Scholarly publications
Includes peer reviewed journals within and adjacent to behavior analysis
(Starred journals available to BCBAs through the BACB portal)
Behavior Analysis in Practice
5/18 Bernstein, A.M., Wheeler, J., Call, N.A. et al. Leveraging Behavior Analysis in Healthcare Through Quality Improvement. Behav Analysis Practice (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-026-01184-y
Quality improvement is a process for refining healthcare treatment, but the authors note that behavior analysis has largely developed in parallel to healthcare. They describe potential effects of embracing quality improvement
Johnson, C., Roylance, A. & D’Agostino, S. Systematic Review of the Use of Multiperson Activity Schedules for Individuals with Disabilities. Behav Analysis Practice (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-026-01191-z
(Open access) 146 reviewed articles and dissertations were whittled down to 11, which revealed that group activity schedules positively impact "engagement, cooperation, and task completion."
5/19 Bernstein, A.M., Reindeau, A. & Romani, P.W. Contextualizing Patients’ Physical Aggression Resulting in Staff Injuries in Two Pediatric Healthcare Systems. Behav Analysis Practice (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-026-01188-8
960 reported staff injuries from 2022-2024 were analyzed, with the findings that direct staff were most at-risk, and antecedents included intrusive strategies (e.g., response blocking) and aversive conditions (e.g., medical care)
5/22 Zhao, X., Cengher, M. Learning-to-Learn: A Comparison of Monolingual and Bilingual Instruction. Behav Analysis Practice (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-026-01192-y
(Open access) Initially, monolingual instruction for bilingual kids is more efficient (the authors published on this surprising finding in March in JABA), but the authors found that this effect decreased over time
Behavioral Interventions *
5/22 Milata, Eileen M., Sharon A.Reeve, Kenneth F.Reeve, Tina M.Sidener, Chata A.Dickson, and Rachel R.Thomas. 2026. “Examining Generalization Within Video Feedback Procedures for Individuals With Intellectual Developmental Disorders: A Literature Review,” Behavioral Interventions: e70112. https://doi.org/10.1002/bin.70112
21 studies reviewed appeared to have large effects from video modeling, which was often enhanced by including self-management strategies
Perspectives on Behavior Science
5/21 Witts, B.N. Skinner’s First Publication?. Perspect Behav Sci (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-026-00505-4
Dr. Witts found a poem published in 1919. We previously found that Skinner wrote in to a magazine in January 1920, so Witts may have beaten us here
Behavior and Social Issues
5/20 Napolitano, D., Jennings, A., Crosland, K. et al. Interprofessional Collaboration and Practice in Behavior Science: Toward Ethical, Sustainable, and Effective Practice. Behav. Soc. Iss. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42822-026-00259-3
Some basic foundations for collaboration, including definitions and future directions (full text available on ResearchGate)
Behavior Modification *
Pangalangan, J. M. L., Frates, E. P., Tollefson, M., Farewell, C. V., Abramonte, E., Brooks-Russell, A., & Puma, J. E. (2026). Health Behavior Changes in a Lifestyle Medicine Program: A Convergent Mixed Methods Study. Behavior Modification, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/01454455261437752
A group intervention that targets multiple areas (exercise, sleep, nutrition, etc.) was effective overall
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior *
5/17 Cox, D. J., Diaz-Salvat, C., Weil, L., & Javed, A. (2026). Choice with ethical outcomes: Sign effect, commodity effect, and ethical theory preference. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 125(3), e70109. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.70109
Discounting with hypothetical monetary rewards was different from hypothetical discounting of ethical outcomes; people tended to discount less steeply for ethical decisions (at least, presumably for Endicott students). The authors conclude that discounting tasks may have different outcomes with different commodities
Wearden, J. H. (2026). Before BeT: Behavior and timing in the age of introspection. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 125(3), e70106. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.70106
Killeen and Fetterman posited in 1988 that "biological clock" explanations of behavior could be explained by adjunctive behavior or by sensations from adjunctive behavior. Wearden notes that a similar idea was proposed in the 1800s by Munsterberg (which apparently influenced Titchener)
5/18 Colombo, R. A., Mahmoudi, S., Wright, W. B., Huang, Y.-H., & Madden, G. J. (2026). Appetitive Pavlovian conditioning in two inclusive kindergarten classrooms. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 125(3), e70107. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.70107
(Open access) In two inclusive classrooms (a mix of conventionally developing kids and those with special needs) at the University of Washington, 2 paired trials (a visual and song followed by "fun" activities) and 2 unpaired trials (different visual and song followed by no consequence) took place daily. In 1 classroom, this contingency was explained by the teacher, while in the other classroom it was not. In both classrooms, the kids reacted more to the CS+ trials, and the kids with special needs reacted more in the classroom where the contingency was explained
Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions *
