6th Annual Behavioral Science: Applications in Leadership & Supervision Conference

Affiliation:

Department Chair and Eberly Family Professor for Outstanding Public Service, Behavior Analysis
Department of Psychology, West Virginia University

Using Procedural Fidelity Data to Support Supervisees and Improve Practice

Abstract:

Procedural fidelity, or ensuring interventions are implemented as designed, is essential for effective behavior-analytic practice. This presentation explores how supervisors can use procedural fidelity data to provide targeted support for supervisees and enhance overall intervention success. By closely monitoring fidelity data, supervisors can identify training needs, provide constructive feedback, and make data-driven decisions to improve practitioner performance. This session will offer practical strategies for integrating fidelity data into supervision processes, highlighting its role in refining skills, promoting consistency, and ensuring the successful application of behavior-analytic procedures. Attendees will learn actionable methods for utilizing fidelity data to elevate both individual performance and client outcomes in applied settings.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to:

• Identify key components of procedural fidelity and explain how fidelity data can be used to assess the accuracy of intervention implementation.
• Differentiate between various forms of fidelity errors and their potential impacts on intervention outcomes.
• Describe data-driven methods to enhance supervisee performance.

Presenter Bio:

Claire St. Peter, Ph.D., BCBA-D is an Eberly Family Professor for Outstanding Public Service at West Virginia University and the Chairperson of the Department of Psychology. With over 20 years of experience in behavior analysis, Dr. St. Peter is a recognized expert in the areas of procedural fidelity, treatment integrity, and behavior-analytic supervision. Her research focuses on the effects of fidelity errors on behavioral interventions and developing practical strategies for improving supervision and leadership. Dr. St. Peter has published extensively and has received numerous awards for her contributions to both research and education. She is an active member of several professional organizations, including serving as a Trustee for the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies, and regularly presents at national and international conferences.

Affiliation:

Founder and Director
Carolina Behavior Analysis and Support Center

The Evolving Technology of Staff Training: Advances and Re-Emerging Concerns

Abstract:

This presentation will review the research foundation, recent advances, and existing concerns with evidence-based training of staff in human service agencies. Initially, the basic criteria for quality training will be described in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, and trainee acceptance. Next, a brief overview will be presented on the research development of performance- and competency-based training with respect to the basic criteria, and how behavioral skills training (BST) subsequently evolved as the current gold standard of training. Recent advances to enhance the efficiency of BST will then be summarized, with a focus on technology-based training that includes video modeling, computer-based training, and training from a distance via telehealth. Concerns with the advances will likewise be described with regard to practical and effective applications within typical human service agencies. Subsequently, the likelihood of a new gold standard of training will be presented, focusing on a hybrid combination of in-person BST and technology-based training components.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to:

• Name the three criteria for successful, high-quality staff training programs.
• Describe the steps of the current gold standard of training: in-person behavioral skills training
• Based on research to date, identify which type of technology-based training has the most evidence to support its effectiveness for training performance skills to staff (i.e., video modeling, computer-based training, or training via telehealth).

Presenter Bio:

Dr. Dennis Reid has over 50 years of experience as a clinician, supervisor, and trainer in educational, residential, and community support settings for people with neurodevelopmental disabilities including autism, and has consulted with human service agencies in the majority of states of the United States as well as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. He has published over 140 refereed journal articles and book chapters focusing on applied behavior analysis and authored or co-authored 17 books as well as three staff training curricula. In 2007 he was awarded Fellowship status in the Association for Behavior Analysis International and in 2006 received the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities International Research Award. Dennis is the founder and current director of the Carolina Behavior Analysis and Support Center in Morganton, North Carolina. His company has employed people with severe disabilities in a supported work capacity for more than 25 years.

