Guilty By Association

2010-11-26T11:05:00.001-05:00

http://www.mattbrodhead.com

Blog Update

2010-02-23T15:21:00.002-05:00

This blog has been discontinued until I can get my act together.

Some Yosemite Climbing Pictures

2009-10-10T19:22:00.000-04:00

Yosemite Climbing 2009

Fire Drills

2009-05-20T18:02:00.002-04:00

Like I told my hairdresser, there are a lot of myths about how a typical "autistic child" behaves. When a child is labeled as autistic, a professional or group of professionals agree the child's behavior meets an arbitrary criteria set forth by another group of professionals. This criteria marks multiple characteristics that are commonly found in a sample of children that have similar behavior problems, according to another group of professionals... an autistic label, and pattern of behavior is as arbitrary as my preference is for Ford, as yours is for GM.

There's no commonality among autistic people, other than the fact that they engage in behavior that is outside of our own arbitrary boundaries of a normal society. The concept of society is arbitrary itself, because it is learned. We are not born with the knowledge of "normal"; we create it, and therefore our normal is not right, or is it wrong, it just is.

Autistic behavior often poses many challenges, but at the same time, it is delightful, because it does impress me. It does not impress me in a Beethoven's 5th type of way, but it does impress me in a "Holy shit, I have spent the entire day getting you to sit in your chair for more than 2 seconds, but you can stand up quietly, and walk slowly down the hall and outside, pass the playground to a fence in the back field, with a cool, calm emotion while the rest of the world is freaking out because the fire alarm is going off" type of way.

Autism is so complex that we really have no clue what it is or where it comes from. The best thing to do is to look forward, and work with what we have. Use Behavior Analysis to solve life's most complex problems, and the world will be at ease.

Fiordland

2009-05-14T17:11:00.003-04:00

Here's a picture of me walking across a snowfield in Fiordland National Park, New Zealand. I'm feeling slightly nostalgic right now, though it's not a miserable feeling, but one of great joy.

Summer Training

2009-05-08T18:45:00.003-04:00

I am committed to becoming a better climber (mentally and physically). This summer I am employing a 4-3-2-1 training cycle to gear me up for my trip to Yosemite. Yes, this is another one of my performance management extravaganzas powered by Behavior Analysis.

I will be using the chart below to keep track of my training. Basically, for the next four weeks I am going to do as much climbing as possible, 3 to 4 times a week (endurance). Then, I will switch gears to maximize strength and power for 3 weeks, then working on anaerobic endurance for two weeks. I will then rest for a week, and then I will start a new cycle. I've already climbed 3 days this week, and I plan on either hitting the gym tomorrow or going to Grand Ledge on Sunday.

Obviously I am not a fitness guru. The training cycle and corresponding chart is based off of Eric Horst's wonderful book, Training for Climbing. Visit his Web site at www.trainingforclimbing.com. I'm currently looking for a performance manager, and once I find one, I will set up appropriate contingencies to keep me on track. I'll keep you posted.

Summer 1

2009-05-08T07:53:00.002-04:00

In my opinion, disc golf is just like golf, minus the etiquette. There's actually more to it than that, but I have concluded that the reason I do not like playing disc golf is not because I don't like the sport, but because I do not like the people surrounding the sport. It's a game, at least in Kalamazoo, that is inhabited by white trash, low life individuals who are unable to govern their behavior, as described by a simple set of rules (don't cut in front of people, don't throw discs when other people are in front of you, etc).

My short, simple conclusion: hippies and small plastic discs don't mix.

In other news, check out this link that Jim shared with me: http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/

2009-05-05T17:10:00.000-04:00

Back Again?

2009-05-03T19:55:00.003-04:00

It's summer, which means that my workload is relatively light. Consequently, it's time to make up for lost time with a few hobbies, including writing. Let's hope so...

Anyway, last week I went climbing at the Red River Gorge with Cal, Aeranie, and Eric:

Red River Gorge 2009

The trip was great. Not only was the weather fair, but the stone was absolutely amazing. There's something special about the Gorge, mixed with the awesome Kentucky landscape, that makes climbing there a remarkable experience.

I also learned how to trad climb (see above picture) while I was at the Red River Gorge. The main difference between sport climbing and trad climbing is that trad climbing involves placing protection in the rock, such as nuts or spring loaded camming devices, to protect you from a fall, instead of clipping into bolts that have been drilled into the rock (as is the case in sport climbing). In my humble opinion, trad climbing takes things to a new level; it places a higher level of responsibility on the climber, because bad placements could merit catastrophic results. Some of the best routes in the world can only be done using a traditional technique. It is one of my goals for the summer to become a better trad climber, because I will be spending 3 weeks in Yosemite at the end of the summer. Drew and I plan on climbing Royal Arches, a 14 pitch 1,400 foot climb:

Moving on, check out this picture of my new garden:

We have 2 tomato plants, 1 pea plant, and 1 parsley plant. Hopefully the frost is long gone, and that the yeild is plentiful :-)

Hi

2009-02-28T09:32:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been a while since I've rapped at ya'll. If you're wondering if I'm still alive, the answer is "barely".

Ice Fest 2009

2009-02-03T21:34:00.001-05:00

Ice Fest 2009

From Resolution to Reality: Making it Happen in 2009

2009-01-01T16:36:00.003-05:00

Making resolutions is a popular phenomena, yet a majority of them are never kept. For one reason or another, people fall off the wagon, and they never achieve the goals they wish to achieve. For those of you who are hoping to make 2009 the year you quit smoking, or the year you lost 20 pounds, here's some advice to get you started.

Step 1: find someone to help. More likely than not, you are not reliable to make the behavior change alone. If you were, you would have probably made that change a long time ago. Find a trusted friend or coworker to help you succeed; this person needs to be just as motivated as you are, and if you should ever cheat or fail, this person needs to be able to give you an earful in order to prevent you from sliding down the wrong path.

Step 2: specify the performance objectives. You need to be as specific as possible when you are managing behavior. "I want to work out on the treadmill 30 minutes a day/5x a week" is much more specific than "I need to get to the gym and lose weight."

Step 3: develop a concequence for failing to meet your performance objective. What will happen if you continue to smoke? What will happen if you don't make it to the gym? This consequence needs to be both sizeable and probable, but not so sizeable and probable that you are likely to cheat.

Step 4: put it in writing. Make a performance contract that describes the desired/undesired behavior, the occasion in which the behavior should or should not occur, and the added outcome for that behavior. Both you and your performance manager need to sign this.

Step 5: implement and take data accordingly. Graph your progress.

Step 6: you should meet with your performance manager at least 1 time a week to discuss your progress, and you should be willing/open to make changes if necessary. If you are not meeting your goal, your intervention is not as good as it needs to be. Revise your intervention, not your "attitude" or "commitment", because a good intervention will involve commitment and a positive attitude towards behavior change.

With practice and patience, you can make 2009 the year you did what you've always wanted to do.

303

2008-12-29T18:02:00.000-05:00

Paradigms

2008-11-10T09:57:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday and Sunday I attended my 3rd weekend long seminar for my Autism course. We discussed program models in great detail, and there was much debate about the effectiveness of each model. The two models that caused the most debate were the UCLA model (Lovaas) and the Verbal Behavior (VB) Model (Sundberg et al).

The UCLA model has been replicated a number of times, and has multiple research articles that provide consumers with the effectiveness of the model. The VB model does not have the luxury of the replication data possessed by the UCLA model, which caused a few students to be concerned.

Question 1: Should we adopt a model that does not have the scientific background that it's "opponent" does?

Most people won't have trouble answering this question. A majority of new, up-and-coming scientists see this as an obvious... of course you shouldn't! However, this conclusion isn't as obvious to me.

Let's explore the following questions:

1. Is a science a good science if and only if it has data that supports it? The answer to this question is NO. Here's why: any "science" can call itself "good science" by showing that it has data. Years ago, we had the nice, hard, scientific proof that showed that White Males were far superior to African American males. Why? Because the White males had a brain size significantly larger than African American males. At the present time, scientists have rejected this statement; good data doesn't mean good science.

2. Is a science a bad science if and only if it does not have data that supports it? Again, the answer to this question is NO. Why? Because every science has emerged from nothing, and as it emerges, it has no data. After a while, data is collected and analyzed accordingly. Never, when a new science emerges, do we say "It's a bad science because it does not have data." That's a self-destructive statement, and because of that, you cannot call a science a bad science on the above premise alone.

What separates good science from bad science is a wonderful philosophical debate that is much more complicated than what I have discussed here. However, it is in my opinion and within my frame of logic that an individual cannot debunk something that does not have data solely on the fact that it does not have data. Alternatively, just because something has data does not mean that it is a good, pure science (again, whatever a "good, pure science" is, is a major philosophical issue).

Hark Rockin'

2008-10-22T22:00:00.002-04:00

In the words of the great Jim Anchower: "Hola, amigos. I know it's been a long time since I rapped at ya, but things have been getting plenty hairy around here."

I did some calculations, and I have been averaging 60-70 hours/week for school related business. So if you're wondering why I haven't been ranting and raving about all sorts of nonsense, that is why. I haven't had time to sneeze, let alone maintain anything that can be identified as a "social life". Sorry, friends.

The good news is that I'm still alive, and I've been able to not develop a stomach ulcer from all of the stress that's involved with graduate school. Hopefully I can keep up the trend :-) One of these days I'll get back to writing about interesting things...

Conciousness

2008-10-02T09:23:00.002-04:00

There is an interesting philosophical debate that explores "consciousness" and whether or not it actually exists. According to wikipedia.org,

Consciousness has been defined loosely as a constellation of attributes of mind such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, and the ability to perceive a relationship between oneself and one's environment.

Is a conscious something an organism has? Or is a conscious just a metaphor man has developed to describe a complex set of verbal skills? By verbal skills, I mean the ability to think, use language, develop abstract concepts, etc? If you agree with the latter, then do you think that Rudolf the Rat or Polly the Pigeon are conscious? How about your cat, or your dog?

If you are interested in this topic of debate, I suggest you check out Dr. Matthew Normand's most recent podcast, "Discussing a functional approach to understanding consiousness" with Dr. Henry Schlinger. The podcast can be found here: http://www.theskinnerbox.com/CDBS/archive.html.

At times this topic has created heated debates. If we propose a behavior analytic approach to operationally identifying a conscious, we assume that it is learned and is not a separate spiritual or physical entity. I find it difficult to believe that dogs, cats, mice, pigeons, rats, or any other animal are subjected to the same contingencies that are responsible for developing a "conscious" repertoire similar to those of humans. Some organisms (like monkeys) may appear to have a conscious, but this is only because they are engaging in behavior that is similar to behavior of someone who is said to have a conscious. Just because they engage in this covert (observable) behavior, does not mean that they possess a complex verbal repertoire. This means that when your 3-month old son stares into your eye and giggles, he is not aware of his father in what we would define as a "conscious" way. Instead, he is simply reacting to immediate environmental contingencies, and it is only later when the child begins to speak when he will become "conscious".

At the least, it's worth thinking about (hehe). This is one of those things where we will probably never have a straight answer, unless we are able to completely crack the code of human behavior (stay tuned... same Bat Time, same Bat Channel).

Urban Legend

2008-09-26T08:23:00.002-04:00

I've always been a big fan of urban myths. Having grown up in an environment that fosters creative play and making fun out of nothing (aka growing up in the sticks), I've become a big fan of magical creatures lurking around in the woods, mountains, and valleys. Big Foot is probably one of my all time favorite urban myths, along with the existence of UFOs.

Urban myths also describe phenomena that seem real and exciting, but no one really knows why they exist or where they came from. Like the urban myth that Coke invented Santa, or the Bermuda Triangle... haha, they always make me laugh.

However ridiculous the urban myth is, they never seem to do much harm. But now, in our frantic age of existence, there is one urban myth that runs the possibility of doing detrimental harm: the myth that vaccinations cause autism.

Wakefield et al (1998) suggest that vaccines may cause autism as a bi product of gastro-intestinal complications. This caused quite a stir, and 8 studies were conducted to test Wakefield's hypothesis. Notice I said "Wakefield's hypothesis", because he never actually ran a study. He was simply extrapolating on little/no data from his armchair.

All of the studies concluded the same thing: there is no increase chance of autism from vaccination. Also, they found that there is no increase chance of regressive subtype of autism.

It was later found that Wakefield was receiving money from families who were suing vaccination companies. Ethics breach? Conflict of interest? Possibly. But since then, all of the co-authors of Wakefield's paper have publicly retracted their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine.

