Practice Makes Progress: Evaluating Ethics Instruction Using Competency-Based Assessments

This pre/post-group design examined the efficacy of using competency-based assessments to teach students of behavior analysis to engage in ethical decision making. Students in the experimental group received feedback on identifying potential, ethical scenarios in quizzes and Behavior Skills Training (BST) on identifying all components of and developing potential action plans for the 11-step decision-making model (Behavior Analyst Certification Board, 2020) and for role plays that simulated meetings that people would encounter in practice to review concerns, gain additional information, and develop solutions-based plans with relevant parties. Students in the control group received treatment as usual. The findings were not statistically significant, and students only met criteria for role plays. The content was iterated, and Study 2 was developed. In Study 2, two students received feedback on the identification of examples and nonexamples of ethical dilemmas and behavior analyst’s best course of action in the situation and BST on identifying and creating actions plans of the decision-making model. Both students met criteria for mastery. Implications, based on this preliminary research, for evidence-based practice and future research are discussed.