The Evolution of Positive Behavior Support in Our Society: A Functional Analysis

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The Evolution of The Evolution of PositivePositive Behavior Support in Our Behavior Support in Our Society: A Functional Society: A Functional Analysis Analysis

Anthony BiglanSenior Scientist,

Oregon Research Institute Director, Center on Early Adolescence

[email protected]

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The power and potential of PBS Evolution of cultural practices Principles for intentional efforts to

influence cultural practices and their implications for PBS

OverviewOverview

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Out of School Suspensions per 100 Students EnrolledElementary School (K-6) 2004-05

0

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4

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N = 56 N = 89

Not using SWPBS Using SWPBS

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rage

OSS

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100

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Power and Potential of PBSPower and Potential of PBS

Making schools a culture of respect, cooperation, and caring

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Power and Potential of PBSPower and Potential of PBS PBS may eventually become an important cultural

innovation for the larger society

It is a step toward A society with

Consensus about standards for social-relations Well-ordered organizations

Clear about expectations Highly reinforcing of effort Highly supportive socially

Children who grow up in a PBS culture May be able to create a larger society of caring, respect, and

cooperation

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PBS Has Expanded the Unit Analysis of Behavior Analysis

The practices of whole schools, not simply the behavior of individuals

Requires new analytic tools

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The ChallengesThe Challenges Efficacy

Staff team building Verbal behavior Psychological functioning

Increasing understanding of cognitive and social development

Role of verbal behavior in children Early adolescence—brain, social competition, conflict,

deviant peer groups Effective support of families

Effectiveness

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The ChallengesThe Challenges

Dissemination—research needed! Maintenance—research needed Extensions

Families Community settingsBusiness and nonprofit organizations

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Useful to see the evolution of PBS within the context of the evolution of other cultural practices.

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Why? We don’t usually see slow change. We aren’t aware of how many practices

that we would consider appalling were once commonplace.

If we understand the factors that influence the selection of better practices we might increase the rate of improvement in society.

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PBS: Part of Larger MovementPBS: Part of Larger Movement

Ensure the wellbeing of people through science.

Positively reinforcing Less punitive To help young people develop

successfully

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Broader Context for PBSBroader Context for PBS Public health The rise of the behavioral sciences

Individual behavior across the range of human problems

Natural movement outward to the study of social systems within which individual behavior occurs.

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Some HistorySome History Public health developed with efforts to

control epidemic disease Cholera Typhoid fever Small pox Bubonic Plague (Yersinia pestis)

Killed one- to two-thirds of Western Europeans between 1346 and 1349

Continued in Europe for next 300 years (http://www.bacteriamuseum.org/niches/features/plague.shtml)

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Contagion Was Recognized Contagion Was Recognized

But mechanism of contagion not understood Miasma Conjunction of the planets Famine Fate Beggars Prostitutes Jews

Cause: bacterium transmitted by fleas from rats to humans (contagious in humans)

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Slowly, Public Health OfficialsSlowly, Public Health Officials

Identified ways to track and control epidemics

Incidence of illness and death were systematically recorded

Those arriving from overseas or areas with plague were isolated for 40 days (quaranta giorni; hence, quarantine)

Were granted extraordinary powers

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John Snow and the Pump Handle

The Ghost Map The Broad Street Pump Cleaning up the water Germ theory and medical treatment had

virtually no role

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Fundamentals of the Public Fundamentals of the Public Health Framework that Health Framework that EmergedEmerged

Focus on wellbeing of entire populations Target for intervention the most prevalent

and costly problems Surveillance: identify cases and ongoing

monitoring of incidence and prevalence of problems in defined populations

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Fundamentals of a Public Fundamentals of a Public Health FrameworkHealth Framework

Employ ALL means available to affect incidence and prevalence Treatment and preventionThrough social marketing, programs and

policies An infrastructure to support public health

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Public Health Now Extends Public Health Now Extends Well Beyond EpidemicsWell Beyond Epidemics

Chronic diseases Health conditions causing disease Health behaviors Youth problem behavior

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Public Health Practices Have Public Health Practices Have EvolvedEvolved

Practices were retained when they were Practices were retained when they were successful in reducing morbidity and successful in reducing morbidity and mortalitymortality

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The Behavioral The Behavioral Sciences Have Also Sciences Have Also Evolved Evolved

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Some Bold ClaimsSome Bold Claims

Behavioral science has made more progress in the last 50 years than in the prior 2,000.

