Reporting of demographic variables in theJournal of Applied Behavior Analysis

Abstract

Describing demographic variables (e.g., ethnicity/race, socioeconomic status, gender/sex, age) of participants may be important for identifying relations between these variables and behavior‐analytic procedures. Previous research found that demographic variables were underreported in behavior‐analytic studies dealing with particular populations (e.g., children with Autism Spectrum Disorder), interventions (e.g., verbal behavior), or for a subset of demographic variables. We evaluated the extent to which studies recently published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis included descriptions of demographic variables of participants. Demographic variables were often underreported, which may limit the broader dissemination of these behavior‐analytic studies and the development of culturally responsive modifications to behavioral interventions.

A systematic review of cultural adaptations in the global application of ABA‐based telehealth services

“…From our perspective, the first step on this research agenda is to carefully document the cultural adaptations that are currently being made when telehealth services are extended across continents. That is, we need more systematic replications of evidence‐based procedures applied to new cultures with clear descriptions of any changes made based on the recipient population along with a report of demographic variables (see Jones et al, 2020). Importantly, we recommend organizing these adaptations using an established framework to promote cohesion between studies of varying procedures and to assist future reviews of the literature.…”

Further examination of the effects of order of stimulus presentation on receptive discrimination

“…Six children diagnosed with ASD or a speech delay participated in the study. We conducted a record review to obtain demographic data (i.e., participants' age, ethnicity/race, gender/sex, diagnosis, expressive and receptive language, and education placement; Jones, St. Peter, & Ruckle, 2020) and data on the participants' ABA services and history of AVCD instruction. These data were not available for all participants.…”

A Look in the Mirror: How the Field of Behavior Analysis Can Become Anti-Racist

“…While many of the BACB's ethical compliance codes may be interpreted through an anti-racist lens, their lack of specificity makes it possible to 14 BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS AND ANTI-RACISM behave in a manner that is inconsistent with anti-racism, yet, those behaviors would still be considered ethical. Likewise, adhering to these codes can be especially difficult when demographic variables and information on the impact of interventions is not readily available in the literature to guide clinicians, supervision, and/or training (Jones et al, 2020).…”

“…It has been noted that behavior analytic literature often fails to sufficiently report demographic variables, including variables related to race and culturally diverse populations and settings (Dennison et al, 2019;Jones et al, 2020). This includes information regarding research participants' ethnicities as well as home languages (Dennison et al, 2019;Li et al, 2017).…”

“…Given that research informs practice, the failure to report culturally specific variables may lead to a lack of understanding about the potential effectiveness of measurement or assessment instruments (Dennison et al, 2019). Jones et al (2020) examined the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis between the years of 2013 and 2019 to determine how many authors reported participants' demographic information in their studies. These demographics included ethnicity/race, socioeconomic status, gender, sex, and age.…”