Scholarly publications
Includes peer reviewed journals within and adjacent to behavior analysis
(Starred journals available to BCBAs through the BACB portal)
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis *
4/10 Yamaguchi, M., & Matsuda, S. (2024). Comparison of teaching methods for the emergence and maintenance of untaught relations in foreign language vocabulary acquisition: A systematic replication. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.1075
A replication of a previous study finds that the most effective way to learn a foreign vocabulary (in 3 Japanese university students) is to speak a Spanish word that corresponds to a written Japanese word, or to learn a Spanish word according to a picture. The least effective of 3 conditions was speaking a Japanese word that corresponds to a written Spanish word. Tacting alone appears to be extremely effective in acquiring a foreign language
Behavior Analysis in Practice
4/10 St. Clair, M., Massoudi, K., Tarbox, J. et al. Making Deception Fun: Teaching Autistic Individuals How to Play Friendly Tricks. Behav Analysis Practice (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-024-00935-z
(Open access) 4 participants were taught how to play friendly tricks on others. Reminds me of teaching kids to tell “white lies”
Kornack, J., Nohelty, K. & Novack, M.N. Science over Cynicism: The Race to Preserve Best-Practice Applied Behavior Analysis through Expanded Awareness, Advocacy, and Enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. Behav Analysis Practice (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-024-00932-2
Funding source requirements for ABA sometimes violate Mental Health Parity; the authors make the case for fighting for the best treatments and include a form letter in the supplementary information.
Parry-Cruwys, D.E., MacDonald, J.M., Slaton, J.D. et al. Strategies for Incorporating Compassionate Care in a Behavior Analysis Graduate Program. Behav Analysis Practice (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-024-00934-0
How Regis College incorporates compassionate care into curriculum (the main authors are co-hosts of ABA Inside Track podcast)
4/11 Liddon, C.J., Crandall, M. & Weston, R. Unrestricted Learning Opportunities for Trainees in Behavior Analysis: A Survey of Current Practices. Behav Analysis Practice (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-024-00931-3
(Open access) A wide-ranging discussion on training and supervision for BCBA candidates, starting from the predicament that "restricted" hours (e.g., RBT work) is billable, while "unrestricted" hours (e.g., most things besides direct RBT work) are not always billable. Here are 50 ways to get unrestricted hours
Behavioral Interventions *
4/13 DiDomenico, J., Tincani, M., & Dowdy, A. (2024). Effects of smart watch-delivered text messaging on social initiations of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Behavioral Interventions, e2022. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.2022
3 subjects increased social interactions when text messages prompted them on their smartwatches, though 2 remained prompt-dependent
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior *
4/8 Jimenez-Gomez, C. (2024). Research and mentorship in behavior analysis from a lens of cultural responsiveness and antiracism. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.911
Provides examples of behaviors that can further the goals of antiracism
4/11 Witts, B. N., & Bruzek, J. L. (2024). Assessing negative reinforcement through simultaneous observing and committed concurrent progressive-ratio procedures: Preliminary investigations. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.913
A method for evaluating negative reinforcement, by presenting annoying sounds and requiring button presses to terminate the stimulus
The Analysis of Verbal Behavior
4/8 Sordello, J.C., Hanson, R.J., Miguel, C.F. et al. Correspondence Between Vocal-Verbal Behavior and Go/No-Go Responses During the Successive Matching-to-Sample Procedure. Analysis Verbal Behav (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40616-024-00205-7
8 college students were exposed to a matching-to-sample auditory test, and instructed to speak aloud during. Talk judged as "class specific" correlated with correct responding, implicating a verbal mediation factor in emergent relations
Education and Treatment of Children
4/8 Taylor, J.C., Brusnahan, L.L.S., Farrell, E.F. et al. Addressing Diversity, Bias, and Racism in Applied Behavior Analysis: Reflective Practices for Behavior Analytic Professionals in Schools. Educ. Treat. Child. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43494-023-00118-5
Some tools for antiracist self-examination
Journal of Behavioral Education
4/10 Loomis, K., Greer, R.D. Establishing Component-to-Composite Textual Responses: A Common Obstacle in Learning to Read. J Behav Educ (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-024-09546-8
Kids who had difficulty blending phonemes were exposed to a behavioral momentum condition where they were given previously mastered words to blend before a novel set of phonemes; this increased novel blending
Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science
4/9 A psychometric evaluation of the parental acceptance and action questionnaire (PAAQ) in parents of children with and without disabilities Everything looks good with the PAAQ, at least in Sweden
4/10 Building a Digital Tool to Support Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Practitioners in New Zealand Primary Care: A Qualitative Exploration of User Needs to Guide Software Feature Development It's challenging to implement some interventions in rural areas; digital delivery is one option
Book publications
Textbooks, handbooks, manuals, or mass-market
Sloan publishing
Ethics: Proactive and Practical Decision Making for Behavior Analysts, LeBlanc & Karsten
2023: A list here
Podcasts
ABA Inside Track
Episode 272 - (SUPERVISION) Supervision in Health, Sports, and Fitness w/ Dr. Mallory Quinn
Operant Innovations
Surviving Your Early Years as a Behavior Analyst: An Interview with Mariah Avery
Behavioral Observations
Practical Strategies For Passing The Exam: Session 259 With Dana Meller and Steve Eversole
Behavior Analysis in Practice- The Podcast
S6E6: Evaluation of a Telehealth Parent-Training Program in Japan: Collaboration with Parents to Teach Novel Mand Skills to Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder with Kohei Togashi
Blogs
Generally these are produced by professionals
ABAI
Some Current Dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis: 20 Years Later / 35 Years Later
Steve Hayes on where we are and where we should go
Why the #@*$ Don’t We Study Stuff Like This?
A wise man once said, “Holy shit, piiiisss!”
Licensing & professional organizations
BACB
RBT pass rates by program
Some good data on the value of RBT training
Profound Autism Alliance
Profound Autism Summit hosts caregivers in Mass. from across U.S. for 1st time
Business world
Autism services, behavioral health, etc.
Hospitals at odds over quality training standardization
Hospitals may be required to set training standards due to Medicare requirements, but the obvious problem is broad disagreement over what constitutes quality training. Assuredly this is where ABA will be headed, likely as a result of payer demands
Accidentally behavior analysis
A mainstream news article that relates to behavior analysis
Phonics isn’t working - for children’s reading to improve, they need to learn to love stories, The Conversation
This is a thoroughly confused opinion piece that mixes actual scientific approaches (phonics) together with unscientific cargo cult phonics-esque (books with repetitive words or sounds) and ultimately mixes up how to instill a love of reading. How does one instill a love of reading when a child reads poorly, or not at all? The answer: good readers come to love reading by virtue of being good at it – hence the findings in Project Follow Through that kids drilled on “basic skills” have higher self-confidence.
Continuing education
UPCOMING:
BehaviorLive has a list of events, some of which are free: 4/18, 4/24 (SUP)
Flashback
In this case, it didn’t seem to work. bsci21.org, a now-defunct site, was run by Todd Ward (who was writing in 2023 on Medium) and mostly produced short written pieces interpreting popular news events. A Thai gambling site owns the domain now, which makes this a story about delay discounting.