Fundamentals of Behavior Analytic Research / Edition 1

by Alan Poling, Laura L. Methot, Mark G. LeSage

Overview

By the end of his long life, B. F. Skinner (1904-1990) had become one of the most influential and best known of psychologists (Gilgen, 1982; Heyduke & Fenigstein, 1984). An important feature of the approach to the study of behavior that he championed, behavior analysis, is the intensive study of individual subjects over time. This approach, which is characterized by the use of within-subject experimental designs, repeated and direct measures of behavior, and graphic analysis of data, stands in marked contrast to the research methods favored by many nonbehavioral psychologists. Skinner discussed the advantages of his approach in a number of books (e.g., Skinner, 1938, 1953, 1979), but never devoted a book to methodology. Sidman (1960) and Johnson and Pennypack (1993b) did devote books to behavior analytic research methodology. These books are of excep­ tionally high quality and should be read carefully by anyone interested in behavior analysis. They are sophisticated, however, and are not easy reads for most neophyte behaviorists. Introductory-level books devoted entirely to methods of applied behavior analysis (e.g., Kazdin, 1982; Barlow & Hersen, 1984) are easier to understand, but somewhat limited in coverage.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780306450563
Publisher:	Springer US
Publication date:	10/31/1995
Series:	NATO Science Series B:
Edition description:	1995
Pages:	222
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.36(d)

Table of Contents

1. Science and the Analysis of Behavior.- 2. Designing Experiments.- 3. Conducting and Socially Validating Experiments.- 4. Data Collection.- 5. Within-Subject Experimental Designs.- 6. Between-Subjects Designs and Nonexperimental Methods.- 7. Graphic Analysis of Data.- 8. Statistical Analysis of Data.- 9. Disseminating Research Findings.- References.

Editorial Reviews

A methodological guide for graduates or advanced undergraduates in psychology who are just beginning their first research on the behavior of individual subjects. Presents a pragmatic approach to understanding the research process, focusing on working strategies for designing, conducting, and disseminating studies. Also considers the various constraints faced by researchers. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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