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Follow-Up
Commentary on Training Behavior Analysts
Richard W. Malott1
Behavior Analysis Program
Department of Psychology
Western Michigan University
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Note: The original version of this article appeared in the Journal
of Applied Behavior Analysis.
I recommend that we decrease our ineffective efforts to train prominent
researchers (Malott, 1992). So I am honored that three of our most
prominent researchers have critically evaluated those recommendations
(Baer, 1992; Johnston, 1992; Reid, 1992). One of those researchers
leads the elite list of 26 scholars who authored at least five articles
in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA) during its second
decade. He published 16 articles! And he is not a college professor!
Another of those researchers is a college professor and is responsible
for having trained more of JABA’s authors than perhaps anyone
in the world.
However, among these critics I find no nonresearcher/author –
no main-line behavior-analytic practitioner: the sort of professional
I recommend we should be training more of. Whether this reflects editorial
bias or the low frequency with which practitioners publish, the criticisms
of my recommendations hardly come from a representative sample. Nonetheless,
I am still honored that these three scholars were willing to respond,
although often negatively.
Before addressing the individual critiques, I present one general
clarification: I do not argue that there should be less high-quality
research in applied behavior analysis. More would be fine. I do argue
that we should stop training nearly all applied behavior analysts
as if they were going to be researchers, when most will not.
Read
In Response to Baer
Read
In Response to Reid
Read
In Response to Johnston
References
Baer, D.M. (1992). Teacher proposes, student disposes. Journal
of Applied Behavior Analysis, 25, 89 – 92.
Johnston, J.M. (1992) Managing our own behavior: Some hidden issues. Journal of Behavior Analysis, 25, 93 – 96.
Malott, R.W. (1992). Should we train applied behavior analysts to
be researchers? Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 25,
83 – 88.
Reid, D H. (1992). The need to train more behavior analysts to be
better applied researchers. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
25, 97 – 99.
