A Behavior Analytic Approach to De-Escalation: Behavioral Skills Training for Undergraduate Student Leadership

Abstract

In a higher education setting, undergraduate student leaders can be seen as beneficial support for others affiliated with the campus environment both through verbal and interpersonal interactions with peers. Proposed in this paper is a conceptual model evaluating the interlocking behavioral contingencies (IBCs) through operant and respondent processes. Additionally, this paper evaluates the effectiveness of behavioral skills training (BST) in teaching undergraduate student leaders de-escalation strategies relevant to higher education settings. Three participants engaged in baseline and post-intervention (post-BST) role-play scenarios for six targeted behavioral strategies. Results indicated BST increased or maintained levels of strategy utilization in participants as well as improvement of provision of university resources despite existing knowledge of the intended use of each resource. This suggests that BST is an effective means of teaching behaviors related to de-escalation in the higher education setting and may support broader applications in campus conflict management.