Behavioral Semantics as it Relates to Consultation and Communication:
How to Broaden OBM and to Avoid the Misstep of Operationism
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Eastman Chemical Company
September 24, 2022
Correspondence: behavioranalyst@gmail.com

Slide
1

Behavioral Semantics as it Relates toConsultation and Communication
How to Broaden OBM
and to Avoid the Misstep of Operationism

Doug Johnson
behavioranalyst@gmail.com•Slide2•

A grain ofsalt forthis talkSlide3•

Our stuff is so great—

why don’t they understandthat we have the stuff they’remissing?

•Frequent errors and misunderstandingof the tasks that face us
Drawn from a couple decades ofconsulting and educating

Start with a simple premise: Our stuff
is so great—why don’t theyunderstand?
We built a better mousetrap, but theworld did NOT beat a path to our doorBehavioral Semantics as it Relates to Consultation and Communication:
How to Broaden OBM and to Avoid the Misstep of Operationism
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Eastman Chemical Company
September 24, 2022
Correspondence: behavioranalyst@gmail.com

Slide4Pressure to expand our DVs
into new territory•••••Slide5

Maybe it would
benefit us to lookbackwards

Slide
6

Expanding to new audiences
New social landscapes and languages
New demands within the world ofwork
Pressure points to expand our DVs:
creativity and shrinking rote work,
satisfaction and wellness, DEI
Some will argue these are not
behavioral targets: NOT TRUE•

In order to advance, it is instructive tocarefully examine our foundations•

The more experienced can doze off
for a bit, think about more pleasantstimuli
How did the misstep of operationism
come about (and what is it)?

beforemoving forwardI know it is early, but pleasestay with me for a bit ofhistory…

•Behavioral Semantics as it Relates to Consultation and Communication:
How to Broaden OBM and to Avoid the Misstep of Operationism
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Eastman Chemical Company
September 24, 2022
Correspondence: behavioranalyst@gmail.com••

Slide7•••

Darwin as the starting point••

Slide8•••Darwin’s theory of evolution
Important to show that we have morein common than we initially realizedwith other animals
Contributions of Darwin’s ideas
Selectionism: Outcomes determine
what gets repeated (natural selectionand operant conditioning)
Continuity of species (we can learn
things about ourselves by studying
rats and pigeons)
Maybe every human characteristic,
including consciousness andreasoning powers, could be
discovered in other species
Most famous dissertation of all time:Thorndike’s puzzle boxes
Parsimony suggested that maybe
other simpler mechanisms could
account for animal behavior. Trial anderror to escape puzzle box, rather
than forming mental schematics orworking out the solution in your mind.
If evidence of consciousness andreasoning could be explained in otherways in animals, why not also inhumanity?
Instead of states of mind, intentions,insights, etc.; just strictly observable inanimals such as cats, but also
humans as well?

• Logical positivism: Central to theSlide
9

movement is the principle of verifiability

Only events thatcan bedirectly verified
or logicallynecessaryare meaningful• Only statements that can beempirically verified or logicallynecessary are meaningful• Inner world still exists, but meaningless
if unmeasured. IF cannot measure OR
not logically needed, THEN
meaningless• Huge impact on American psychology
in the 1920s

Behavioral Semantics as it Relates to Consultation and Communication:
How to Broaden OBM and to Avoid the Misstep of Operationism
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Eastman Chemical Company
September 24, 2022
Correspondence: behavioranalyst@gmail.com

Slide
10

• Operationism: We do not know theThe meaningof a•conceptisdeterminedbyhow wemeasure it•
•
•
•

Slide
11

•
•

Slide
12

meaning of a concept unless we havea method of measurement for it“we mean by any concept nothing
more than a set of operations; theconcept is synonymous with thecorresponding set of operations”(Bridgman, 1927).
CONCEPT: How excited are you?
PROBLEM: Individuals have uniquedefinitions
SOLUTION: Find a measure, such as
number of words per minute
CONCEPT→ excited = number ofwords spoken per minute
Grant the distinction between public
and private events, and rule the latterout of scientific consideration
By defining “excited” as number ofwords per minute, avoid any
subjectivity and be a true science• Behaviorist psychologists saw this as a•••••

weapon in their fight against more
traditional psychologists, especiallythose who prized introspection
Fear, anger, excitement all can bedirectly measured!
ANGER = How loud (dB)
EXCITEMENT = How fast (count perminute)
FEAR = # of tears and screams
Little Albert: Tears and screams werefear itself, anything beyond that could
not be measured and therefore
meaningless (but not necessarily false)Behavioral Semantics as it Relates to Consultation and Communication:
How to Broaden OBM and to Avoid the Misstep of Operationism
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Eastman Chemical Company
September 24, 2022
Correspondence: behavioranalyst@gmail.com•Slide13This was the mistake—fueled by our desire to
be a “real” science••••••

