Applied behavior analysis stands at a technological inflection point. While other high-touch service industries have undergone radical transformation through the integration of digital tools, artificial intelligence, and data-driven personalization, ABA has largely adopted technology as a digitized version of what practitioners already do.
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Join Free →Compared to other industries, technology has had a small-to-modest impact on the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA). Yes, digital data collection and storage make business and clinical decisions more efficient; COVID-19 led many to become sufficiently savvy with telehealth services; and online training and professional development make it easier to access continuing education beyond what is available from local experts or without having to travel to conferences. However, the use of technology in ABA largely mimics things that behavior analysts already do (e.g., graphing; delivering or supervising 1:1 services; delivering lectures). Largely absent from ABA are the technological trends that have fundamentally changed how other industries operate such as: digital transformation, the big data revolution, the Internet of Things, wearable technologies, augmented analytics, and artificial intelligence. This makes sense as ABA is focused on individualized, high-touch interventions with vulnerable populations. However, other individualized, high-touch industries have successfully incorporated advanced technologies into their operations and there is no reason ABA cannot also do so. In this presentation, we describe the critical characteristics needed to transform behavior analysis into a tech-driven field on par with what is observed in other industries and the fundamental change that will likely occur in how we think about behavior-environment relations. In doing so, we also discuss the ethical and practical challenges that will need to be overcome if ABA hopes to update itself into the 21st Century.
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | Ethics |
| COA | 1 | — |
Dr. David Cox can formally lay claim to being a bioethicist (master's degree from Union Graduate College), a board-certified behavior analyst at the doctoral level (PhD in behavior analysis from the University of Florida), a behavioral economist (post-doc training at the Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine), and a data scientist (post-doc training through an Insight! Data Science Fellowship). He has worked in behavior analysis for 20 years as a clinician, academic researcher, scholar, technologist, and all-around behavior science junky. From his work and collaborations, David has published over 70 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and books. And, has had the fortune to serve as Editor in Chief for The Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Bulletin and Associate or Guest Editor for Perspectives on Behavior Science, Behavior Analysis in Practice, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Psychological Record, Education and Treatment of Children, Toward Data Science, and Behavior and Social Issues. When he's not doing research or building quantitative models of behavior-environment relations, he enjoys spending time with his wife, two beagles, and two kittens around St. John's, FL.
Dig into the research behind this topic — plain-English summaries written for BCBAs.
280 research articles with practitioner takeaways
279 research articles with practitioner takeaways
258 research articles with practitioner takeaways
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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.