5/20 Austin, S. C., Santiago-Rosario, M. R., & McIntosh, K. (2026). Vulnerable Decision Points in School Discipline for Teachers of Latino/a/e Students. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10983007261435185
Most schools did not have disparities in discipline for Latino students, but those that did were typically high schools, but schools with disparities sometimes referred for different types of behaviors
Kern, L., & Zirkel, P. A. (2026). Differentiating Legal From Professional Lenses: A Systematic Analysis of Judicial Rulings on Functional Behavioral Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10983007261435202
Two lawyers share summaries of judicial decisions on FBAs/BIPs in schools
5/21 Aiono-Conradi, L., Jameson, J. M., Fischer, A. J., Farrell, M., Eichelberger, C., & Coleman, O. F. (2026). The Effects of the Good Behavior Game on Students With Extensive Support Needs in Inclusive Elementary Classrooms. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10983007261435208
The Good Behavior Game increased on-task behavior and reduced challenging behavior in students with extensive support needs, and it increased teacher praise toward said students
5/22 An, Z. G., Hu, X., Ai, J., & Yang, C. (2026). Development and Validation of an Instrument to Assess Cultural Responsiveness in Chinese Behavioral Support Practices. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10983007261435209
Creation of a survey
Wilkinson, S., Hancock, E. M., Majeika, C. E., Wehby, J. H., & Simonsen, B. (2026). The Effect of Instructional Choice on Classroom Behavior: A Meta-Analysis of Single-Case Research. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10983007261435206
34 studies were identified, which provide evidence that instructional choice increases academic performance but does not decrease challenging behaviors
Education and Treatment of Children
5/19 Stango, A.A., Blakely, E.Q. Effects of High-Probability Instructional Sequences as a Programmed Consequence. Educ. Treat. Child. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43494-026-00182-7
A high-probability request sequence without a low-probability request functioned as a reinforcer for two children's behavior; for one child, praise was effective, while for the other, praise alone was not effective
The Psychological Record
5/19 Zilio, D. The Elusiveness of Social Contextual Analysis: A Commentary on Guerin’s Approach. Psychol Rec (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-026-00687-y
(Open access) Zilio criticizes Guerin's framework as being overly focused on selectionism at the societal level, deprioritizing behavior analysis at the individual level
Journal of Behavioral Education
5/20 Shin, M., McKenna, J.W. Exploring the Research Landscape on Single-Case Design Methodology Using Technology Through Text Mining and Large Language Models. J Behav Educ (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-026-09630-1
(Open access) Does a sentence like this interest you? "Word co-occurrence networks and Bayesian negative binomial piecewise regression verified changes in the knowledge detected in word patterns."
Book publications
Textbooks, handbooks, manuals, or mass-market
Upcoming:
Case Studies and Applications in Nonlinear Contingency Analysis, Abdel-Jalil & Linnehan (Eds.) (Oct 2026)
Personal Narratives on the Behavior Analysis of Human Language and Cognition: Stories from Around the World, Harte et al. (Eds.) (Jul 2026)
WAVE Prosocial Assessment and Curriculum, Rehfeldt & Dixon (Pre-order)
Digital Technologies in Behavior Science: Theoretical and Practical Applications, Crone-Todd, Hantula, Layng (Eds.)
AIM Navigators, Dixon (Pre-order)
Promoting Language for Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Verbal Behavior Guide for Practitioners, Vladescu & Kissamore (Eds.)
Navigating Ethics in Behavior Analysis: Dealing with Gray Areas, Carr
Podcasts
ABA Inside Track
Communities of Practice (LISTENER CHOICE SPRING 2026)
Blogs
Generally these are produced by professionals
ABAI
Why Behavior Analysts Should Care About Digital Attachment: A B.F. Skinner Lecture Preview
This blog post truly does not make a case as to why anyone should care
Follow Your Bliss: An Intellectual and Literal Journey Around the World
Colin Harte's journey
Steve Hayes
Belonging Is Something You Do: A new study shows what college students have to teach us all.
Steve Hayes makes the case that a sense of belonging is dependent on behaviors that can occur in spite of negative emotions
Licensing & professional organizations
Business world
Autism services, behavioral health, etc.
Short Naps, Long Hours: How Autism Clinics Squeeze Medicaid Dollars Out of Preschoolers
Bad news: the NYT documented some trash clinics (kids in cubicles not allowed to nap for more than 7 minutes) which will potentially intensify ABA funding scrutiny. Pair this with HHS using “AI” to audit contracts and there’s a potential mess on the horizon.
Accidentally behavior analysis
A mainstream news article that relates to behavior analysis
A mop, a broom and a calmer mind. Why some find mental health benefits in everyday tasks, AP
Many people have heard of this practice as mindfulness, and it features prominently in ACT, where it is sometimes called present moment awareness. Rather than focusing on a happy but imaginary future (“I’ll be happy when I’m done cleaning”), the focus is instead about fully enjoying the present moment. Paradoxically, embracing the discomfort or boredom eases distress.
Continuing education
UPCOMING:
BehaviorLive has free events: 5/26, 5/27 (ETH/SUP)
Flashback
Really? Very interesting!
