A world of possibilities
“Accordingly, if people can become sensitized to their own feelings, these, then, can be used as clues to the critical consequences around them, and might be taught, or might try to look for the behaviors to get them.”
– Israel Goldiamond, 1979
Emotions and emotional behavior have long been examined as controlling factors of our behavior over which we have little or not control. They are often considered something we must accept or try to get rid of. However, we contend we have more control over our emotions than previously believed. Scientific data has demonstrated that emotions are not an uncontrollable reflex, rather they are a product of our experiences. In understanding our emotions and their context, we can begin to unpack their meaning and in doing so make meaningful changes in our lives.
Our Emotions Research Group is investigating the application of a contingency analysis of emotions as emotional concepts and instructional design methodology to develop programs to teach emotion recognition.
- Linnehan, A. M. (2022). Variables in Tacting Emotions: A Programing Contingency Analysis (Doctoral dissertation, Endicott College).
- Layng, T. V. J. (2006). Emotions and emotional behavior: A constructional approach to understanding some social benefits of aggression. Brazilian Journal of Behavior Analysis, 2(2), 155-170. http://dx.doi.org/10.18542/rebac.v2i2.810
- Layng, T. V. J. (2017). Private emotions as contingency descriptors: Emotions, emotional behavior, and their evolution. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 18(2), 168-179. https://doi.org/10.1080/15021149.2017.1304875
- Layng, T. V. J. (2020). Comments on Skinners’ note on feelings as causes. Operants, 2, 14-15.
The Constructional Approach to Behavior Analysis 