Newsletter
Volume 30 | 2007 | Number 3
Behavior Analysis in Practice – Inaugural Edition
By Dr. Dorothea C. Lerman, BCBA, Editor
The field of behavior analysis has experienced unprecedented growth over the last decade. The rising national demand for Board Certified Behavior Analysts, combined with the proliferation of graduate programs in behavior analysis, has led to an increasing number of service providers. Research in applied behavior analysis also continues to thrive. Last year, the field’s flagship journal, The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA), received its highest number of submissions since 1981, and it has already exceeded that number this year. Although JABA has received more submissions in recent years, it has become increasingly clear that a journal focused on issues that arise in the practice of behavior analysis is needed. It was suggested by the membership that a journal be formed to fill this niche. Behavior Analysis in Practice (BAP), a new journal published by the Association for Behavior Analysis, was born as a result of this suggestion. BAP is a peer-reviewed publication designed to provide science-based, best-practices information to practitioners and their supervisors, scientists, and school personnel. The journal will launch next year with the publication of its inaugural issue in spring 2008. I am delighted to serve as the first Editor of this exciting endeavor. I am joined by a distinguished editorial board consisting of internationally recognized scientists and practitioners in applied behavior analysis. It is our hope that BAP will become an important tool for ensuring that the technologies developed through systematic research are applied effectively in the community.
As the inaugural issue of BAP begins to take shape, it would be helpful to discuss the goals and concepts behind this bi-annual publication. Numerous people have inquired about the overriding mission of BAP and its relation to other peer-reviewed behavior analytic publications like JABA. I would like to take the opportunity to address this issue by discussing several key differences between BAP and JABA. (I am focusing on the field’s flagship journal for the sake of expediency, but the discussion is relevant to other journals that publish behaviorally oriented research). The differences between BAP and JABA relate more to scope and emphasis than to subject matter or rigor. According to its mission statement, JABA is “primarily for the original publication of reports of experimental research involving applications of the experimental analysis of behavior to problems of social importance.” BAP is a “translational publication designed to provide science-based, best-practices information relevant to service delivery in behavior analysis.” These mission statements allude to a number of differences in scope and emphasis. For now, I will focus on just a few of these distinctions.
The overriding goal of most papers published in JABA is to advance scientific knowledge in a particular area. The goal of most papers published in BAP will be to demonstrate, inform, or evaluate the application of behavior analytic procedures in community settings. The service provider’s effective use of technologies based on findings published in JABA represents the culmination of scientific endeavors in a particular research area. Although discovery and practice can develop in parallel, numerous studies are needed to chip away at a problem. Each JABA study, alone, is unlikely to provide the breadth of information needed to generate best practices or to extend all previous knowledge in that area. The assimilation of knowledge into current technological design is an important area of research that should continue to appear in journals like JABA. However, this type of translational work will (and should) continue to represent a modest portion of articles that are published in JABA. By focusing more exclusively on technology transfer, BAP will help meet the needs of this growing field.
An outlet also is needed to inform practitioners and other service providers about new “tools of the trade” that are developed for research or clinical purposes but rarely disseminated in journals like JABA. These tools include instruments (e.g., data sheets, apparatus, materials) and procedures (e.g., modifications to commonly used methods) that are unlikely to be evaluated or described in experimental research, particularly if they are tangential to the research question at hand. Nonetheless, these tools may be quite useful within the context of service delivery. For example, although methods to evaluate the reliability of measurement are essential to research and practice, little work or discussion has been published on practitioner’s use of these important tools (e.g., obtaining interobserver agreement as part of routine clinical work).
Several additional examples may help to illustrate these points. Research in the area of preference assessment has resulted in a proliferation of methods for identifying potential reinforcers. Best practice guidelines for selecting and using these methods require the assimilation and integration of 30 plus articles (published in JABA alone). This may be a daunting task for the service provider, especially if some key issues related to technology transfer have been overlooked in experimental research (e.g., how best to present items in a preference assessment when a child won’t sit at a table). Valuable tools for conducting preference assessments (e.g., data sheets, pre-assessment questionnaires) also are needed to further enhance the technology. Research on the functional analysis of problem behavior provides another useful illustration. Scientists who have spent years developing this line of research likely have a number of pragmatic tools that are not readily accessible to service providers. For example, researchers and practitioners who routinely conduct functional analyses may frequently modify “standard” assessment procedures when necessitated by the unique characteristics of the subject, setting, or behavior. These details are not disseminated in JABA if they are considered tangential to interpretation or replication. Nonetheless, knowledge of even minor procedural refinements may be critical to effective service provision in some cases. It is my hope that BAP will become an important outlet for articles that focus on these and other practitioner-oriented concerns.
Finally, while JABA is primarily for the publication of experimental research, BAP will publish a broad array of articles, including empirical reports describing the application and evaluation of behavior-analytic procedures and programs; discussion papers on professional and practice issues; technical articles on methods, data analysis, or instrumentation in the practice of behavior analysis; tutorials on terms, procedures, and theories relevant to best practices in behavior analysis; and critical reviews of books and products that are aimed at practitioners or consumers of behavior analysis.
