The spread of behavior analysis to the applied fields.
ABA is spreading into many fields, so watch for old psychology ideas sneaking in.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The author looked at how behavior analysis was moving into new areas. These areas included law, communications, psychology, and education.
He used a narrative review. That means he told the story of the field instead of running statistics.
What they found
ABA was spreading fast. More people were using it outside the lab.
Old psychology habits were tagging along. Those habits could water down pure ABA practice.
How this fits with other research
Hart et al. (1968) set the seven rules of ABA first. Fantino (1981) shows those rules traveling into new jobs.
Carr et al. (2002) later update the worry. They say PBS looks new but is really ABA in disguise. The spread kept going, just under fresh names.
Reed (1991) claims the split is already final. Basic EAB and applied ABA now live on different islands. The 1981 fear of outside influence turned into an inside divorce.
Why it matters
You now know ABA keeps leaking into new places. Each leak can carry contaminants from old psychology. Check your settings for hidden non-behavioral ideas. Guard the seven dimensions from Hart et al. (1968) while you teach new teams.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This paper reviews the status of applied behavioral science as it exists in the various behavioral fields and considers the role of the Association for Behavior Analysis in serving those fields. The confounding effects of the traditions of psychology are discussed. Relevant issues are exemplified in the fields of law, communications, psychology, and education, but broader generalization is implied.
The Behavior analyst, 1981 · doi:10.1007/BF03391850