Primer on basic behavioral principles
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
2022
Department/School
Psychology
Publication Title
The Oxford Handbook of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Abstract
Behavioral principles guided the initial development of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and serve as the foundation for its flexible implementation. This article provides a broad introduction to the contextual approach to operant behavior, including behavioral principles, behavioral economics, and rule-governed behavior. Key applications of these relations include taking a constructional approach to building meaningful patterns of behavior that are supported by naturalistic contingencies outside of the therapeutic relationship, evaluating function-based hypotheses by monitoring response to treatment and other key variables, and occasionally systematically evaluating treatment outcomes using single-subject research designs. Examples used throughout the article help connect these foundational concepts to ACT practice. Behavioral principles support clinicians in taking a scientist-practitioner approach to ACT implementation and can support competent innovation while maintaining fidelity to the underlying functional contextual model.
Recommended Citation
Waltz, T. J., & Drossel, C. (2022). Primer on basic behavioral principles. In M. P. Twohig, M. E. Levin, & J. M. Petersen (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of acceptance and commitment therapy (pp. 42-76). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197550076.013.3
Comments
T. J. Waltz and C. Drossel are faculty members in EMU's Department of Psychology.