Chapter 1 - Introduction to applied behavior analysis, ethics, and core ethical principles

Identifying potential qualities and corresponding behaviors that contribute to effective behavior analytic service delivery may assist practitioners in strengthening their behavioral repertoire and overall client/family/staff outcomes. Credentialed (Board Certified Behavior Analyst – Doctoral or Board Certified Behavior Analyst) individuals practicing outside of the United States of America, and award-winning behavior analysts in the field, were presented with the Exemplary Behavior Analyst Checklist (EBAC; Zayac et al., 2021) and rated the extent to which they believed exemplary behavior analysts display each quality and engage in the associated behaviors. Respondents also selected a “top 10” list of the qualities they believe are important to being/becoming an exemplary behavior analyst. Comparisons of these rankings are made to prior research on the EBAC along with a discussion about the implications for training and continued applications of the EBAC in the field. Limitations of the current studies are identified as well as useful recommendations for future research.

Chapter 1 - Ethical principles and concepts in medicine

Behavior analysts are not recognized or regulated as a distinct profession in Europe. For the most part, European behavior analysts adhered to the standards set by the U.S.-based Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). However, the BACB certification has not been recognized officially in any European jurisdiction. The recent decision by the BACB to discontinue eligibility of non-U.S. residents to apply for the BCBA exam by the end of 2022 has brought the issue of professional regulation outside of the United States into sharp focus. This article offers a snapshot in time of professional recognition of behavior analysts in 21 European countries. It stems from the Erasmus+ funded EuroBA project and its Professional Advisory Group (PAG). The EuroBA project aims to develop common standards and competences for behavior analysts to facilitate national regulation and mutual recognition across Europe.

To the Editor: In response to Dr EA Elkhammas editorial In December 2006 of ljm [1], I remembered an incident that happened to one of our colleagues several years ago. My friend was practicing in Libya when he saw a non Libyan patient who is in need for dialysis. This patient was living in Libya with her married daughter for many years. My friend declined to accept this patient in his chronic dialysis program. Due to high expenses of dialysis, he argued that the patient should receive her dialysis treatment in her home country and not to compete with the Libyan citizens. The physician was determined not to change his decision despite the refusal of the patient to go back to her home country. Fortunately, the patient was accepted in a different dialysis program and the stand off was over. Few years later the same doctor witnessed a similar situation while working in a European country. He came across a female in her forties who developed acute but permanent renal failure as a result of mushroom poisoning (Cortinarius species). The responsible physician asked the patient about the possibly for dialysis treatment in her home country. He quickly realized that there are no dialysis facilities in his patient's home country and sending her back will be risking her life. Without any hesitation, he wrote a letter to the department of immigration recommending giving this patient residency status in this country. He made that recommendation based on his ethical and moral behaviour as a physician. He knew that her life is at danger by sending her back to her home country where there is no adequate dialysis facilities. The patient obtained her residence permit and received the life saving treatment and was placed on the waiting list for kidney transplantation as any other citizen of the country. She received a kidney transplant and currently is doing very well. These two stories made an outstanding ethical lesson for this doctor who felt that his medical education was lacking the ethical part. This physician remembered that he acted based on his biased cultural knowledge at that time with no ethical principles. Several years later, he was taught by the European physician that doctors have an ethical code that dictates their conduct and direct it toward human benefit. This physician did not hesitate to add this patient to the busy dialysis program and did not think that she is going to have expensive treatment within a limited space. The lack of use and consideration of medical ethics during discussing the patient's medical and social problems is a big gap in Libyan medicine. Usually our decision is influenced primarily by the cultural and emotional background and personal attitude. If medical ethics were considered, I am sure that the first case would have been treated differently. In general who lack the knowledge can not practice it. I think we will learn a lot if we ask our selves all the time this simple question, is there any violence to medical ethics in my decision? Should we start debating medical ethics in our daily practice? Yes, we should start debating medical ethics in our daily practice.

At its core, productive collaboration between speech-language pathologists and behavior analysts requires effective communication between both parties. Successful communication can be gained in par...