Effective interventions exist for virtually every significant behavioral or psychological problemExperimental evaluations show greater

benefit than alternative practices do

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For example…For example…

Children’s behavior Adolescent problem behavior** Depression Anxiety Marital discord Smoking cessation

** Biglan, Brennan, Foster, Holder, Miller, Cunningham et al. (2004). Helping adolescents at risk: Prevention of multiple problems of youth. New York: Guilford Press

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For example…For example… Alcoholism Drug abuse Health-related issues

Pain Exercise Overeating Diabetic control

Sexual dysfunction

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For example…For example…

Prejudice Burnout Innovation in the work place

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Decidedly PragmaticDecidedly Pragmatic

Science in general is a set of practices for solving problems

Interventions in behavioral sciences are retained, refined, or abandoned based on their utility

Contrasts with the traditional view of science as “determining what really is”

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Some Progress Has Been Made in Understanding Cultural Evolution

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A Growing Literature A Growing Literature on Cultural Evolutionon Cultural Evolution

Biglan, A. (1995). Changing cultural practices: A contextualist framework for intervention research. Reno, NV: Context Press.

Biglan, A. (2003). Selection by consequences. Prevention Science, 4(4), 213-232 .

Diamond, J. (1999) Guns, germs, and steel: The fates of human societies. New York: Norton.

Diamond, J. (2004). Collapse: How societies choose to fail or succeed. New York: Viking Adult.

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A Growing LiteratureA Growing Literature Harris, M. (1979). Cultural materialism: The

struggle for a science of culture. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Ponting, A. (1991). A green history of the world: The environment and the collapse of great civilizations. New York: Penguin Books.

Glenn S.S. (2004). Individual behavior, culture, and social change. The Behavior Analyst, 27, 133-152.

Wilson, D.S. (2003). Darwin's cathedral: Evolution, religion, and the nature of society. Chicago: UC Press.

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However…However…

Despite enormous progress in the behavioral sciences and some progress in our understanding of cultural evolution, we have yet to translate what we know into widespread benefit to society

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We lack a science for We lack a science for intentionalintentional change of change of cultural practices cultural practices

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UnderstandableUnderstandable

On the frontiers of what we know An aversion to being the handmaidens

of Imperialism Who decides?

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But Who Can Look at the Current But Who Can Look at the Current World Without Wishing Things World Without Wishing Things Were Different?Were Different?

Public health Reducing crime Human rights International security Childrearing and education

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Religious intolerance Government that fails to work for the

common good Sustainable practices

Could Practices Be Different? Could Practices Be Different?

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Nonscientific methods of solving our problems have failed

Capitalism Technology Democracy Religion

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Why not apply science to the problem of how to influence cultural practices, as we have done with such success in the physical world and with the behavior of individuals?

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Your Effort to Develop and Your Effort to Develop and Disseminate PBS Practices Disseminate PBS Practices

An excellent example of the need to learn

how to influence cultural practices

An excellent opportunity to further develop

a science of cultural change

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Five Principles for Cultural ChangeFive Principles for Cultural Change

Derived from The literature on cultural evolution

Behavior analysis, including Relational Frame Theory

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Tentative and theoretical

Need to be experimentally evaluated

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The PrinciplesThe Principles

Functional analysis of relevant cultural practices Measure the practice and its influences Influence organizational practices by

altering metacontingencies and influencing the behavior of organization members

Influence the behavior of individuals in the population

Strengthen the practices of organizations that support the desired cultural practices

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Principle 1: Principle 1: Organizational practices are selected and maintained by their material consequences

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ExamplesExamples

Agriculture Male dominance Capitalism Auto industry’s quality control Religion Sustainability

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The MetacontingencyThe Metacontingency

The relationship between the interlocking behaviors of two or more people (the action of a group or organization) and an outcome affecting whether the behavior continues

If sustaining outcomes are not achieved, the practice diminishes or ends

If a practice achieves an outcome, it may continue and be adopted by other groups Who observe its success Who are progeny of the group that began it

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Metacontingencies for the practices of schools?

What determines whether existing practices will continue to be funded?

Public support of public education--Or lack thereof.

Unlike business organizations or even most nonprofits, schools are largely shielded from direct interference in their practices.

Chubb and Moe—the bureaucratization of schools to maintain reforms

Funding is not contingent on specific practices

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Metacontingencies for the practices of schools?

