How to conduct applied research: A tutorial for the busy ABA practitioner belongs in serious BCBA study because it shapes whether behavior-analytic decisions stay useful once they leave a clean training example and enter clinic sessions and day-to-day service delivery. In How to conduct applied research: A tutorial for the busy ABA practitioner, for this course, the practical stakes show up in stronger conceptual consistency and better translational decision making, not in abstract discussion alone.
Provider: BehaviorLive
Take This Course →Including ethics, supervision, and topics like this one. New live CEU every Wednesday.
Join Free →The gap between research and clinical work in the profession of applied behavior analysis (ABA) can often seem vast. Behavior Analysts in traditional practitioner roles may ponder topics such as: How well does what I do each day fit into the literature? How can I make scholarly contributions?Does research have to be conducted outside of my regular clinical work? Am I (or could I be) a researcher? Although many behavior analyst practitioners desire to contribute to the literature, they may not know how to do so. In this workshop, I will provide participants with direct instruction on how to integrate research into their existing clinical practice. I'll provide examples of applied research while detailing how clinical questions turned into research studies, how those studies contributed to the literature, and how that research was conducted while continuing to meet specific clinical objectives. We will work together to identify the most common barriers associated with applied research and to find active ways workshop participants can overcome those barriers. Some of these barriers include obtaining institutional review board approval, ethical considerations, limited time, and limited staff. For participants wishing to learn more about publishing, I'll provide details of the editorial process and tips for navigating the complexities of it. Each participant in this workshop will identify their own applied research question, choose an experimental design, and design a basic protocol, walking away with actionable items they can implement to conduct their proposed applied research study.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 3 | General |
Dr. Amber Valentino is a board-certified behavior analyst with a doctoral degree in clinical psychology. Amber has over 20 years of experience in the field of applied behavior analysis, working in a variety of healthcare settings. She currently (and enthusiastically!) serves as the Chief Clinical Officer of Mindcolor Autism (https://www.mindcolorautism.com/). Amber's professional work has concentrated on developing clinical standards and leading impactful research initiatives designed to ensure high-quality service provision and oversight within ABA organizations. She is the author of a book that tackles the research-to-practice gap in behavior analysis and has contributed to the research literature through numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Furthermore, she has dedicated eight consecutive years as the associate editor for two leading behavior analytic journals (The Analysis of Verbal Behavior from 2015 to 2018, and Behavior Analysis in Practice from 2018 to 2023). Currently, she remains actively engaged in the editorial realm, serving on the editorial boards of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA), and Behavior Analysis in Practice (BAP), as well as taking on roles as both a guest associate editor and guest editor for various publications. Beyond her accomplishments in the field, Amber values her role as a mother and enjoys spending quality time with her young son and her supportive husband. She resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Side-by-side comparison with a clinical decision framework
Research-backed educational guide for behavior analysts
Research-backed answers to common clinical questions
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.