A primary purpose of a code of ethics is to assist members of an organization in making consistent choices when faced with ethical dilemmas. In instances where two or more ethical principles are in conflict with one another, decision-makers are typically left to determine which of the two should be given most weight. Nonetheless, in the code of ethics adopted by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), principles are ranked in order of importance. This provides decision-makers with guidance in situations of conflict between ethical principles. In contrast to CPA's code of ethics, other professional codes do not provide such guidance. In a previous paper, we provided a philosophical rationale for a ranking of the ethical principles adopted by the American Psychological Association (APA) in order to help guide decision-making (Hadjistavropoulos & Malloy, 1999). In the present study, we investigated whether APA members collectively believe that some ethical principles are more important than others, and whether their views about the relative importance of ethical principles are consistent with the order (i.e., ranking) outlined in the CPA code. The results suggest that although APA members view all principles of their code as being important, they also view certain principles as carrying more weight. A discussion of the similarities and differences between a ranking of ethical principles that was based on our participants' responses and that of the CPA code is provided. The implications of the findings for ethical decision-making are also discussed. A primary purpose of any code of ethics is to provide members of an association with guidance for making consistent ethical choices. Principles and standards are used to specify for members the nature of what the organization/association deems to be ideal and/or expected conduct (Railborn & Payne, 1990). The ethical principles listed in the code of ethics adopted by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA, 1991, 2000) are ranked in order of importance. This approach was intended to increase consistency of ethical decision-making in situations where ethical principles are in conflict with one another (Hadjistavropoulos & Malloy, 2000; Sinclair, 1998). In contrast to the CPA code, the code of ethics adopted by the American Psychological Association (APA, 1992) does not include a ranking of ethical principles. The APA (1992) code is of interest to Canadian psychologists because it reflects the practices of the largest psychological association in the world and is a highly visible and influential document within international psychology. Moreover, approximately 2,000 Canadian psychologists are members of APA (APA, 2000). The code of ethics of the american psychological association (APA, 1992) includes six ethical principles (Competence, Integrity, Professional and Scientific Responsibility, Respect for People's Rights and Dignity, Concern for Others' Welfare, and Social Responsibility). It is not difficult to think of situations in which some of these principles can come into conflict with other principles. Consider, for example, a well-meaning parent who wishes to make a choice for his child that the psychologist believes is not in the best interest of the child (Hadjistavropoulos & Malloy, 1999). In such a situation, principles that relate to client autonomy (e.g., Respect for People's Rights and Dignity) would conflict with those that pertain to concern for the welfare of others (e.g., Concern for Others' Welfare). Most codes of ethics do not provide guidance with respect to the manner in which such conflicts should be dealt with, thus, increasing the probability of inconsistent decision-making among psychologists. As mentioned earlier, the issue of conflict among ethical principles has been addressed by CPA (1991, 2000). The four principles of CPA's code are ranked as follows: 1) Respect for the Dignity of Persons; 2) Responsible Caring; 3) Integrity in Relationships; and 4) Responsibility to Society. …

In the United States school system, there is an increasing number of students who need behavioral support. Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) utilize the science of applied behavior analysis and are uniquely qualified to provide such support. However, for many reasons, BCBAs may not have the knowledge and skills to capitalize on their services in schools, including collaboration skills that can result in goals, intervention procedures, and outcomes that are not socially and ecologically valid. The current article provides a transdisciplinary model of school-based collaboration for BCBAs to maximize the effectiveness of behavioral interventions in schools. Adapted for school-based BCBAs from Boyer and Thompson's (2014) transdisciplinary model, the current model includes the elements of (a) extending BCBAs’ knowledge regarding school systems, (b) establishing rapport with team members, (c) enriching team members’ understanding of everyone’s role and expectations, and (d) exchanging feedback and praise.

The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to and highlight some particularly enlightening arguments described by Rosenberg and Schwartz (2019). First, I emphasize the importance of the role of culture in ethical analysis and describe how the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts (2014; hereafter referred to as the BACB Code) unintentionally underplays the importance of culture. Second, I express support for the model of ethical analysis proposed by Rosenberg and Schwartz and explain how their model provides an excellent and much-needed framework for the observation (and subsequent study) of ethical decision-making in behavior-analytic practice. Finally, I go all in and join Rosenberg and Schwartz in their call for scholars to critically analyze and discuss the BACB Code and to challenge the status quo (or call into question those who do). Such a discussion is healthy for our science and understanding of ethics and behavior analysis.