One reason for advocacy for free market principles Vouchers Charter schools

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Metacontingencies are lacking

To select effective teaching practices To select effective behavior

management practices

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Principle 1a: Analyze Behavior of Principle 1a: Analyze Behavior of Organization Members that Organization Members that Subserve Organizational ActionsSubserve Organizational Actions

Shared beliefs about PBS? Shared beliefs about work load? Stated mission and goals? Shared values? A culture of resistance? A culture of cooperation and caring?

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Principle 2: Principle 2: Monitor targeted practices and the factors believed to influence them..

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Obesity in U.S. Adults, 1985Obesity in U.S. Adults, 1985

Source: Mokdad AH, et al. JAMA 1999, 282:16; 2001, 286:10

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Obesity Trends,1986Obesity Trends,1986


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Obesity Trends,* 1987Obesity Trends,* 1987


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Obesity, 1988Obesity, 1988


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Obesity,1990Obesity,1990


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The foundation for the management of our economy is an extensive system for monitoring economic indicators.

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TOTAL OUTPUT, INCOME, AND SPENDING(National Bureau of Economic Research)Gross Domestic Product 1

TEXTPDF

Real Gross Domestic ProductImplicit Price Deflators for Gross Domestic Product

2TEXTPDF

Gross Domestic Product and Related Price Measures:Indexes and Percent ChangesNonfinancial Corporate Business—Output, Price, Costs, and Profits

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National IncomeReal Personal Consumption Expenditures

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Sources of Personal Income 5TEXTPDF

Disposition of Personal Income 6TEXTPDF

Farm Income 7TEXTPDF

Corporate Profits 8TEXTPDF

Real Gross Private Domestic Investment 9TEXTPDF

Real Private Fixed Investment by TypeBusiness Investment

10TEXTPDF

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=economic_indicators&docid=01ja04.txt

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=economic_indicators&docid=01ja04.txt.pdf



















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EMPLOYMENT, UNEMPLOYMENT, AND WAGES

Status of the Labor Force 11TEXTPDF

Selected Unemployment Rates 12TEXTPDF

Selected Measures of Unemployment and UnemploymentInsurance Programs

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Nonagricultural Employment 14TEXTPDF

Average Weekly Hours, Hourly Earnings, and Weekly Earnings—Private Nonagricultural IndustriesEmployment Cost Index—Private Industry

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Productivity and Related Data, Business Sector 16TEXTPDF













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PRODUCTION AND BUSINESS ACTIVITY

Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization

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Industrial Production—Major Market Groups andSelected Manufactures

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New ConstructionNew Private Housing and Vacancy Rates

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Business Sales and Inventories—Manufacturing and Trade

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Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and Orders

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PRICES

Producer Prices 22TEXTPDF

Consumer Prices—All Urban Consumers

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Changes in Producer Prices for Finished GoodsChanges in Consumer Prices—All Urban Consumers

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Prices Received and Paid by Farmers 25TEXTPDF









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MONEY, CREDIT, AND SECURITY MARKETS

Money Stock and Debt Measures 26TEXTPDF

Components of Money StockAggregate Reserves and Monetary Base

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Bank Credit at All Commercial Banks 28TEXTPDF

Sources and Uses of Funds, Nonfarm NonfinancialCorporate BusinessConsumer Credit

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Interest Rates and Bond Yields 30TEXTPDF

Common Stock Prices and Yields 31TEXTPDF






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FEDERAL FINANCEFederal Receipts, Outlays, and Debt

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Federal Receipts by Source and Outlays by Function

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Federal Sector, National Income Accounts Basis

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INTERNATIONAL STATISTICS

Industrial Production and Consumer Prices—Major Industrial CountriesU.S. International Trade in Goods and Services

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U.S. International Transactions 36TEXTPDF

U.S. International Transactions—Continued 37TEXTPDF

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So, why shouldn’t we systematically monitor the wellbeing of children and adolescents?

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PBS Monitoring Within PBS Monitoring Within SchoolsSchools

SET

SWIS

Student reports?

Oregon Healthy Teens

Teacher psychological functioning?

Nurses’ office visits?

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PBS Monitoring of the

Population of Schools Prevalence of schools that are monitoring

Prevalence of schools with high fidelity

PBS

Prevalence of schools with less than X%

of students with multiple problem

behaviors.

