1. Class Schedule &
Course Procedures
Psychology 6710
Survey of Applied
Behavior Analysis
Research
SUMMER II 2011
All sections are designed and managed by
Dr. Richard W. Malott
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2. Table of Contents
PSY 6710 COURSE PROCEDURES .............................................................................. 5
Course Supervisor..........................................................................................................................5
Course Systems Managers ............................................................................................................5
Teaching Apprentices ...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Your Buddy ....................................................................................................................................5
Information for Your Buddy ........................................................................................................5
Seminar ............................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
General Point System ....................................................................................................................5
Point Totals .....................................................................................................................................6
Grades .............................................................................................................................................6
Tough Contingencies .....................................................................................................................7
Return Your Homework ............................................................................................................7
Cheating.......................................................................................................................................7
Plagiarizing..................................................................................................................................7
Missed Classes ................................................................................................................................8
Special Get-Tough Policy on Absences ........................................................................................8
Lateness...........................................................................................................................................9
Students .......................................................................................................................................9
Professor & Teaching Apprentices ...........................................................................................9
Late Homework..............................................................................................................................9
Self Management and Final Fiesta Projects ................................................................................9
How to keep your participation points ....................................................................................100
Studying and correcting your homework with a non-red pen during class ......................100
Mickey Mouse Rules ..................................................................................................................100
Adding Insult to Injury .............................................................................................................100
How To Avoid Being A Social Disaster .............................................................................100
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3. How to be way cool ................................................................................................................111
Interpersonal Style and Skills..................................................................................................11
Technical Skills .........................................................................................................................12
The Legend of Sheldon Stone ..................................................................................................13
The Legend of the Cool Coed ..................................................................................................14
On the Other Hand ...................................................................................................................14
The One Pointer ........................................................................................................................15
Bottom Line ...............................................................................................................................15
Professor’s Vita .........................................................................................................................15
Let the good times roll! ...........................................................................................................16
_Toc60419879
NOTE: You will have a quiz over the course procedures during class
two. Read this entire packet so that you will be prepared to answer
multiple-choice questions over this material.
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4. Materials Checklist
Some of these materials will be handed out in class.
Material In course pack Handed out later
Applied Behavior Cognitive Analysis (work text Ch.1-22) In course pack
by Richard W. Malott and Students
Reading Assignments In course pack
CD Containing Workshows and Job Aids In course pack
The Contingency-Diagram Checklist – Pink Sheet In course pack
Pink Sheet Flashcards In course pack
The Three-contingency model Checklist – Purple Sheet In course pack
Purple Sheet Flashcards In course pack
P671 Blue Flashcards (Ch. 1-21) In course pack
Goal-Directed System Design Job Aid In course pack
2 Factor Theory Job Aid In course pack
Transparency Masters In course pack
Red ballpoint pen In course pack
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5. PSY 671 Course Procedures
Course Instructor and
Supervisor
Information for Your Buddy
Dr. Richard W. Malott
Telephone :269-372-1268 Name: _______________________
Best time to call is in the morning; and Phone: ______________________
the best strategy is to call until you get a
live Dr. Malott on the other end, though Email: _______________________
you should also leave a voice mail.
General Point System
Email Address –
DickMalott@dickmalott.com To get an A in psychology courses, you
If you need to make an appointment should allocate about 4 hours per week
with Dr, Malott, please contact Kelli in class combined with out of class time
Perry at kelli.l.perry@wmich.edu and per credit hour. That’s about 12 hours
find out more information at per week for this course or 180 for the
dickmalott.com 15-week semester. I assign about 10
points for each hour of activity in figuring
the course grade, so the total points will
Course TA be around 1800. Here’s a break down (it
may change somewhat throughout the
System Manager: Kelly Stone term.)
Email: kelly.t.stone@wmich.edu
20 points for each seminar class, for
conscientious participation in seminar
Your Buddy discussion. I will expect you to recite in
What happens if you miss class and each class, especially in answering
don’t get some vital oral or written conceptual questions, thoughtfully. This
material handed out in class? No means you will need to show
problem, you just call up your reliable considerable evidence of having thought
buddy whose name and phone number about the homework assignment.
you’ve listed here and get the info. your
buddy being so reliable as to have What does conscientious mean? In the
picked up an extra copy of the handouts seminar: You must listen carefully to the
for you, especially since you had notified presentations of the other students and
your buddy of your pending absence. So be prepared to comment, so as to earn
get a student name and number, and all participation points. So studying for a
don’t even think of bugging me (or the quiz, finishing your homework, reading
TAs) for something you failed to get. and writing letters, sleeping etc. means,
when you see your scores for that week,
you’ll find less than the total possible
points for the seminar class. On the
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6. other hand, feel free to improve your required, counts as seminar
homework, as we clarify tough concepts participation)
throughout the seminar session.