Despite these distinctions, I believe that we should cultivate a collaborative relationship between BAP and journals like JABA. It is my hope that scientists will consider BAP as an outlet for papers on technology transfer that complement and extend their current research endeavors and as a source of inspiration for additional research on problems related to service provision. Along those lines, I hope that practitioners will consider BAP when disseminating program information and outcomes and that BAP will set the occasion for more service providers to stay abreast of current research by consulting journals like JABA.
Submission Information
Manuscripts submitted to BAP should be prepared according to the style described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th edition). Submit five (5) high-quality copies of the entire manuscript (or one electronic copy, submitted in PDF or Word format), including figures and tables, along with a letter to the Editor that contains the following information: (a) A request for review for possible publication of the manuscript in BAP, (b) A statement indicating that the manuscript has not been published previously and has not been or will not be submitted elsewhere during the review process, (c) A classification of article into type (empirical report, discussion paper, technical article, tutorial, review), and (d) The corresponding author's business address, email address, and telephone number as well as any upcoming address change. The title page should contain the title of the paper; the first and surname of all authors; the affiliations of each author; and the name, address, email address, and telephone number of the corresponding author.
Please address manuscripts and inquiries to:
Dorothea C. Lerman, University of Houston, Clear Lake, 2700 Bay Area Blvd.,
Box 245, Houston, TX 77058. For electronic submissions, send files to lerman@uhcl.edu.
Behavior Analysis in Practice Editorial Board
Editor
Dorothea C. Lerman, Ph.D., BCBA, University of Houston, Clear Lake
Senior Associate Editors
Gregory P. Hanley, Ph.D., BCBA, Western New England College
Stephanie M. Peterson, Ph.D., BCBA, Idaho State University
Associate Editors
John Austin, Ph.D., Western Michigan University
Raymond G. Miltenberger, Ph.D., BCBA, University of South Florida
George Noell, Ph.D., BCBA, Louisiana State University
Dennis H. Reid, Ph.D., BCBA, Carolina Behavior Analysis and Support Center
Timothy R. Vollmer, Ph.D., BCBA, University of Florida
David P. Wacker, Ph.D., The University of Iowa Children's Hospital
Douglas W. Woods, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Editorial Board
Scott Ardoin, Ph.D., University of South Carolina
Jennifer L. Austin, Ph.D., BCBA, University of Houston, Clear Lake
Jon S. Bailey, Ph.D., BCBA, Florida State University
John C. Borrero, Ph.D., BCBA, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Vincent J. Carbone, Ph.D., BCBA, The Carbone Clinic
James E. Carr, Ph.D., BCBA, Western Michigan University
Marjorie H. Charlop-Christy, Ph.D., Claremont McKenna College
Linda Cooper-Brown, Ph.D., University of Iowa
Mark R. Dixon, Ph.D., BCBA, Southern Illinois University
Glen Dunlap, Ph.D., University of South Florida
Judith Favell, Ph.D., BCBA, Advoserv
Wayne W. Fisher, Ph.D., Munroe-Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Ctr.
Patrick Friman, Ph.D., Father Flanagan's Boys Home and University of Nebraska School of Medicine
Louis Hagopian, Ph.D., Kennedy Krieger Institute
William L. Heward, Ed.D., BCBA, The Ohio State University
Thomas S. Higbee, Ph.D., BCBA, Utah State University
Michael B. Himle, University of North Dakota
Rob H. Horner, Ph.D., University of Oregon
Brian A. Iwata, Ph.D., BCBA, University of Florida
Kent Johnson, Ph.D., Morningside Academy
Deb Kamps, Ph.D., University of Kansas
Linda A. LeBlanc, Ph.D., Western Michigan University
Ethan S. Long, Ph.D., BCBA, The Bay School
Nancy E. Marchand-Martella, Ph.D., Eastern Washington University
R. Mark Mathews, Ph.D., University of Sydney
Jen McComas, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Nancy A. Neef, Ph.D., The Ohio State University
Mark F. O'Reilly, Ph.D., BCBA, University of Texas at Austin
Gary Pace, Ph.D., BCBA, May Institute
Marsha B. Parsons, M.A., J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center
James W. Partington, Ph.D., BCBA, Behavior Analysts, Inc.
John T. Rapp, Ph.D., BCBA, St. Cloud State University
Hank Roane, Ph.D., BCBA, Munroe-Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Ctr.
Joel E. Ringdahl, Ph.D., University of Iowa
Maureen Schepis, Ph.D., BCBA, Applied Behavioral Consulting
Gerald L. Shook, Ph.D, BCBA, Behavior Analyst Certification Board
Sigurdur Oli Sigurdsson, Ph.D., University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Richard Smith, Ph.D., BCBA, University of North Texas
Bridget Taylor, Psy.D., BCBA, Alpine Learning Group
Rachel Thompson, Ph.D., BCBA, New England Center for Children
Bruce Thyer, Ph.D., Florida State University
Frans van Haaren, Ph.D., BCBA, Autism Early Intervention Clinics
Ron Van Houten, Ph.D., Western Michigan University
David Wilder, Ph.D., BCBA, Florida Institute of Technology
April Worsdell, Ph.D., BCBA, Southern Illinois University