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Principle 3Principle 3

Influence the practices of

organizations by

A. Altering the metacontingencies for

groups and organizations

B. Influencing the behavior of

organization members

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3A. Metacontingencies for PBS?3A. Metacontingencies for PBS?

Traditionally, punitive policiesRequire schools to implement it

Loss of funds for failure to do so

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Shape Implementation via Shape Implementation via Metacontingencies Metacontingencies

SWIS implementation

Organizational goal-setting process

Training in PBS

Maintenance—FTE devoted to PBS

maintenance, with monitoring of data on its

maintenance

State-level staff!

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3B. Influence the Behavior of 3B. Influence the Behavior of Organization MembersOrganization Members

Externally imposed requirements violate what we know about the value of participatory governance

Those of us outside the schools are not always sensitive to needs and burdens of those in the schools

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Psychological Needs Psychological Needs of Teachers of Teachers

Compared with the general population, teachers are at higher risk forPsychological distressLow job satisfaction (Schonfeld, 1990)Depression and burnout

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Teachers in schools with high levels of

misbehavior and other stressful conditions Become less interested in teaching

Have higher levels of stress and burnout

Are more likely to leave the field

Psychological Needs Psychological Needs of Teachersof Teachers

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Psychological Needs of Teachers

Stress among special education teachers

is related to their intention to leave the

field.

Support from principals, other teachers,

and the central office reduce stress and

increase satisfaction

Gersten, Keating, Yovanoff, & Harniss (2001) The Council for Exceptional Children

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No Evidence on

Effect of teacher stress on resistance to

innovation.

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Recent Developments in Recent Developments in Clinical Psychology that May Clinical Psychology that May HelpHelp

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Benefits of Acceptance & Benefits of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (per RCTs)Commitment Therapy (per RCTs)

Anxiety Depression Epilepsy Psychosis

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Benefits of Acceptance & Benefits of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (RCTs)Commitment Therapy (RCTs)

Diabetic control Prejudice Burnout Innovation

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The Trap of the Dedicated Teacher

Self-image as Caring and Competent (Evaluation)

Difficulties with students, demands on time

Negative thoughts and feelings

Efforts to or control negative thoughts and feelings Drinking

Medication

WORK HARDER!

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Acceptance vs. Experiential Acceptance vs. Experiential AvoidanceAvoidance

Don’t Worry!

Don’t think about chocolate cake

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Acceptance vs. Avoidance

Research on thought suppression

The Bum at the Door

Acceptance of self

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Acceptance Exercise Acceptance Exercise

Eyes closed Do one of the following:

Hold your distress as you would a delicate flower Embrace your pain as you would a crying child Sit with your anxiety as you would with a person who

has a serious illness View your distress as you would an incredible painting Honor your sadness as you would a friend by listening Abandon the war with distress as a soldier who puts

down his weapon and walks home

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ValuesValues

Why did we get into this line of work?

What do you want your life to be about?

What do you want your school, your

community, or your country to be about?

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Values?Values?

Caring? For self?

For others?

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Deeper Values of PBS?Deeper Values of PBS? Support development of every youth Creating a society that uses data to

improve human wellbeing Believe in each person’s worth Putting PBS implementation in the larger

context of shared values may: Increase people’s commitment Reduce their tendency to give up when

problems arise.

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A Values Exercise A Values Exercise Think of when you first began thinking

about teaching or working with kids. Answer these questions:When do you first remember thinking you

wanted to teach or work with children?What do you value most about working with

children?What is really important to you—what do you

most value—about the wellbeing of children? Each person reports to the group about

what the other person said.

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Committed Action: Committed Action: The Monsters on the The Monsters on the BusBus

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ACT May Help School Staff ACT May Help School Staff Members to…Members to…

Care for themselves Care for other staff and for students Be more open to innovations such as PBS Accept the difficulties that arise in trying to

bring about change Implement PBS effectively

Therefore, we are integrating it into the BEST Curriculum

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Does the Recent Work on ACT have implications for work with students?

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Effects of Middle School Effects of Middle School TransitionTransition

Reduction in academic performance

Lowered self-esteem

Increasing rate of depression

Formation of deviant peer groups

Initiation of substance use and delinquency

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Teasing and Victimization in Teasing and Victimization in Middle SchoolsMiddle Schools

Higher than in high school

Words that hurt Faggot, queer, ethnic slurs

Defusion

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Could Acceptance Processes Could Acceptance Processes Work with Adolescents Work with Adolescents

Reduce competition and victimization Reduce motivation to tease

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Adolescents caring???!!!

