disciplines; however, less attention has been given to behavior-analytic approaches grounded in cultural behavior analysis to understand it. The present paper examines tourism as a cultural selector through the framework of metacontingencies. In this sense, tourism is conceptualized as a selecting environment that differentially reinforces cultural products, and, in turn, influences the cultural practices that produce them. The analysis further specifies how tourism-related consequences function as cultural selection mechanisms that may support preservation or erosion of cultural practices depending on the arrangement of interlocking contingencies across social systems. Finally, implications for future research and practice are discussed, highlighting the potential of metacontingency analysis for understanding and promoting culturally sustainable forms of tourism.
Attachment theory, rooted in psychoanalytic and ethological theories, is one of the most influential models in psychology for understanding relational patterns. Originally developed to explain infant–caregiver bonding within developmental psychology, its application has expanded to clinical contexts as a model of relational intimacy. The assumption that early caregiving experiences shape adult relational functioning has further extended its influence within psychotherapy. However, attachment theory has been criticized for conceptual ambiguity, tautological explanations, methodological limitations, and potential gender and cultural biases. This narrative conceptual review integrates literature from attachment theory, behavior analysis, and cultural and feminist perspectives to examine the explanatory and clinical utility of attachment constructs. Behavior-analytic approaches have reframed attachment-related phenomena in functional terms, though cultural and contextual variables have received comparatively less attention. In response, this article proposes a functional reconceptualization of attachment as a behavioral pattern shaped by verbal, social, and cultural contingencies influencing relational learning histories and intimate repertoires. This perspective aims to improve the conceptual precision and clinical applicability of attachment-related constructs.
Sustainable development has become a mandatory agenda for all societies, and the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) summarize a consensus on actions and targets to be promoted in all environments (social, governmental, organizational, etc.). Under this consensus, however, cultural practices persist that harm or compromise the survival of vulnerable populations, such as the observed impacts of some renewable energy projects that result in forced displacement, or suppress the necessary living conditions for social and cultural reproduction. This article examines this issue and argues that the concept of sustainability, as supported in the SDGs, does not dispense with a commitment to the inclusion of vulnerable populations; on the contrary, it inescapably presupposes it. Ignoring inclusion as a necessary dimension of sustainability may lead to cultural practices that result in what the article proposes to label as negative cultural cusps.
Xenophobia involves the display of prejudiced, discriminatory, or aggressive behavior toward foreigners or individuals unfamiliar with the environment. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, approximately 130.8 million people, including 5.6 million Venezuelan citizens, are currently forcibly displaced, living in territories where they are foreigners. Institutional helplessness, rejection, and xenophobic behavior are often observed when they seek shelter. It is urgent to investigate this phenomenon to propose interventions aimed at preventing the emergence of this aversion and the worsening of xenophobic behaviors. This study examined 102 Brazilian individuals’ explicit and implicit xenophobic attitudes toward Venezuelan immigrants. Explicit attitudes were measured through a questionnaire, and implicit attitudes were evaluated by observing individuals’ differential response rates in a Functional Acquisition Speed Test (FAST). Results suggested explicit attitudes not marked by negative bias and implicit attitudes possibly negative biased, particularly among participants from cities that have welcomed more refugees. The study also revealed that questionnaire-measured lower xenophobia levels correlated with better performance in the FAST inconsistent block, which counteracts xenophobic bias. Stratified data allowed insights into how the environment may influence xenophobic bias, explicit and implicit attitudes, and how individuals with and without direct experience with refugees hold different opinions on related issues.
Classism occurs when behavior differentially favors members of a social class over members of other social classes and can occur along boundaries of social inequality. Relational framing can account for symbolic behavior underlying classism, emphasizing the transformation of social class functions to everyday decisions and economic consumption. The purpose of the present set of translational experiments was to explore the influence of relational behavior within a relational density theory (RDT; Belisle Dixon, 2020) on symbolic economic classism. In Experiment 1, participants underwent a stimulus pairing observation procedure (SPOP) to establish a symbol as “rich” and another symbol as “poor.” A multidimensional scaling procedure was used to evaluate the relational volume and density of emergent classes that contained stimuli presented in the training and a test set of stimuli. Results revealed clear fractionated relational classes along the social dimensions of rich and poor following the training. In Experiment 2, participants underwent a similar training procedure and selected among various common objects/commodities (e.g., shirt, soda, garage, house) in a paired choice preference assessment, where the commodities contained the symbols denoting economic class. Preference for the commodities containing the “rich” symbol increased across all commodities, including the abstract commodity of “trust.” Taken together, these results support RDT as a theoretical framework to explore the development of social economic classism.