The Hippocratic Oath, millennium mainstay of medical ethics, has had many interpretations and challenges on its way to modern medical ethics and codes of ethics. Hippocrates learn­ing in history changed in accordance with cur­rent social, religious and political values and requirements. The most important reasons for the new approach in the new medical ethics lie in the ethical theories: utilitarianism (and welfare benefits), deontology (duty and behavior), the moral duties of doctors and health workers, and virtue ethics (set of Hippocrates). In all this, we should bear in mind the theoretical and practical values that are most relevant to each individual case. Today there are many theories of civil with the potential to grow into bioethical theories, such as the feminist movement in bioethics, Marxism, libertarianism (the doctrine of free­dom) and other theological theories. Howev­er, none of them are imposed from a practical point of view, able to deal with ethical dilem­mas and problems that gave birth to modern science and technology. In a similar trend in the development of medical ethics at the beginning of the new millennium, the Hippocratic oath is augmented with the Geneva Declaration, and in England, the General Medical Board provides a clear and stylish guide Hippocratic Oath in terms of the doctor's rights and obligations, as well as the Code of Ethics as a guide for good medi­cal practice (General Medical Council, 2006). Professional medical ethics has finally over­taken the Hippocratic ethic. What is encour­aging is the strong development of codes of ethics in modern medicine and health care in many countries, including Serbia.

Undergraduate courses in healthcare ethics should primarily focus on taking students on a journey that facilitates growth in the theoretical and practical areas of deliberation and ethical decision-making skills. A sound knowledge of the most prominent moral theories, together with knowledge of widely-recognised bioethics principles and medical law principles should underpin the course content. Ultimately healthcare ethics courses should result in skills that will empower students to effectively function in their specific professional healthcare fraternities. The first section of this chapter describes the rationale for the inclusion of four broad learning units. Each of these learning units will be subdivided into one or more modules. The Ethics principles learning unit includes the following modules: (1) Overview of ethics; (2) Moral theories; (3) Fundamental ethics principles; and (4) Clinical research ethics. The Ethical reasoning learning unit consists of only one module, while the Professional skills learning unit includes the following two modules: (1) Professionalism; and (2) Communication. The Legal considerations in healthcare learning unit consists only of a Medical law module. The second section of this chapter focuses on a description of each module’s specific learning outcomes. The aim of these learning outcomes is to ensure that healthcare students acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes that achieve deep learning and fundamental understanding of ethical principles, ethical reasoning, professional skills and medical law principles. The third section of this chapter focuses on a description of the assessment tasks that can be used in dynamic interaction with theory and practice throughout the undergraduate healthcare ethics course. The various assessment tasks focus on evidence-based endeavours to determine and establish the extent to which students have internalised the required sets of knowledge, skills and attitudes regarding ethics concepts and principles, ethical reasoning, professional skills and legal considerations in healthcare.

The Declaration of Helsinki

The importance of family engagement in their children’s education and treatment is emphasized by researchers, professional organizations, and legislatures. Providing services with caregivers via telepractice has gained more support and is becoming especially timely due to the current pandemic and social distancing requirements. Professionals, such as board-certified behavior analysts (BCBAs), who work with caregivers with children with disabilities may benefit from receiving professional development on strategies for building better rapport with caregivers and coaching them to bring about maximum clinical efficacy. The current pilot study replicated an earlier study by Meadan et al. to examine the effects of the Coaching Caregiver Professional Development (CoCarePD) intervention package, in which BCBAs received training and coaching from researchers via telepractice, on their caregiver coaching practices. A single-case, multiple-probe design study across three BCBAs was conducted, and findings support a functional relationship between the CoCarePD and BCBAs’ use of coaching practices.

