Opening Skinner's Box: an Introduction.
Send your next article to a journal teachers or doctors read—our science can’t help kids if teachers never see it.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Normand (2014) wrote a short opinion piece. The author asked behavior analysts to stop hiding in their own journals.
The paper urged readers to send their next study to a journal teachers, doctors, or lawmakers already read.
What they found
No data were collected. The paper simply argued that wider readership leads to wider impact.
The author warned that staying in behavior-analytic silos keeps our science unknown to the people who need it most.
How this fits with other research
Napolitano et al. (2025) extends the same idea into politics. They say publishing is not enough; we must also testify at statehouses and join policy committees.
Alligood et al. (2021) applies the outward push to your own career. They give a step-by-step plan for moving into new practice areas like gerontology or organizational behavior.
Jackson-Perry et al. (2025) successors the message. They agree we should reach out, but add that we must first fix ableism inside our field or outsiders will not listen.
McComas et al. (2025) also successors the call. They say true influence requires an anti-ableist stance and partnership with autistic advocates.
Why it matters
You can act today. Pick one manuscript on your desk and submit it to a non-ABA journal. Tell the editor how your data help their readers. One publication outside the bubble can bring citations, collaborations, and policy attention we never get inside it.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Behavior analysts have redefined the subject matter of psychology, redesigned the experiments used to study that subject matter, renamed almost every part of the world pertaining to that subject matter, and created specialized organizations and journals. It is not surprising, then, that only a happy few ever hear what behavior analysts say. One problem is that we need to publish outside of the box, so to speak. Preaching to the choir ensures that the products of our scientific behavior affect only a few people, limits the variety of reinforcers we are likely to encounter, and limits the likelihood that the products of our scientific behavior will reinforce the behavior of others. Publishing in a wider variety of outlets can lead to greater visibility for behavior-analytic research and practice, increase the impact of our published work, and build clout for scholars in colleges and universities.
The Behavior analyst, 2014 · doi:10.1126/science.7244649