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Onsdag 16:00 - Torsdag 13:00 Forseminar (Veslefjellhall 2 og 3)

Forseminar: Sosial validitet

Erik Arntzen

Norsk atferdsanalytisk forening

Sammendrag:

Sosial validitet er et sentralt begrep i atferdsanalyse og refererer til i hvilken grad mål, prosedyrer og resultater av en intervensjon er sosialt betydningsfulle og akseptable for dem som berøres. Begrepet understreker at effektiv atferdsendring ikke er tilstrekkelig dersom tiltaket ikke oppleves som relevant eller nyttig i praksis. Sosial validitet omfatter vanligvis tre dimensjoner: den sosiale betydningen av målene, akseptabiliteten av prosedyrene og viktigheten av de oppnådde resultatene. Ved å vektlegge sosial validitet sikres det at atferdsanalytiske intervensjoner får praktisk og etisk relevans. Dette bidrar til å styrke forbindelsen mellom eksperimentell forskning og anvendt praksis, samt fagets legitimitet i samfunnet.

Onsdag 16:00 - 16:10 Presentasjon #1

Introduction

Erik Arntzen

OsloMet - storbyuniversitetet

Onsdag 16:10 - 17:55 Presentasjon #2

Social Validity and Contemporary Behavior Analysis

Timothy Vollmer

University of Florida

Sammendrag:

Vollmer and Pendergrass (2025) recently provided commentary on the implications of social validity in contemporary applied behavior analysis. In the current presentation, Dr. Vollmer will extend this discussion by showing specific examples of challenging decisions related to social validation. Social validity (Wolf, 1978) refers to the extent to which goals, procedures, and outcomes are acceptable to consumers. Wolf’s seminal introduction to social validity remains crucial for present-day research and practice. However, it is difficult at times to ascertain who should be considered the consumer (e.g., Parent? Child? Teacher?), and to identify boundaries and guidelines for social validation. By way of medical analogy, a child may actively dissent receiving stitches as treatment for a severe wound, but a parent and physician agree there is medical necessity and that stitches are needed in the patient’s longer-term best interest. Similarly, behavior analysts face challenges with many goals (e.g., oral hygiene, self-feeding, bedtime management, classroom management) where a client may dissent, but others consent based on perception of the client’s longer-term best interest. Also, procedures (e.g., escape extinction) and outcomes (e.g., less than perfect behavior change) can be controversial and require special consideration when social validation is balanced. Examples from clinical cases and behavioral research will be described.

(There will be a coffee break during this presentation)

Onsdag 18:10 - 19:10 Presentasjon #3

Social validity, local consensus, and proposed measurement strategies

Fredrik Andersen

Høgskolen I Østfold

Sammendrag:

Social validity and acceptability are commonly assessed through surveys and interviews with local stakeholders, with the aim of mapping attitudes toward ongoing or planned interventions. Typically, these assessments involve family members and professional staff. When such stakeholders express approval of an intervention, this is often taken to indicate the achievement of a form of local consensus or local approval.

However, there are well-recognized challenges in relying exclusively on local agreements as a basis for ethically relevant decisions. These challenges include limitations in ethical imagination, as well as the evolving and context-dependent nature of concepts such as right, wrong, and acceptable behavior.

In response, I propose a set of target behaviors that could be measured systematically. Measuring these behaviors may strengthen the ethical grounding and social validity of our interventions.

Torsdag 09:00 - 09:45 Presentasjon #4

Social validity, short-term discomfort, and long-term outcomes: Clinical reflections from applied practice

Søren Jensson Skår

Helse Stavanger

Sammendrag:

Social validity has been a core dimension of applied behavior analysis since its early conceptualization, emphasizing the social significance of intervention goals, procedures, and outcomes (Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968; Wolf, 1978). Despite this, applied behavioral interventions are sometimes portrayed in contemporary practice as insufficiently attentive to social validity, while alternative approaches are proposed as more socially acceptable.

This presentation explores how such critiques may rest on a narrowed conceptualization of social validity as a singular and immediate judgement of acceptability, rather than as a construct that unfolds over time and must be evaluated in relation to long-term outcomes. From a behavioral perspective, values and ethical judgements — including evaluations of social validity — are themselves forms of behavior shaped and maintained by cultural contingencies, and must therefore be understood as contextually and temporally situated (Skinner, 1953; 1971).

Drawing on clinical examples from habilitation and mental health services, the presentation discusses how this shift may challenge empirically supported interventions that involve short-term discomfort or adult-guided control as mechanisms for long-term functional change. At the same time, interventions perceived as immediately acceptable may be favored, despite the risk of poorer long-term outcomes and reduced autonomy for the individual. Implications for clinical decision-making and professional responsibility are briefly considered.

Torsdag 10:00 - 10:45 Presentasjon #5

Social Validity – Where the Shoe Pinches

Inez Veronika Nordseth-Antonsen

Sammendrag:

Social validity represents something different from the seven dimensions described by Baer et al. (1968), it refers to the subjective and less easily measurable notion of “social importance” (Wolf, 1978). Even though more than 40 years have passed since Wolf’s article was published, Eilifsen and Vandbakk (2021) found that social validity had been assessed in only about 10–20% of published research articles, and that there was considerable methodological variation in what was measured and how social validity was evaluated. This highlights the need for more standardized and user friendly measurement instruments. In our project, we aimed to examine the usability of the scale translated and validated by Strømgren et al. (2020), as well as to develop and test a simplified version designed to support each individual’s opportunity to rate social validity. Several research questions will be presented, and key findings from the project will be discussed.

Torsdag 11:00 - 11:45 Presentasjon #6

Social validity: how are values defined in behavior analysis?

Pedram Sadeghi

Sammendrag:

Behavior analysis is a cohesive field which extends from the philosophy of science to service delivery. Ever since the introduction of behaviorism by Watson there has been a focus on how knowledge should be obtained. Simultaneously there has been a theme which appears to have gotten less attention, namely, how the knowledge obtained should benefit human beings and society as a whole. By focusing heavily on the scientific purpose of description, prediction and control, the ultimate aim, to enhance quality of life, based on specific analysis of behavior, appears to have been underemphasized. Furthermore, this historical lack of balance could be a contributing source of misconceptions about the science. The seminal work of Baer and Wolf made social validity a central dimension of applied behavior analysis, and has been decisive in shaping discipline. By analyzing contingencies of behavior which are important to humans and other living beings, we are inherently concerned about ethics and values. As the field continues to develop, it is increasingly important to underscore that ethics and values constitute the core of social validity – and that social validity has been and will continue to be an natural part of the science.

Torsdag 12:15 - 13:00 Presentasjon #7

Panel discussion

Timothy Vollmer		University of Florida
Fredrik Andersen		Høgskolen I Østfold
Søren Jensson Skår		Helse Stavanger
Inez Veronika Nordseth-Antonsen
Pedram Sadeghi