Federal oversight calls for decreased reliance on psychotropic medication to reduce challenging behavior in state foster care systems; however, some professionals may oppose a shift toward using behavioral interventions. This study replicated Almanza et al. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 23, 448–456, (2020) and Massey et al. Education and Treatment of Children, 47, 35–49, (2024) by assigning 115 child welfare service providers to one of four groups: Medication information (Med info), Behavioral information (Beh info), No change control, and Reverse video (Rev vid) control. Participants in the Med info, Beh info and No change groups watched a 5-min video (video A) of a child engaging in low to moderate levels of problem behavior. After watching video A, participants rated seven statements on a 5-point Likert scale. Thereafter, participants were informed that the child received behavioral intervention (Beh info group), psychotropic medication (Med info group), or no changes in supports (No change and Rev vid [participants watched video B first and video A second] control groups). Subsequently, participants watched a second 5-min video of the same child and rated the same seven statements. Notably, video B depicted the same child engaging in slightly more problem behavior than in video A. Although the Med info, Beh info, and No change groups all observed the same videos in the same order, only participants in the Beh info group provided more negative ratings of the child’s behavior for six of the seven statements after viewing the second video (video B). We discuss implications of these findings for children in child welfare systems.
Hair grooming is a culturally significant practice within the Black community. Over the years, some Black people have altered their hair care practices to meet the contingencies of the environment. For example, some Black people straightened their hair to assimilate to White societal standards, which may have led to more desirable financial and social outcomes. However, others refused and wore natural styles, such as afros, during the Civil Rights Movement, to signify resistance and resilience. Black hair has historically been a target for discrimination. Thus, it is important for behavior analysts who work with this population to understand the history and implications behind it, including how texturism, colorism, and internalized anti-Blackness interact and contribute to the development of both internal and explicit biases. This article discusses the history of Black hair and hair grooming practices from before, during, and after enslavement from a behavioral perspective. Considerations for behavior analysts providing services to Black clients will also be discussed. These considerations include: (1) gaining an understanding about medical mistrust within the Black community, (2) using a trauma-informed framework when serving Black clients, and (3) advocating for Black clients when hair discrimination is at work.
Previous researchers have asserted that interprofessional collaboration is an important component of behavior analytic practice; however, survey results have shown that the current state of interprofessional collaboration is varied. Bowman et al. (2024) surveyed 166 professionals from various disciplines to understand their perceptions and experiences collaborating with behavior analysts. Although many of these professionals valued collaboration with behavior analysts, and reported positive perceptions and experiences, a fair number shared critical descriptions of collaboration with behavior analysts. These perceptions often varied significantly by discipline suggesting that some interprofessional relationships face unique challenges. The purpose of the current study was to understand behavior analysts’ perceptions and experiences collaborating within specific interprofessional relationships. Additionally, through a self-reflection survey, we also sought to understand how behavior analysts viewed their own skills and behaviors in interprofessional collaboration. Overall, behavior analysts reported that many of their colleagues infrequently exhibit skills that are important to effective collaborative practice. On the self-reflection portion, the large majority of behavior analysts reported that they themselves engaged in collaborative behaviors frequently. These results do not align with the perceptions reported by Bowman et al. (2024), suggesting that changes in behaviors and perceptions may be needed to improve these collaborative relationships. Implications of these discrepancies are discussed as it relates to interprofessional collaboration involving behavior analysts.
