ANIMAL RESEARCH IN THE JOURNAL OF APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS

Abstract

This review summarizes the 6 studies with nonhuman animal subjects that have appeared in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and offers suggestions for future research in this area. Two of the reviewed articles described translational research in which pigeons were used to illustrate and examine behavioral phenomena of applied significance (say-do correspondence and fluency), 3 described interventions that changed animals' behavior (self-injury by a baboon, feces throwing and spitting by a chimpanzee, and unsafe trailer entry by horses) in ways that benefited the animals and the people in charge of them, and 1 described the use of trained rats that performed a service to humans (land-mine detection). We suggest that each of these general research areas merits further attention and that the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis is an appropriate outlet for some of these publications.

Putting the “E” in SPIDER: Evolving Trends in the Evaluation of Environmental Enrichment Efficacy in Zoological Settings

“…While different environmental factors may affect each individual's behavior, in this type of work each individual analysis serves as a replication of the analytic method itself (Johnston, 1979;Sidman, 1960). There have been calls in recent years for exploration of the application of this area to the behavior of animals in zoos (e.g., Bloomsmith, Marr & Maple, 2007;Maple, 2007;Tarou & Bashaw, 2007), and some examples of animal applications in other settings are available (Edwards & Poling, 2011). Given the need for data-based decision making in the day-to-day implementation of environmental enrichment with individual animals, this area of work seems ripe for application of behavior-analytic methodology.…”

Advancing Behavior Analysis in Zoos and Aquariums

“…The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA), a flagship journal for the field of behavior analysis, has published relatively few studies of animal interventions by qualified behavior analysts working in captive settings (Edwards and Poling 2011). One of the published papers (Martin et al 2011) reported a significant reduction of feces throwing and spitting by a chimpanzee through the differential reinforcement of alternative behavior coupled with extinction of the undesired behavior.…”

“…Animal welfare has become a ubiquitous research topic in agriculture, biomedicine, and zoological collections (e.g., Dawkins 2008;Maple 2007;Maple et al 2008;Maple and Perdue 2013;Mason and Veasey 2010;Novak and Suomi 1988). To reiterate the recommendation of Edwards and Poling (2011), animal problem behavior can be socially significant for both animals and human caregivers.…”

A study in the founding of applied behavior analysis through its publications

“…However, little or no such analyses were published until after the field was founded. For reviews, see Bloomsmith, Marr, and Maple (2007), Edwards andPoling (2011), andFrothman andOgden (1992) (Christy Alligood, personal communication, November 13, 2012). 23 Even after JABA was founded, the field has continued to evolve.…”