What is the CBS Superlab?
With the release of the ACBS Task Force Report on the Strategies and Tactics of Contextual Behavioral Science Research, high-level discussion around how to roll out the proposed recommendations is necessary. The CBS Superlab is an international research lab meeting held once a quarter via Zoom. CBS SuperLab Meetings are typically held at 3pm EST. These hour-long quarterly meetings will involve:
- A research presentation delivered by a CBS lab that showcases ongoing advances, developments, and innovations in the field of CBS. Each presenter will be invited to share resources relating to their presentation (e.g., PowerPoint slides, handouts, software packages) that will be made available to all attendees.
- A group discussion among all attendees that focuses on both the presentation and means of addressing the Task Force’s recommendations.
- All CBS research labs are invited to participate. To be considered a CBS lab, your lab details must be included on the ACBS website. Research labs may submit to present here.
All ACBS members are invited to attend. To attend a Superlab, please register here. After registering, we encourage you to join the Superlab listserv to continue the conversation.
Please join us for Superlab with Sean Barnes and Lauren Borges on Wednesday, December 16 at 3pm Eastern. You can register here
Title: Defining and operationalizing core competencies in process-based interventions
Abstract: Although suicide risk management strategies can and should be woven into Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to prevent suicidal behavior, preventing suicide during a crisis is only a short-term solution if we fail to also assist clients in building lives they deem worth living. Building meaningful lives can be challenging in the face of emotional pain as we often hurt where we care. Given the connection between values and pain, pursuing values with clients at risk for suicide can be a daunting process often evoking painful emotions, thoughts, and memories. Providers might be faced with questions like, “Will encouraging my client to try new things increase suicide risk if they are disappointed with the experience or rejected by others?” or “How can I get clients to buy in to the process of valued living when life has been dominated by pain and suffering?” During this CBS Super Lab Meeting we will discuss strategies for safely and compassionately supporting clients at risk of suicide in exploring areas of meaning, expanding behavioral repertoires, and connecting with and creating new reasons for living.
Please join us for Superlab with Angela Coreil on Wednesday, March 17 at 3pm Eastern. You can register here
Title: What Is Good Evidence for an Evolving Psychological Science? Pseudoscience, Parsimony, and Field Psychology
Abstract: Distinguishing science from pseudoscience in psychotherapy raises a question that extends beyond identifying unsupported treatments: What constitutes adequate evidence for the explanations that psychological science produces? An intervention may demonstrate effectiveness without validating its proposed mechanisms, while widely accepted psychological constructs may remain difficult to reconcile with observable behavior. These problems invite scrutiny not only of pseudoscientific practices but also of the assumptions and methods underlying mainstream psychological research.
This SuperLab examines how psychology might advance toward a more coherent and cumulative science. The replication crisis, limitations of diagnostic classification, and proliferation of compound psychological variables reveal difficulties in translating population-level findings into explanations of individual behavior. We consider the role of parsimony, functional analysis, idiographic longitudinal research, and the distinction between describing behavioral patterns and explaining their functional relations.
Drawing on field psychology and interbehavioral perspectives, the discussion explores how diverse theoretical traditions might contribute to a shared scientific framework without requiring agreement on their explanatory constructs. This SuperLab invites critical examination of the conceptual and methodological foundations needed to develop, evaluate, and improve psychological interventions.
Bio: Angela Coreil, PhD, BCBA, is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, a licensed psychologist, and director of the THRIVE Research Lab. Her work integrates clinical behavior analysis, contextual behavioral science, and interbehavioral psychology. I work to advance the scientific foundations of psychological assessment and intervention. My work examines how psychological events can be understood through functional relations, longitudinal behavioral measurement, and the analysis of verbal behavior within its context. Current projects explore computational functional analysis and emerging technologies for identifying clinically meaningful behavioral patterns. Drawing on experience as a clinician, clinical director, researcher, and educator, Dr. Coreil is particularly interested in improving the translation of psychological science into clinical decision-making. Her broader scientific agenda emphasizes conceptual precision, methodological accountability, and the integration of useful findings across therapeutic traditions.