Peer Review

History of Behavior Analysis

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Reviewed:: Feb 16, 2015 by Psychology

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Ratings

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Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

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Overview:: This website focuses on the rich history of behavior analysis and includes a variety of elements, including links to other sites and a blog that discusses the “field's long past, short history, and recent origins.” The site supports a mission to “cultivate and nurture, enrich and improve, and communicate and disseminate the field's history.” Visitors will find a brief overview of the field as well as the current organizational notes for the Special Interest Group (SIG) for the History of Behavior Analysis (HoBA) of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI). As a complement to courses, the site could support students who are researching background information about behavior analysis, its contributors, and important current and historical events.
Type of Material:: The History of Behavior Analysis is a website that includes historical information, meeting minutes, blog editorials, photos, and links to related websites. The bulk of the content is related to the Special Interest Group (SIG) for the History of Behavior Analysis (HoBA) of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI).
Recommended Uses:: • The site may serve as a brief informational website to introduce the field of behavior analysis. • The site is the appropriate starting point for students (or professionals) interested in becoming active in a professional society that places its focus on the history of behavior analysis. • The site provides material that would allow faculty to design learning exercises (e.g., topics for debate, term paper recommendations, graphics, images) relating to the field of behavioral psychology. Some of the link-outs would be useful for in-classroom demonstrations, particularly those from Aubrey Daniels.
Technical Requirements:: Two reviewers successfully accessed and surfed the site using the most recent version of Google Chrome (39.0). No additional downloads or plug-ins are required.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: The website communicates specific objectives as follows: (a) cultivate and nurture, (b) enrich and improve, and (c) communicate and disseminate the field's history.
Target Student Population:: • While the website does not have a specific student focus, the content and links could be used by faculty teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses that focus or touch upon the field of behavioral psychology. • The site serves as a good avenue for graduate students studying behavior analysis to become more connected to the larger professional community.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: • The site is more meaningful if one has a basic understanding of the field of behavior analysis.

Content Quality

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Strengths:: • The content is accurate and relevant. • A particular strength of this site is the Links tab, which takes visitors to a variety of additional sites on the topic. This feature leads to content that is comprehensive and that includes a breadth of information relating to topics falling under the umbrella of behavioral psychology. • The incorporated listserv and blog are nice social features.
Concerns:: • The site itself provides only minimal content. While the information on the site is current and appears to be updated regularly, the chief purpose of the site appears to be as a means of communication for those involved in the professional society.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

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Strengths:: • The diverse potential application of this material is the most impressive feature. Faculty members can access various materials that would support the development of possible learning exercises. This is a useful benefit for faculty who are teaching within or about the field of behavioral psychology (including introductory and theoretical courses that touch on behavior analysis). • Information is provided to help individuals become more active in the professional society.
Concerns:: • There is minimal instructional information. Most information pertains directly to the business side of the society (e.g., a means for members of the society to communicate). The external links are the main learning feature, while other elements are less fleshed out. For example, the Gallery link includes only one photo, and the Documents link includes only one bibliography. • Despite the broader mission detailed in the About section, at present the site appears more focused on hosting and supporting the society.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

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Strengths:: • The site is well-organized, intuitive, and simple to navigate. It is easy to understand what content is available in various locations. • The design quality is excellent; the site has a professional presentation.
Concerns:: • A dearth of materials in certain areas may cause the site to appear incomplete.

Other Issues and Comments:: At present, the site's primary purpose seems to be to house documents for the Special Interest Group (SIG) for the History of Behavior Analysis (HoBA) of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI). However, faculty members will find that the site proves useful as a source of educational materials to support teaching and learning in the field of behavioral analysis.
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