Are Recent Changes to the BACB's Ethics Code on Research Appropriate for all Subdisciplines?

Over the past decade, there have been numerous calls to diversify areas of practice within applied behavior analysis (ABA) and broaden our consumer base. Although there have been some success stories, ABA practitioners still largely serve individuals diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We contend that it may not be beneficial to be overly prescriptive in research ethics with human subjects as different areas of work may have their own standards and/or best practices. To illustrate this point, we surveyed active researchers in organizational behavior management (OBM), a subdiscipline with arguably less vulnerable clientele, about their research practices related to approval and consent. The survey indicated that OBM researchers do not always obtain informed consent or formal research review prior to the onset of data collection. Other areas in which human behavior is frequently studied outside the laboratory are discussed to expand upon conclusions and recommendations.