BACB Ethics Paper PDF

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The title is BACB- Professional and Ethical Code. It is a review of the ethics code....

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BACB- Professional and Ethical Code An ethical code, in my mind, is like a rule book or a book of guidelines. People can have mixed views on whether or not they like rules and guidelines. Some people tend to think of them as limiting. They feel like rules block creativity, limit available options, and are only there so someone else can exert control and punish someone if they break them. Other people see rules more like guardrails. They are there along the road, you know what they are for, you see them, but most importantly you have the choice to obey them or not. If you obey them, or in this analogy you don’t cross over the guardrail, you stay safe. If you choose not to obey them, there are consequences. To me, rules and ethical codes like this one are there to help. It is there to keep people safe and make sure what is being practiced is efficient, worthwhile, and comfortable for the person receiving help. Without ethical guidelines, there would be no telling the steps someone might take to reach success in changing behavior. It may also create confusion as people just did whatever they felt like and didn’t stick to some sort of basic guideline. Summarizing this document is tricky because there is so much to get from it, but basically it is a code of conduct that breaks down specific rules and ethical codes to follow as you practice. It addresses general responsibility for conducting behavior analysis such as relying on scientific knowledge, integrity, and boundaries of competence. Next it goes into the relationship and responsibilities associated with clients. For example, accepting clients, maintaining confidentiality, records and data, treatment efficacy, and many more. Towards the middle it talks about behavior analysts’ as supervisors, their ethical responsibility to the title of behavior analyst as well as their colleagues, and some specifics about giving public statements. The last two sections deal with the behavior analyst and research as well as their responsibility to the BACB. These include subtopics of informed consent, conforming with laws, debriefing,

plagiarism, acknowledging contributions, truthful and accurate information given to the BACB, compliance with BACB standards, and simply just being familiar with this code. So, there is a lot to go over, but all of it seems to support the theme of honest and good practice. It emphasizes integrity and accountability and leaves nothing hidden in the dark. This ethical guide really is quite specific. Again, some people may think of this as super limiting and too strict. Why would they not let us have more freedom? In my opinion, that is the wrong way to think about it. The more specific it is, the safer you will be if you choose to follow it. I don’t the exact ramifications of breaking this code, but I guarantee that by following it you are going to have a lot more freedom than by breaking it. So, I like that it is specific. I took some time to look up a few other ethics codes for other areas of interest like teachers, nurses, psychologists, and journalist. Comparatively speaking, the BACB is much more detailed and ranks in the top 2 for length. The ethics code for teachers was tiny, like maybe 2 pages. That was the same for journalism as well. As far as agreeing with the actual content of the code, I can’t say I would choose to disagree with a board certified document. I also think I don’t know enough about the field to really know which pieces may be more frustrating or unnecessary than others. One of the things I liked from it was one we talked about in class: boundaries of competence. I feel like every field should have this (if they don’t already). This idea of only offering help in areas that you are qualified to help in, brings about a sense of humility. It shows that people following this ethical guide are not above anyone else. They are just doing what they know best and doing it right. Another one I liked is avoiding harmful reinforcers. It shows that behavior change is not about experimenting or just getting someone to do what you want. It is meant to be a positive

experience. This leads right into the discussion presented by the last bullet point asking: Why can the end not justify the means? I think this could be a hard debate. Everyone would agree that we want behavior to change, but they may not agree on how to get there. I whole heartedly agree that having an ethics code to guide behavior change is important. If you must do unnatural or harmful things to get the behavior to change I don’t think it is worth it. Plus, I don’t feel like forcing someone to perform or unethically changing behavior will create lasting behavior changes. Fear is a motivator, avoiding pain is a motivator, but they are not the most effective. Most importantly to me, that is not how the Savior leads. He does not create fear in other to force them to change. I know religion may not be involved in this code, but it does have some points that fit in nicely with the gospel. So yes, things like dual relationships, consent, and disclosure are important. They keep people safe and they keep the focus on changing behavior in a helpful and comfortable way....