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Behavior analysis

A natural-science approach to understanding the behavior of individuals. Its experimental and applied research appear in separate journals, and ABAI serves as a membership organization for the field.

Also called: experimental analysis of behavior, applied behavior analysis

Methodological traditionDevelopment

Type of entry: Methodological traditionA way of doing research that runs across several fields. Types are editorial labels, not an official classification.
Cluster: Development and learningChange across life, learning, schooling and behavior analysis.
Sources opened: 5 of 50 read as a full page, 5 as selected text or an abstract, 0 not verified.
Independent review: Admitted after correctionsClaude Code reviewer agent, separate from the writer, 2026-10-21. 8 claims checked against 6 sources opened by the reviewer.

What it studies

The Association for Behavior Analysis International describes behavior analysis as a natural science that seeks to understand the behavior of individuals. Its membership interests cover the philosophy, science, application and teaching of the field. This guide treats it as a methodological tradition that runs through basic experimental research and applied work.

History and people

The Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior first appeared in January 1958. Baer, Wolf and Risley published 'Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysis' in 1968, and ABAI says it has been the primary membership organization since 1974. B. F. Skinner's The Behavior of Organisms, in a foundation reprint, shows a 1938 copyright with a 1966 renewal.

People and documented roles

Donald M. Baer. Co-author of a 1968 article on dimensions of applied behavior analysis; University of Kansas
- Co-authored 'Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysis' in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. [4]
Montrose M. Wolf. Co-author of a 1968 article on dimensions of applied behavior analysis; University of Kansas
- Co-authored 'Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysis' in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. [4]
Todd R. Risley. Co-author of a 1968 article on dimensions of applied behavior analysis; University of Kansas
- Co-authored 'Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysis' in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. [4]
B. F. Skinner. Author of The Behavior of Organisms: An Experimental Analysis; assistant professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota on the title page
- Authored The Behavior of Organisms: An Experimental Analysis (copyright 1938, per the B. F. Skinner Foundation reprint). [5]

The sources opened document authors and a membership organization but name no individual founders of the approach. They do not document women scholars, contributors outside the United States, or the content of the 1968 article or Skinner's book, so no pioneer list is offered.

Dated milestones

1938Publication. Year.Copyright date of Skinner's The Behavior of Organisms, as shown on the copyright page of a foundation reprint. [5]
January 1958Publication. Month and year.First issue of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. [3]
Spring 1968Publication. Year.Baer, Wolf and Risley publish 'Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysis' in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (a bibliographic record only was read). [4]
1974Society or organization formed. Year.ABAI says that since 1974 it has been the primary membership organization for behavior analysis (a society milestone, not the start of the field). [1]

Methods

The Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior describes itself as primarily for the original publication of experiments relevant to the behavior of individual organisms. The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, where the 1968 article by Baer, Wolf and Risley appeared, is a separate journal. The sources opened here do not describe specific research designs or measures, so this guide does not.

Training and applications

ABAI states a mission to contribute to the well-being of society by developing, enhancing and supporting the science of behavior analysis through research, education and practice. The sources opened here do not describe clinical or educational settings, training routes or credentials. Any titles or certifications are set by regulators and credentialing bodies in each jurisdiction, not by this guide.

Boundaries and limits

The 1958 date belongs to a journal, and the 1974 date to a membership organization; neither marks the start of the approach. Behavior analysis overlaps with the psychology of learning and with experimental psychology. B. F. Skinner is documented here only as the author of a book, and the sources opened do not support a sole-founder account or document other early contributors.

Evidence behind the claims

ABAI defines behavior analysis as a natural science that seeks to understand the behavior of individuals.
What it studiesThe organization's own descriptionSource: [2]Where: Behavior Analysis page, opening sentence
ABAI says that since 1974 it has been the primary membership organization for people interested in the philosophy, science, application and teaching of behavior analysis.
What it studiesThe organization's own descriptionSource: [1]Where: About Us page, opening paragraph
ABAI describes itself as a nonprofit membership organization whose mission is to contribute to the well-being of society by developing, enhancing and supporting the science of behavior analysis through research, education and practice.
Training and applicationsThe organization's own descriptionSource: [1]Where: About Us page, mission statement
The first issue of the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior appeared in January 1958.
History and peopleDocumented in the sourceSource: [3]Where: Editorial, opening paragraph
The Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior is primarily for the original publication of experiments relevant to the behavior of individual organisms, according to its 2008 editor.
MethodsThe organization's own descriptionSource: [3]Where: Editorial, description of the journal's scope
Donald M. Baer, Montrose M. Wolf and Todd R. Risley, all of the University of Kansas, published 'Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysis' in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, volume 1, issue 1, pages 91-97, in Spring 1968.
History and peopleDocumented in the sourceSource: [4]Where: PMC record header: title, authors, journal, date, pages
B. F. Skinner is named as author of The Behavior of Organisms: An Experimental Analysis, the title page identifies him as assistant professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota, and the copyright page shows 1938, renewed 1966.
Boundaries and limitsDocumented in the sourceSource: [5]Where: Title page (PDF page 3) and copyright page (PDF page 4)

Where it appears

University examples

Examples show documented structures. They are not a ranking, a census, or a statement about admission or licensing.

In the Psy101 course

OpenStax Psychology 2e, section 6.3: Operant ConditioningChapter 6, Learning. Topic reading. The section discusses this topic.Opened the section: it covers operant conditioning, reinforcement, shaping and behavior modification.
OpenStax Psychology 2e, section 6.1: What Is Learning?Chapter 6, Learning. Topic reading. The section discusses this topic.Opened the section: it defines learning and introduces classical conditioning, operant conditioning and observational learning.

This is course relevance only. It is not evidence for the historical or practice claims on this page.See the full course map.

Sources and inspection

5 of 5 sources were opened and read at the level shown. A source marked as not verified supports no claim on this page by itself.

[1]
About UsAssociation for Behavior Analysis International, undated. Professional association. Supports the definition of the area.Selected text readRead through the fetch tool's extraction: the 'Since 1974' statement, mission and membership description. The page does not state a founding year or history; the linked History page was not read (the /about-us/history.aspx address returned a memorial page instead).
[2]
Behavior AnalysisAssociation for Behavior Analysis International, undated. Professional association. Supports the definition of the area.Selected text readRead through the fetch tool's extraction: only the one-sentence definition was returned; the page does not separate experimental analysis, applied behavior analysis and behaviorism.
[3]
Editorial: Half A CenturyJournal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (author James E. Mazur, editor), 2008. Review article. Supports the history.Selected text readRead through the fetch tool's extraction of the PMC page (January 2008, vol. 89, no. 1, pp. 1-3); the full editorial text was not read.
[4]
Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysisJournal of Applied Behavior Analysis 1(1), PubMed Central record, 1968. Original publication. Supports the history.Selected text readSaw only the bibliographic record (title, authors, University of Kansas, journal, Spring 1968, pages 91-97). The page has no abstract and the article body could not be read, so the dimensions it defines are not described here.
[5]
The Behavior of Organisms: An Experimental AnalysisB. F. Skinner Foundation (reprint PDF), undated. Original publication. Supports the history.Selected text readRead PDF pages 1 to 4: the title page names B. F. Skinner as assistant professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota, and the copyright page (page 4) shows 1938, renewed 1966, and a 1991 Skinner Foundation copyright for the reprint. The book text was not read.

Independent source review: Claude Code reviewer agent, separate from the writer, 2026-10-21. Verdict: Admitted after corrections. Of 8 claims checked, 7 were supported as written, 0 were reworded and 1 were removed.