Barriers to Use of Experimental Analysis in Applied Behavior Analysis Clinical Practice

The underlying principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) and its subsequent ethical codes necessitate the use of experimentation in many situations to determine relations among behavior and environmental variables. However, behavior analysts may be experiencing barriers to using experimental analysis (EA) in clinical practice. This article included two questionnaire studies investigating behavior analysts' (Study 1 N = 293; Study 2 N = 324) current use and barriers to implementation of EA in clinical practice. Results aggregated from both studies indicated that on average 63% of behavior analysts used EA in clinical practice. Across the studies, lack of resources ranked as the most significant barrier, whereas reimbursement for services was ranked as the least influential barrier to using EA in clinical practice. This article suggested possible barriers to implementation of EA in clinical practice that may have significant ethical implications for appropriate treatment for clients and possible solutions to these barriers.