Affiliation:

Professor of Psychology and Director of Behavior Analysis Program
University of Nevada, Reno

Supervision in Value-Based Governance

Abstract:

A human service organization is said to practice value-based governance when the members are granted the opportunity to change the organizational environment in ways that improve it and are reinforced for doing so. By adoption of this approach, supervision is provided in the context of positive reinforcement contingencies for others, and it minimizes aversive or coercive contingencies of others.  Moreover, organizational leaders’ actions and supervision practices in this context not only affect the wellbeing of organizational members (e.g., their safety, health, financial security, etc.) but also bear positive or negative impact on consumer practices and community well-being  (e.g., education, obesity, cancer, safe or green driving, energy conservation, diversity based health care, etc.). This presentation will provide an overview of ways behavior analysis can contribute to the design of healthy environments that promote well-being of service providers and clients. In addition, an overview of values-based governance, as a means of developing and maintaining well-being and resilience in organized groups will be provided.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to:

• Describe the foundation (concepts, principles, methodology) underlying value-based governance.
• Discuss the behavior analytic account of well-being as related to emerging socio-cultural issues.
• List environmental conditions in organizations that align with a behavior analytic discussion of wellbeing.

Presenter Bio:

Ramona Houmanfar is Professor of Psychology and the Director of the Behavior Analysis Program at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). She currently serves as a trustee of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies, Chair of the Organizational Behavior Management Section of Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies, editorial board members of the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, and Behavior & Social Issues, and Coordinator of the Publication Board at the Association for Behavior Analysis International. Dr. Houmanfar has served as the editor of Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, senior co-chair of the ABAI convention, Director of the Organizational Behavior Management Network, President of the Nevada Association for Behavior Analysis, and Co-Coordinator of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Board at ABAI.

Dr. Houmanfar’s expertise and interests in behavioral systems analysis, cultural behavior analysis, and contextual behavioral science have guided her research associated with the analysis of verbal behavior (e.g., symbolic language, leadership communication, team communication), rule governance, value- based governance, and wellbeing in cultural groups including organizations.  She has published over 80 peer reviewed publications, and four co-edited books titled “Organizational Change” (Context Press), “Understanding Complexity in Organizations”, “Leadership & Cultural Change (Taylor & Francis Group), and “Applied Behavior Science in Organization” (Taylor & Francis Group) sponsored by ABAI. Other accomplishments include being awarded Association or Behavior Analysis International, and Association for Contextual Behavioral Science Fellow designations.

Affiliation:

Alumni Distinguished Professor
Department of Psychology
Virginia Tech

The Psychological Science of Effective Leadership:  Managing Behavior vs. Leading People

Abstract:

For optimal organizational performance, it is beneficial to distinguish between management and leadership—managing behavior vs. leading people. This presentation will reveal evidence-based leadership lessons that can bring the best out of a talented and committed workforce. Managers are assigned their position and influence productivity by holding people accountable for their behaviors and performance outcomes. On the other hand, any employee can be a leader, including managers, by inspiring others to be self-accountable and to go beyond the call of duty for human welfare and well-being. These employees enjoy their work, as do the members of their work team, and they try to do their very best for the organization that employs them. They work in an empowering and enriching culture that activates and supports the best qualities of themselves and others. How can such a work culture be cultivated? The answer: self-motivated leadership from everyone in the work culture, as this presentation will elucidate.

Human dynamics relevant to optimizing teaching/learning and the performance of individuals or work teams will be explained, including psychological safety, empowerment, intrapersonal/interpersonal gratitude, self-motivation, and self-transcendence or actively caring for people (AC4P). Applications of behavioral science, especially the appropriate delivery of behavior-based feedback, can benefit each of these human qualities, but some psychological science beyond behavioral science is relevant and will be explicated.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to:

• Explain how certain principles from humanistic psychology can benefit applications of behavioral science.
• Define “psychological safety” and specify leadership qualities that enhance psychological safety.
• Illustrate techniques for enhancing self-motivation within oneself and among others.

Presenter Bio:

Scott Geller, Ph.D., an Alumni Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech (VT), has started his 55th year as a faculty member and Director of the Center for Applied Behavior Systems in the Department of Psychology at VT. He has authored, edited or co-authored 52 books, 91 book chapters, 41 training manuals, 277 magazine articles, and more than 300 research articles addressing the development and evaluation of behavioral science interventions to improve quality of life on a large scale. His dedication, talent, and energy helped him earn a teaching award in 1982 from the American Psychological Association and every university-wide teaching award offered at VT. In 2005, he was awarded the statewide Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award by the State Council of Higher Education, and VT honored him with the title of Alumni Distinguished Professor.

