The Gernsbacher Lectures: Cut Aways, Outtakes, and Bloopers - and Essentialism
EDWARD K. MORRIS, University of Kansas Between 2005 and 2008, the renowned psychologist Morton Ann Gernsbacher (University of Wisconsin) gave over a half-dozen public lectures under such titles as "The Science of Autism: Beyond the Myths and Misconceptions." In at least some of them, she concluded that the effectiveness of applied behavior analysis (ABA) for autism was a myth and misconception. In so doing, she misrepresented research reviews, mischaracterized ABA interventions, misconveyed research designs, selectively omitted results, and incorrectly interpreted outcomes. In 2009, I published a response to her presentations in The Behavior Analyst (TBA) -- "A Case Study in the Misrepresentation of Applied Behavior Analysis in Autism: The Gernsbacher Lectures." My CalABA presentation provides an in-depth review of this incident, drawing some professional and ethical lessons from it (e.g., regarding competence, public statements, teaching). For this, I review background material on Gernsbacher's lectures (e.g., her sponsors), conversations with colleagues (e.g., to publish or not), correspondence with her and her chairperson before I published (e.g., her threatening to sue me), and conversations and correspondence with colleagues after my publication (e.g., why I published in TBA). In closing, I address Gernsbacher's essentialist definition of ABA for autism as Lovaas's ABA program. The logic is faulty: No essentialist ABA program for autism exists. A myriad of programs exist based on, for instance, the many permutations of behavioral processes and procedures, and individual differences in children with autism. | 