2040 points = 100% of the total points
Special note for your Quiz grade: for the course (approximate)
Quiz answers must be legible to be Grades
counted as correct! Now you know how you can earn 100’s
of points (learned reinforcers?) in this
But now back to happier issues: 40 course. So the next question is, how do
points for a combination of written those points convert into a final grade
answers to conceptual objectives, (backup reinforcer). The answer is,
essays, and the occasional quiz. In complexly. Here’s why it’s so complex:
other words, you should invest about 4 We have three goals for this course: we
hours on each homework assignment, want you to learn as much as you can,
including reading the chapters, doing to earn as good a grade as you can, and
the contingency diagrams and writing to have as much fun as you can.
any brief essays, as well as preparing
for the occasional quiz. However, But to hit all three goals we need a
because we’re still developing the complex set of contingencies. Look at
course materials, you may not need to the following grade scale and you’ll see
put in quite that much time. just how complex.
Lowest % of Points in ANY of the
Point Totals Remaining Areas
All these points count toward your
course grade. The total points for the Min
course will be about: % of
Quiz 92 87 82 77 72 67 62 57 <57
26x40 points = 1040 points for Point
homework analyzing contingencies, s
quizzes, etc., plus 100 for the final fiesta 92 A BA B CB C DC D ED E
write-up, 40 for self-management write
ups (2x20) equaling a total of 1180 87 BA B CB C DC D ED E
points in this category
82 B CB C DC D ED E
10x20 points = 200 points for review 77 CB C DC D ED E
quizzes
72 C DC D ED E
27x20 points = 400 points for
conscientious participation in seminar 67 DC D ED E
1x100 points = 100 points for your final 62 D ED E
paper (counts as part of your
homework) 57 ED E
1x20 = 20 points for conscientious <57 E
participation in Final Fiesta (attendance
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7. If you get at least 92% of the total points My friend Dr. Stephen Graf puts it this
in the quiz area, and 87%of the total way: Suppose you’re training surgeons.
points in all other areas, you get at least And to perform a successful surgery, the
a BA. Almost all of you will do that. For student/surgeon must scrub down, put
example, in the winter term of 1991, on the gloves, make a proper incision,
95% of the students in PSY 671 worked properly remove the right organ, avoid
really hard, learned a lot, and cracked flipping cigarette ashes in the open
the 92% / 87% mark to earn at least a wound, remove all surgical tools from
BA. inside the patient, sew up the incision,
etc. Now suppose the student/surgeon
Wonderful, but how do you get that did everything correctly except taking
magic A? To do that you have to crack out the right organ. The student might
the 92% mark in each area of the say. I did 19 out of the 20 steps
course: (1) seminar, colloquia, and final correctly; that’s 95%. I want my A. The
fiesta participation; (2) conceptual fact that I took out the heart instead of
homework combined with the final the hemorrhoids and the patient died
project & paper; and the quizzes, and shouldn’t overshadow my 95 average.
(3) the regular and review quizzes.
We take behavior analysis really
NOTE: In order to earn an A in 671, you seriously and don’t want to graduate any
have to get a 96% in quizzes and 92% students who don’t know it well. So for
in the remaining areas. us to certify you as an A student, you’ve
got to hit at least 92% in each category
You’re almost guarantied to earn a BA, in this course.
which is well above the campus
average; and you’ll have learned Tough Contingencies
enough about behavior analysis that you Return Your Homework
can hold your head high. But if you do To retain full credit for your
earn the A, you’ll leave this course so homework, please turn it all in at the
sharp; we’ll have to register you as a Final Fiesta.
lethal weapon. This way we can look at it in more detail,
as we evaluate the effectiveness of the
I know this seems like a strange way to books and the course. It will also give us
evaluate a student’s mastery and assign ideas about materials to add. In
a letter grade. Why not just add up all addition, this way your answers won’t
the points and assign a letter grade fall into the hands of future students, in
based on the total number of points, no spite of your best security efforts. OK?
matter which component of the class
they come from? That’s the way we Cheating
used to do it. But then some students Cheating Means Sudden Death!!!
would get an A based on their work If we catch you cheating or
in everything but the quizzes and they plagiarizing in this course, we will
wouldn’t have really learned an recommend to the Student Judicial
important part of the course, the Committee that YOU RECEIVE AN E
concepts tested on the quizzes. FOR THE COURSE, no matter how
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8. small or trivial was the cheating or you, so you can find out the details of
plagiarizing. the next assignments.