In the United States and across the globe, democratic institutions are facing sustained threats, raising urgent questions about how resistance movements can organize and sustain collective action over long periods of time. In prior editorials, we have focused on providing strategies for individual behavior scientists to engage in nonviolent resistance. In this editorial, we expand that perspective to consider how behavior science can participate in the design, organization, and sustainability of resistance movements. Drawing from behavior analysis, behavioral systems analysis, culturo-behavioral systems science, and contextual behavior science, we examine how shared values, participation structures, leadership practices, and reinforcement systems can support long-term resistance efforts when terminal reinforcers are delayed and uncertain. We provide examples of how to create opportunities for participation along a continuum of risk levels, how psychological flexibility may contribute to committed action among participants, and structures that distribute leadership and reduce attrition. Research on resistance movements consistently shows that mobilization alone is insufficient. Durable change requires organization, reliable production of aggregate products, and sustained contact with selecting environments. We conceptualize resistance movements as behavioral systems that can be intentionally designed to increase participation, coordination, and persistence over time. As behavior scientists, we can contribute not only as researchers and consultants, but as participants who help design environments and organizations that make sustained collective action possible. The success of resistance movements is not a function of mobilization alone. It emerges when movements are intentionally designed to play the long game, cultivating the structures and practices necessary for sustained, adaptive, and enduring action.
Educational and behavioral service systems continue to struggle to adequately meet the needs of children and families from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, particularly those who represent intersecting identities related to race, disability, immigration, and socioeconomic status. This paper examines how Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit) help explain persistent inequities in special education and applied behavior analysis (ABA). Drawing on scholarship addressing racism, ableism, and cultural marginalization, the paper shows how historical and structural factors influence identification practices, service delivery, and family–provider interactions. By outlining the shared and distinct contributions of CRT and DisCrit, the review demonstrates how these frameworks make visible the systemic and interpersonal factors that shape experiences and outcomes for marginalized communities. The paper concludes with implications and practical guidance for developing culturally responsive, equity-centered, and contextually grounded practices that honor families’ cultural identities and lived experiences across educational and behavioral settings.
The history of behavior analysis in Latin America has been shaped by key events such as Fred S. Keller’s visits to Brazil and the founding of the Mexican Journal of Behavior Analysis. Although Brazil and Mexico have seen significant development in the field, less is known about behavior analysis in other countries in the region. The present article contributes to filling that gap by documenting B. F. Skinner’s 1972 visit to Caracas, Venezuela, one of only two visits he made to Latin America. The primary goal of this article is to describe and contextualize the visit through the integration of findings from a literature review, unstructured interviews and archival materials. By examining the biographical histories of Venezuelan psychologists who contributed to the development of behavior analysis, the present research situates their work within the broader sociopolitical and institutional context of the time. Thus, a secondary goal of the present article is to foster cultural awareness and strengthen scientific identity by highlighting underrepresented events and narratives in the global history of behavior analysis.
We examined 661 articles published in Behavior Analysis in Practice, Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis from 2019 through 2024 in which interventionists directly interacted with human participants to manipulate an independent variable. We determined the number of articles that provided information about seven characteristics of interventionists: age, educational level, gender or sex, language, race or ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and interventionist type (e.g., parent or guardian, research team member, teacher or other school staff). Interventionist type was reported in more than 95
Despite the increasing participation of women in behavior analysis, gender disparities in authorship remain insufficiently explored in socially oriented journals. This study examined gender differences in authorship in Behavior and Social Issues (BSIBSI) from 2014 to 2024, analyzing 232 research articles and 630 authorships to assess trends across authorship roles—total, single, first, and corresponding author. Gender was coded and verified through online professional sources. Results show that women accounted for 58.25
B.F. Skinner’s Walden Two (1948) and Peter Kropotkin’s The Conquest of Bread (1892/2007) both describe communal ways of living that are distinct from modern capitalist society and suggest an alternative: a more just community which would improve people’s lives. Skinner, a successful scientist and public intellectual, wrote Walden Two’s small community as informed by experimentation and the principles of behavior. In contrast, Kropotkin, a twice-jailed revolutionary born into a royal family, described his vision for worldwide anarchism after a social revolution. Despite these differences, we find significant parallels in how the two texts contend with authority and hierarchy, democracy, organization of labor, and the role of the arts and sciences. As we work to extend our clinical successes, exploring these connections and the shared ideals between radical behaviorism and anarchist thought can help us imagine ways to shape a brighter future for all, resist present threats toward global authoritarianism, guiding our work toward the design of culture (Skinner, 1953).
