ABSTRACT
Public relations and behavior analysis are practically strangers. Although professional behavior analysts can be quite successful with many of their own public relations efforts, there will be times when the issue is just too big for an individual behavior analyst. Remember that professional behavior analysts' national professional organizations have a responsibility to help with public relations for the field of behavior analysis. The Association of Professional Behavior Analysts and the Association for Behavior Analysis International are in a position to send press releases and media alerts when public relations efforts are needed on a large scale. Public perception of behavior analysis is critically important, because most people learn about through the media rather than through scholarly journals, textbooks, or college courses. Reporters tend to stay in their offices, inundated by press releases and overwhelmed by phone calls and e-mail that provide leads on stories that have been skillfully prepackaged by publicists.
