Experimental Research Methodologies in Organizational Behavior Management

Erath et al. (2021) mapped every kind of experiment used in Organizational Behavior Management. They read 40 years of OBM journals and sorted each study by design.

The paper is a recipe book, not a new bake. It tells you when to pick single-case or group designs.

Single-case designs rule when you want to change one worker’s behavior. Group designs fit questions about whole teams or companies.

No new data are given; the value is the decision tree.

Rey et al. (2020) ran a long DRO study with one participant—exactly the single-case model Erath endorses for individual issues.

Couto et al. (2023) used a group contest to study macro-contingencies; this shows the group-design path Erath recommends for organization-level questions.

Frame et al. (1984) also wrote a pure methods guide, but for stimulus-equivalence lab work. Both papers give step-by-step design rules, proving good methodology crosses topic lines.

Next time you evaluate a job-aid or incentive plan, pick the design that matches your question. One worker? Use an A-B-A-B or multiple baseline. Whole shift? Run a group comparison. Citing Erath gives your supervisor a quick reason for the choice and keeps the study in line with 40 years of OBM practice.