University of Illinois Chicago - Mark Dixon (ACT/RFT: MSc, Ph.D.; USA)

At University of Illinois Chicago the RFT and ACT lab is within the Department of Disability and Human Development. Dixon's work serves as a training and research platform for undergraduate and graduate students. The lab is heavily focused on the real-world application of both RFT and ACT to persons with disabilities, and to do so, a full time clinical service dedicated to cognition, behavior, and mindfulness (CBM) sees clients every day. Additional work on RFT and ACT includes best practices of delivery methods, ethics, exploring basic behavioral mechanisms, and theoretical advancements. We are always looking for new students at both levels and typically offer tuition waivers and funding for doctoral students.

Here is a sample of published research by Dr. Dixon and Dr. Rehfeldt pertaining to ACT and Relational Frame Theory: 

Dixon, M. R., & Hayes, S. C. (2022). On the Disruptive Effects of Behavior Analysis on Behavior Analysis: The High Cost of Keeping Out Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Training. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 1-7.

Dixon, M. R., Hayes, S. C., Stanley, C., Law, S., & al-Nasser, T. (2020). Is Acceptance and Commitment Training or Therapy (ACT) a method that applied behavior analysts can and should use?. The Psychological Record, 70(4), 559-579.

Hayes, S. C., Merwin, R. M., McHugh, L., Sandoz, E. K., A-Tjak, J. G., Ruiz, F. J., ... & McCracken, L. M. (2021). Report of the ACBS Task Force on the strategies and tactics of contextual behavioral science research. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 20, 172-183.

Dixon, M. R., Paliliunas, D., Barron, B. F., Schmick, A. M., & Stanley, C. R. (2021). Randomized controlled trial evaluation of ABA content on IQ gains in children with autism. Journal of Behavioral Education, 30(3), 455-477.

Dixon, M. R., Belisle, J., Rehfeldt, R. A., & Root, W. B. (2018). Why we are still not acting to save the world: The upward challenge of a post-Skinnerian behavior science. Perspectives on Behavior Science, 41(1), 241-267.

Dixon, M. R., Dymond, S., Rehfeldt, R., Roche, B., & Zlomke, K. R. (2003). Terrorism and Relational Frame Theory. Behavior & Social Issues, 13(1), 129-147.

Dixon M., & Zlomke K. (2005). Using the precursor to the relational evaluation procedure (PREP) to establish the relational frames of sameness, opposition, and distinction. Revista Latinoamericana De Psicologia [serial online]. 2005;37(2):305-316. 

Dixon M., Zlomke K., & Rehfeldt R. (2006). Restoring Americans' Nonequivalent Frames of Terror: An Application of Relational Frame Theory. Behavior Analyst Today [serial online]. July 2006;7(3):275-289.

Dixon, M. R., & Lemke, M. M. (2007). Reducing Prejudice towards Middle Eastern Persons as Terrorists. European Journal Of Behavior Analysis, 8(1), 5-12.

Ninness, C., Dixon, M., Barnes-Holmes, D., Rehfeldt, R., Rumph, R., McCuller, G., & ... McGinty, J. (2009). Constructing and Deriving Reciprocal Trigonometric Relations: A Functional Analytic Approach. Journal Of Applied Behavior Analysis, 42(2), 191-208.

Dymond, S., Bateman, H., & Dixon, M. R. (2010). Derived Transformation of Children's Pregambling Game Playing. Journal Of The Experimental Analysis Of Behavior, 94(3), 353-363.

Wilson, A. N., & Dixon, M. R. (2010). A Mindfulness Approach to Improving Classroom Attention. Journal of Behavioral Health and Medicine, 1, 137-142, (2).

Dr. Mark R. Dixon, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Dr. Dixon is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst – Doctorate and a clinical professor at the Department of Disability and Human Development. Dr. Dixon has published 12 books, over 230 peer reviewed journal articles, and delivered 1000s of presentations around the globe. His research and/or expert opinions have been featured in Time Magazine, Newsweek, The New York Times, National Public Radio, This American Life, and Netflix’s series Bill Nye Saves the World. Dr. Dixon cares for individuals and their families impacted by autism and other developmental disabilities through his innovative research that guides practice. He has generated millions of dollars of funding to infuse behavior analysis within local schools and treatment facilities and created multiple clinics for persons diagnosed with autism and related conditions.

(This webpage was updated on October 12, 2022)