This includes, but is not limited to,
copying from your neighbor, your notes, Special Get-Tough Policy on
or whatever, during a test or quiz. This
also involves talking during a test or
Absences
Most students have no problem with the
quiz. Cheating also means copying
preceding absence policies. Instead, it
someone else’s homework and turning it
helps them get their act together, so
in as your own. On the other hand, if
they’ll do well in the class an earn an
you are knowingly involved in providing
“A”. But there are always a half a
the occasion for someone else to do any
handful of students who need even
of these forms of cheating, then you too
tighter contingencies than that, to get
are cheating and will also get the ax!
their act together. These are students
who’s behavior is not under the
Plagiarizing
adequate control of rules describing
This means turning in written work that
small but cumulatively significant
includes material taken from someone
outcomes (we’ll discuss this in class). In
else, without using quote marks or
essence, they say to themselves, “Just
otherwise giving proper credit to the true
one more absence won’t matter.” And
author, in other words, your presentation
they’re right, until they finally
of someone else’s material in a way that
accumulate so many that they drift from
the material might be mistaken as your
an “A” to a BA” to a “B” and on and on.
own.
They need rules that specify
Missed Classes contingencies where one more absence
If you miss a class, you don’t get points will matter. They will have less trouble
for participation and you lose the following such rules and thus will get a
opportunity to take that quiz. It doesn’t much better grade in the course. So
work out for us to try to distinguish here’s our special get-tough policy:
between excused and unexcused
absences. So once the opportunity has PSY 100 comments: “Enforces
passed, it’s gone. This means you learning.” “People should have a right to
should keep your point average decide about attendance. It’s my
comfortably above the 92% level in all money.” “It doesn’t bother me but should
categories; so you can blow off a class make others go to class.” “All profs.
or two, if need be without losing you A should do it. Some people need it.” “I’m
(assuming that’s what you’re shooting a devoted class attendee, and I think
for). If you miss more than two classes, you can’t learn unless you go to class.”
your probably down one half letter “Depends on the excuse ‘cause there is
grade. already large loss of points by not
attending.”
If you do miss a class, you can usually
pick up any handouts from the envelope Every time you exceed three
outside my office. And you can also turn absences, your next absences will
your homework in the next day. You’re results into half a letter grade down
responsible for having a reliable buddy on your final grade!!
who will take notes and pass them on to
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9. Here is the way it works. (In this Professor & Teaching Apprentices
example, we assume you would get an On the other hand, each time a
A, if you had no absences. But, of graduate assistant or Dr. Malott is late,
course, if you had several absences, he’ll reluctantly contribute $5 to the
you probably would already have lost class party fund. Ouch!
too many points to get an A; so our
penalty of a half a letter grade or so, Late Homework
would be beyond the lowering due to the You lose 5 points per business day
point loss.) (business days are normally those days,
Monday through Friday, when classes
Absences Grade are scheduled and the university offices
0 to 3 A are open). Ouch! You can slide your
4 to 6 BA homework under the assistant’s office
7 to 9 B door (Wood Hall 2536, inside 2506); be
Etc. Etc. sure to put on the name of the course,
the name of your grad. assistant, and
This policy helps most students avoid your name. Late means anytime after
the hopeless hassle of coming around the beginning of the class when your
at the end of the semester, desperately, homework is due. Don’t try to finish your
but vainly, pleading for some way to homework during class; we’ll count that
raise their final grade. Now they’ll have as late. If you know you’re going to have
that A in the bag, when the end of the to miss class, you can turn in your
semester rolls around. But even with homework in advance.
