Applied behavioral pharmacology explores how drugs may influence problem behavior in persons with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD). A comprehensive review was conducted featuring single-case experimental designs in the domain of applied behavioral pharmacology to evaluate and report on study quality. Studies included in the review…

Lag schedules increase operant variability. Several researchers have explored their clinical and educational applications, especially to address repetitive behavior or limited repertoires in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. In the current study, we provide the first comprehensive synthesis and appraisal of lag schedule research in…

Introduction: The replication crisis in the behavioral and social sciences spawned a credibility revolution, calling for new open science research practices that ensure greater transparency, including preregistrations, open data and code, and open access. Statement of the Problem: Replications of published research are an important element in this…

Introduction: This pilot study examined how current information behaviour research addresses the implications and potential impacts of its findings. The goal was to understand what implications and contributions the field has made and how effectively authors communicate implications of their findings. Methods: We conducted a content analysis of 30…

Replications and robustness checks are key elements of the scientific method and a staple in many disciplines. However, leading journals in developmental psychology rarely include explicit replications of prior research conducted by different investigators, and few require authors to establish in their articles or online appendices that their key…

The current article provides a review of adoption research since its inception as a field of study. Three historical trends in adoption research are identified: the first focusing on risk in adoption and identifying adoptee-nonadoptee differences in adjustment; the second examining the capacity of adopted children to recover from early adversity;…

The gap between scientific knowledge and real world practice continues to be a major conundrum for the behavioral sciences. This paper briefly reviews the development of behavioral research and describes problems that have arisen in meeting the goal of improving behavioral interventions through science. Based on published literature and personal…

Eating disorders represent a significant source of psychological impairment among adolescents. However, most controlled treatment studies have focused on adult populations. This review provides a synthesis of existing data concerning the efficacy of various psychosocial interventions for eating disorders in adolescent samples. Modes of therapy…

A survey of articles in the "Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis" (1968-1980) demonstrated that the majority of articles published do not use any assessment of the actual occurrence of the independent variable and a sizable minority do not provide operational definitions of the independent variable. The feasibility and utility of ensuring the…

Despite contradictory findings, the belief that psychotherapy promotes survival in people who have been diagnosed with cancer has persisted since the seminal study by D. Spiegel, J. R. Bloom, H. C. Kramer, and E. Gottheil (1989). The current authors provide a systematic critical review of the relevant literature. In doing so, they introduce some…

This paper points out that the available research on communication rules tends to be descriptive (or humanistic) in nature and characterized by a conspicuous absence of prediction along with experimental methods and parametric interpretations of social behavior. The paper first argues that current scientific methodology is consistent with a…

Two issues of each volume of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis were reviewed to identify research reports focusing on individuals with autism. The identified articles were analyzed to describe the ages of individuals with autism, the settings in which the research occurred, the nature of the behaviors targeted for intervention, and the…

Many children with mental retardation and developmental disabilities suffer from the consequences of chronic drooling. Behavioral treatment for drooling should be considered before other, more intrusive treatments such as medication and surgery are implemented. However, empirical studies on behavioral procedures are scarce. This article reviews 19…

This paper is an introduction to behavioral genetics for researchers and practitioners in language development and disorders. It identifies essential concepts and applies behavioral genetic research to the language sciences. It suggests that more complex questions may be successfully addressed through behavioral genetic paradigms. Research needs…

The concept "patterns of cultural choice," defined as patterns of money and time use among which people may choose to some degree, is contrasted with terms such as lifestyle and subculture. Eight research articles, comprising this journal issue, which employ alternative strategies of isolating choice patterns, are introduced. (Author/RM)