The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (2020) guides our practice and our professional responsibilities, and some certificants of the BACB may experience possible conflict between engaging in ethical practice and organizational policies at their place of employment (Greeny et al. Behavior Analysis: Research & Practice, 22(4), 368-381, 2022). An ethics coordinator (Brodhead & Higbee, Behavior Analysis in Practice, 5(2), 82-88, 2012), ethics committee (Cox, Behavior Analysis in Practice, 13(4), 939-949, 2020), or ethics network (LeBlanc et al., Behavior Analysis in Practice, 13(4), 905-913, 2020) could help mitigate such conflict. In this article, we described the formation of our organizational ethics network, based on the network developed by LeBlanc et al. (Behavior Analysis in Practice, 13(4), 905-913, 2020). We also reported on the use of our ethics hotline during the first year of the network, showcasing the possible cross-level and cross-departmental collaboration with occasional organizational change that occurred related to situations submitted to the ethics hotline. We concluded with our reflections and considerations for other practitioners or organizations who want to establish an ethics network.

This chapter describes ethical considerations for behavior analysts when providing applied behavior analysis (ABA)-based services for adults with autism spectrum disorders. The framework for this chapter is based on the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, the need for consent for services, funding of adult services, related legal and regulatory matters, and evidence-based procedures.

Just Another Form of Ideology? Ethical and Methodological Principles in Film Restoration Andreas Busche [End Page 1] Since the 1980s, a serious debate about the ethics of film restoration has existed among archivists, historians, preservationists, and restorers. Numerous motion pictures have disappeared completely or survive only in a fragmentary or corrupted form. As a result, the urge to restore this lost or distorted history has become a main concern in archives and museums. However, film restoration still struggles to establish a binding professional code, comparable to those already in place in fine art restoration and heritage conservation such as the ICOM Code of Ethics, the AIC Code of Ethics, UNESCO's Memory of the World Guidelines, or the ECCO Professional Guidelines.1 Every profession that aspires to technical vocational recognition sooner or later faces the necessity of developing codified guidelines for professionals working in the field.2 Such an intellectual framework is essential, determining parameters for maneuvering and serving as a reference point for an ethical conduct. A professional code establishes the basis for a professional self-conception and encourages a permanent critical assessment of work produced in the field. Hence, a professional code constitutes a concise framework of the discipline: its raison d'être as a profession (and science), its theoretical and ethical principles, its historical conception within a broader cultural and social context, its service to the public, and, last but not least, the methodology that brings these intellectual considerations effectively into practical application. A profession without such a codification ultimately lacks the basis for conducting its work in a responsible manner. This article's foremost concern is to discuss a theoretical and ethical framework for film restoration and, consequently, propose a methodological approach toward some very specific, well-defined practical problems. The methodological principles derived from this discussion can only focus here on a narrow aspect of film restoration, namely the restoration of a black-and-white silent film from positive prints. Actual film restoration entails far more complex issues than discussed here. My purpose is to demonstrate that certain methodological principles are indeed useful. Ideally, my examination will lay a foundation for more elaborate methodologies. Discussion of an ethical and theoretical framework ultimately constitutes the first crucial stage for developing a consistent methodology. Such a methodology is an integral part of a professional code, since it constantly negotiates between the theoretical and the practical. Hence, a starting point is a careful examination of concepts such as ethics, restoration theory, methodology, and practice and how they interrelate for the establishment of a professional code. Before I continue, however, it is necessary to briefly outline my definition of restoration and distinguish it from preservation, duplication (or reproduction), and reconstruction. This step is particularly important, since a binding terminology has not yet been established. This ambiguity is a prevailing problem in the conservation profession [End Page 2] where, in 1984, indifference toward definitions of restoration and conservation forced the International Council of Museums (ICOM) to coin the rather awkward term conservator-restorer as a compromise.3 The distinction between restoration and preservation in film preservation is slightly easier to determine but nevertheless still causes dispute. We can refer to Paul Read's and Mark Paul Meyer's general statement that the term restoration (in contrast to preservation) is used when "differences are created between the materials you start with and the materials you end with."4 This definition seems to make perfect sense, but, unfortunately, it is not so simple. In relation to film objects (or film artifacts, as I prefer to call them: a print, a negative, a dup positive, or even a sound negative), the lines between restoration, preservation, and duplication are blurred, because every duplication—supposedly a "neutral" process—inevitably introduces qualitative changes in photographic information: a generational loss of quality and changes due to timing. To reach common ground, we have to mind our terminology. According to Read and Meyer, restoration encompasses the "whole spectrum of film duplication...