Abstract
Behavior analysts in practice have an advantage over many others in the helping professions—they have at their disposal a robust science of behavior change informed primarily by single-case experimental research designs. This is advantageous because the research literature is focused on individual behavior change and has direct relevance to behavior analysts who need to change the behavior of individuals in need. Also, the same experimental designs used to advance the basic and applied sciences can be used to evaluate and refine specific procedures as they are put into practice. Thus, behavior-analytic research and practice are often intertwined. However, when behavior analysts in practice conduct research and use their own clients as participants, several important ethical issues need to be considered. Research with human participants is subject to careful ethical oversight, but the ethical guidelines that have been developed are usually described in terms of research conducted by nonpractitioners working in universities or institutions. This article focuses on several areas of special concern when conducting research in practice settings, including dual relationships and conflicts of interest, obtaining informed consent, and using ethical review panels.
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Notes
Throughout the article, Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts refers to Behavior Analyst Certification Board (2020).
For example, since 2017, more than 40% of research articles published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis include at least one author listing a clinical affiliation.
There is no doubt that some would grant that behavior is controlled in most circumstances, but not all. Agreement on this point is not necessary for the sake of the argument that follows.
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Normand, M.P., Donohue, H.E. Research Ethics for Behavior Analysts in Practice. Behav Analysis Practice 16, 13–22 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-022-00698-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-022-00698-5