Research Methods in Applied Behavior Analysis

Rating:
Summary: Splendid guide to quality research
Review: Up-to-date guide to developing worthwhile research projects in applied behaviour analysis. Well-written and stimulating style. Will be an essential read for students who are aiming for Behavior Analyst Certification Board credentials and for professionals who aspire to publishing high quality research in top-rated research journals. I will certainly be recommending it to graduates and advanced undergraduates who choose to conduct applied projects as part of their studies.

There are several other books on the topic available. Many are useful, even if up to 20 years in print, and should be read too as they contain different details. However this book updates recommendations and includes recent developments in electronic literature research, data-collection, and presentation.

A distinctive aspect of Bailey & Burch (2002) is that it acknowledges the difficulties of conducting good behaviour analytic research and suggests how to avoid those difficulties (e.g., conducting informal pilot studies) or how to escape them if they do arise (e.g., recognising when a service is just not a suitable host for the fledgling researcher). These considerations are not usually included in research methods texts. It is refreshing and inspiring that the authors are making public their research development "secrets for success".

The authors recommend extremely high standards for evaluating the quality of data. Even some well-established highly published research groups may not meet those standards. Students may need help in recognising where compromises are acceptable to enable them to conduct reserach that is practically possible and still valid.

Overall - this book is splendid.

Rating:
Summary: Splendid guide to quality research
Review: Up-to-date guide to developing worthwhile research projects in applied behaviour analysis. Well-written and stimulating style. Will be an essential read for students who are aiming for Behavior Analyst Certification Board credentials and for professionals who aspire to publishing high quality research in top-rated research journals. I will certainly be recommending it to graduates and advanced undergraduates who choose to conduct applied projects as part of their studies.

There are several other books on the topic available. Many are useful, even if up to 20 years in print, and should be read too as they contain different details. However this book updates recommendations and includes recent developments in electronic literature research, data-collection, and presentation.

A distinctive aspect of Bailey & Burch (2002) is that it acknowledges the difficulties of conducting good behaviour analytic research and suggests how to avoid those difficulties (e.g., conducting informal pilot studies) or how to escape them if they do arise (e.g., recognising when a service is just not a suitable host for the fledgling researcher). These considerations are not usually included in research methods texts. It is refreshing and inspiring that the authors are making public their research development "secrets for success".

The authors recommend extremely high standards for evaluating the quality of data. Even some well-established highly published research groups may not meet those standards. Students may need help in recognising where compromises are acceptable to enable them to conduct reserach that is practically possible and still valid.

Overall - this book is splendid.