Behavior analysis of residential program development.

Abstract

When institutions are viewed not as locales but as forms of organizing and regulating human behavior, we see that we "deinstitutionalize" by changing the way we organize and regulate, not necessarily by moving people about. This paper examines residential program development as a process of designing and developing community learning environments. The paper asks "What are the essential behaviors of designing community environments?", that is, what do residential program developers do? Six essential dimensions of program development are identified, and each dimension is critiqued in terms of contemporary practices and needs for innovation. The paper concludes that behavior analysts can play an important role in changing the nature of human service organizations.