Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior

Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior is a peer-reviewed scientific periodical dedicated to original research in the experimental analysis of behavior. Founded in 1958, it is the flagship publication of the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior and is published by Wiley-Blackwell. The journal emphasizes studies of fundamental behavioral processes, primarily using nonhuman subjects, within the tradition pioneered by B. F. Skinner.

History and founding

The journal was established in January 1958 by the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, an organization itself founded just a year prior. Its creation was a direct response to the growing need for a dedicated outlet for research in the emerging field of operant conditioning, as mainstream psychology journals of the era, such as the Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, were often unreceptive to this approach. Key figures in its founding included B. F. Skinner, Charles Ferster, and W. H. Morse, with James G. Holland serving as the first managing editor. The inaugural editorial board featured prominent scientists like Richard J. Herrnstein, William N. Schoenfeld, and Ogden R. Lindsley. Early volumes were critical in disseminating foundational research from laboratories at Harvard University, Columbia University, and Indiana University, solidifying the journal's role as the central archive for the experimental analysis of behavior.

Scope and editorial focus

The journal publishes empirical articles on the behavior of individual organisms, with a strong emphasis on studies involving nonhuman subjects like pigeons, rats, and nonhuman primates. Its core focus is the investigation of fundamental processes including reinforcement, stimulus control, choice behavior, and behavioral pharmacology. Research typically employs within-subject experimental designs and emphasizes the study of steady-state behavior under controlled conditions. The scope explicitly excludes applied human research, which is the domain of its sister journal, the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. Under editors such as Victor G. Laties and later Timothy D. Hackenberg, it has maintained a rigorous focus on basic research while incorporating contemporary topics like behavioral economics, temporal discounting, and the neurobiological correlates of reinforcement schedules.

Abstracting and indexing

The journal is abstracted and indexed in numerous major scientific databases, ensuring wide dissemination of its research. Key services include the Social Sciences Citation Index, Scopus, PubMed, PsycINFO, and the Science Citation Index. According to the Journal Citation Reports, it had an impact factor of 2.1 for the 2022 release. Its inclusion in these prominent indices, particularly those curated by Clarivate and Elsevier, underscores its standing as a primary resource for researchers in behavior analysis, experimental psychology, and related neuroscientific fields.

Notable articles and impact

Throughout its history, the journal has published seminal articles that have shaped the field. Early influential works include studies by Richard J. Herrnstein on the matching law and by Peter B. Dews on the behavioral effects of drugs, foundational to behavioral pharmacology. Landmark papers on concurrent schedules by William M. Baum and on behavioral momentum by John A. Nevin originated in its pages. Research by Howard Rachlin on self-control and temporal discounting also featured prominently. These contributions have profoundly influenced not only basic science but also adjacent disciplines, providing quantitative principles that inform models in behavioral economics, psychopharmacology, and the experimental analysis of cognition.

Related publications and society

The journal is owned and sponsored by the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (SEAB). SEAB also publishes the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA), founded in 1968, which focuses on applied research with human subjects. Together, these two journals represent the primary scientific organs of the discipline. The society organizes the annual Association for Behavior Analysis International convention, where much of the research published in the journal is first presented. Furthermore, SEAB sponsors the B. F. Skinner Lecture Series at the American Psychological Association's annual meeting, further promoting the basic science tradition the journal embodies. Category:Behavioral and cognitive science journals Category:Publications established in 1958 Category:English-language journals Category:Bimonthly journals