The conventional wisdom of behavior analysis: Response to comments.
Behavior analysis prides itself on openness to critique—use that stance to invite constructive feedback in your practice.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The author wrote a short essay. He answered critics who say behavior analysts hate feedback.
He used plain words. He said the field welcomes tough questions.
What they found
The paper found no data. Instead it showed attitude. The field sees critique as fuel, not threat.
How this fits with other research
Demello et al. (1992) counted citations one year earlier. They said JEAB talks mostly to itself. The 1993 essay replies, "We are open, look again."
Branch (2019) took the same open stance and aimed it at the "reproducibility crisis." He said built-in replications in single-case designs prove the field already walks the talk.
Lerman (2024) and Critchfield et al. (2023) built blueprints and altmetric maps on that same open ground. They treat outside feedback as a design feature, not a bug.
Why it matters
You can act on this today. Tell your team, "Pick one part of our program and invite critique from a teacher, parent, or peer BCBA." Model the 1993 stance: listen, revise, thank.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The willingness of behavior analysts to en- tertain criticism from any quarter is one of the best kept secrets in psychology.This openness stands in sharp contrast to the confident pro- nouncements of many thoughtless critics.Try, for example, the following from the frontis- piece of the dominant textbook in neurosci- ence.The color picture shows a PET scan of a human brain engaged, we are assured, in thought.The caption opines thus:
Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 1993 · doi:10.1901/jeab.1993.60-489