You're probably reading this thinking, "Well, shit! Why in the hell do people still chose to not vaccinate their children? Don't they know that this is all a crock?"

Unfortunately, most people don't know about this, and if they do, they don't want to take any chances. I understand completely. However, people need to have a little bit of faith in science, and they also need to take a look at the big picture.

If we chose not to vaccinate our children, we run the risk of an MMR outbreak, etc. I'm not an epidemiologist, but from what I understand, we are dangerously close to going below the "safe threshold" for vaccinations.

Before we do anything that could harm us or our children, we need to take a look at the big picture. A lot of parents are very, very scared that their children is going to “come down with the autisms” and because of that, emotions get in the way and they sometimes make poor decisions. It should be the responsibility of medical professionals to disseminate this information when parents are considering whether or not to vaccinate their children. Ultimately, it is the choice of the parent, but it’s the duty of the medical professional to dispel the urban myth that autism is caused by vaccines so parents can make an informed choice for their child’s future.

Post-Modern Behavior Analysis

2008-09-17T20:17:00.003-04:00

During my graduate seminar on Behavior Analysis this summer, Dr. Malott often discussed the term "Post-Modern Behavior Analysis." I'm pretty sure that Dr. Malott coined the term, because a wikipedia.org search turned up zero results, and I'm not aware of it's usage in a text book, research article, or presentation.

Post-Modern Behavior Analysis is an approach in which the behavior analyst applies interventions that are ultimately aimed to improve the quality of life of the individual, a group of individuals, or society, continuously and thoroughly. (Note: this definition is based off of Malott's lectures. I'm not taking credit; I just like talking about philosophy.)

What is so special about Post-Modern Behavior Analysis? The key terms are "continuously and thoroughly". Yesterday during my seminar on Behavior Analysis, one of my students asked me if it is common for behavioral interventions to include follow-ups, or maintenance procedures to make sure that the changes in the behavior are "permanent". And sadly, I had to answer "no". A majority of the interventions do not include this important element. Some scholarly journals now require that researchers do a 6-month follow-up. However, 6-months is a small period of time when you consider an entire life span of behavioral history.

A lot, if not most, of the articles published in scholarly journals in the field of behavior analysis are products of thesis or dissertation studies conducted by graduate students. It is very typical for a graduate student to enter an environment, make some wonderful changes, and then leave once the research has been completed. Often this research provides some wonderful insight on behavioral tools and technology. However, that technology is only as good as how it is implemented. Once the study is over, things always fall apart, and they go back to the way they once were. Making a temporary adjustment to a system does not provide a permanent solution to the problem. In order for the results of an intervention to maintain forever, the intervention must be maintained forever.

Some interventions may need 24/7 support, and some may only need to be checked on once every 10 years. However, it is the goal of the individual practicing Post-Modern Behavior Analysis to stick with the intervention until they are no longer physically able to do so. Even then, a thoroughgoing Post-Modern Behavior Analyst would set up a maintenance system to continue after they die, ensuring that all possible measures have been taken to keep the intervention/system in place.

Here's an example: at age 2 an individual is given the "autism" label. The student enters a special-education school and is provided with quality discrete trial training based on the principles of behavior. As the student progress through the educational system, a trained behavior analyst follows them every step of the way, constantly applying new and improved behavioral interventions that improve the quality the student's life. After the student graduates, the behavior analyst stays in touch with the individual, making changes and modifications as needed. According to Malott, if it so happens that an article is published in a scholarly journal, or a presentation or behavioral tool is designed, this is "icing on the cake".

Note that Post-Modern Behavior Analysis is purely a practitioner's model. Rigorous, experimental research is not normally conducted by practitioners. I don't foresee experimental researchers practicing this philosophical approach (although I'd be very pleased if someone could prove me wrong because this would only strengthen the philosophy).

The "ultimate intervention" is one that maintains itself forever. We must strive to create the ultimate intervention if we are to achieve the ultimate goal of Behavior Analysis: To save the world with Behavior Analysis.

A Few Things

2008-09-10T22:38:00.002-04:00

I've accumulated 18 of the 750 required hours of supervision to become a BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst), and I'm already exhausted. The track I am taking is the more intense version. For every 10 hours of practicum training, I get 1/2 hour of individual one-on-one supervision (at a minimum). Plus, we meet for one hour each week in a small group (6 MA students and 1 BCBA), and 1 hour per week in a large group (30 MA students and 4 BCBAs). I have a long way to go, no doubt.

In other news, Dr. Malott is opening the Kalamazoo Autism Center. For more info, check out the following links:

Original News Release: http://www.wmich.edu/wmu/news/2008/08/023.html

Radio Interview:
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wmuk/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_
ID=1348899

Article: http://www.autismvox.com/special-needs-daycare-center/

http://wkzonews.blogspot.com/2008/08/special-day-care.html

Dr. Malott is offering quality behavioral training at a fraction of the "normal" cost.

That is all, for now. I've been reading a lot, so I've got some thoughts brewing...

Obama, McCain, or Cressbeckler?

2008-09-07T12:21:00.002-04:00

Recently there have been a few recent articles ^[1] ^[2] about Obama and McCain and their position on mental health. The latter article is much more informal, while the article at PSYCHcentral.com gives a much more detailed analysis on where the candidates stand on mental health issues.

There has been some discussion on Vice Presidential Hopeful Sarah Palin's son, who has Down Syndrome. Some wonder if this will bring more "awareness" and "attention" to mental health issues to Washington. Possibly, but I'm quite skeptical of such change, or at least a positive, worthwhile change, for a few reasons. First, the United States has not done much for mental health in general. Second, Republicans (generally) have a poor track record for funding mental health. Third, the USA is suffering from an economic recession, and the budget deficit is completely fucked; there's no way a Republican would ever come close to providing the resources for a much needed systematic overall of the mental health system.

Democrats have a better voting record on mental health issues. However, most of the time, the money is spent on ineffective programs or public service announcements, with little or no attention paid to data driven science. Whether Democrats or Republicans are in control, Big Drug Corporations are major contributors to Washington. Those drug companies rely on the medical model of mental health treatment, a model that mental health supporters in Washington are likely to adopt and advocate. Without the medical model, drug companies lose revenue, and in turn, Washington will lose a major monetary contributor.

In conclusion, if funding does occur, it will be distributed to the wrong mental health systems. Whoever is elected president will be worthless in providing the necessary resources for adequate treatment to behavioral and "mental" health issues. This should come as no surprise.

Instead of voting for Obama or McCain, I will probably vote for Joad Cressbeckler. For more information about Cressbeckler, view the video below:

Old, Grizzled Third-Party Candidate May Steal Support From McCain

^{[1] http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/09/07/mccain-vs-obama-on-mental-health-psychology-issues/}

^{[2] http://thebehavioranalyst.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/some-thoughts-about-the-current-politics/}

I Have Returned

2008-09-01T13:52:00.003-04:00

Well, my vacation in the UP was great. Please feel free to take a peek at the pictures I took during the last two weeks:

Isle Royale 2008

Up and Around Marquette

Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore

Yellow Dog River

Today I'm getting ready for the start of school. This fall I'm teaching a seminar on behavior analysis, along with rat lab, and a course on academic self-management. I'm also taking 6 credits, spending 10 hours a week at Croyden (doing DTT), and managing countless other tasks.

My goal is to continue to write at least 1,000 words per week, so I can provide you with wonderful rants about behavior analysis, autism, science, and life (aka whatever else I feel like writing about). In the mean time, stay tuned, because things should get interesting... :-)

Vacation

2008-08-16T16:35:00.001-04:00

I'll be on vacation until September.

In the right hand column of my blog I've included links to other sites to read if you get bored :-)

Adopting an Enviornmental Determinism Model Without Blaming the Parents

2008-08-14T11:01:00.008-04:00

There are many theories that attempt to identify the etiology of autism. The prevalent theory in America, or perhaps modern society, is that autism is of a biological origin. Some say that the cause is genetic, and some attribute the “disease” as a neurobiological issue, while others blame diet or vaccines. A biological analysis is in line with modern medicine, the enabler of profit for drug companies. A biological view also places blame on the individual, the victim of the problem, and takes the responsibility off of the rest of society. Society, of course, would never raise such a misfit. [1]

In 2004 Drash and Tudor [2] broke the stagnant mold of biological determinism and developed a theory on the development of autism based solely on environmental variables. In layman’s terms, the authors suggested that individuals are not born with autism, they develop autistic behaviors early in their childhood due to a number of environmental, not biological, factors. The closest the authors come to mentioning a biological cause is when organic variables (such as hearing loss) play a factor in learning.

Early attempts to label autism as learned have been struck down by critics. Some argue that defining autism as a product of one’s learning history blames the parent, which is unacceptable. After all, it’s impossible for armchair discussion to compensate for the pain and torment of dealing with such a troubling issue first hand.

I think that we can not only take the blame off of the individual labeled as “autistic”, but also take the blame away from the parents (and everyone else) while maintaining integrity in Drash and Tudor’s analysis of autism as a learned “disorder”.

Victim Blaming

Malott discusses the concept of “victim” blaming as “Saying the victim of the problem is the cause of the problem.”[3] Victim blaming can also lead to circular reasoning, which is logical crap.

“Why does Drew chew on his hand?”
“Drew has autism.”
“Why does Drew have autism?”
“He chews on his hand.”

Another example:
“Why doesn’t Peter order his Isle Royale ferry ticket?
“He is lazy.”
“Why is he lazy?”
“He won’t order his Isle Royale ferry ticket.”

Both are examples of victim blaming and circular reasoning. What results from victim blaming? Not much. Traditionally we would say that Peter doesn’t care about his friends or his well being; instead he would rather be lazy. As for Drew, society will forever treat him like he’s sick, because he’s got those autism genes lurking back there, somewhere.

How would we fix the problem? Well, I’m glad you asked.

“Why does Drew chew on his hand?”
“Because chewing on his hand functions as a reinforcer for Drew.”
“Why does chewing on his hand function as a reinforcer?”
“Because years of research have demonstrated that a reinforcement contingency is behind every behavior that occurs.”
“So how do you solve the problem?”
“You can establish a behavior that is incompatible with chewing on his hand or stop the reinforcement contingency for that behavior, among others…”

“Why doesn’t Peter order his Isle Royale ferry ticket?”
“Because there are weak contingencies in place that do not control Peter’s purchasing behavior.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because years of research have shown that poor self-management results from poor control by rules…”
“How do you fix the problem?”
“Add additional performance management contingencies that are effective in controlling Peter’s purchasing behavior.”

Both propositions take the blame off of the individual, and provide an answer to the behavioral problem. With proper environmental manipulation, Drew will stop chewing on his hand, and Peter will purchase his Isle Royale ferry ticket, no matter how “autistic” or “lazy” you may think them to be.

What About the Parents?

I argue for a hands-off approach to blaming parents as the intentional perpetuators of autistic behavior. This too is a form of victim blaming. “Christine’s child is autistic because she’s a bad parent.” Drash and Tudor, and any other environmental determinist, suggest that parents are also a product of their environment, just like their children, and are subject to environmental variables just like their child. Somewhere, sometime, some little learning trial halted “normal” development, and turn the car down the dusty dirt road of “abnormal behavior.”

It has been raised to my attention that “the environment can’t be THAT responsible. It can’t quite possibly shape an abnormal behavior.” This is simply a naïve analysis. Just because you don’t notice an outcome, doesn’t mean it isn’t functioning. Just because you imagine that something will have no effect on your behavior, does not necessarily mean that is the case.

Autism as “Normal”, and Normal as “Abnormal”

Somewhere deep in the depth of the galaxy is the planet Bearth, a planet similar to Earth. The behavior of the prevailing organism on Bearth resembles that of what Earth labels as “autistic” behavior. And they’ve got this problem on Bearth; a diagnosis of “normal” is increasing at a rapid rate. Nobody knows what to do…

Assuming the model of environmental determinism is correct, every organism is born with a blank slate, and slowly the environment draws on that slate, creating and establishing values and behaviors within that organism. Having autistic behavior simply means that the environment has bread an individual outside of the constructs of “normal social behavior.” Society has built a framework that determines what is “normal” and “abnormal”, and autistic behavior just happens to be placed within the “abnormal” category that we have created. “Abnormal” is arbitrary, it doesn’t mean anything other than the connotations given to it by society. Again, no one is to blame for this “abnormality.”

Conclusions

Early intervention methods need to be adopted in order to prevent the early onset of autism. In order for the environmental determinism model to be adapted, society needs to understand that saying that the individual's behavior is the cause of his or her own environment does not place the blame on any one person or thing. It simply pinpoints the issue, and offers a solution. Understanding this concept will be a step in the right direction to adopting proper treatment and care for individuals labeled autistic.