This is an area that cries out for research Increase students’ participation in talking about

PBS and the school’s values Increase students’ commitment to overarching,

shared values that countervail the processes that promote teasing and victimization

Decrease their experiential avoidance

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Principle 4: Influence the Behavior of Individuals in the Population

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What is the prevalence of the following beliefs?

“Government is bad; it takes your money” “Those people [insert the name of an ethnic or

racial minority, delinquents, poor people, high risk youth, etc] are beyond hope; they need to [insert your favorite—work harder, get off their duffs, stop complaining, etc.]”

“Government (including schools) cannot solve the problems of people; it is part of the problem.”

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How about these beliefs and values?

“I want our community to be one that strives to be sure that every young person develops successfully.”

“There are many effective interventions that can prevent many of the problems that young people have.”

“Government can and should be accountable.” “I will gladly pay taxes to have schools become

more effective.” “I am willing to have my taxes raised to pay for

health care for all young people.

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Cialdini on Social Influence

Making overarching values salient can increase the likelihood of an advocated behavior.

We need to increase the prevalence of explicitly held values that are supportive of PBS and other efforts to increase youth wellbeing.

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Principle 5: Strengthen Principle 5: Strengthen Organizations that Organizations that Work for Change Work for Change

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Cultural Change RequiresCultural Change Requires

Organizations’ dedicated to achieving changePublic health—American Public Health

AssociationTobacco use--ACSEducation—Campbell Collaboration, APBSSustainability—Union of Concerned Scientists

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Challenges for Advocacy Challenges for Advocacy OrganizationsOrganizations

There are entrenched forces whose material wellbeing will be harmed if advocated changes are adopted Tobacco companies Oil companies The health insurance industry The current crime control establishment The education system

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Challenges for Advocacy Challenges for Advocacy OrganizationsOrganizations

These organizations and networks of

organizations have been shaped by the

material consequences to engage in

lobbying, public relations, member

“education,” political action, and

advertising to ensure that practices that

benefit them will remain unchanged

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Challenges to Organizations Challenges to Organizations Advocating for the Common Advocating for the Common GoodGood

Achieving targeted changes typically does

not directly benefit advocacy organizations Tobacco control organizations

Conservation organizations

Financial support for the organizations

efforts may be limited

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What about APBS?What about APBS? Clear mission? Network with other organizations Make sure your actions

Achieve material resources needed to continue and expand the promotion and improvement of PBS

Continue to contribute efficiently to your mission

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Strategic Alliances

Network with and/or influence other organizationsThe Campbell CollaborationThe Coalition for Evidence Based PolicyDepartment of EducationNIHNEA? AFT? Annie E. Casey? School

Administrators

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Society for Prevention Research—An Invitation from the President

15th Annual Meeting"Advancing Science-Based Prevention: Creating Real World Solutions"Washington, D.C.May 30 - June 1, 2007

http://www.preventionresearch.org/

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Society for Prevention Research

Our experience with DC meetings Allied Organizations

Standards of Evidence http://www.preventionresearch.org/commlmon.php#SofE

Community Monitoring Monograph Braided funding

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An Invitation from the President of SPR

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In sum, PBS is a very important development in efforts

to improve human wellbeing. In addition to it improving behavior in schools, it

can contribute to the society becoming more cooperative and caring.

PBS is succeeding because it is derived from very careful research on the behavior of individual students.

PBS is developing a systems approach to schools.

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Further Progress Will Require

Research on individual student behaviorTheir verbal (relational) responding regarding

Themselves Their peers Their school Adult-expected behavior Peer-expected behavior

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Further Progress Will Require

Better understanding of the psychological processes of teachers How to support their acceptance and commitment How to build teams

Integration of PBS with Effective Family Support Analysis and experimental work on the influence of

metacontingencies on schools adoption, implementation, and maintenance of PBS

Better understanding of how to increase the prevalence of support for PBS, schools, and a caring society.

Better understanding of how to strengthen APBS and its impact on all of the above.

The Evolution of Positive Behavior Support in Our Society: A Functional Analysis

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students enrolleddays

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evolution of pbs

larger society of caring

potential of pbsmaking

social competition

cultural practicesprinciples