A survey of ethics-related training within behavior analysis

Ethics guidelines, trainings, and continuing education requirements are frequently updated to reflect the ongoing need to better prepare behavior analysts to face ethical dilemmas in their daily practice. In terms of the ethics trainings that behavior analysts are currently experiencing, they are potentially encountering a narrow and rigid set of trainings and resources, which may then necessitate an expanded approach to ethics. If behavior analysts are not adequately trained and are not supported in developing their ethical repertoire, then these gaps in training can detrimentally impact clients served as well as the field at large. The present study aimed to survey practitioners in the field on their ethics training experiences in supporting their ethical daily practices using questions targeted towards pre-certification ethics coursework, ethics continuing education units, and ongoing environmental supports. Data suggest that several factors significantly impact practitioner’s percep..., Participants
The target population for this study was all behavior analysts aged 18 years or older who actively held a certification through the BACB[1], excluding Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs). Overall, N = 217 individuals agreed to participate in the survey. Since participants only completed portions of the survey depending on their varying degrees of experience within the field, not all 217 individuals completed the whole survey. Participants’ responses were included for data analysis if they completed at least two-thirds of one section of the survey[2]. Data for 73 respondents were excluded from analysis; 45 participants did not meet the “two-thirds rule” and 28 did not meet our inclusion criteria (i.e., were RBTs). The data for the remaining 144 respondents were included for data analysis. Demographic, education, and employment data of survey participants are presented in Table 1. This study included participants across all gender and ethnic backgrounds within the specifie..., , # A survey of ethics-related training within behavior analysis

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.q2bvq83v1](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.q2bvq83v1)

## Description of the data and file structure

We conducted a survey study using statistical and qualitative analyses to understand the state of ethics trainings within the field of behavior analysis. The first data set is our quantitative data from the survey that we ran through statistical software, and the second data set is our qualitative data from the survey that we coded and analyzed using a thematic analysis.

### Files and variables

#### File: Qualitative_Analysis_Data.Aggregate_(1).csv

**Description:** This file includes all of the qualitative raw data from the survey responses. Each Excel sheet includes the qualitative responses for a specific question from the survey. The first column is the question, along with each response for that question. Subsequent columns are the coded categories from 3 independent observers and their ..., We have received explicit consent from participants to publish the de-identified data in the public domain and have redacted all identifiable data.