Ethnic diversity in behavioral psychology - A review of the literature

In recent yeats, the importance of including ethnically diverse populations in psychological research has been increasingly emphasized. The purpose of this survey was to examine the extent to which behavioral psychology has recognized issues of ethnic diversity in its published literature. Content analyses were conducted of all articles published in Behavioral Assessment from 1984 through 1992, Behavior Modification from 1977 through 1993, and Behavior Therapy from 1970 through 1993. Overall, only 1.31% of the articles published in the three journals focused on U.S. ethnic minority groups. Possible explanations for the lack of attention on ethnic minority groups are posited, and suggestions for ameliorating this problem are provided.