AVERSIVE CONTROL IN BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS: AN ANALYSIS OF JEAB AND JABA PUBLICATIONS (1958-2018)

Abstract

We analyzed the frequency of publications on aversive control and publication trends concerning specific aversive contingencies. The articles were published between 1958 and 2018 in two journals: Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (JEAB) and Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA). We selected articles that presented at least one of the following descriptors in the title, abstract, or keywords: aversive, avoidance, escape, negative reinforcement, and punishment. We verified that the publication frequency on aversive control was higher in JEAB than in JABA until the 1990s, at which point the trend was reversed. An irregular increase has been observed in JEAB publications on the topic since 2000. The rise of applied research on aversive control is related to growing interest in negative reinforcement. This significant decrease in studies on aversive control may be related to stricter ethical regulations in research and related to the assertions of some authors to reduce the aversive control use. The increase in applied studies since the 1990s appears to be related to the greater use of functional assessments and the development of treatments for behavioral problems that result from negative reinforcement contingencies. Key words: aversive control, aversive contingencies, Behavior Analysis, publication.