A Descriptive Assessment of Social Validity Source, Timing, and Direct Consumer Inclusion in Behavior Analytic Research

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is the application of behavioral principles to affect socially important behavior change with social importance, or social validity, being defined by the consumers of the intervention. (Schwartz Baer, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 24, 189–204, 1991) provided several suggestions to improve the implementation of the social validity assessment including engaging in ongoing assessment, increasing the type and psychometric rigor of social validity measures, and extending participation in the social validity assessment to include direct and indirect consumers. The purpose of this article is to explore the current implementation of social validity assessments used in behavioral research. This article also explores key demographics among consumers with disabilities and/or mental health disorders who are included and excluded from social validity assessments. The most common social validity assessment source was author-created and implemented at a single time point. In addition, consumers with disabilities were often excluded from the social validity assessments. The implications of the social validity assessment implementation and consumer exclusion are discussed.