Going Green: A Systematic Review of Proenvironmental Empirical Research in Behavior Analysis

• Published in: Behavior and social issues Vol. 30; no. 1; pp. 587 - 611
• Main Authors: Gelino, Brett W., Erath, Tyler G., Reed, Derek D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.12.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Behavior; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Clinical Psychology; Original Paper; Personality and Social Psychology; Psychology; Sustainability; Systematic review; Behavior analysis; Climate change; Sustainability; Systematic literature review
• ISSN: 1064-9506; 2376-6786
• DOI: 10.1007/s42822-020-00043-x

The world is now believed to be operating in a no-analogue state, exceeding the norms of any point in documented history. Substantial disturbance of our natural environmental systems threatens life on Earth. Innovation and change are critical. Social science has historically played a vital role in amassing a body of knowledge implicating potential avenues for change. As a field, behavior analysis must keep pace with this ongoing sustainability agenda. The goal of the present review is to provide a summary of empirical works published by behavior analytic outlets to date focused on target variables of interest regarding environmental sustainability. We examined 50 experiments in their historical context and with respect to various methodological qualities. Results reveal a renewed interest in this area by behavior analysis within the most recent 5 years. We then address gaps in the literature and the means by which new efforts might be maximally contributive toward the advancement of global sustainability.