COMPLIANT IN A MOMENT: A COMMENTARY ON NEVIN

• Published in: Journal of applied behavior analysis Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. 549 - 555
• Main Authors: Houlihan, Daniel, Brandon, Paul K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 1996; Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior; Society For The Experimental Analysis Of Behavior
• Subjects: Analysis; Behavior disorders; Behavior Modification; Behavior Patterns; Behavior Problems; Behavior Theories; Behavioral Momentum; Behavioral Science Research; Compliance; Compliance (Psychology); establishing operations; friction; High Probability Requests; Intervention; metaphor; Social Behavior; Theory Practice Relationship
• ISSN: 0021-8855; 1938-3703
• DOI: 10.1901/jaba.1996.29-549

Nevin's scholarly and timely discussion attempts to maintain the precarious union of the experimentally derived theory of behavioral momentum with applications of the behavioral momentum construct to human subjects in applied settings. Nevin's discussion adds much‐needed clarification to a process that at times has proven to be awkward for applied researchers. In this commentary, we will address three general questions: (a) Can the applications of behavioral momentum be derived from the theory as conceptualized by Nevin? (b) Could those applications have been developed had the theory not been formulated? (c) Does behavioral momentum theory add significantly to the compliance literature?