How to Teach Behavior Analysis: Session 147 with DiGennaro-Reed, Reed, and Madden

In this episode of Behavioral Observations, I chat with Drs. Florence DiGennaro-Reed, Derek Reed, and Gregory Madden. While we talked a bit about their new book, An Introduction to Behavior Analysis, we framed the discussion around the process of teaching itself, textbook notwithstanding.

Before getting into the content itself, let me introduce our guests:

  • Dr. DiGennaro-Reed is an Associate Professor in and Chairperson of the Department of Applied Behavioral Science at the University of Kansas where she directs the Performance Management Laboratory and Performance Management Center. Her research examines effective and efficient staff training and performance improvement practices. She also conducts translational research in on-campus laboratory facilities.
  • Dr. Derek Reed is a familiar voice to long-time BOP listeners. He is, among other things, an Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Behavioral Science at the University of Kansas where he directs the Applied Behavioral Economics Laboratory.
  • Dr. Gregory Madden teaches and conducts research at Utah State University. Here is an excerpt of his bio in his own words: "I am a Professor in the Department of Psychology. I teach PSY1400/1410, which is the introductory course in behavioral processes. Topics range from free will to interventions designed to treat depression and drug dependence. I also teach an upper-division course on applying behavior-change technology to workplace settings."

It turns out that they've been working on this book for roughly six years. We talked about why they thought a new ABA text was necessary, what makes this book stand apart from other really good ones that are out there, and how they attacked the massive challenge that is the writing process itself.

Along the way, we ended up getting into what makes for good university instruction, the need (perceived or otherwise) to "sell" students on Behavior Analysis, and lots of other interesting nuggets and tips for those who have the important task of teaching the next generation of behavior analysis students. As such, I think there are a lot of meta-lessons embedded in this episode that are relevant whether or not you teach this material.

Here are the links for this episode:

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