Sources cited most frequently in the experimental analysis of human behavior.

The authors counted which papers human-operant researchers cite most. They looked at every article in Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior journals. Then they checked if those citations came from inside or outside behavior analysis.

Almost all references point to other behavior-analytic work. The field rarely cites animal labs or mainstream psychology. Human operant research talks mostly to itself.

Roane et al. (2001) backs this up. Their 1980-1999 count shows the same small circle of authors and topics.

Winett et al. (1991) and Wolchik et al. (1982) seem to clash. They argue human labs are vital for testing principles. The citation data do not contradict them; they just show that this vital work is hidden from the rest of science.

Mace (1994) offers a fix: link basic and applied studies so findings travel farther.

If you run or read human operant studies, know that your evidence pool is tiny. When you write or teach, pull in animal data and outside psychology. This widens the lens and gives clients stronger reasons to trust our methods.