this policy, a small number of students
managed to get less than a BA. Always,
Self Management and Final
this was because of absences or failing
to turn in homework. Fiesta Projects
Sometimes students have a time This semester you will complete 2
conflict, so that they want to come to projects: self management and final
class, take the quiz (depending on when fiesta. THESE ARE NOT THE SAME
it’s given), turn in their homework, and PROJECT!!! If it is not already in your
leave. That’s O.K.. They don’t receive course pack, you will receive a sheet
many or possibly any participation that explains the difference between
points, but this does not count as an these two projects and provides you
absence that would contribute to the with some guidelines for completing the
penalty contingency. projects. But for now we will give you
the very basics. For each project you
Lateness
will complete a paper using Microsoft
Students
Word and a presentation with Microsoft
If you are late for class or leave class
PowerPoint. Using these programs IS A
early, you will lose 5 participation
MANDATORY REQUIREMENT for each
points, and possibly more. (BY the way,
project. However, we realize that not all
if you’re doing other homework, writing
of our students are proficient in using
letters, etc. in class, you won’t get full
these programs. But don’t worry! We
participation points either.)
will help you through it as much as
possible. We even give you a template
disk! On this disk you will find –
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10.  Sample student papers and important that you understand and
presentations remember these Mickey Mouse rules.
 Skeleton outlines/templates for This means you should study them
your project between now and the next class and be
 Instructions for using the prepared for a brief written quiz over
programs. them.
How to keep your participation
points How To Avoid Being A Social
Attending the entire class is the only Disaster
way to earn your participation points. (If When I used to do organizational-
you just show up for the quiz, you will behavior-management workshops for
not be earning any participation points, managers in business and industry, one
but we will let you take the quiz.) Once of my most popular modules dealt with
you are in class there are a couple of social skills. When introducing this
things that we expect of our students. module, I’d say, “Fifty percent of a
These things affect whether or not person’s success in an organization has
students keep the participation points to do with social skills and other skills
earned for showing up. For each that have little to do with the person’s
problem, the student will lose 5 job description.” If those managers ever
participation points. disagreed, it was to say, “No, 50% is an
underestimate.”
Studying and correcting your homework Now here’s something that’s even
with a non-red pen during class weirder than this extreme importance of
If a student uses a non-red pencil or pen social skills: no one ever tells you how
to correct their homework as we give the important those social skills are or what
answers in class. THIS IS NOT they are, let alone, how well you are
ACCEPTABLE! Students are required doing in that crucial area.
to use the red pen to make corrections.
Each time your TA sees you using So you’re playing a game; no one tells
another type of pen/pencil you will lose you the rules; no one tells you the score;
5 participation points. and you don’t even know you’re playing.
All you know is eventually you get a
Studying flashcards during class is not raise, get promoted, or don’t get fired. If
acceptable. If you study during class you lose, if you don’t get the raise or the
time, you will lose 5 participation points. promotion or if you do get fired, no one
will tell you the real reasons about
Mickey Mouse Rules where you screwed up—too much
Sorry for all the preceding nonsense, hassle. So many people go through life
but we’ve found that if we get all these clueless about what determines their
ugly little details straight, up front, then professional success.
you’ll have an almost hassle-free term.
This course is much the same sort of
Adding Insult to Injury organization as a business is. But in this
So that you’ll learn the most, get the course, we’ll make a small attempt to
best grade, and have the most fun, and correct the clueless problem. We’re
the least hassles in this course, it’s going to tell you some of the subtle
10

11. things that will help you be a good after class. Never embarrass your TA or
member of this organization, how to instructor by pointing out in front of the
succeed in this organization, how to get class some really stupid thing they did
this organization to give you strong or some really dumb or unjust feature of
letters of recommendation for practica, the course. Your TA or instructor will just
assistantships, grad school, and jobs; get up tight and defensive, dig in the
and also how to contribute to this heels, be even dumber or more unjust –
organization, in a positive manner. like anyone else would. We’re dealing
Now, if you’re cool, you’ll use being in with people here, and people are easily
this organization as an opportunity to embarrassed and upset.
learn how to be successful in other
organizations, like where you will be Provide corrective feedback in a non-
working when you graduate. Here’s a punitive style (i.e. specify appropriate
general list of skills for succeeding in desired behavior, don’t be critical of
almost any organization, with comments people). Never say how stupid the
about how they apply in this course. teacher was to assign a quiz on
Thanksgiving Day. Just ask if they
How to be way cool realized that the fourth Thursday of
Concerning "compulsive neuroses," I do November was T-Day. Then tactfully
observe that highly productive and point out the implications of that, if need
successful people are irrationally fearful be, but, in private, of course.
