Abstract
Behavior analysts often invoke the “Dead Man Test” as a means of distinguishing behavior from other things, but the assumption underpinning this test, that behavior is absent in vitality-challenged individuals, lacks systematic empirical support. In a field experiment, three individuals who reasonably could be considered as deceased each were observed under three conditions in which behavior might have been observed. None was detected. These results are consistent with predictions derived from the Dead Man Test, although, due to limitations of the experiment, that foundational concept of behavioral measurement cannot yet be considered as validated.
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Notes
In planning the research, uncertainties arose about the applicability of ethical guidelines that commonly are used to protect the interests of living individuals. Ultimately, informed consent was not sought because Section 8.05 of the American Psychological Association Code of Ethical Principles of Psychologists (2010 edition; http://www.apa.org/ethics/code) states that, “Psychologists may dispense with informed consent only ... where research would not reasonably be assumed to create distress or harm and involves ... naturalistic observations ... for which disclosure of responses would not place participants at risk of criminal or civil liability or damage their financial standing, employability or reputation, and confidentiality is protected.” This clause was deemed to apply since being observed was part of the participants’ daily experience and target behaviors (described below) were not apparently relevant to reputational, financial, or legal risks to those individuals.
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The research was not overseen by an Institutional Review Board or Animal Care and Use Committee because no living organisms were studied. Informed consent was not sought or required because the potential behaviors of interest were publicly observable.
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Critchfield, T.S., Shue, E.Z.H. The Dead Man Test: a Preliminary Experimental Analysis. Behav Analysis Practice 11, 381–384 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-018-0239-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-018-0239-7