^{[1] Understand that I’m perpetuating a stereotype by saying “Society, of course, would never raise such a misfit.” I would never believe such a lie, but some do, and that’s the issue.}
^{[2] Drash, P. W., & Tudor, R. M. (2004) An analysis of autism as a contingency-shaped disorder of verbal behavior. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior.}
^{[3] Malott, R. W. (2008). Principles of Behavior (6th ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.}

Clicker Training and Autism, Part II

2008-08-06T20:05:00.006-04:00

Due to a few things that have been brought to my attention, I'd like to refine my opinion on clicker training. First, everything I have written earlier I still stand by. However, I'm starting to think if, at the very beginning of skills training, a clicker (or a variation thereof) is actually better than using praise ("good job!").

The clicker emits a consistent sound, while praise is a variation of multiple sounds that is never the same. For example, "CLICK" is the same sound every time, while you will say "Good job" different every time. Your voice tone may fluctuate, you may hold vowels for longer periods of time, and you may speak louder or softer than usual. ^[1]

I think we take for granted that "Good job!" will function properly as a reinforcer every time (at least initially).

Take a look at it this way (I need to make myself clear that every time I draw an analogy between humans and non-humans, I'm not degrading anyone or anything. Remember, all organisms operate under the same principles of behavior): let's say that we're working with Rudolf the Rat at in the Skinner box. Every time the rat presses the lever, the dipper goes "CLICK" and Rudolf takes a lick of water. CLICK becomes a learned reinforcer, because it is paired with the water. So now, we can use CLICK to establish a new behavior for Rudolf (pressing the lever with his nose, instead of his paws), as long was we pair CLICK with water every once and a while. But what if I'd like to shape the response of Rudolf pressing the lever with his butt. Instead of using the stimulus CLICK to reinforce the behavior of pressing the lever with his butt, I use the BLICK stimulus (which resembles CLICK along all dimensions except for one letter, or sound to remain true to the analogy).

Question: Will BLICK function as a learned reinforcer that will help establish Rudolf's behavior of pressing the lever with his butt?

A. Yes, it will function as a reinforcer
B. No, it will not
C. I'm confused
D. Rats can't press a lever with their butt

Answer: B... BLICK is a neutral stimulus and has no value, and therefore cannot function as a reinforcer. Although it closely resembles CLICK, it is not the same stimulus, and does have the same value.

Now we're in the booth, doing discrete trial training where Jimmy's tutor wants to teach him to touch his head.

Question: Do variations of "good job" still function as learned reinforcers that will help establish behavior? (Assuming the tutor has paired "GOOD JOB" with food, making "GOOD JOB" a learned reinforcer. Remember, the tutor is also saying "Good job", "good job", and "GooD JOb")

A. Yes, they are all the same
B. No, the inconsistency matters
C. What happened to Rudolf

Answer: B. It matters. And that's why the clicker should be used at the beginning until the child can develop the complex skill of generalizing various versions of "good job" as reinforcers. That is, unless the child is past the point where this is an issue, then we can use variations of "Good job" without too much worry.

Conclusion: Early on, children may lack the skills to generalize variations of praise across tutors or parents. Until the child develops the necessary skills, the variable "good job" cannot function as a reinforcer as strongly as the consistent CLICK can. CLICK can be used to get the ball rolling, until the skills get up to speed, and then we can start to use more "normal" forms of reinforcement. ^[2]

^{[1] In Science and Human Behavior Skinner talked about behavior as an arbitrary function of the environment. Behavior may resemble itself in the regard that it is from the same class of behavior, but it can not be duplicated 100%. This is an interesting, philosophical issue that's up for debate, and I would argue that I agree with him on this issue.}

^{[2] I say "normal forms of reinforcement" with some hesitancy, because much of our daily behaviors are controlled significantly by CLICKS, DINGS, and many other forms of auditory stimuli.}

Clicker Training and Autism

2008-08-05T12:42:00.004-04:00

A few days ago in my seminar, someone brought up the topic of using clicker training with children labeled autistic. I loved the idea, but a few of my well-respected friends cringed at the thought of using the same object you use to train a dog to train a child. It then came to me that there must be some sort of ethical dilemma with the use of clicker training with children labeled autistic. So, I'll explore this discussion, and inevitably conclude that using a clicker is no different than saying "Good job".

Don't quote me, but I'm pretty sure that Dr. Karen Pryor is responsible for revolutionizing modern clicker training. ^[1] Regardless, the clicker is traditionally used to reinforce a desirable behavior. The clicker, which is a stimulus that has no initial value, is paired with a reinforcer (usually food), and the click becomes a learned reinforcer. So instead of giving Fido a treat everytime he does something cool, you can just use the clicker, as long as you pair it with food every once in a while.

At my practicum site, we start out by using food to reinforce behavior in children labeled autistic. Food is an unlearned reinforcer, and as long as the child is hungry (at least a little bit), food works quite well to reinforce behavior. However, it's not very practical to give a child food every time he/she does something right. So instead we pair the food with praise (praise is a neutral stimulus just like the clicker. Praise does not have value, or has little value, initially because the young children labeled autistic often lack the complex, verbal repertoire found in "normally functioning" children). Once the reinforcing function of praise is established, we can use it to reinforce behavior, as long as we pair it with food (or some sort of other unlearned reinforcer) every once and a while.

Just as the clicker reinforcers appropriate behavior in the dog, praise reinforces appropriate behavior in children. Both praise and the clicker involve the same pairing process, and only differ in along a small stimulus dimension (both involve a sound, however they differ on the type of sound). They are the same thing.

And that's what I was so surprised when my colleagues objected to the idea of using a clicker with children labeled autistic. They must have been hinting at the fact that praise is more natural. And I agree with this. But until the verbal repertoire of the child reaches the complexity to be able to fully "understand" praise (Good job matching object to object), a clicker will do just as good, because the praise is just a big wall of white noise coming at the child.

My own uneducated guess would be to leave the language development up to the speech pathologist (one who is trained in the principles of behavior), and the learning and performance of appropriate behavior up to the Behavior Analyst.

The only reason people would object to the use of clicker training is because they are misinformed about the principles of behavior, and they think that just because something is used with a dog, it can't possibly be ethical to use it with humans. If you're still in doubt, I suggest that you spend one day keeping track of everything that goes "click", "ding"m "bam" etc, and then you'll realize how right I really am :-)

^{[1] For an interesting book on animal training, I suggest you check out Don't Shoot the Dog! By Karen Pryor. It gives a great introduction to animal training, just in case you don't feel like consulting your friendly neighborhood Behavior Analyst.}

A Mild Digression

2008-08-02T13:13:00.003-04:00

In two weeks I'll be in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, soaking in the cool, August sun and thinking about everything BUT behavior analysis :-) I'll be spending one week in and around Marquette, chilling with Drew and my family, rock climbing, hiking, and camping. Then, on August 23 (Happy Birthday, Kristen!) Zach, Peter and I will be heading to Isle Royale for a 7-day backpacking mission (Antics Tour Part 3: Make Wolf Noises to Scare Zach All Night).

It's always good to take a break from the daily grind and do something fantastic. It it weren't for trips like this to look forward to, life would become boring (at least for me). I use these trips to motivate me when times get tough, and I suggest you do the same :-)

New Layout

2008-08-01T23:29:00.004-04:00

I've introduced a new layout. Enjoy.

Generalization

2008-08-01T11:30:00.003-04:00

I'm a bit "off of my rocker" today. Earlier, I spent 10 seconds waving my hand in front of a paper towel dispenser, waiting for it to pump out paper towels... it turned out to be a manual dispenser.

Then, a few hours later, I spent 10 minutes trying to use the ATM machine with no luck, only to realize that I had stuck my credit card into the ATM machine, and not my debit card.

Eek.

Behavior Analysis and Schizophrenia

2008-07-31T22:23:00.003-04:00

It's Thursday night, and the deadline for my weekly writing quota is feverishly approaching ... yikes! With the hope of finding something interesting to talk about, I opened up my Google Reader ^[1]. To my luck, Psy D. John Grohol had posted an interesting article about schizophrenia and it's "causes".^[2] Lucky for me, we just had a big discussion about this issue in class today...

In case you're not familiar with schizophrenia, look it up.

Grohol says,

The reality is that after hundreds of research studies into the biology and genetics of schizophrenia, all signs point to the fact that schizophrenia may be caused by thousands of rare gene variants. In other words, if you have one of these rare gene variants, you would be at greater risk for the disorder.

It may be the case that certain genes predispose us to the way outcomes affect our behavior. However, genes don't cause behavior to occur; reinforcement causes behavior to occur, those "schizophrenic" behaviors are learned.

This is a big error that a lot of people make. They make the assumption that genes are responsible for our behavior. Does this mean that my mother has the dental assistant gene, and my father has the awning-guy gene? I must have the "wake up at 7:30am every morning and do homework all day" gene. Give me a break.

More from Grohol:

Of course, the problem with this is that there are only limited ways the pharmaceutical industry can help if this is the case (notwithstanding one of the researchers’ quotes in the article). In fact, if the disorder is caused by thousands of different gene variants, there may be some real challenges in developing treatments based upon this understanding.

He's hit that one right on the money. Even if we all had those schizophrenic genes, the pharmaceutical companies cannot do much, let alone help us learn "appropriate behaviors" that exist in "non-schizophrenics", or "normal functioning humans" (society has us so appropriately labeled).

In comparison, today’s pharmaceutical treatments could be see as the over-the-counter medications you can take to treat a cold — they help with the symptoms, but do little for the underlying disease (which we still can’t treat!).

I think a majority of Americans actually do believe that having a "mental illnesses" is equal to something like the flu: you catch it, you take your pills to get rid of the problem, and you slowly get better. Grohol is implying that behaviors resulting from mental illnesses are underlying symptoms of a "disorder", just like a sore throat and a runny nose is a symptom of the flu.

Some Behavior Analysts have suggested that we are making an error of reification by implying the cause of a behavior, and using that behavior as proof of the cause.

For example:
Why is Matt acting so strange?
He is a schizophrenic.
Why is he a schizophrenic?
He is acting strange.

Catch my drift?

It's time to dig a little deeper. Let's use an example of a class of "schizophrenic behavior" and compare them to what we would call normal...

Let's say you fantasize about death all day and all night. All you can think about is God, dying, heaven and hell.

It is very normal to think about these concepts. A majority of cultures have tackled the issue of life after death. In fact, many people (ie the Pope) have devoted their lives to religion, death, heaven, and hell.

The outcomes that control this behavior are the same for the "schizophrenic" as they are for us. Thoughts of God are comforting because they eliminate the uncomfortable notion of our lives being rendered meaningless the moment we die. What's so abnormal about a little bit of reassurance?

Obviously with a "schizophrenic" individual, the problem is that the reassurance is obsessive and often inappropriate. This is one of the main differences between "schizophrenics" and "normal functioning" humans.

The social outcomes for schizophrenic behavior are extravagant! Think about all of the attention you would get for acting strange. People underestimate the power of attention as a reinforcer. Attention works for "schizophrenics" as it works for you and I.

We fail to suppress these behaviors, especially in today's society where drugs are used to counteract "symptoms". When we verbally punish someone for their inappropriate behavior, we run the risk of that so called "punisher" actually strengthening the behavior. Remember, negative attention is still attention (I've found this to be especially true in most, if not all, group homes).

We fail to provide alternative activities that are incompatible with "schizophrenic" behaviors. I work once a week at a group home as a supervisor, and I am either passing medications or cooking dinner; I never have time to provide the residents with things to do to keep them from engaging in inappropriate behaviors. With a 6-resident to 2-staff ratio, it's impossible even if I'm not cooking or passing medications.

So how do we fix the problem? We eliminate the inappropriate social reinforcement, we use effective punishment (Don't get all worked up over my use of the term punishment. The only people who get worked up over this word are the people who don't know what it means. So if you're upset, look it up. And if you're still upset, you still don't understand), and we provide activities to take the load off of the "schizophrenic" behaviors and place them back onto "normal" behaviors.

To avoid simplifying this issue, I must admit that this may possibly mean a life-long commitment of the applications of the principles behavior to solve this behavioral problem.

That's the run-down, the behavioral run-down anyway. It's just another way of looking at the world. However, this world view offers a solution to the problem. It gets to the core issue: the behavior. It leaves the medical model in the dust; we don't need the medical model to survive as noble human beings who tackle difficult behavioral issues. All we need is some good training in applied behavior analysis, and a bit of dedication. Add it all up, and you've got yourself a solution! (And I've met my goal for the week once again!)

^{[1] I told myself the rule that I was not allowed to browse the internet; instead, I'm only on my computer to write and do research, otherwise I'd be procrastinating, and we all know how bad that is}
^{[2] http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/
07/30/what-causes-schizophrenia-maybe-rare-gene-variants/}

Autism Moms Pursue Degrees in Applied Behavior Analysis

2008-07-30T12:11:00.006-04:00

A New York Times article, published on April 20, 2008^[1] talks about how a number of mothers with children labeled with autism or other "spectrum disorders" are dropping their regular jobs, and pursuing masters degrees in Applied Behavior Analysis. This is incredible for two reasons: 1. the number of behavior analysts are increasing, and 2. behavioral training at home, in addition to behavioral training at school, greatly increases the prognosis of "autistic" children.

During the graduate seminar I have been taking this summer, a number of my fellow students have expressed interest in parent training. The general assumption (at least from what I have gathered), is that parents could only benefit from an understanding of how learning works, and how the principles of behavior apply to everyday life, and not just the Skinner box. A number of my fellow students have also addressed concerns that teaching parents to be quality behavior analysts is a bit of a pipe dream, since most people work 40 hours a week, have other children, and are overwhelmed with life's responsibilities. This is normal, no doubt. And I must clarify that I am in no way saying that adults with children labeled autistic are bad parents; they aren't. But they could all benefit from training in Applied Behavior Analysis.

So it seems that getting a masters degree in ABA solves the issue, at least one parent at a time. This way, not only can the parent apply competent interventions, but they also act as a resource for other parents, along with other competently trained behavior analysts.

It seems to me that parents with children labeled as autistic are the biggest advocates for autism and autism treatment, and I'm happy to see more and more parents picking up Applied Behavior Analysis and ditching ineffective "treatments".

^{[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/education/edlife/continuinged.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Organizations/U/University%20of%20North%20Carolina}

How to Write With Style

2008-07-28T09:48:00.002-04:00

Go ahead and check out this ^[1] anecdotal article about writing with style. It's good, no doubt. Too good.

^{[1] Thanks to Jim for recommending this article.}

Self-Management Update

2008-07-24T10:06:00.001-04:00

This week I have written well over 1,400 words (while wearing a sweater-vest and smoking a pipe filled with very fine tobacco), exceeding my goal of 1,000 words.

I was working an a statement to defend myself in which my words were misconstrued and taken out of context. However, I have decided that I will avoid this pissing contest, and move along to bigger and better things, aka getting ready to teach this Fall...

However, I offer this analysis as to why I wrote so much this week:

Mmm... fun!

Impressive Monitoring!

2008-07-23T12:04:00.002-04:00

I'd like to share with you an impressive example of monitoring/self-management. Visit: www.whatihaveread.net and see for yourself. The graphs are impressive, and for someone to track all of that data for so long... wow!

I've Been Hoisted On My Own Petard

2008-07-22T08:25:00.006-04:00

Ok, in case you're coming from here, and you think I'm a crazy tyrant, or an ignorant, dogmatic (well, I may be dogmatic), product of academia, just hold on a second.

The brief description I gave of the Judge Rotenberg Center was an overview, and was not completely thorough in terms of data, description, etc. It was written to be a general bias of information.

However, my opinions still remain:

1. JRC should remain open
2. We need programs like JRC
3. I am not a public relations machine for JRC, I am merely a student of behavior analysis and an advocate for the right to effective treatment

Apparently my blog supports "...extreme physical aversives against children." But again, they are missing my point. I don't have time to get into detail on the matter right now (as I have numerous hours of homework to complete in which I will learn about how to shock innocent people effectively, not), but I will return to this subject later. Stay tuned.

Judge Rotenberg Center

2008-07-18T10:05:00.004-04:00

Before you read this, read this.

In the heart of Massachusetts lies the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC), a controversial behavioral program known for it's use of aversive behavioral techniques. Don't be fooled, it's mission is a noble one.

Once the JRC accepts a student, they do not expel them due to their difficult behavior problems. For some, JRC is the last of many stops they have made over the years. Often, individuals are pushed around in the system through programs and institutions that were unable to get their behavior under control. Once they come to JRC, all of that changes. They minimize/ditch the use of psychotropic medication, and get to the heart of the behavior issues. ^[1]

"JRC relies primarily on the use of positive programming and educational procedures to modify the behaviors of its students. If however, after giving these procedures a trial for an average of eleven months, they prove to be insufficiently effective, JRC then considers supplementing them with more intensive treatment procedures known as aversives. These are used only after obtaining prior parental, medical, psychiatric, human rights, peer review and individual approval from a Massachusetts Probate Court." (from the JRC Web site)

Notice the legal boundaries they have to cross in order to use shock. It's not like there's some sick, sadistic behavior analyst sitting behind a desk ordering Johnny to be zapped. Oh no, everything is looked after, carefully. And from what I understand, if a staff member delivers a shock when they should not have, they are terminated on the spot. How's that for ethics?

When you look at the big picture, shock isn't horrible at all. For example, you've been pushed through numerous institutions, while maintaining a diet of heavy, government regulated psychotropic drugs. You are 120 pounds overweight, you sleep all day, and you still engage in numerous problem behaviors that are dangerous to you and society. Everything has failed: positive behavioral support, drugs, talk therapy, etc. The only thing that is left is shock, and it works. A few jolts can go a long way, just look at the data (from the slide show cited earlier):

Of course, I'm probably blowing the situation out of proportion, and I cannot speak for any case that has come and gone from JRC. Nor can I speak for the entire field of applied behavior analysis, as even our most prominent researchers such as Skinner and Risely argued against the use of aversive control (I'll save this discussion for another day; but to give you a heads up, Skinner was wrong when he said we can build a world free of aversive control).

But as always, most lawmakers and parents don't understand the necessity of this treatment. It's gone as far where some states are considering passing legislation to stop the funding of individuals who attend programs that use aversives. If these laws were to pass, they would set an awful precedent, killing the possibility of the "lost causes" receiving effective treatment. We're so fixated on drugs and medicine; we'll prescribe drugs with horrible side effects that do major damage to our body over a long period of time, but we won't allow a few skin shocks to stop an otherwise lifetime of problems. It's all fucked up.

^{[1] http://www.judgerc.org/slideshow.pdf Take a look at the slide show PDF for all sorts of cool data, etc}

If You're Happy and You Know It, Climb a Statue

2008-07-16T14:08:00.003-04:00

Click here to view pictures that Dr. Malott took to celebrate our completion of the 1st half of Boot Camp.

With my summer class 1/2 over, I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel (aka my 2 week trip to the U.P.). I spoke with Pete a few days ago, and he's more than excited for our backpacking trip to Isle Royale. Hooray. However, I haven't been able to get a hold of Zach for the past month; if you see Zach, slap him, and tell him to call me.

Without getting too in-depth, I'd like to explain why the medical model does not work for young children diagnosed "autistic", and why medicine is not the answer (90% of people will disagree with this, BTW):

The thought of such a crippling, mind boggling disorder being a product of a strange, abnormal behavioral history does not sit well with most people. We like to consider that anything "abnormal" is a cause of an inner process, one that can be masked quite easily with drugs. As with the case of Downes Syndrome, there is a specific biological abnormality responsible for multiple problems. However, there are none with autism. There's no "autism" gene, or an "autism" brain abnormality. So we're left in the dark as far as a cause is concerned.

Still, the public and a lot of medical professionals are hell-bent on medicating, even though they're not quite sure what it is, exactly, that they are medicating. The only benefit, that I can see, of medication, is to tone the child/person down, so they will not exhibit any (or will exhibit less) problem behavior. Problem behavior is a big deal, especially with the younger kids I see at Croyden. However, fixing the problem behavior does not fix the over-all problem: the learning and social deficits.

We manage learning and social deficits through behavioral training, using a variety of principles of learning. We cannot manage learning and social deficits through medication. Why not? Consider this: if researchers say "We have discovered the ultimate pill to 'cure' autism," it's the equivalent of saying, "We've discovered the magical pill of knowledge. Here, take one." We can numb the person down so they are more likely to acquire skills, but medicine, itself, cannot provide them with skills.

I would like one Behavioral Boot Camp pill, please. Oh, and I'll also take that magical "2 years of graduate school" pill, too, so I don't have to waste my time on my MA degree when I can just take a pill and make it all better.

It seems like I'm being ridiculous and simplifying the analysis, but I really don't think I am. Lately, the public opinion has been ridiculous, and the ignorance bothers me.

I feel for the parents and individuals who have to suffer. They get so caught up in the latest trends, Time Magazine articles, and whatever it is that Jenny McCarthy is doing, that they lose trace of real science. They do not understand how research works, they do not understand how replication works, and they sure as hell don't understand that scientific research has constructed it's own methods to support it's own data, and that it's inherently flawed in nature. ^[1] So no matter what we do, or what we believe in, we have to be skeptical. However, within that healthy level of skepticism, we have to learn to demarcate "good science" from "crap science", a failure to discriminate that is wasting loads of money and time in America

^{[1] This goes for most, if not all sciences (including behavior analysis).}

Fake Facebook.com Profile

2008-07-12T11:53:00.001-04:00

What's up, souljas? A few of my seemingly clever cohort members have found it funny to make me a Facebook. com profile. Just FYI: that's not me, and I still hate facebook.
Soooo, do as you wish with friend requests, but please be aware that if you need to get a hold of me, you can contact me here on Myspace. com, or you can visit Mattbrodhead. com As always, I'll continue to hate Facebook while being a hypocrite who uses Myspace...

Additionally, they are not the first people to try and do this. Gus did it a few years ago... d00t d00t

Self-Management Update

2008-07-10T12:15:00.004-04:00

You may recall an earlier post where I promised to write at least 500 words of non-fiction a week, along with 500 words of fiction per week. Well, here's an update: I've obandonded my goal of writing 500 words of fiction per week. Instead, I'm trying to write at least 1,000 words per week, regardless of the genre.

Here's the graph showing my progress so far:

There are three conditions on the graph, which are seperated by the two vertical black lines. The first condition is the baseline (no intervention), and the second condition stated that if I didn't make my goal of 500 words, I'd lose my iPod for three days. And the third condition states the same rule, except my goal has changed from 500 to 1,000 words. Any questions?

Punished by Rewards

2008-07-09T09:18:00.009-04:00

Has anyone ever heard of this guy, Alfie Kohn? He has written a book called Punished by Rewards, and I recently read an interview with him at this Web site.

So let's set the backbone for discussion. Behavior, by definition, is a "muscle, glandular, or neuro-electrical activity" ^[1]. And to go along with that, in order for a behavior to occur, there must be some sort of reinforcement behind that behavior. Whether it is stimuli arising from moving your hand to your face, or dropping a piece of candy into your mouth, there is a reinforcement contingency behind EVERYTHING you do.

But of course, regular, normal, natural reinforcement is a lot different than added, performance management, reinforcement. And that's what Mr. Kohn is discussing, at least in his interview.

"They do work in the short term, but at a great cost. Rewards, like punishments, are useful for getting exactly one thing: temporary compliance. By bribing or threatening kids, you can get them to do what you want as long as the reward or the punishment keeps coming. You'll never get anything more substantial than that."

I think he's half right: rewards get compliance. But you have to look at it this way: if a behavior isn't occurring, then there isn't an effective naturally occurring reinforcement contingency behind that behavior. So the point of performance management is to add additional components to the environment in order for a desired behavior to occur.

Bribes are different than rewards. Bribes come before the behavior, and often involve a sort of unethical deal. For example, "I'll give you $100 now if you blow the big game on Friday." That's a bribe. "You'll get your allowance when you clean your room." is not a bribe, because the outcome comes after the behavior, and it's an ethical behavior that the person is asked to engage in; it's a rule describing an outcome. Mr. Kohn is confused about this distinction.

I will admit, that there's a problem with performance management. The moment you take the added contingencies away, the behavior is most likely to fall back to where it was before. However, any great performance management contingency will account for this, and slowly fade out the system, so the children will be able to go off their natural environment, more and more, instead of an added incentive program.

"In the course of a day, we tell people things over and over instead of bringing them in and getting their perspective and solutions. For example, a child who comes up with her own remedy for getting out the door on time, every morning, is a child who has been helped to take charge of her own life. She's been encouraged to think about how to solve problems."

I think he's on to something here. However, you have to understand that "problem solving" is a complex skill set, just like organizing your room or writing a paper. If a child does not have these skills, they need to be taught. We don't just develop "problem solving skills" out of thin air.

(continuing from the last quote) "...The child has taken ownership of the solution, and that makes it more likely to succeed. Regardless of the specific result, the process itself is also terribly important. It creates a very different dynamic in a family that's based on respect, not on treating kids like pets."

Yes, we need to focus on the process. However, although I hate to say it, the same principles of reinforcement and punishment that work for your pets, also work for you and I. This is chilling for some people to grasp, and I understand that. But the only thing that separates you from Fido is that you a have a complex set of verbal skills. In the end, we're all just products of our environment.

Question: "If rewards are out, then what should we do when kids refuse to cooperate?"

Kohn: "I think we have to look at the deeper reasons why the child is not interested. In many cases involving school, the trouble lies not with the child's motivation, but with the task and the way it's being taught"(emphasis added).

"With the way it is being taught." If there's a motivational issue, and if the behavior is not occurring at a desired frequency, rate, whatever... then there's not an effective reinforcement contingency behind that behavior, or in other words, rewards.

"The skills and intellectual exploration nested in the tasks we ask kids to perform must be connected to their own questions and interests. Many schools don't do this, so they "have to" manipulate kids with grades, stickers, and the like. It's a reflection of a problem with their teaching strategy, and parents should know this."

I think Mr. Kohn should start a school where you can come and go as you please, there's no incentive to do anything, and there's no competition because "you're all hear to advance as individuals." And see how many people show up. Get back to me with those numbers, but I can already guess that it will be close to zero.

I must show my respect to Mr. Kohn. He seems like a very well read, very successful individual. But I think he's misled about how rewards work in our environment, as subtle or as substantial as they may seem. If it weren't for rewards, he wouldn't have written the many fine books he has published, and he wouldn't have raised his kids in a probably well rounded manor. If we took the rewards out of Mr. Kohn's life, he'd lay in bed, all day long, staring at the ceiling, with nothing to live for.

As always, if anyone has anything to add to this, please submit a comment. I'd be pleased if we can get a discussion going on any one of these posts/ideas.

^[1]Malott 2008

A Brief History of Behavior Analysis, and a Rant on Environmental Determinism

2008-07-07T23:39:00.009-04:00

I often find it funny that I'm in love with a science that has evolved almost by accident, with many near-death experiences along the way. To toot my own horn I'm going to describe a very brief overview of the history of behavior analysis, with no outside research (not to say that this summary is inaccurate; I just wouldn't use it for your 12th grade science paper, unless...). And then I'll rant, rant, rant, until I become sick of writing :-)

So where do we begin when we talk about "the history of psychology?" We'll start with Freud, whom although was very introspective, he was an environmental determinist. Essentially, environmental determinism is a school that preaches that our behavior (our person, our likes and dislikes, and everything about the way we go about our lives) is learned and that we were not born to be dentists, farmers, rich, or poor. Biological determinisn is essentially the oppossite theory, stating that our behavior is a product of our biological makeup (genes, etc).

A little later, a Russian physiologist name Ivan Pavlov discovered the phenomena of "classical conditioning", which laid the tracks for modern psychologists Edward Thorndike (who put cats in a puzzle box and discovered a learning curve associated with successive, successful trials), and John Watson and his famous "Litte Albert" experiment (if you have time, read about the Little Albert experiment; it's a classic).

Pavlov, Thorndike, and Watson basically (though simplisticly described here) paved the way for a curious man with a BA in creative writing who somehow ended up with a Ph D in psychology from Harvard University. Burrhus Frederic Skinner published his first work, The Behavior of Organisms: An Experimental Analysis in 1938, sparking a movement of scientists throwing rats and pigeons in cages with a lever and a light, reinforcing and punishing specific responses and measuring the frequency of behavior on a graph; before this, no other approach to psychology had taken such rigorous and objective measurements to support their hypotheses and conclusions.

And for the next 20 years or so, behaviorists ran multiple experiments with rats and pigeons, and the world started to wonder what the fuss was all about. It wasn't until Ayllon and Michael (1959) when the all of the cool stuff scientists were learning about rats in a cage was transfered into a real life, applied, human setting. And that, my friend, served as the catalyst for the creation of the field of applied behavior analysis.

Remember our good friend Freud who I mentioned earlier? There's a fundamental similarity between Freud and Skinner, which that they were both environmental determinists (Skinner more so than Freud). Environmental determinism is a key principle of behavior analysis: the effects of our actions determines whether we will repeat them. And since Skinner, many behavioral experiments and applications have shown this to be the case.

Not all scientists agreed with Skinner, and a number of scientists abandoned behavior analysis and began to shift to a more cognitive, mentalist perspective, leaving a few Skinner box junkies hanging on by a loose thread. And more emphasis began to be placed on our genes and our brain (and other biological conditions). Some have even referred to the behavior analysis craze as "the Dark Ages of psychology."

Behavior analysis became unpopular within the scientific community. No one really understood how rats in a box could transfer to real-life, human settings, because humans are much more complex than rats, right?

But then, something great happened. Sometime in the late 70's (or was it the early 80's...) a man by the name of Ivar Lovaas took the principles used on the rat in box, applied them to children labeled autistic (whom many felt autism was a genetic, biological disorder), and turned the children into normal, functioning human beings with no residual traces of any "autistic" behaviors. This is what I like to call the "SLAM DUNK" for behavior analysis. And since Lovaas, the public misconception is slowly lifting, and behavior analysis is beginning to receive the credit it deserves. ^[1]

What's so special about the Lovaas experiment? Well, a few things. First, it changed the quality of life for a number of individuals, and it has provided hope for thousands of others. But I think the more important point is that the experiment took a seemingly biological problem and "removed" it, completely. What does this show? Well, there's a big probability that autism is learned, and that we are not born "autistic". And even if we are born "autistic" it makes no sense to blame the biological variables for the "disorder", when we can modify an environment to eliminate "autistic" behaviors and establish functioning, socially acceptable behaviors.

Here's the big picture: people think that "mental disorders" are similar to other disorders, like the flu or lupus. People think that you can "catch" a mental disorder like you can catch the flu. So in turn, we treat mental disorders like we do with any other disorder; we medicate, evaluate, and continue to medicate. But the problem never goes away. We nearly mask it with drugs. It's an easy fix for society, because it doesn't have to put in the time and the resources to manage the behavioral problems, and the drug companies get richer and richer each and every day.

We hurt ourselves by taking drugs to fix behavioral problems. The drugs need to have minimal success to be approved by the FDA, even when the effects of the drug influence a certain part of the brain that is thought, but not proven, to influence behavior patterns. It's becoming a commonly held notion in the psychological community that depression is no longer caused by abnormal levels of serotonin; how many people do you know that take SSRIs? It's chilling, bro.

Let me ask you this: a number of Hollywood stars who have children labeled "autistic" are involved in the advocation of specific diets (gluten free) and treatments (coping therapy). Say you have a 2 year old who only cries, hits, and screams... what will cutting wheat out of his/her diet do to influence that behavior? Nothing. What will teaching the child how to cope do to his behavior? Nothing. Why won't teaching the child to learn how to cope influence his behavior? Because the child does not even "know" what coping is. "Coping" is a metaphorical, abstract idea that we have created as high-functioning, highly verbal human beings. You'll be lucky if you can get that "autistic" 2 year old to touch his nose on command, let alone "deal with stress". (If you can find me a 2 year old who is familiar with coping and all that it entails, please e-mail me. I'd be amazed to hear about it.)

And that is why we have to treat the child with "autism" is exactly like Rudolf the Rat. They are non-verbal organisms with a limited behavioral repertoire, until they develop the skills that are necessary to thrive in our contrived social system. We teach him, step by step, day by day, using the same principles we use in the rat lab, until the child develops the capacity to be verbal, and then we can teach him those complex ideas such as "coping" and "dealing with stress." (yes, this is a simplistic way of putting it.)

Environmental determinism. Learn it. Know it. Live it.

^[1] Kristen pointed out that it wasn't actually Lovaas who was responsible for the explosion of behavior analysis as a treatment for autism. It was actually a woman by the name of Catherine Maurice wrote a book called "Let Me Hear Your Voice," a detailed account of her struggle with a daughter and son labeled autistic, and their complete recovery. She's right. She also pointed out that behavior analysis was never really popular to begin with. She's right about that, too.

Skinner on Gambling and Free Will

2008-07-06T12:25:00.001-04:00

Skinner on gambling and free will:

Are We Dedicated, or Are We Stupid?

2008-07-04T11:51:00.003-04:00

In the distance I can hear the faint sounds of celebration. Fireworks, car horns, and beer bottles clinking are just a few of the familiar stimuli that arise from celebrating the 4th of July.

I've been known to be awfully critical of America and Her system. However, I've always been proud to be an American. Especially today, I feel proud to be one of many who have been so properly nourished by this great country.

This is the 2nd year in a row when I have not been in Harbor Springs to celebrate the 4th of July. Last year, I was in Hamilton, New Zealand, and the 4th of July seemed like every other day. A few of my American friends said "Happy 4th!" while in passing, but it never meant much to me because I was so consumed with the then novel enviornment of New Zealand. Now that I'm home again, I more than miss Harbor Springs.

In fact, the last time I was in Harbor Springs, my 4th of July was sooo full of emotions... you could take an entire year of emotions of a 13 year old pre-pubecent girl, and shove them all into one day; that was what my 4th of July was like two years ago. Do I miss that? Yes! But we are strong, and we are rebuilding...

A lot of people think that it's ludicres for Dr. Malott to hold class on the 4th of July. Personally, I won't object to that statement. I think it's downright crazy, and there are 100 other things I would rather be doing. But I understand the principle behind his decision: in order to become a dedicated practicioner of the science of human behavior, you have to make sacrifices, and one of those sacrifices is giving up your day to celebrate your own freedom to attend a 3 hour seminar on rule governed behavior. It's hard to argue with that, at least for me.

In the end I guess we will all have different ways of celebrating our freedom. Remember, if you're one of the few who manage to pass out on my boat tonight back in Harbor Springs, when you wake up to throw up over the side, remember little Matt back in Kalamazoo... oi?

D-4

2008-06-30T21:43:00.002-04:00

During today's class we had one of the most entertaining lecturers I've ever seen. Dr. Malott brought in his long-time friend (and co-founder of the Association for Behavior Analysis) Gerry Mertens, who gave a 45-minute magic show which completely blew my mind. I mean, I'm tellin' ya, it was crazy. For example, he had one of my cohort members pick from a group of letters, each with a corresponding letter. So, the result was that she picked "D", which corresponded to the number 4. Then, he showed us the want-ads in today's Kalamazoo Gazette. Guess what it read? "You will pick D-4!" Seriously, how amazing is that?

The point? If I processed his thoughts right, he was lecturing on the importance of scientific explanations for seemingly "psychic" or "magical" phenomena. There's an answer for everything... of course, Mr. Mertens...

Ahh, I loved it. Anyway, Matt Grix and I finished up our final data collection session for Van Houten's cross walk study. Hopefully the Department of Transportation won't ask for more research, and that we're done crossing streets for seemingly endless amounts of time. If I were to make a guess at the final results, I'd say that our "raised hand" condition stops cars about 40% of the time (just standing there and waiting for cars to stop causes approximately 15% of cars to yield). Decent results, no doubt. Publishable? We'll see what JABA has to say.

Professionalism and the InterTubes

2008-06-28T19:24:00.004-04:00

Lately I've been hearing a lot of stuff concerning professionalism on the InterTubes (aka the Internet, for those of you who don't appreciate jive talk). It's been a growing topic at work, at home, and in the news. So I figured I'd talk about it here, and see if I can draw any good conclusions or guidelines. Hold tight, this might confuse you as much as it has troubled me...

I closed my Facebook account two years ago when I was starting my undergraduate research project. For part of my requirements, I had to teach a class on self-management. It came to my attention (whether someone prompted me or if it was my own conclusion I cannot remember) that it would be best to limit myself from interacting with those in my class in order to maintain a high standard of professionalism. So I quit Facebook, because I didn't want to deal with the pressure of censoring myself online (I'll save my views on censorship for another time). Although I know that I can make my profile private and pick and chose who I want to view my information, I still didn't like that idea. Somewhere down the line, I felt like it would come back to haunt me one way or another. And I've been happy with my decision.

Now, I don't have to worry about my students getting an unwanted peek at my personal life. And I also don't have to worry about getting an unwanted peek at theirs. For example: the last thing I want to see is one of my students riding a mechanical bull, looking like white trash. It's one thing to discuss the fact that we all like to party. I'll say it openly and proudly. But I feel like that's within the boundaries of a decent human being who can hold a decent level of professional standard. The thing that's good about talk is that it leaves things open for imagination, and I can always give people the benefit of the doubt. But what I see it full color, that's another story - you're out of luck, Sista.

RULE #1: If you're going to use a social networking site, don't post pictures of yourself riding a mechanical bull, looking like white trash (or doing anything else that would be considered "white trash")

FYI: I know of no pictures of anyone riding a bull, looking like white trash. Who knows if they exist; don't turn me into a believer.

(I've borrowed the term "white trash" from Dr. Malott, whom I have been spending much time with lately discussing proper grammar and how to make rolled oats, with some theoretical analysis of behavior somewhere in between)

A few of my BATS 2008 cohort members have been trying to convince me to rejoin Facebook. They're tricky, but not that tricky :-) I trust that they'll keep their cool and make sure they don't ruin their careers over something stupid.

I haven't mentioned that I have an innate ability to read minds. I know what you're thinking, "But Matt, you have a blog, a Web site, and all of this other crap online where you write about X and Y, swear, and call Barack Obama an over-hyped gnard-stick... you're a hypocrite." Well, all of that is true, for the most part at least, but I don't think that I'm a hypocrite, and here's why. Everything I've ever written I've been proud of, and is a sole reflection of my beliefs, emotions, etc. I feel like it's logical, and that it makes sense. All may not agree that it's logical or that it makes sense, but I hope everyone will find it in their hearts to appreciate some dialog and questions about the way we live, and what we can do to solve life's answers. Before I submit anything (and this has been a guideline for the last few years, ever since Steve and I had a broad discussion about outcomes of our behavior), I ask myself "Am I willing to accept the consequences for this in the future, if it ever happens to be the case?" I feel like that's a good guideline to follow, and I hope that you'll agree.

RULE #2: Having an information sharing orgy with the Internet is cool and fun, as long as your willing to accept the consequences of your actions. When in doubt, leave it out. And don't just brush over what may happen. Think long and hard; those skills are good to have anyway.

The few guidelines I have mentioned here may not apply to you or your career. I'm starting to wonder if they apply anywhere at all, and if I'm just wallowing in my own self-righteousness... hmmm. Whatever you find to be the case, I think it's important for anyone to develop a code of ethics within their own work and professional environment, while keeping true your values and beliefs on censorship (those that apply to a greater organization than your own, i.e. where you stand within society and it's rules and values). Think about ways the Internet can help you, and ways the Internet can destroy you, and go from there.

Bling Bling!

2008-06-26T11:02:00.002-04:00

While procrastinating for today's quiz, I purchased my ferry tickets to/from Isle Royale! Hooray! 6 nights, 7 days... w00t w00t! You can view pictures from my trip 2 years ago:

Isle Royale

I'll use this as my motivator to get through Boot Camp :-)

How Do We Get Graduate School "Under Control"?

2008-06-25T12:30:00.002-04:00

As Neil was leaving for his lunch break, he said "See you Friday. Good luck getting graduate school under control." We both laughed, and then he made a joke about using the principles of behavior to manage graduate school... Hmmm

So maybe that's what we're going to do. Every time graduate school says "We don't have any homework tonight," we'll give it social approval and clean the BATS lab. Every time it says "You have homework tonight," we'll either ignore the response or respond with some horribly aversive condition, one that will be sure to terminate the future likely hood of something like that ever happening again. And after a while, if the our hopes and dreams line up with reality, I'll get to fall asleep at a decent hour, and I'll have time to sport climb, hike, and ride my bike around the crack-head ghettos of Kalamazoo.

My analysis is too simplistic, but maybe if we try, really, really hard, we'll get somewhere :-)

...not much...

2008-06-25T10:52:00.002-04:00

The weather in Kalamazoo has been fair-poor so far this summer, which makes it easier to be here instead of Harbor Springs (or New Zealand for that matter). But I'm hoping that the weather gets decent enough so I can enjoy a nice vacation in August with just the right temperature and just the right volume of bugs (hopefully there will be no volume to measure).

Otherwise, I've been busy. I haven't been writing like I should, but I've been getting my homework done and I've been helping Van Houten finish up with his cross walk study. I've had no time to play, socialize, etc. Such is life. My availability should increase once Van Houten's study is over.

That is all.

Recovery from Punishment

2008-06-18T21:33:00.002-04:00

MMMmmm, I feel great today. Much, much better than yesterday. A very non-scientific survy I conducted concluded that it's pretty damn normal to wig out during the first few weeks of a major change in your life. So we're cool, at least for now.

After class (you can bet your ass I knew all of my diagrams today), I came home and made myself some wonderful sweet and sour chicken, accompanied by some white rice and mixed veggies. Can you smell it?

Yum!

On a separate note, here is an article you should read concerning an incident of police brutality in Kalamazoo. Though it's difficult to hear exactlly what words are being exchanged (you'll have to watch the video... I love the Freedom of Information Act), there's still no reason that an officer should hit a person in handcuffs. In the past I've featured other incidents of police brutality, and I think that the general concensious from everyone is that the behavior is unacceptable and uncalled for.

Racism? Maybe. We don't know for sure. But I do know that there have been multiple allegations against Kalamazoo police and city officials for a number of years.

I'm going to stray away from my famous "We incarcirate about 100x as many people as we should in the USA" rant, and leave you with this: Snoop Dogg pretending to play the blues (and singing about dope... obviously).

Am I Neurotic?

2008-06-17T18:20:00.002-04:00

Yes, I'm going crazy. And it's such a stupid reason... but it's driving me insane and I need to chill. Seriously.

So I've been kicking a shit load of ass so far in school, and I'm quite proud of that. It's been so good that I haven't lost any points, and we've had tests, quizzes, and homework due every day we've had class. One unique thing about this class is that we have to get a 96% (or higher) in our quiz grade to get an A in the class, no matter how well we do in any other area; we could have a 100% in homework and participation, and a 95% in quizzes and I'd have a BA in the class. So, let me set things clear: my quiz grade is my precious little gem. I comfort it, I caress it, and if anything ever happens to it, I become upset and irritated.

Today on my test there were two questions that didn't involve any sort of conceptual mastery of the subject, but were straight "did you read the chapter" type of questions. For example: "What was the behavior experimenters were trying to punish in the study by X and X." And with about 15 different studies in that chapter, all pertaining to punishment... ahhh, fuck, I just couldn't recall. So that brings my quiz grade to a 150/152, a 98.6%.

I need to relax, take a deep breath, and tell myself that this is not the end of the world. If this is the way things are going to go, then I'm going to have a heart attack.

Saturday Night Homework Marathon

2008-06-14T20:03:00.004-04:00

You can bet your sweet ass I'm boozin'. If I read 20 pages I'll consider myself productive. BUT, if I read 20 pages, drink 4 beers, and listen to metal, that's not just being productive, it's A PARTY!

I mean, what else is there to do on a Saturday night?

More Data Collection

2008-06-13T11:09:00.002-04:00

Yesterday Aeranie, Brian and I went to Battle Creek to collect more date for our pedestrian safety study (click here for an earlier explanation of the study). Our results were pretty decent, with about a 15% yielding rate for our baseline condition (just standing there, waiting to cross), and a 45-60% yielding rate for both of our extended arm conditions. We're happy with the results, and we were able to knock off 120 trials in 3 hours, which is pretty damn good if you ask me.

We still have more data to collect in Marshal, Battle Creek, and Chicago. Stay tuned for final results.

On a side note, we're always running into social validity issues while conducting the study. Yesterday we had a security guard come up to us (we were sitting against one of the Kellogg buildings) and ask us all sorts of questions. He was concerned because we had bags, and that we were crossing the street wayyy too many times (more than 1x for any "normal minded human"). We explained to him that we were doing a study that is funded by the Department of Transportation, but that didn't do a good job of convincing him to leave us alone. We told him that the principle investigator of the study was friends with the city commissioner, and therefore we had permission to run the study in the city, and that still didn't convince him. Then, Brian said, "Well, what if we sit across the street and collect data." And that was the magic response. The security guard was happy to get us away from his building, and he told us he didn't mind us crossing the street 120 times, just as long as the calls stopped coming in from the Kellogg employees. And that leads me to my point... with all respect to all individuals, what is so scary about 3 college students with a clipboard and an objective to advance pedestrian safety? Apparently the threat of terrorism has gotten to our heads so much that we are fear our own curiosity. "You can run your trials, just not in my area." I don't know, folks. We're living in fear, and we're way over our heads with it. What ever happened to trusting ourselves?

Day 2

2008-06-10T13:51:00.002-04:00

Yesterday's class was a great introduction to what is going to be a very long summer. Malott is optimistic about the times to come, and the rest of my cohort seem to agree. In the meantime, I'm already losing sleep.

Last night after class I went down to Climb Kalamazoo and did some lead climbing with a few guys I met at Red River Gorge. Chaz and I also worked on the slack-line, and at about 8:30 I headed home and did homework until 11pm.

I woke up at 6:30 am this morning thinking that I was going to head to Battle Creek to collect more data for our crosswalk study. However, it was raining, so we had to cancel the session because of the dramatic effect rain can have on yielding behavior, not to mention our own safety.

So instead I've been getting ahead on my reading, because I'd like to be able to take an evening off from school and do something else, like climbing, instead of worrying about school. Ya dig?

In the next few days I'll be starting a self-management project. My goal is to write 500 words of non-fiction, and 500 words of non-fiction, per week (not including anything I have to do for school). That way, I can work on my writing, blogging, and finally finish that article that Dr. Steuer and I have been working on for almost 1 year. I'll even be including a graph with my reports, so you can look forward to that as well.

So It Begins...

2008-06-06T11:53:00.002-04:00

The epic stories of the torment and distruction of graduate school are beginning to come true, starting with the University Book Store. I know that I'm not spouting off any new information when I say that the book store is a safe haven for rip-offs and unneccesary prices. HOWEVER, I just purchased my coursepack for PSY 6100 (BOOTCAMP) today and I was blown away by it's price! Take a guess...

$100?

Higher.

$150?

Higher!

175?

HIGHER!!!

$200?

ALMOST!

$202.65

Now, take the cost of the 6th edition of Principles of Behavior, $46 used on Amazon.com, and add it to the 6 graduate-level credits that I paid for the course itself... BAM! Let the financial cluster-f$$k begin!

Post #265: As Graduate School Approaches, Life is OK

2008-06-04T11:55:00.002-04:00

It's hump-day and I'm pulling a 12-hour work day, and I feel great because life is good.

The anticipation of graduate school is nipping at my toes. Life is about to change, significantly. It's going to change so much that I will be engaging in Bxs that will be completely incompatible with those I have been doing recently: sleeping in, supervising at HomeLife, and spending quality time with the people who mean the most.

As my time becomes more and more valuable, so will be the moments that I will spend with my friends in the next 2 years; and because of that I am not upset about not getting to see my friends and family. Remember, withholding a reinforcer for a given amount of time increases the value of that reinforcer :-)

The good times are just around the corner. A trip to Isle Royale, a ski vacation in Colorado, and 1 Master's Degree/BCBA certification are just a few things to look forward to in the next 2 years.

Also, I'll be planning a big mission to celebrate my completion of my Master's degree. Stay tuned for more information...

Possitive Behavioral Support in Kzoo

2008-06-02T21:48:00.004-04:00

Behavior program shows good results at Northeastern

I'm delighted to hear about the approach Northeastern Elementary School of Kalamazoo is taking to manage problem behavior. The program aims to teach kids proper social and learning behavior so they can play "catch up" with their academic work.

Northeastern staffers attempt to limit disruptions by providing students with examples of proper and improper conduct -- for instance, displaying a picture of a child sliding properly next to another of the child running up the slide -- before disruptions happen. They also are trained by counselors to detect cognitive or emotional impairments that can produce improper behavior.

We often make the error of assuming that children are familiar with behavior that best facilitates learning. For example, you and I both understand that sitting still, not interrupting, and asking proper questions are key elements of learning in a classroom setting. When you have children who don't engage in proper learning behavior, we assume that they just don't care, or that they don't want to learn... and that's the error.

You'll never hear an educator say, "Well, maybe I haven't taught the kids how to behave well enough." But this is often the case. Not always, but often enough for us to be concerned.

And that's why I'm so happy to hear that Kalamazoo Public Schools take a systematic approach to learning! Instead of blaming the children for their Bx and sending them to the dump/special education classroom, the school takes it upon itself to break down the components of learning until the kids have it down.

"When there are behavioral problems, it makes sense to teach social skills and let students practice them,'' Northeastern Principal Susan Chartier said.

Well said.

I'm not sure how many students attend this school, but here's a great statistic for you to munch on: "Northeastern has seen disciplinary referrals fall by 64 percent."

Wow!

Save the world with Behavior Analysis!

P.S. This makes up for the article my grandma sent me earlier today about a Florida teacher who had her group of pre-school kids vote to see whether or not a child labeled Autistic should be allowed in their class. The vote, 14-2 (I believe) was well in favor of the child leaving the class, and was done in the presence of the student. How would you feel if a group of 5-6 year olds and 1 malicious teacher voted your son with a learning disability out of his classroom? The teacher should be fired and should have her license stripped away, forever.

In the words of Dr. Malott, this is only my humble opinion, and I could be wrong... but probably not.

P.P.S. GO RED WINGS!

The Palace

2008-06-02T10:36:00.002-04:00

This weekend was amazing. Click on the photo album below to see some pictures of last night's trip to Sturgeon Bay:

Sturgeon Bay, Michigan

Also, here are some pictures of my trip to Holland to see Dirt and Steve:

Holland

I don't have any pictures from Saturday night because, well... there's no need to explain... it's all in my mind, and that's good enough for me :-)

School starts in 1 week. Let the anticipation begin!

R.I.P. Turkey Man

2008-05-31T11:15:00.003-04:00

It has come to my attention that the Turkey Man has passed away. The more questions I ask about the incident, the greater his legend becomes. His death is becoming increasingly epic, just shy of monumental.

At the White Swallow they have an advertisement in the bathroom for Turkey Man's benefit concert. Next to the details is a small picture of the Turkey Man holding a 24 pack of Budweiser with a box of chicken wings on top.

Sometimes the lightest characters leave the largest impressions.

Is it our nature, or just our Northern Michigan culture to recognize the life of a local icon, looking beyond a life of mistakes, alcohol and addiction? Whatever the motive, we are sad, but we will rebuild. The turkeys are going to be confused this fall when they have nobody to feed them, and I'm always going to wonder if they'll be upset. Do turkeys have feelings? We'll never know for sure...

Stay Tuned

2008-05-30T12:17:00.003-04:00

I'm going to Harbor Springs this weekend to visit my family and friends. Not much is new. School starts soon; stay tuned for stress, no sleep.

I Don't Have Days Off On My Days Offs

2008-05-22T11:52:00.002-04:00

Well, everyone is gearing up to leave for ABA and I'm stuck here in Kalamazoo working, not sleeping, and working.

A few months ago I made the decision to take a trip to Kentucky instead of attending the conference. After all, the next two years are going to host numerous opportunities for conferences, presentations, and symposiums.

Since I'm about to become a slave to Western Michigan University (June 9th = D Day), I feel even less guilty about taking a trip for pleasure than for academic advancement. I feel that it's important to have a healthy balance of academic/recreation activities. Booyah!

I'm going to work on Jim's lawn for a bit, and then I'll be heading to my favorite Mexican establishment for a birthday dinner (not mine). I forgot to mention that Jim and I were being eyeballed by the police when we went to see Arlo Guthrie last Saturday... more on that later ;-)

The Arm Sling as a Stimulus to Increase Attention and Decrease Personal Responsibility

2008-05-16T16:45:00.005-04:00

Being in an arm sling for the past 24 hours has had it's downsides. I have had trouble driving a car, eating ice cream, and opening and closing doors. However, it has also lead to an increase in specific behaviors of those around me which have been more than desirable, and I'm starting to think that being hurt is actually a good thing... :-)

I've seen a 60% increase in door-opening behavior by random strangers, a 25-30% increase in looks/stares, and a 10% increase in "Can I help you with that" responses. I've also been told twice to "keep it easy" on the job. Maybe I'll fall 12 feet more often :-)

Lucky for me my social standing is strong enough where I can lose the arm string and still receive attention. But imagine those who aren't as lucky as you and I? I'm talking about certain individuals who recieve more attention for being hurt than they do when they are physically able. And if the individual is "suffering" (sorry, I couldn't find another word to use... be aware that I say "suffering" in the most non-mentalistic way possible) from severe attention deprivation... getting hurt may be a larger-than-life blessing.

My arm sling is a prime example about how one environmental manipulation can change a multitude of behaviors of those around you. Since the behavior classes of those responses are very desirable (who doesn't love attention and ice cream?) it can lead to positive reinforement and a decrease in personal responsibility. In one hour I'll be at work, and I'm sure that there isn't going to be much expected of my performance. On this sunny Friday afternoon, I really don't feel like working anyway...

Ethics and Social Networks

2008-05-16T10:10:00.007-04:00

An article by John M. Grohol, Psy.D titled Social Networks May Blur Professional Boundaries has got me thinking. Although it talks about psychologists and their "patients", the article's overtones are applicable to most, if not all, professional situations.

Taking a step back, about 2 years ago I discontinued my Facebook.com account for a few reasons. Reason #1: the Web site was consuming too much of my time... and reason #2: I had just started my Undergraduate Thesis Project as an authority figure in a class that teaches Self-Management skills to other undergraduates. Although I was an undergrad, and of the same age of everyone in the class, I needed to establish myself as a figure of authority while maintaining a professional learning environment. So I closed my Facebook account so my students couldn't find pictures of me hanging out with my friends on a Friday night.

Although it is very possible to make your profile "private" and deny "friend requests" from students, I thought it best to totally eliminate myself from the social network. That way, it's less awkward for the both of us.

My Picasa pictures are all G-rated; I don't mind anyone looking at pictures of me rock climbing or hiking, and I feel like this is a little different than social networking sites. However, some professionals may chose to keep their photo albums private.

This is not to say that Behavior Analysts should not be human; they should. I like to have fun, I like to go on adventures... but there's a difference between knowing that someone is ambitious and fun-loving, and actually seeing them engaging in degeneracy.

It's easier for a Doctor to deny a friend request from a "patient", but it's not so easy for a graduate student to deny one from an undergrad. With the closeness in age and social circles, it seems inevitable that each person will find out what the other person did last Friday night. Still, I think it's important to maintain this professional boundary, at least until the graduate student/undergraduate student has stopped supervising/teaching the undergraduate. But, like the article says, if it "may result in a violation of the client’s mental health care privacy" then it is our duty to refrain from any sort of casual relationships that may lead to problems down the road. There's a good chance that the "friendship" won't breach privacy, but it COULD, and that's why we should draw the line.

Stupid Arm Sling

2008-05-15T18:40:00.001-04:00

Surfin' The Net

2008-05-14T13:28:00.002-04:00

http://icanhascheezburger.com/2008/05/07/
funny-pictures-the-net-ur-doin-it-wrong/

I Fell

2008-05-14T11:34:00.003-04:00

Here's a gem:

One of my goals on my climbing trip to Kentucky was to learn how to lead climb. When you lead climb, you are constantly setting up a top-rope at 5 feet (or so) intervals. In order to get to the next bolt to set up a top rope, you have to go above the previous bolt, which means that if you fall above the bolt, you fall 2x the distance you are above that bolt, plus the stretch of the rope. Sweet, right?

So there I was on my first lead attempt, on a 5.9 route (which really isn't that difficult for me). I kicked a shit load of ass through the first 5 bolts, and before I knew it, I was at the anchors AKA it was time to clip in at the top and come down. But just as I reached between my legs to grab the rope, I slipped and fell 12 feet. Somewhere between my fall and landing, my left leg got caught behind the rope, causing me to flip upside down. Wooooo.... yes, I was wearing a helmet. So I shook it off, got back up, and finished the route.

Lead climbing rules. My arm is still sore from the fall.

-

I think I'll go to the bank today and pay off my credit card. Oh, and I'm probably going to set up a slack-line in my backyard. So if anyone wants to come over and work on their balance, gimme a call :-)

I Have Returned

2008-05-13T21:18:00.001-04:00

Red River Gorge Climbing

Well, the trip to Kentucky was amazing. I'm too tired for details, so you'll have to deal with pictures for now.

Liberal B.A.

2008-05-01T09:45:00.003-04:00

You can click here to view the pictures from our preliminary data collection in The Windy City.

As you'll notice, there are only 7 pictures which are mostly of novel things like our delicious Thai food. Only one picture describes one of the 3 response topographies we are testing:

From what I understand, this study was designed to test a component of an earlier intervention package from a study Dr. Van Houten conducted in Canada a few years back. The "arm out", as you see in the above picture, is one of those components. However, since we began the study last Summer, research assistants have had a difficult time sticking their hand out at oncoming cars.

Are they afraid of getting hit? No.

They feel foolish. They feel self-conscious. But over time, they become desensitized to this response because it becomes routine (and they are getting paid).

But the social validity of the "arm out" response is still a problem. Let's say the Department of Transportation likes the results of the study, and they take the data to their publishing office where a number of flyers, posters, and instructional videos are made to introduce this method to the public. If the DOT says, "Here is the magical no-fail way to get cars to yield to pedestrians!" they may have success teaching this method to 0-5 year olds, because most of them are socially naive. But it's going to be impossible to teach this to older adults because no one is going to want to do it. At least, that's what we've been speculating.

And another problem: we've had about 10 taxis and 3 buses stop and try to pick up our research assistants.

So we've made a slight adjustment to the response topography to account for this problem of social validity. Instead of holding the arm out into the road, we're now having our research assistants hold their hand close to their chest, palm out. It's a better way of saying "stop" without saying stop. The research assistants love it, and I think it's going to be much easier to teach and publish.

And now life is much easier. Actually, I don't think this study could be easier. It is a classic example of Applied Behavior Analysis, but liberal in the sense that we can't control for much more than the way our research assistants hold their arms out and stand at the sidewalk. Much, much different than the little dudes at Croyden.

I Am Sick

2008-04-30T18:33:00.002-04:00

I wish I could credit myself with this:

There are two things that are true in this world:
1. You'll never be able to fly
2. You can't stick your hand in the machine at the bowling alley and expect it to not get cut off.

-

I had to call out of both places of employement today because I have come down with what seems to be the flu. Hopefully this blows over.

Post-Graduation Thoughts

2008-04-28T16:03:00.006-04:00

I graduated on Saturday, and I feel absolutely fantastic! In less than 2 years I'll be recieving my Master's degree in Behavior Analysis (and shortly after, I'll be taking my BCBA exam which will then grant me with the certification needed to kick some serious ass). But let's not get ahead of ourselves...

The last five years have been like no other. There have been numerous failures and accomplishments, ups and downs, etc that have helped to shape me into the person I am now. And I'm still growing, and as the responsibilities get heavier, so will my skills.

I'm already confident as a behavior analyst (but ethical bounderies prohibit me from doing most of the awesome stuff I would love to do on my own). As the days go on, I try not only to be a good practitioner and researcher, but I also strive to become a better theorist. As a matter of fact, the theory of the science of human behavior is what I enjoy the most. I love to think, and I love to doubt. Every day I question my beloved science, and I cannot wait for the next paradigm shift from Behaviorism to ???, whether it's in 10 years of 10,000 years.

As the summer moves in, I think I'm going to focus more on writing about what I'm doing in school, but I'll be sure to keep you up to date on all of the fantastic trips I'll be taking :-) There are a number of research/OBM projects that I'll be participating in, which could make for fun discussion.

Right now I'm actively involved in a study that is assessing effective ways for cars to yeild to pedestrians at uncontrolled crosswalks. Sounds exciting, right? Well, what if I told you that we're running the project under a grant provided by the Department of Transportation? Even better... we get paid and reimbursed for our services = very rare, at least for WMU.

The project is being conducted by a student in Dr. Van Houten's Behavior Analysis Applied Science Lab, and last week, Dr. Van Houten, myself, Aeranie, and Brian (head researcher), went to Chicago to meet up with two people from the DOT to collect preliminary data and to refine the methods of our study.

The experiance was exemplar because I was able to see how much pull a funding agency can have over a study. The researchers at the funding agency aren't Behavior Analysts, so a wide variety of opinions and conclusions were drawn between the 6 of us. After 4 meals and numerous discussions, a concecious was reached, and data collection begins tomorrow. I'll try to keep you updated on the results as they come in, and I'll be sure to post pictures of my trip to Chicago in the near future (at that point I'll go into more detail about the actual study, etc).

On a side note, we trained our undergraduate research assistants today on the methods of the study. While we were conducting trials on the sidewalk, Dr. Malott happened to get caught in the crossfire. As he yeilded to one of the experimental response topographys, he looked over at me, smiled, and shook his finger. Absolutely hilarious!

It all starts now. While the rest of my cohort are waiting for Dr. Malott's Behavioral Boot Camp to start in June, I'm busy getting a head start in a lab that I don't even belong to. I'm going to do everything in my power to become the most well-rounded Behavior Analyst I can be. Whether it's working a booth with the DD population, managing clients in the group home, or getting Chicago drivers to yeild to pedestrians, I'll be there saving the world one trial at a time.

--

P.S. I got another raise at HomeLife. This time, the news is awesome: I am now a supervisor.

In Case You Don't Know

2008-04-21T16:41:00.002-04:00

Speaking of gratification...

I'm done.

Completely done.

With my undergraduate degree.

Bring in the keg.

It Never Fails

2008-04-21T14:35:00.004-04:00

Every day I get at least 1 phone call from someone else in the HomeLife company. It's always the same thing: "Hello, my name is John Doe from NAME OF HOME and I am wondering if you would like to work for me on RANDOM DATE". And every time it's the same answer: NO.

They call me because my name is green on the company contact sheet = I'm flexible and willing to cover shifts. I've thought about having this changed, but I think I'll leave it because
It. Is. The. Most. Gratifying. Thing. Ever. To. Say. NO!

Sucka...

You Must Have Been...

2008-04-21T09:27:00.004-04:00

Holy shit I graduate in less than 1 week! Sat-sat-saturday...

START HOMELIFE RANT

One thing is for sure: I am looking forward to getting my MA because I am sick and tired of direct-care. I'm sick and tired of low-level analyses, AKA listening to people name "attention" as the almighty function for all behavior. Let it be known, though, that I love my job and the people I work with (and for).

END HOMELIFE RANT

It's Peter's birthday today. Yesterday the residents and I made Peter a life sized birthday card. I believe he's taking 2 finals today. Suuucka. But non-the-less, happy birthday Peter J. Glahn:

That's all I have to say about that.

STEVE IS STILL HERE

2008-04-16T11:36:00.003-04:00

Ahhh so today it's soooooooo damn nice outside. Steve's still in Kalamazoo; he was supposed to leave last Monday but, for some reason, he's still here eating my food and stealing my water, heat, and sanity. Needless to say, it's been a Hooker convention all week long...

Here's the dope on the next week and 1/2: Tonight I have a test, tomorrow I work, Friday I work, Saturday I have the day off so I can study for my ASL final, Sunday I work from 7am to 11pm, Monday I work at 7 am to 3 pm and then take my ASL final at 4, Tueaday I work from 3 to 11 pm and then, on Wednesday and Thursday, I am going to Chicago with Dr. Van Houten, Brian, and my good pal Aeranie for some classic behavior analysis doings of things. (WOW that was a fucking looong sentence)

And then I graduate on Saturday, the 26th. RESPECT.

I dunno

2008-04-11T21:14:00.003-04:00

Post-Boredom

2008-04-11T21:11:00.002-04:00

Pre-Being Busted

2008-04-11T21:08:00.003-04:00

Pre-Almost Everything

2008-04-11T20:57:00.004-04:00

Post-Tongariro Crossing

2008-04-11T20:48:00.001-04:00

The Stars of the Internet on South Park

2008-04-07T10:23:00.002-04:00

I love this show. I don't know how they get away with it, though :-)

-

When life starts to get dull, something amazing always happens.

Yesterday at work I was faced with a monster challenge. I handled it well, too. Although the sudden lash of responsibility led me to stay 2 hours after my shift, filling out paperwork and calling certain administrators, I am glad that I got to handle and manage the challenge.

After work I went over to Jim's and had a wonderful dinner. I made a fire without too much trouble, and we watched "Short Bus" until about 10 pm. Needless to say it was good to relax over some good food and some good beer, and afterwards I went to see Kristen and she showed me an awesome video she had made for her seminar in Behavior Analysis. Who knew that a cute girl from CT could pull together a 30 second video on LTM and MTL prompting in a matter of hours, matching the quality standards of the world's greatest film producers?

-

Today is my first day off since March 26. I'm going to hang around outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. It's already 60 degree's outside, and it's only 10:30 am.

NZ Man Blows Up Beach

2008-04-04T11:10:00.003-04:00

I think you'll find this very interesting: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10501771

Anyway, I haven't died, believe it or not. I've been working a lot, and I've been trying to keep out of the rain. Stay tuned...

2 Pictures

2008-03-30T16:43:00.006-04:00

Bum Found In Meader Room

2008-03-28T11:03:00.002-04:00

Last night I went to a poetry reading at the Meader Room at Waldo Library. The event was so enlightening! And the after-party was so killer that I decided to sleep on the couch in the Meader Room so I could wake up and already be at work.

I love it when they serve free wine at poetry readings. It helps to curb my emotions until I can't feel feelings anymore.

I've passed out in a lot of places, but never on an antique couch next to a one of a kind game table made out of African mahogany.

Currently Reading

2008-03-26T20:39:00.002-04:00

I'm currently reading:

and

Life couldn't be more simple and complex...

Church (Is It April 20th Yet?)

2008-03-23T16:31:00.003-04:00

I went to church today and it was ridiculous, properly wacky.

The pastor (and I'm not even sure if I should call him a "pastor". I really should say "guy who was dressed like he was off the street looking to sell false hope for a happy penny.") placed a generous guilt trip on "you skeptics who are in the room" and "everyone else at home not resurrecting with Christ on a daily basis." Apparently science has no place in big, state-the-art-electronic-ridden-auditoriums with gold plated donation boxes at every exit.

When I go to church I feel like I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. As an adult foster care employee it is my job to provide basic rights to clients. One of those rights is the right to worship; I'm more than happy to help them achieve this goal. HOWEVER, organized religion bothers me.

At least it's funny to listen to.

And now that I think about it, I guess someone could classify psychology or science as an organized religion. Fuck...

At least Behavior Analysis is designed to exclude all of the metaphysical and theological explanations for human behavior. We're left with physical, real time, tangible observations. Religion, in the conventional sense, can't provide that. Yet, science is also a framework of observations developed within a larger framework that Man has constructed.

If Man were to constructed a new framework, science would be completely different. And that, my friend, is something to think about...

Apparently there is no longer a Zydeco band in Northern Michigan...

New Shelter

2008-03-22T14:01:00.003-04:00

The deal is in the works for my new shelter. This will drop 8 pounds off of my total backpacking load.

Happy Birthday, Thornball!

Ultra Weather-Fuck, PT 2

2008-03-21T13:24:00.003-04:00

I rode my bike home in 2 inches of snow and I seemed to have an easier time navigating than most cars. Either I need to start riding my bike in the snow more often, or people reaaaally suck at driving in Kalamazoo. I think the answer is the latter...

I really want to go out and have one last battle with winter, maybe do a winter hike or something. But since there are too many shit-heads who don't know how to drive, I'm forced to stay inside, order pizza, and watch South-Park re-runs until Kristen finishes being responsible.

Question: do you think I am putting the pizza delivery guy in harm's way?

Maybe I'll read instead. Yeah... that's it. I'll read... if the pizza gets here.

Ultra Weather-Fuck

2008-03-21T11:35:00.001-04:00

I should have listened to Gus and Kristen when they said it was going to snow today.

I rode my bike to work. It was fine at 9 am. Now, it's snowing, and they already have the plow trucks out.

Getting home is going to be a proper mission.

Dean Potter

2008-03-19T12:55:00.000-04:00

Holy Shit!

2008-03-16T20:51:00.002-04:00

Lizzy and I drove over to Eastern Michigan for a Behavior Analysis conference earlier this week. The conference was awesome, as always, and we were lucky enough to hear some great presentations/analyses that I won't bore you with explaining... I also scored some free pizza from my Uncle and somehow managed to not get lost in Metro Detroit. Sheeeit.

I never thought that I would be sitting at my computer searching for graduate courses to take! You know you're in heaven when you're looking at course titles like "Verbal Behavior."

So Get This

2008-03-11T11:42:00.002-04:00

I was at work at the library when I was talking about normal, work related things. Then, one of my co-workers mentioned something about how she got ripped off when she was getting an oil change. Apparently the mechantics realized how stupid she was regarding cars and took full advantage of her. Her bill: $150 for an oil change.

I began to explain how important it is to get a 2nd opinion when it comes to cars so mechanics don't rip you off. I gave the following example: "blah blah blah, so next time the mechanic says, 'you need a new muffler' you may want to ask someone else."

Her response: "What's a muffler?"

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

I left the room and walked around the 3rd floor of Waldo, taking big, calm breaths of air. It's one thing if you don't know how the inside of a car functions, but seriously, "WHAT IS A MUFFLER?" Have you lived inside a hole? I feel like knowing what a muffler is has nothing to do with being mechanical. It's about paying attention to the world around you. And this girl wants to go to med school...

Ice Caves/Ice Boating

2008-03-08T18:47:00.001-05:00

Ice Boating/Ice Caves

Academic Poverty

2008-03-04T11:16:00.005-05:00

In two years I'll be adding MA, BCBA to the end of my name. Respect.

In light of the recent news of my graduate school acceptance, I have realized that I am going to continue living a hungry, tired life. I call this phenomena academic poverty: a life of eating pizza, exercising little, and moderate mood swings caused by sleep deprivation and coffee satiation.

In case anyone is interested in what I'll be up to for the next two years, you can visit www.dickmalott.com to get all sorts of tasty information.

Anyway, Kristen and I are going to go out to La Pinata to celebrate all of the good things that have been happening. I fucking love Mexican food. Yummm

Grad School Update

2008-03-03T22:41:00.001-05:00

I got into grad school fuuck ha ha he he

3 Posts in a Matter of Minutes

2008-03-01T10:54:00.002-05:00

Last night Hasheesh (see earlier post) came over for a rousing game of "You're Not Drunk Unless You're Hanging On to the Floor".

Ben won, of course.

I woke up this morning to find my couch vacant. The only hint of his attendance was a note that he left on my coffee table that simply read "Gin: 1, Hasheesh: 0". Drive safely back to New York, Ben.

Apparently it's Spring Break. My goal: read, climb, climb, go up North, climb, read. I'm sure I'll be eating lots of yummy meals with Kristen, too. Today we are going to the Crow's Nest for a 2 FOR 1 meal special like w0Ah.

Drew and I are planning a trip to the Red River Gorge in May where we'll climb and eat pizza for 1 week. It's official, fool.

Ben Hassenger

2008-03-01T10:36:00.001-05:00

Kalamazoo Water Tower

2008-03-01T10:12:00.000-05:00

Live Wilco Broadcast

2008-02-28T14:22:00.001-05:00

Click here to listen to Wilco live on NPR.

OI

2008-02-28T10:19:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Jim I started to read on my own again. I'll tell ya what, the best way to hook me is by starting a book with "If there's one thing I can tell you about my entire life, it's that I was hit by a mailtruck..." Oooh, Spring Break, come close to me.

My new job at HOMELIFE is great and fun and easy. I can't wait until the scrilla starts rolling in like a tsunami.

2008-02-24T15:46:00.001-05:00

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

In Retrospect

2008-02-24T14:48:00.003-05:00

Pictures from Thursday night: http://picasaweb.google.com/DickMalott/
BATSInterviewWeekend2008BilboSPizza

I spent Thursday, Friday, and Saturday engaging in "BATS Interview Weekend" which was pretty much a meet-and-great-and-see-if-we-like-you to thin out graduate school applicants.

Stressful.

I'm glad it's over. In retrospect, I am happy with the way it went. I'd like to think that I took the concept of social networking to a new level. Aaaannnndddd then Alex, Kristen and I had breakfast at Main Street and it was sweeeeeeeeet.

3rd Floor Waldo... Acid Trip?

2008-02-21T13:28:00.002-05:00

Today at 9:40 am, Waldo Library 3rd floor bathroom:

There I sat in the stall, finishing my business, when I heard a strange noise. The noise got louder and louder, and soon I realized that someone was brushing their teeth in the sink.

Odd, yes. Abnormal, no.

But before I could stand up to wash my hands, the situation began to take a strange turn.

*brush brush brush...*

"FUUCK"

*brush brush brush...*

"OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH"

*brush brush brush...*

"SHEEEEIT"

*brush brush brush...*

"ALL DONE!!!"

There I sat on the toilet, confused and motionless. I did not get up to see who the person was or why they were cursing and shouting. Instead I kept to myself, bewildered beyond belief.

Eventually I heard the door close and I knew it was "safe" to exit the stall. I wasn't worried for my safety, but I was worried that it would be extremely awkward for me to walk out of the stall and face the Cursing Dental Hygiene Fanatic.

Weird.