that they are going to fail in every Respond in a socially appropriate
endeavor they undertake, such as a manner to positive or negative feedback
course they might be taking or an exam (i.e. say “thank you”, without
they might be taking. And to somewhat disagreement). If the TA or instructor
reduce their fear or anxiety; they work marks something off on a quiz or
their tails off, for example, starting to homework, say “thank you” and then
prepare for the exam as soon as the think about how you can use that
instructor announces it. As a result they feedback to do better next time. Better
get the top score in the class, though, to lose a point on a quiz, even if you
ironically that does little to reduce their know you’re right and the rest of the
fear the next time a text is announced. world is wrong, than to lose a friend,
Whereas, the cool, "mentally healthy" especially if that friend is your TA or
people, don't start studying until right teacher. Win the war, not the battle.
before the exam, because they have a
wonderfully positive self-image; but as a React in a rational, as opposed to an
result they wait a little too late to really emotional manner, when faced with
get enough studying done and do well to problems. Control emotions effectively
pass the exam, let alone ace it. (e.g. do not cry or yell) in frustrating
situations (i.e. under extinction or
Interpersonal Style and Skills aversive conditions), in professional,
Give corrective feedback in appropriate school, and peer settings. Never, ever
situations (not in the presence of lose your cool.
others). If you’re unhappy about some
feature of the course, discuss it with
your TA or instructor privately before or
11

12. Smile: during good times and bad times. during no more than your appropriate
The grinners shall inherit the earth, not share of the class time).
the meek.
Carry your share of the discussion in
Be pleasant in interactions (i.e. zero meetings and seminars (don’t just sit
negative comments, well mannered). Be there listening).
the kind of person your TA and your
classmates want to be around. Appear appropriately receptive to others
values and viewpoints. In this course,
Speak in respectful ways—with peers. you’re going to run up on some strange
ideas, like maybe what you’re reading
Speak in respectful ways—with TAs and now. Relax and check ‘em out. You’ll
professors. Speaking respectfully and have plenty of time to reject them later,
brown nosing are not the same thing. if you still find them to strange by the
end of the course.
Be properly assertive in disagreeing with
others, including other students, your TA Quality: produce a good product with
and your professor. That means: Smile, good results.
be tactful, be private, be cool, be
rational, be polite, be pleasant. But that Timely (reliable): complete tasks by the
does not mean you should be a “yes” deadline.
person. That does not mean you have to
agree with everything. But if you lost a Don’t be absent.
point on a quiz, assume you were
wrong, smile and respectfully ask for Don’t be late.
help in getting your error clarified, even
if you know damned well the TA Technical Skills
screwed up. If, after discussion it looks Use good speaking skills: grammar,
to you like the TA really is wrong, then clear descriptions, loudness,
see if you can gently guide him or her to enunciation, confidence, articulateness,
your way of seeing it. If you can’t, then and fluency.
decide how important it is. If it’s only one
point and you’re already way above Use good writing skills: grammar,
you’re A, consider bagging it. Just chill spelling, and organization.
out. But if it’s a bigger deal, politely and
gently ask permission to discuss the Use good systems-analysis skills:
issue with the professor, and so on. But Effectively detect, analyze and clearly
always be cool, smile and end each specify problems within the system and
discussion with a sincere thank you. then suggest and implement good
solutions.
Actively listen when spoken to (i.e. good
eye contact) where appropriate. Use high-quality behavior-analytic skills.
Do not dominate discussions at Now, you get your act together along all
meetings and seminars (i.e. speak these dimensions; and you’ll not only
12

13. succeed in the organization, you’ll cool way a shot. There ain’t enough
become president of the organization! good students that we can afford to
waste any of them. We just want to help
So, we’re taking the time to go through you so you don’t eye-roll yourself out of
all this for two reasons. One is to help the opportunity to save the world with
you succeed in this organization (this behavior analysis. And that world does
class) and to succeed in future need a savin’. And you can do it. Oops,
organizations (your job, your family, did I hear a little, under-breath, “who-do-
your church). they-think-they-are” sigh of
exasperation?
The other is to help this class and future The Legend of Sheldon Stone
organizations succeed. One negative, One of the coolest cats (woops, excuse
whiney, eye-rolling, sighing, “do we me), the coolest dudes I ever knew was
really have to do this?,” under-breath Sheldon Stone.
