Rethinking the Place of Qualitative Methods in Behavior Analysis
Tape one caregiver interview next time you run a single-case study; the quotes will show you if your target matters outside the clinic.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Burney et al. (2023) wrote a position paper. They asked: why do we only count behaviors?
The authors say we should add interviews and focus groups to single-case studies. Caregivers and teachers could speak about what really matters to them.
The paper gives no new data. It maps how qualitative tools can fit with our usual charts.
What they found
The team found that stories pick up what line graphs miss. Social validity stays shallow when we only use Likert scales.
Quotes can show why a skill matters at home or why a teacher dropped the plan. These details help BCBAs tweak programs so families stay on board.
How this fits with other research
Hake (1982) already told us to study real human social talk, not just pigeons. Burney et al. take the next step: they show how to collect that talk with open-ended questions.
Bromley et al. (1998) taught us to gather think-aloud data without asking "why." Burney agrees: good qualitative work also uses neutral prompts and stays close to what people actually say.
Moeyaert et al. (2020) show how to mash single-case numbers together in meta-analysis. Burney’s point is complementary: add a layer of words to the same studies before you pool them.
Neely et al. (2024) bring in big-data code. Burney brings in big-story code. Both papers push the field to borrow tools from outside the Skinner box.
Why it matters
You can run the cleanest reversal design, but if Mom says the goal is "useless at dinner," the skill won’t generalize. Slip a short interview into your next study. Ask: "What changed for you this week?" One page of quotes can guide your next intervention better than ten more probes.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Single-case design research is pervasive and dominant in the field of behavior analysis (BA). It allows for effective application of behavior change technologies in a wide variety of real-world settings. However, as the field has grown, behavioral scholars have suggested incorporating other methods into the investigator’s toolbox to supplement single-case design. To date, the call to expand beyond using only variations of single-case design as the standard for behavior analytic research has gone largely unheard. Given the need for behavior analytic work to be more closely aligned with consumer and stakeholder needs and priorities, along with a proliferation of practitioners and researchers in the field, now is the time to consider the benefits of qualitative research methods for behavior analysts. In particular, in areas of social validity and in exploring diverse applied topics, qualitative methods may help the field of behavior analysis to achieve greater success with documenting the outcomes from behavior change interventions. The present article explores areas where behavior analysis may benefit from utilizing qualitative methods, namely social validity and breadth of topics for study, and provides examples of the value of qualitative research from other fields. A brief outline of qualitative research is provided alongside consideration of the seven dimensions of applied behavior analysis. In situations where single-case design does not offer behavior analysts sufficient methodological opportunity, qualitative research methods could form a powerful addition to the field of behavior analysis.
Perspectives on Behavior Science, 2023 · doi:10.1007/s40614-022-00362-x