A detailed examination of reporting procedural fidelity in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis

Abstract

Few reviews on procedural fidelity—the degree to which procedures are implemented as designed—provide details to gauge the quality of fidelity reporting in behavior‐analytic research. This review focused on experiments in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (2006–2021) with “integrity” or “fidelity” in the abstract or body. When fidelity data were collected, the coders characterized measurement details (e.g., description of calculation, report of single or multiple values, frequency of fidelity checks, checklist use). The researchers found increasing trends in describing the calculation(s), reporting multiple values, and stating the frequency of measurement. Few studies described using a checklist. Most studies reported fidelity as a percentage, with high obtained values (M = 97%). When not collecting fidelity data was stated as a limitation, authors were unlikely to provide a rationale for the omission. We discuss recommendations for reporting procedural fidelity to increase the quality of and transparency in behavior‐analytic research.

On a persisting curious double standard in behavior analysis: Behavioral scholars' perspectives on procedural fidelity

“…To identify potential participants, we used a list that contained the names of scholars who had published at least one paper in JABA as the corresponding author from 2006–2020 ( N = 435) and the frequency with which those individuals reported fidelity data in their JABA publications. The list was created as part of another project that examined the frequency of fidelity reporting in JABA (Bergmann et al, 2022). We cross‐referenced this list with individuals who were currently serving on JABA 's editorial board or who were serving or had served as associate editors or editors‐in‐chief for JABA or other major behavioral journals and added information about their current position (title and geographical location) and primary areas of interest (e.g., problem behavior, skill acquisition, feeding).…”