Dr. Geller is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, the Association of Behavior Analysis International, and the World Academy of Productivity and Quality Sciences. He is past Editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (1989-1992) and Associate Editor of Environment and Behavior (1982-2017), and current Consulting Editor for Behavior and Social Issues, the Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, and the Journal of Safety Research.

Dr. Geller has received lifetime achievement awards from the International Organizational Behavior Management Network (in 2008) and the American Psychological Foundation (in 2009). In 2019, the American Psychological Association honored Scott Geller with the Nathan H. Azrin Distinguished Contributions to Applied Behavior Analysis Award. In 2024, the Virginia Association for Behavior Analysis (VABA) initiated the annual “E. Scott Geller Award for Distinguished Service to Applied Behavioral Science.”

Affiliation:

Associate Professor, Department of Applied Behavioral Science
University of Kansas
Director, Edna A. Hill Child Development Center

Cultivating Teaching, Scholarship, and Service Repertoires: The Learning Environment at the Edna A. Hill Child Development Center

Abstract:

The field of applied behavior analysis and demand for behavior-analytic services have grown substantially in recent years (BACB, 2024; Pastrana et al., 2018). As a result, there is a continued (perhaps, increased) need for effective education, training, and mentorship of students in behavior analysis (Falcomata, 2018).  The mission of the Department of Applied Behavioral Science (ABS) at KU is to promote individual, family, and community development through the integration of teaching, research, and public service. The ABS department provides training to behavior analysis students at both the undergraduate and graduate level.  Undergraduate training enhances students’ abilities to understand, analyze, and develop solutions to socially relevant problems. Graduate training prepares researchers and scientist practitioners in the discovery, translation, application, and communication of knowledge for solving socially relevant problems. This presentation describes the Edna A. Hill Child Development Center, one of the department’s research and training centers, and the ways in which opportunities are arranged for undergraduate and graduate students to learn and refine effective teaching, research, and service repertoires.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to:

• Explain why there is an increased need to ensure effective education and training of students in behavior analysis.
• Describe several similarities and differences between undergraduate and graduate training in behavior analysis.
• Identify at least one arranged learning opportunity at Edna A. Hill Child Development Center for each critical skill repertoire (teaching, research/scholarship, and service).

Presenter Bio:

Dr. Pamela Neidert received her M.S. in Special Education from the Johns Hopkins University in 1999 and her Ph.D. in Psychology (Behavior Analysis) from the University of Florida in 2007.  Currently, she is an associate professor in the Applied Behavioral Science department and director of the Edna A. Hill Child Development Center at the University of Kansas. Dr. Neidert has been a BCBA since 2004 and an LBA Kansas since 2016.  She has over 25 years of experience working with children and adults with various intellectual and developmental disabilities in several different settings (hospitals, schools, residential placements, and vocational programs). Dr. Neidert and her graduate students conduct research on the assessment, treatment, and prevention of behavior disorders.  They also conduct research on strategies to facilitate the acquisition of critical skills by children with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Specific areas of interest include strategies for the development of language, social skills, self-help skills (e.g., toileting, feeding), and the maintenance and generalization of treatment effects in new environments.  Dr. Neidert has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and Behavior Analysis in Practice. She has published over 35 empirical articles and conducted over 60 presentations of her work at local, state, and national conferences.

