Critchfield T S, Newland M C, Kollins S H
Behav Anal. 2000 Spring;23(1):107-15. doi: 10.1007/BF03392005.
To evaluate progress and focus goals, scientific disciplines need to identify relations that are robust across many situations. One approach is the literature review, which characterizes generality across studies. Some writers (e.g., Baron & Derenne, 2000) claim that quantitative literature reviews, but not narrative reviews, violate the methodological precepts of behavior analysis by pooling data from nonidentical studies. We argue that it is impossible to assess generality without varying the context in which relationships are studied. Properly chosen data-aggregation strategies can reveal which behavior-environment relations are general and which are procedure dependent. Within behavior analysis, reluctance to conduct quantitative reviews may reflect unsupported assumptions about the consequences of aggregating data across studies. Whether specific data-aggregation techniques help or harm a research program is an empirical issue that cannot be resolved by unstructured discussion. Some examples of how aggregation has been used in identifying behavior-environment relations are examined.
为了评估进展并聚焦目标，各科学学科需要识别在多种情形下都稳健的关系。一种方法是文献综述，它描述了各项研究的普遍性。一些作者（如Baron和Derenne，2000）声称，定量文献综述而非叙述性综述，通过汇集来自不同研究的数据违反了行为分析的方法论准则。我们认为，如果不改变研究关系的背景，就不可能评估普遍性。正确选择的数据汇总策略可以揭示哪些行为 - 环境关系是普遍的，哪些是依赖于程序的。在行为分析领域，不愿进行定量综述可能反映了对跨研究汇总数据后果的无根据假设。特定的数据汇总技术对研究项目是有帮助还是有损害，这是一个实证问题，无法通过无组织的讨论来解决。本文将考察一些关于汇总如何用于识别行为 - 环境关系的例子。
