It is Hard to Learn from Bad Decisions

If you make a bad decision, it is very hard to learn from and make improvements based on that bad decision. My friend Alan Barnard just gave this great interview where he describes this, and he gives lots of excellent advice on making decisions. Alan isn’t a BCBA, but I’ve always found his insights to be extremely valuable.

It is so hard to learn from bad decisions because there is often a long time period between implementing the bad decision and receiving feedback on the decision’s impact. If you tried a procedure and received feedback immediately, it would be much easier to learn. Behavior analysts know this is a problem, and we take a very specific action to ensure that we can learn from bad decisions even if the feedback is greatly delayed–collecting data.

We collect data so that if we make a bad decision (e.g., a particular intervention is not effective), we can make a change quickly. This has allowed us to be dramatically more effective with our clients than if we didn’t use data.

Unfortunately, even that can fail if you collect data on the wrong things. If you teach A, when B was what would really make a big difference for the long-term best interest of the client, you might not realize it for a long time. Making sure you get feedback is important, but it’s still easy to make bad decisions if you haven’t thought through the long-term best interest of the client.

Behavior analytic services should only be delivered in the context of a professional relationship. Nothing written in this blog should be considered advice for any specific individual. The purpose of the blog is to share my experience, not to provide treatment. Please get advice from a professional before making changes to behavior analytic services being delivered. Nothing in this blog including comments or correspondence should be considered an agreement for Dr. Barry D. Morgenstern to provide services or establish a professional relationship outside of a formal agreement to do so. I attempt to write this blog in “plain English” and avoid technical jargon whenever possible. But all statements are meant to be consistent with behavior analytic literature, practice, and the professional code of ethics. If, for whatever reason, you think I’ve failed in the endeavor, let me know and I’ll consider your comments and make revisions, if appropriate. Feedback is always appreciated as I’m always trying to Poogi.