“this really sucks,” constantly
challenging student can bring a whole Years ago, I used to be real important; I
class down and make the whole used to teach our 1000-student
semester a drag for the other students introductory psychology course. And
and the TA or teacher. And running Sheldon was an undergrad teaching
about 8 seminars a semester, with apprentice; the only thing lower in our
about 20 students in a seminar, there’s course hierarchy was to be a tuition-
a good chance that 1 out of those 160 paying student (the ones who pay our
students will be clueless about the bad salary). Well, Sheldon was unhappy
karma, vibes, or feelings they’re about some teaching-apprentice policy I
accidentally polluting the classroom had; so he took a group of the
environment with. But mama never told undergrads with him to the WMU
me. And we’ll come down pretty heavy ombudsman (an even more important
on preventing a whole course from person than I was, the person who
getting messed over in that way – now settles squabbles between students and
and in the future. I don’t want anyone in teachers).
my future classes, practica, or graduate
school programs who’s going to be a Now the ombudsman’s an option the
constant pain in the rear or screw up wise student saves for only the most
future courses, practica, or grad extreme emergency, because no
programs. Wow! Heavy. Yes. But I just professor likes being called before the
rolled my eyes a little. I didn’t really ombudsman; and the wise student
mean anything by it. Right. But that’s the knows better than to risk angering the
stuff that makes and breaks you. professor; and there’s no way the
professor isn’t going to be very angry
Now don’t panic. If you screw up, we’ll with such a public challenge to authority.
let you know, but we try to practice our
preaching; we start with just a little But here’s how cool Sheldon was. He
gentle feedback, a little gentle guidance. stated his case to me and the
We want you to go away from the ombudsman in such a non-emotional,
discussion feeling really happy that you non-hysterical, non-threatening, non-
got that info and eager to give the new, challenging, respectful, sympathetic way
13

14. that I caved in immediately, rather than Well, she’s broken my heart. Not only is
getting my hackles up and drawing a she rejecting my course but also she’s
line in the sand. Not only that, over the rejecting behaviorism, my treasure, my
next few years, he rose through our most cherished world view, my faith.
hierarchy to be one of my undergrad Like I really believe in my slogan, “Save
teaching assistant ($), to be one of my the world with behavior analysis,” even
MA student, to be one of my grad though I know it’s a bullshit fantasy.
teaching assistant (more $), to be a But here’s the point: In rejecting me and
professional organizational behavior- all I stand for, she’s so cool, so non-
management consultant (much more $), emotional, so non-hysterical, so non-
and to be manager of the worlds largest threatening, so non-challenging, so
retail store (mucho, mucho mas $), in polite, so respectful that I’m so
Hawaii, of all paradisiacal places. impressed with her I want to share this
incident with you, that I’m so impressed
Of course, that Sheldon started out as a with her that I hope she gets the faith by
60-hour-per-week undergrad didn’t hurt. the end of the semester and joins us in
(Yeah, I know, slackers say, 60 hours a our struggle to save the world with
week! Ugh, a book head! Who wants to behavior analysis, because it’s only with
be a book head!? What the slackers the help of cool people like her that we’ll
don’t know is that it’s the 60-hour-per- have a chance of even getting the world
week book heads who win the game. to know we exist.
And there are a lot more of those On the Other Hand
students leading highly successful A few years ago, we had a guy in Psy.
undergrad careers than the slackers can 360 who was into so much eye-rolling,
even imagine.) heavy-sighing, snotty-out-of-the-corner-
of-his-mouth-remarks by way of
The Legend of the Cool Coed displaying his displeasure with our
Third week of the semester. I’m briskly course that the TA pulled him aside for a
walking down a Dunbar hallway. A private self-development interview,
young woman comes up to me and where she explained that his behavior
asks, “Alright, if I walk with you to was very disruptive for the class and
discuss something?” “Sure.” (Note how made it hard for her to do a good job
respectful: She asks permission to teaching. He said he understood and
walk/talk, and she’s not so would try to do better, but he felt like the
presumptuous as to try to stop me from TAs were a bunch of rats with Malott
going to what ever very important- leading them along by a string.
person meeting I’m headed for [actually
I was headed to the John].) Now the poor TA’s feelings were really
She says, “I find your Psy. 360 course hurt. She she’d never been so insulted.
really hard, and I don’t think behaviorism But here’s the point: She was sure the
is for me. Are all the courses in this guy had no idea how aversive and
department behavioral? And are there inappropriate his comment was. He had
other colleges where the psych. no idea that his social insensitivity and
departments aren’t behavioral?” his inability to stay away from those
petty aggression reinforcers would so
trash his life and career as to cost him at
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15. least $20K a year in salary, ‘cause no say and how you’re going to say it, and
one wants to be around someone who’s mull it over for a day before engaging in
that aversive (inter-observer reliability: in the battle.
