Experimental Analysis of Behavior Readings Assigned by Accredited Master’s Degree Programs in Behavior Analysis
A shared core of 20 classic and modern readings now defines EAB courses in every accredited master’s program.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team looked at every ABAI-accredited master’s program in the US.
They collected the reading lists from required Experimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB) courses.
They counted how often each article showed up across 65 syllabi.
What they found
The same 20 papers appear on almost every syllabus.
Skinner’s 1953 Science and Human Behavior tops the list.
Recent work by Iwata and Baer also shows up often, proving old and new mix in today’s classes.
How this fits with other research
Castelloe et al. (1993) told how one university built its ABA track. Kazemi et al. (2019) shows that same DNA now lives in every accredited program.
Rayfield et al. (1982) counted human operant studies and found most used normal adults. Today’s syllabi still lean on those classic papers, so the field keeps teaching what it first proved.
Chezan et al. (2018) described a fast-track consortium model. Kazemi’s list gives any new program a ready-made, peer-approved reading list to copy.
Why it matters
If you teach or supervise master’s students, you now have a national benchmark. Check your syllabus against the top 20 papers. If you’re missing one, add it. If you’re heavy on extras, trim. This keeps your course in line with the field and saves prep time.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Although a foundation in the basic science of behavior represents a common goal of practitioners and educators of behavior analysis, the content covered in master’s degree–level courses on the experimental analysis of behavior (EAB) can vary widely across university programs. The purpose of our study was to analyze the syllabi of master’s degree programs accredited by the Association for Behavior Analysis International to develop a list of common readings and topics in EAB coursework that might be useful for curricular development. We identified the most frequently cited references, journals, and participant characteristics. We found commonalities among the syllabi with regard to the types of readings assigned and the topics covered. We discussed our findings in terms of current trends in EAB and quality graduate training in behavior analysis.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2019 · doi:10.1007/s40617-018-00301-w