Affiliation:

Professor of Practice and the Director of Online Programs in Behavior Analysis
Department of Applied Behavioral Science
University of Kansas
and
H.S. Pennypacker Chair of the Board
Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies

A Behavioral Approach to Leadership and Supervision: The Speakers Weigh In

Abstract:

The behavioral repertoire of supervision (such as in BACB supervision) are relatively straightforward and have been studied for years. Continuing research brings forth new dimensions, areas, and issues to explore within supervision, such as assent, compassion, and all of the other ‘soft skills.” Leadership, however, is vaguer. Behavioral science hasn’t dove as deep into this nebulous area, due to a lack of an operational definition that has social validity. The panel of speakers at the Kansas Conference will be asked to comment and speculate as to how our field can conceptualize leadership, both at the macro and micro levels. Furthermore, the speakers will field questions from audience members about organizations systems designed to promote effective and efficient supervision, and how to involve administrators and other upper-management personnel on how to establish a leadership style based on behavioral science, and how to set up conditions to maintain such systems over time.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to:

• Provide an operational definition of leadership from a behavioral science perspective.
• Orally state 3 statements made by one or more of the speakers with regards to their thoughts/conclusions/recommendations about behavioral supervision and leadership.
• Orally describe at least one actionable step s/he could take to promote a supervision model based on behavioral research.

Panel Moderator Bio:

Dr. Thomas Zane is a Professor of Practice and the Director of Online Programs in Behavior Analysis in the Department of Applied Behavioral Science at the University of Kansas. Dr. Zane earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in psychology at Western Michigan University and his doctorate in Applied Behavior Analysis at West Virginia University. He has served as a Post-Doctorate Research Associate at the University of Massachusetts and as a Research Scientist at Johns Hopkins University Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Zane serves as the HS Pennypacker Chair of the Board of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies, the international organization that represents the field of behavior analysis. Dr. Zane has been past President of the Ethics Special Interest Group of the International Association for Behavior Analysis. His research interests include online learning, evidenced-based practice in autism, and the philosophy of science and radical behaviorism. He is particularly interested in why some behavior analysts drift from the code and the importance of adhering to choosing scientifically- supported treatments in clinical and educational work.

BACB® Learning CEs and Psychology CE Credits (Includes Licensed psychologists, school psychologists, and EdDs/educational psychologists)

This is a hybrid in-person and virtual conference. Recordings will be available for 14 days. (For those seeking Psychology CE Credits, there is an additional testing process to be completed for asynchronous/home-study completion.)

BACB®  SUPERVISION Learning CEUs (6.0): The Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies is an approved Type 2 CE Provider by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (BACB®) and is authorized to offer 6.0 CE units for this conference. Continuing Education Provider No.: OP-04-0058

Attendees must complete all six presentations in-person, virtually or through recordings available for 14 days post-conference for asynchronous home-study to earn CEs. (Partial credit will not be issued.) An evaluation and code quiz with a 100% score needs to be completed for issuance of continuing education.

APA Approved Sponsor

Psychology CE Credits (6.0)*: Amego Prepare is a co-sponsor of this conference for Continuing Education Credits for Psychologists. Amego Prepare is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Amego Prepare maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

In case of a complaint, about Psychology CE Credits, contact Amergo Prepare directly through Dr. Michael Weinberg at MWeinberg@amegoinc.org.

Attendees must complete all six presentations in-person, virtually or through home-study* to earn Psychology CE Credits. (Partial credit will not be issued.) An evaluation and code quiz with a 100% score needs to be completed for issuance of continuing education. *If you are completing the conference through recordings for home-study, there is a DIFFERENT process through Amego Prepare for those seeking a certificate for Psychology CE Credits. Contact Michael Weinberg at MWeinberg@amegoinc.org.

It is attendee’s responsibility to check with their State and Professional organization to confirm all CE offerings.

This is a hybrid event with a smaller in-person gathering or a virtual attendance offering.

IN-PERSON:

University of Kansas – Lawrence campus

Parking:  Attendees may park in the Mississippi Parking Garage (circled in red) – it is right off of Oread Ave. Attendees can then walk through the breezeway (circled in blue) to get to the conference at the KU Student Union (circled in green). The conference is held on the 5th floor in the Woodruff Auditorium. Link to Visual PDF

VIRTUAL:

Instructions with Zoom link & password to be emailed to registered attendees the week of the conference.

University of Kansas campus area in Lawrence, Kansas – Google Map: