Behavior Analysts' Relationship to Relating Relations: A Survey on Perceptions, Acceptability, Knowledge, and Capacity for Derived Stimulus Relations Research and Practice

The study and application of procedures that result in stimulus relations via relational frame theory (RFT) and stimulus equivalence (applied as equivalence-based instruction; EBI), have made tremendous strides in contemporary behavior analysis. However, applications at scale lag basic and translational research. We turn our attention inward to investigate potential causes. We replicated and extended Enoch and Nicholson (Behavior Analysis in Practice, 13(3), 609-617, 2020) by conducting a survey of behavior analysts (n = 129) to determine their perceptions, experiences, and barriers in carrying out research and practice based on RFT and EBI. Participants indicated an interest in RFT and EBI, and mostly perceive both within the scope of behavior analysis. A majority of behavior analysts reported formal education in EBI (78.3%), in contrast to a minority in RFT (15.5%). Adoption of procedures derived from RFT and EBI may be in proportion to formal education. Compounded with a lack of accuracy on basic knowledge questions, there is a potential gap in capacity in the field in addressing behavior related to complex verbal behavior.

A comparison of individual and group equivalence-based instruction delivered via Canvas

Equivalence-based instruction (EBI) is an efficient method that has been used to teach various skills, including content in college courses. This study extended the literature on EBI in higher education by teaching 13 graduate students to identify features of functional analysis conditions and variations. Equivalence-based instruction methods were implemented using Canvas, an online learning management system. Participants completed pretests, experienced EBI individually and in small groups, and completed a posttest, all using the quiz feature in Canvas. The EBI modules increased students' posttest scores relative to pretest scores by 36%, on average, and there was a slight increase in correct responding in the group relative to the individual teaching condition. Furthermore, responses to social-validity surveys indicated that EBI was acceptable to most students; however, students' preferences for group and individual EBI varied.

Learning about informal fallacies and the detection of fake news: An experimental intervention

The philosophical concept of informal fallacies-arguments that fail to provide sufficient support for a claim-is introduced and connected to the topic of fake news detection. We assumed that the ability to identify informal fallacies can be trained and that this ability enables individuals to better distinguish between fake news and real news. We tested these assumptions in a two-group between-participants experiment (N = 116). The two groups participated in a 30-minute-long text-based learning intervention: either about informal fallacies or about fake news. Learning about informal fallacies enhanced participants' ability to identify fallacious arguments one week later. Furthermore, the ability to identify fallacious arguments was associated with a better discernment between real news and fake news. Participants in the informal fallacy intervention group and the fake news intervention group performed equally well on the news discernment task. The contribution of (identifying) informal fallacies for research and practice is discussed.