Trivial antonym professional#

Neither is my mechanic, my physician, or my children's teachers.Īt the present time, I am conducting research with APOPO, a small organization based in Morogoro, Tanzania, that teaches giant African pouched rats to detect land mines and tuberculosis. For all of his strengths, Barack Obama is not a behavior analyst. Overall, we behavior analysts have not done a good job of selling ourselves and our discipline, or converting the masses (or, for that matter, the influential elite) to our point of view. Most laypeople who have heard of behavior analysis, like most psychologists, believe that the field had its heyday in the 1960s and that it died with, if not before, B. ABAI membership has indeed grown, and there are certainly behavior analysts who do not belong to the organization, but the simple truth is that behavior analysis is a small discipline, viewed as outdated and insignificant by mainstream psychology and, if it's recognized at all, by the world at large. There aren't enough of us and we don't have enough power. They are overlapping and somewhat amorphous, but nonetheless serve as convenient points of departure. I'm not a fortune teller, I'm a behavior analyst.įor convenience, I will discuss five general concerns. In considering those concerns and suggestions, bear in mind that my prior attempts to predict and improve the future of something of considerable importance to me-my financial status-have yielded resources sufficient to allow me to retire in 676 more years. The balance of this article describes those concerns and makes some suggestions for increasing the likelihood that the discipline of behavior analysis will survive and prosper. Nonetheless, I have significant concerns regarding the future of that discipline unless it changes significantly, and soon.

Trivial antonym professional#

I have no axe to grind against the discipline to which I have devoted my professional life.

My former and current students far surpass me, which is all that a teacher can ask, I have a lovely family, and life is good. On a personal note, I am involved in some of the most exciting projects of my career, which spans 35 years and a range of activities. There is a heartening acceptance of Board-Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) as legitimate professionals with significant skills and areas of unique expertise, most notably in providing services to people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and other developmental disabilities. Membership in the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) has grown substantially over the years, and the rate of growth has increased recently. If that is indeed so, then the future of our discipline should be bright.

Behavior analysts like me claim that their approach to studying, understanding, and improving the actions of humans and other animals is scientific, rational, and powerful ( Poling, Schlinger, Starin, & Blakely, 1990 Schlinger & Poling, 1998).