National Autism Conference 2019

Social behavior is a topic of enormous scientific importance, spanning disciplines from anthropology to neuroscience. Although the topic has been widely studied outside behavior analysis, it has received only scant attention over the years within the field. This is unfortunate because behavior analysis has much to contribute to this field, both methodologically and conceptually. My main aim in this talk to summarize what is known about social behavior (e.g., cooperation, resource sharing, imitation, social interaction) across species and settings, and to outline a functional approach to conceptualizing and studying it. I will call attention to areas in which behavior-analytic concepts and methods have the potential for substantive contributions to this rapidly growing field. I will also discuss some tangible ways in which this type of functional analysis can be translated into practical applications, including special populations for whom social behavior poses significant challenges. Credits: Act 48, SW, Psych, PT, OT, BACB, ASHA