A review of 158 applied behavior analysis studies with children as subjects, published in the "Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis" between 1980 and 1990, found that (1) 16% measured the accuracy of independent variable implementation, and (2) two-thirds did not operationally define components of the independent variable. Specific recommendations…

There should not be an intentional reduction of the technological focus in applied behavior analysis research to expand the theoretical focus. The manner in which applied behavior analysis has beneficially affected the field of developmental disabilities services demonstrates how technologically related research plays a necessary role. (JDD)

To the extent that applied behavior analysis represents a scientific and practical approach to the study of behavior, its technological character is essential. The most serious problem evident in the field is not that the research being done is too technical but that more good research of all types is needed. (JDD)

The field of applied behavior analysis is not overly technological but emphasizes technology in some areas, such as research procedures, and not others, such as adoption of intervention programs. Efforts are often focused on program implementation, with little attention to the preparation needed to implement or to leave an effective program in…

This article reviews 66 studies which used applied behavior analysis to change the behaviors of students with visual disabilities. It documents the participants, targeted behaviors, procedures used, outcomes, and follow-up. The article offers recommendations for future researchers on the selection of subjects, target behaviors, appropriate…

Procedures are proposed for increasing the accuracy of generalization assessment in applied behavior analysis with behavior problem populations by accounting for the degree of natural covariation between treated and untreated behaviors. (Author/DB)

Technological talk in the field of applied behavior analysis creates distance between researchers and behavior analysis consumers. The field should focus on properly analyzing the needs of potential consumers, adapting technology to serve those needs, and packaging and marketing products in such a way that they are readily accepted and easily…

The assessment of generalization has become a priority of applied behavior analysis. The study provided a thorough assessement of the generality of a comprehensive self-control intervention designed to increase the math performance of an underachieving student in a regular elementary school classroom. (Author/DB)

This essay discusses the significance functional analysis has had for applied behavior analysis of aberrant behavior. The methodology has lessened the field's reliance on default technologies and promoted analysis of environment-behavior interactions maintaining target responses as the basis for selecting treatments. It has also contributed to the…

This article summarizes procedures used in translating technical jargon in the field of behavior therapy to plain English. It lists phrases translated from applied behavior analysis to public education, presents acronyms useful in remembering sequences of steps, and describes two tests to help in decision making in behavior analysis applications.…

Emphasis on technological precision and methodological sophistication in the field of applied behavior analysis has brought about a deemphasis of theoretical and philosophical concerns. For theoretical development of the field to move ahead, applied behavior analysts must develop the principles needed to describe ways of predicting and controlling…

The claim that applied behavior analysis is overly technological is refuted, arguing that instead there is a lack of understanding of how technologies proficiently evolve. The solution lies in integrating basic and applied research sectors and coordinating efforts toward specific goals that are defined and valued by the culture. (JDD)

This essay presents a deconstruction of the phrase "technological to a fault" as it relates to applied behavior analysis. The essay discusses the imbalance between analysis as demonstration and analysis as discovery, offers a consequence and a cause, and examines the relationship of discovery and demonstration to behavior-analytic…

This paper discusses the practice of social validity assessment in applied behavior analysis, proposes elements that should be included in state-of-the art assessment procedures, offers a taxonomy of consumers to guide the construction and circulation of assessments, and suggests strategies to improve social validity assessment. (JDD)

This paper argues that many social validity processes in applied behavior analysis are actually measuring consumer satisfaction and not the habilitative validity of goals, procedures, or outcomes. The term "habilitative validation" is proposed to replace social validity, and use of more objective assessment methods is encouraged.…