Episode 111 - Behavior Analytic Language

ABA Inside Track

If you’ve listened to more than one of our episodes, you must enjoy listening to behavior analytic terminology. If so, that makes you unlike most of America who ::GASP:: really dislikes ABA jargon. Should we be offended? Drop our monocles in shock? Perhaps instead we should use research to figure out a better way to improve how we disseminate the science of behavior in plain English.

Articles discussed this episode:

Lindsley, O.R. (1991). From technical jargon to plain English for application. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 24, 449-458. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1991.24-449

Becirevic, A., Critchfield, T.S., Reed, D.D. (2016). On the social acceptability of behavior-analytic terms: Crowdsourced comparisons of lay and technical language. The Behavior Analyst, 39, 305-317. doi: 10.1007/s40614-016-0067-4

Critchfield, T.S., Doepke, K.J., Epting, L.K., Becirevic, A., Reed, D.D., Fienup, D.M., Kremsreiter, J.L., & Ecott, C.L. (2017). Normative emotional responses to behavior analysis jargon or how not to use words to win friends and influence people. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 10, 97-106. doi: 10.1007/s40617-016-0161-9

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