Slide
14

What distinguishes OBM?
••••••••

Methodology dominated the thinking,the approaches to science, and ouranalysis of meaning
The cold comfort of never having toinfer or extrapolate
Borrowing prestige from math andlogic so no one can call us a fakescience anymore
Our convenient measures andconceptualizations made everythingeasierMethodological behaviorism went toeasy route by focusing on the tools
alone

What distinguishes OBM?
Solve concerns of people, but so doessociology, economics, and politicalscience.
Concerns specific to workplacesettings will not distinguish OBM fromindustrial-organizational psychology.
Credentials (e.g., BCBA) should not
be confused for the field itself.
Specific topics, interventions, andmethodologies?
Whether discipline addresses
selection and placement or
performance management is likely theproduct of normative trends rather
than inherent distinctions.
Performance appraisals, employee
attitudes, equity issues, and decision
making could all be addressed by an
OBM practitioner or researcher,
It is questionable whether abehavioral intervention exists because
procedures are atheoretical in nature.
One cannot tell from a feedback
intervention whether a behavior
analyst, cognitive scientist, or
humanistic psychologist did it
The difference between fields largely
lies within the explanations employedby those working in those paradigms.

Behavioral Semantics as it Relates to Consultation and Communication:
How to Broaden OBM and to Avoid the Misstep of Operationism
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Eastman Chemical Company
September 24, 2022
Correspondence: behavioranalyst@gmail.comSlide15•

If we are not grounded in thephilosophy or conceptual framework,
then we just become tips, tricks, andtechniques•

Many forget about what made radical
behaviorism great
Not about being observable, not theuse of consequences
It was Skinner’s understanding ofprivate events and the meaning ofwords
Very relevant to consultants who aretrying to parse out how to be
persuasive

Radicalbehaviorism iswhatdistinguishes us

Slide16•••

People forget (orperhaps never knew)
what made radical
behaviorism so great• Skinner originally favored operationism• But a few critical events caused him toSlide17

drift away

Skinner wasan early
advocate ofoperationismandWatsonianpsychology

Behavioral Semantics as it Relates to Consultation and Communication:
How to Broaden OBM and to Avoid the Misstep of Operationism
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Eastman Chemical Company
September 24, 2022
Correspondence: behavioranalyst@gmail.com

Slide
18

• Skinner’s early mentors and intellectualSlide
19• An operational definition would consist

Slide
20

heroes had impressed upon him theimportance of understanding theENTIRE organism, not just theconvenient part of the organism• His approach to verbal behavior gave
him the basis for an alternative fordefining concepts, one that could
embrace private events without
mentalism• He finally and fully rejects Watson andthe methodological behaviorists• He asserts that methodologicalbehaviorism is itself mentalistic.

of an empirical description of theconditions under which a term is used
(what conditions evoke the tact)• What do mean by “attending,”“creativity,” “morality,” or any otherconcept?
• What circumstances evoke thoseterms? What are the critical attributes?
What are the discriminative stimuli andstimulus classes that cause a label tobe emitted?

The meaningof aconcept
isdeterminedbyconditions
under which
the label isutteredBehavioral Semantics as it Relates to Consultation and Communication:
How to Broaden OBM and to Avoid the Misstep of Operationism
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Eastman Chemical Company
September 24, 2022
Correspondence: behavioranalyst@gmail.com• Semantics is the study of meaning• There are three important terms: aSlide21••••• Translation: the importance of bothSlide22talking and listening• For example, if you wanted to know•••••

Slide23

stimulus, a response, and areinforcement supplied by the verbal
community
Concepts = measures
VersusConcepts = verbal behavior controlled
by stimulus classes and audience
reactionsThis notion fuels much of myprofessional interest in instructional
design and training

what a good conversation in the field
looks like (Laske’s dilemma)
We don’t know what to train
It means different things to different
peopleIt’s very subjective and they are surethemselves what it means
Listening and guiding theconversation—not waiting to just tellthem what it should look like
You need to discover it with them

• The value of this cannot be

Understanding themeaning behindpeople’s words
including words
describing private
experience, subjective
terms, or mentalistic
notions

understated and this notion has guided
most of how I interact with others.
• Take an understanding and empathetic
approach, rather than a dismissive
approach when people have a different
perspective and don’t think or analyze
like youBehavioral Semantics as it Relates to Consultation and Communication:
How to Broaden OBM and to Avoid the Misstep of Operationism
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Eastman Chemical Company
September 24, 2022
Correspondence: behavioranalyst@gmail.com• Creativity and shrinking rote work,

Slide
24

satisfaction and wellness, DEI

We can use thiskey to broaden us
into any new
territory without
losing our identity
Slide
25

• “Well, every behavior analyst knows“Inner dialogue: sorry, I didn’tmean to get away from behavioral”“To stop being behavioral for asecond, I think about how people
might think or feel in reaction”

that.”• Then why do I repeatedly hear thesesentiments from people working in thefield with behavioral degrees oradvanced graduate students inbehavioral programs?

