The State of Teaching Philosophy in Behavior Analysis Training Programs
ABA programs teach mostly Skinner—add other philosophies so graduates can think, not just quote.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Contreras and team sent a short survey to every ABA Verified Course Sequence in the United States.
They asked: which thinkers and topics do you teach in your philosophy class? They counted how often Skinner, radical behaviorism, or other views appeared.
What they found
Almost every program spends most weeks on Skinner and radical behaviorism. Other views like contextualism or interbehaviorism get little or no time.
The authors say this narrow diet may limit students' ability to compare and defend behavior analysis in mixed teams.
How this fits with other research
Kazemi et al. (2019) earlier listed the classic readings assigned in EAB courses. Together the two audits show both science and philosophy classes stick to a small canon.
Vazquez et al. (2024) tried a new grad-school module—interpreter training—and saw mixed results. Like Contreras, they argue we should test curricular add-ons instead of assuming the old way is enough.
McIlvane (2003) claims radical behaviorism itself promotes social justice, so keeping Skinner central is fine. Contreras does not reject Skinner; they simply ask for side dishes so students can debate critics and allies alike.
Why it matters
If you teach or supervise grad students, check your syllabus against the survey. Swap one Skinner week for a contrasting view—contextualism, interbehaviorism, or cognitive science. End the course with a structured debate. Students will leave able to explain why behavior analysis differs, not just what it is.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Professional organizations that oversee the accreditation of graduate training programs in behavior analysis have increased didactic training requirements for programs in various domains across the years. One of the areas in which this has occurred concerns training in philosophy within behavior science. Although content-hour requirements for didactic philosophical training have increased, the contents of this training are not prescribed and are left to the discretion of individual programs. We conducted a survey of verified course sequence programs to assess the current state of training in philosophy in behavior analysis graduate training programs. The results provided a list of common topics and readings in philosophy courses, and indicated an emphasis on radical behaviorism and the works of B. F. Skinner. The list of topics and readings obtained provides a resource for course design, and we suggest that exposing students to a broader range of behavioristic and nonbehavioristic topics and readings may enhance students’ orientation to philosophical issues in behavior analysis. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40617-023-00889-8.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2024 · doi:10.1007/s40617-023-00889-8