This study, involving five college students observing behavior of individuals with mental retardation, found that interobserver agreement was better in the presence of certain stimuli (such as when the subject's peers were present versus when they were not). Of 10 additional variables thought to potentially affect agreement scores, 1 (can't see,…

The successful application of functional analysis to problem behavior suggests the need to examine: additional functional properties of behavior involving social avoidance, biological reinforcement, and respondent conditioning; the role of context (including social factors and biological factors); and the multidimensional character of assessment…

Evaluation of reductive treatment versus instructional treatments on the generalized reduction of problem behaviors in two adolescents with severe intellectual disabilities indicated that when only one member of a response class was blocked, a collateral increase in other problem behaviors was observed, but learning an alternative positive…

Uses a behavior model from control systems theory to analyze how we coordinate our own and each other's physical movements. Tests one person controlling a cursor with one handle or two, and two people controlling a cursor with two handles. Shows that control theory accurately predicts the results. (CH)

Health education practitioners often neglect theories, possibly because of lack of training in their use or misunderstanding of their contribution to practice. Ways to make them more useful include (1) identifying helpful data; (2) fitting theories to projects and anticipating problems; (3) selecting appropriate theories; and (4) using parts of…

A review of the January 1993 issue of the "Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior" concludes that behavioral interventions produce collateral effects, but predicting those effects in applied work is complicated because of verbal and instructional influences and because of interactions among reinforcer types. (JDD)

This essay considers the discipline of psychology as distinct from history, defining it as a science within philosophy dedicated to the study of the causal structure of the human mind. Although Hugo Munsterburg was considered an important figure in applied psychology, this essay represents an earlier epistemology. (SLD)

This paper argues that behavior analysis is not technological to a fault, but rather has a faulty technology by being incomplete. The paper examines reinforcers and punishers that result from the outcomes of either (1) striving for better experimental control, or (2) inventing theories to explain why current control is imperfect. (JDD)

Technological talk in the field of applied behavior analysis creates distance between researchers and behavior analysis consumers. The field should focus on properly analyzing the needs of potential consumers, adapting technology to serve those needs, and packaging and marketing products in such a way that they are readily accepted and easily…

Places behavioral field systems analysis (FSA) into perspective historically and in terms of its relationship to behavioral science as a whole, focusing on (1) J.R. Kantor and interbehaviorism, (2) the change from linear mechanics to fields/systems, and (3) contemporary scientific relatives of FSA. (SM)

A review of 158 applied behavior analysis studies with children as subjects, published in the "Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis" between 1980 and 1990, found that (1) 16% measured the accuracy of independent variable implementation, and (2) two-thirds did not operationally define components of the independent variable. Specific recommendations…

This essay examines the late B. F. Skinner's work as a scientist, psychologist, polemicist, and poet. The human psyche is seen to be a confederation of various aspects (e.g., cognition, affection, conation). Skinner's scientific exclusion of inner-life phenomena from his behavioral science is seen as paradoxical. Implications for educational…

Proposes a two-system framework for understanding the processes that enable self-control as exemplified in the delay of gratification paradigm. A cool, cognitive "know" system and a hot, emotional "go" system are postulated. The interactions between these two systems allow explanation of findings on willpower from three decades…

Examines the uses of observations generated during testing through (a) qualitative synthesis of available research literature, (b) a study of a national sample of children, and (c) a study of children referred for psychoeducational evaluations. Results demonstrate that behavioral and temperament qualities evaluated by test observations are related…

Presents methodologies for diagnostic problem solving, including clinical diagnosis using the DSM-IV, multiaxial empirically based assessment, and behavioral assessment. Reviews these approaches within the context of methodological and conceptual issues pertaining to the construct of treatment utility. Argues that clinical diagnosis and…