Decision-making algorithms (DMAs) have attracted growing attention in applied behavior analysis as tools that standardize clinical judgment through structured flowcharts and decision trees. When a practitioner works through a DMA, each branching question is intended to channel reasoning toward a defensible, consistent outcome—whether for treatment selection, behavioral function identification, or intervention modification.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via Jade Health
Take This Course →Including ethics, supervision, and topics like this one. New live CEU every Wednesday.
Join Free →Recent scholarship in applied behavior analysis has focused on the conceptual development of decision-making algorithms (DMA) to assist professionals in making practice-related decisions. A DMA is typically portrayed as a decision tree or flowchart. By answering a series of questions, the user is guided through the DMA towards a specific answer. Though a DMA may allow for standardization of employee decision-making, the ethical issues and limitations surrounding their use require discussion. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss outcomes from a series of empirical studies that have evaluated DMAs in order to highlight some of the ethical issues and limitations associated with their use in practice.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | Ethics |
| QABA | 1 | General |
| IBAO | 1 | Ethics |
| BICC | 0 | — |
Matthew T. Brodhead is an Associate Professor at Michigan State University. Dr. Brodhead is recognized within the academic community as a leader in the area of behavioral treatments for autism and as one of the foremost experts in the areas of ethics and professionalism in the practice of applied behavior analysis. Dr. Brodhead currently serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
258 research articles with practitioner takeaways
252 research articles with practitioner takeaways
239 research articles with practitioner takeaways
All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.