“What is great about behavior
analysis is that it is only focusedon the observable”
Slide26• As people live in the applied world

An unnecessary

retreat from behaviorism

where they need to confront
unobservable and complex
phenomena, they often abandon abehavioral perspective because the
day-to-day they think there are dealing
with non-behavioral events• This happens when they leave thebubble where everyone talks the sameand struggle with interacting withpeople who talk and view the world
differentlyBehavioral Semantics as it Relates to Consultation and Communication:
How to Broaden OBM and to Avoid the Misstep of Operationism
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Eastman Chemical Company
September 24, 2022
Correspondence: behavioranalyst@gmail.com• For Skinner, the private world was justSlide27

as physical and lawful as the publicworld“An adequate scienceof behavior must
consider events taking
place within the skinof the organism, notas physiologicalmediators of behavior
but as part of behavior
itself.”- Skinner

Slide28• Return to our starting premise

Our stuff is so great—

why don’t they understandthat we have the stuff they’remissing?

• Our precise words are not theSlide29

obstacle.

• Our interpersonal and communication•

Our words
are not theproblem

•
•
•
•

skills are.
People accept technical explanations
all the time from medical doctors,mechanics, astrologers, programming,and like.
Being plain spoken IS important withcertain audiences
Do NOT use $20 words when $1 word
will doGradually shape the audience’s
understanding
BUT don’t think they are simply against
new technical wordBehavioral Semantics as it Relates to Consultation and Communication:
How to Broaden OBM and to Avoid the Misstep of Operationism
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Eastman Chemical Company
September 24, 2022
Correspondence: behavioranalyst@gmail.com• Your job is not to tell them that they’reSlide30

We do things for a reason
Behavior analysis is about
making those reasons
explicit

Behavior analysis is NOT
establishing your superiority

wrong. Or that they just don’t get. Or
that you’re smarter, better, or morecredentialed than them.
• Your BCBA, Ph.D., LBA, or whatever
doesn’t have much value if you use it
as a tool to belittle or just establish thatyou are better.
• As you try to bamboozle them withclever words unfamiliar to them while
you talk down to them.

• Thesaurus fallacy: magic decoder

Slide
31

dictionary and simple synonyms

The Thesaurus Fallacy• Forever talking about talking: How can
I phrase things so they get it? What’s
the magic password?
• An overly eager expressive repertoire• Their verbal behavior is controlled by

Slide
32

something.

• The words they use are NOT irrelevant

The Neglectof Listening

to your analysis• Your job is to figure out it, findcommonalities, develop measures thatwill address their understanding andyour objectives, and then redirect
towards joint goals with a supportivestance• Are you listening and trying to figureout their context and controllingvariables? Or are you simply waiting
for your turn to speak?
• Don’t let your impoverished receptive
repertoire or your overly eager preventyou from understandingBehavioral Semantics as it Relates to Consultation and Communication:
How to Broaden OBM and to Avoid the Misstep of Operationism
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Eastman Chemical Company
September 24, 2022
Correspondence: behavioranalyst@gmail.com• Listening to unheard voices• Learning what is needed and figuring

Slide
33

out how to supply it

The humanelement and what
ethics should befocused on
Slide
34

“The linkages are formed, not in thedesigner’s office, but by partnering withpeople in the workplace.”
Brethower and Smalley (1998)• How do you get your stuff listened to,adopted, and kept in place?

• You listen, understand, and constantly••••

adapt and adjust.
You form linkages between what youwant and want they want.
Linkages between where they are andwhere they need to be.
Linkages between the short-term andlong-term.
“The linkages are formed, not in thedesigner’s office, but by partnering withpeople in the workplace.”• Our science works and is incredibly

Slide35

powerful when we work WITH others

To be clear, we
do have an
incredibly
powerfulscience whenpartner withpeople• This power is not to be underestimatedor applied without responsibilityBehavioral Semantics as it Relates to Consultation and Communication:
How to Broaden OBM and to Avoid the Misstep of Operationism
DOUGLAS A. JOHNSON
Eastman Chemical Company
September 24, 2022
Correspondence: behavioranalyst@gmail.com• You should give freely-not just give aSlide36

few tiny tidbits and then pitch solutions
that can only be found in youroverpriced book or workshop• If you only have a single piece ofadvice worth paying for, then go andstudy more

As a science, we should
give freely and give clearlySlide37• Your job is not to just help companies
make more money• Cannot act in ignorance of financials,

but not an excuse to exploit workers• You can improve BOTH the finances
and worker well-being at the same time
• First OBM article published, Aldis(1961) concluded: “greater promise is
OBM and the Bottom Linethat such experiments may lead tohappier workers as well.”• You want to know what is meant by“better?” That is what concept__________________________________________How can we make the lives of workers better?
analyses and understanding behavioral
semantics is all about, once again.
• If you can’t see that, go into finance,accounting, or business administration
Slide
38

__________________________________________
Thank you for listening