Navigating Ethics in Behavior Analysis: Dealing with Gray Areas

Navigating Ethics in Behavior Analysis considers the elusive topic of ethics in the professional context of behavioral analysis. Students often assume their Applied Behavior Analysis Ethics class is going to be an easy A+; that it takes no more than common sense and a good moral compass to determine the line between right and wrong. But, as they quickly learn, ethics are different from laws, morals and common sense and, when a variable is modified from how it was originally learned, students can be at a loss for how to critically think through the situation.

Drawing from her extensive experience in both teaching and practice, Nicolle Carr highlights the importance of critical thinking when considering questions of ethics in behavior analysis. She examines the history and creation of the Behavior Analysis Certification Board’s (BACB) current ethical code before exploring well-known and novel approaches to navigating the ethical decision-making process with added emphasis on contextual understanding. These approaches are then applied in real-world scenarios: in schools, clinics, homes, residential facilities, higher education and within Organizational Behavior Management. Carr concludes by walking the reader through the process of an ethical violation, from trying to solve an issue alone and ensuring the person falls under the BACB’s jurisdiction, to submitting the appropriate documents and what to expect as the process continues.

Delving into the ethical curiosity created by grey areas that play out daily in the world of behavior analysis, this book will be an essential resource for students of behavioral analysis ethics as well as fully certified behavioral analysts.

R. Nicolle Carr currently serves as the Director of Clinical Services for an ABA company in Oklahoma that specializes in serving those in underserved communities. She previously oversaw the ABA program at the University of Oklahoma and has provided ABA services across residential, home, school and clinic settings for the last 20 years.