earlier courses his fellow students found
his remarks so aversive that they were And the point for those of us in authority
constantly asking him to shut up). (TA’s, teachers, etc.) is to be so socially
cool, on our side, that we don’t get up
Isn’t that sad, regardless of the guy’s tight and escalate confrontations, but
technical skills, his social skills are so rather we de-escalate them, helping
poor that he really is doomed; no one everyone to chill, and then getting back
will want him spreading karmic pollution to the aggressor a day or so after that
in their environment. person has had a chance to cool down,
conducting a self-development
The One Pointer interview, perhaps with further follow
More common is the high-achieving through, in an effort to salvage a soul
student who is such a high achiever who might otherwise lose many of life’s
because she gets completely bent out of opportunities because of being socially
shape every time she loses a point on a clueless.
quiz. The good side of this compulsive
neurosis is that the fear of losing a Professor’s Vita
single point in the game of life is what Dr. Richard Malott received his Ph.D. at
motivates high achievers to achieve so Columbia University in New York City
highly. One of the bad sides of this where he did research in the
compulsive neurosis is that they’re experimental analysis of behavior and
constantly so up tight about point studied with William Cumming, Nat
losses, that they have a hard time Schoenfeld, and Fred Keller. For the last
asking for a re-grade in the manner of 30 years, he has taught at Western
Sheldon Stone and the Cool Coed, in a Michigan University, a major center for
non-emotional, non-hysterical, non- the teaching of behavior analysis. He
threatening, non-challenging, respectful, has had two Fulbright Senior Scholar
sympathetic way, in a way that will make Awards, one to Peru and one to
us want to interact with them more Uruguay. He is one of the founders of
often, rather than less often. In the Association for Behavior Analysis
emotionally going for that single, lost (ABA), the founder and co-chair of the
quiz point, they lose 10 life points, even Teaching Behavior Analysis Special
if they do get the quiz point. Interest Group of ABA, chair of the
Education Board of ABA, and a member
of the editorial board of the Journal of
Bottom Line Organizational Behavior Management.
The point is not to be a yes-person, lie- He has presented talks, workshops, and
down-and-let-them-roll-over-me kiss seminars in 12 countries – Canada,
ass. The point is to choose your battles Newfoundland, Germany, Sweden,
carefully and then treat them not as Mexico, Panama, Columbia, Peru,
battles but rather as opportunities for Brazil, Japan, Thailand, and Hong Kong.
pleasant social discourse. The point is He has published 11 books and 97
to carefully prepare what you’re going to articles and has made 141
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16. presentations at professional meetings
and 127 invited presentations in other Malott’s theoretical work attempts to
settings. explain the role of language and rule-
governed behavior in performance-
He just completed the fourth edition of management contingencies where the
the book Elementary Principles of outcomes are too delayed to directly
Behavior (earlier versions have been reinforce or punish the behavior of
translated into Portuguese, Spanish, interest and yet the rules describing
and Japanese) and is now working on those contingencies reliably control that
the book I’ll Stop Procrastinating When I behavior. This work also attempts to
Get Around To It. explain why some types of important
contingencies fail to reliably control
He specializes in the theoretical analysis behavior.
of behavior, applied behavior analysis,
and behavioral systems analysis. He Let the good times roll!
does research on instructional We look forward to working with you this
technology and performance term, cause we’re all going to have a
management in university-level great time.
education, staff management, and self-
management. He teaches courses at
the undergraduate and graduate level
on the principles of behavior and applied
behavior analysis, as well as a
practicum on the use of behavior
analysis to help autistic children.
Philosophically, Dr. Malott is a radical
behaviorist – he consistently tries to
understand all psychological
phenomena in terms of the principles
and concepts of behavior analysis.
Practically, he is a thoroughgoing
behaviorist – he consistently tries to
apply the principles and concepts of
behavior analysis to all aspects of his
life, personal as well as professional.
His interests in performance
management and self-management in
particular have grown from his
orientation as a thoroughgoing
behaviorist. An example of this work is
the development of performance-
management technology to help
graduate students accomplish the
difficult task of completing their master’s
theses and doctoral dissertations – a
serious problem around the world.
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