K. A. Lattal: Collector, curator, and historian of Behavior Analysis

Abstract

A literature review was conducted focusing on the history of behavior analysis by Lattal and his colleagues. Three intertwined themes on the history of apparatus, biographical research, and an underlying pedagogical aim were identified. Within these themes, it was evident that the scholarship of Lattal within the history of behavior analysis has contributed to the internationalization of the field. The literature review was complemented with a semi-structured interview with Lattal. Overall, the breadth of topics within the history of behavior analysis by Lattal and colleagues spans 11 categories described by Guimarães and de Mello (2023) that may be unified with by their pedagogical purpose. It is concluded that Lattal’s approach to research and teaching consistently integrates historical content and context.