A Call to Investigate and Improve the Research Literacy of Professional Behavior Analysts
Use the Six Boxes checklist to find the real reason you skip journals, then pick the matching fix.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Bank and colleagues built a map called the Six Boxes Model. The map shows six things that block BCBAs from reading research.
They drew the map after talking with working analysts and looking at older papers. The goal was to give teams a quick way to spot and fix each block.
What they found
The Six Boxes are: time, access, skills, motivation, social support, and workplace culture. If even one box is empty, reading drops.
The paper gives one fix per box. Example: set a daily Google Scholar alert to beat the access box.
How this fits with other research
Keene et al. (2026) tested which part of BST teaches data collection fastest. They found modeling beats lecture, matching Bank’s call for quick, skill-based fixes.
Jimenez-Gomez et al. (2019) used BST to teach naturalistic play. Their rapid staff mastery shows the Six Boxes plan can work if you pick the right teaching method.
None of the neighbor studies contradict the model; they just apply BST to different skills. Together they say: show, don’t tell, and give feedback.
Why it matters
Next time your team says “no time to read,” pull up the Six Boxes. Tick each box in two minutes. You will see exactly what to change—maybe schedule a 15-minute journal club or share one free PDF a week. Small, named fixes beat vague urges to “read more.”
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The effectiveness of behavior-analytic service delivery is likely to depend in part on the process of applying knowledge from the laboratory to a service setting. Therefore, a regular review of the literature is an important part of effective practice. It has been proposed that a review of the literature is one of the pillars of evidence-based practice in applied behavior analysis. An effective review of the literature requires five distinct research literacy skills: (1) efficiently finding relevant research investigations or discussions; (2) accessing a full text copy; (3) reading and evaluating; (4) applying what was read to practice; and (5) staying current. In this paper we apply the Six Boxes Model to delineate behavioral influences and possible barriers to research literacy, suggest potential interventions to improve the research literacy of professional behavior analysts, and identify potential research opportunities in this area.
Perspectives on Behavior Science, 2024 · doi:10.1007/s40614-024-00422-4