Solomon Kurz, A. (2019). Want to see more behavior? Consider institutional-level positive reinforcement. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 14, 29-31.
In their review of 160 articles in the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science (JCBS), Newsome, Newsome, Fuller & Meyer (2019) argued prior JCBS authors have disproportionately relied on self-report measures to the neglect of more overt measures of behavior. I agree that increasing the frequency of more overt behavioral measures of behavior could potentially improve the quality of the scholarship within JCBS. To encourage these changes, we might consider a fuller analysis of the factors maintaining the status quo, and further discuss the practical ways we might reinforce the behaviors we desire among our fellow scientists. In this commentary, I offer several steps the leadership within JCBS and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) might take to encourage these changes. With skillfully-applied positive reinforcement, we might use our science to improve our science.
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