Consent and Assent Practices in Behavior Analytic Research

Although consent and assent (when relevant) are required components of behavior analytic research activities according to the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (Behavior Analyst Certification Board, 2020), information about the use of assent procedures is not always included in published research. The purpose of the present study was to explore consent and assent processes in behavior analytic research by surveying researchers about their knowledge, practices, resources, barriers, and solutions with respect to consent and assent. The results from 123 behavior analytic researchers suggest that a variety of methods are being used to seek consent and assent, even though those processes are not always described in published literature. In addition, discrepancies were noted between behavior analytic researchers' responses related to consent and assent, which suggests the need for more research, training, resources, and social contingencies related to assent.