Assistant Professor, PsychologyMeier Hall 224H978.542.4725
Kenneth W. Jacobs, Ph.D. earned his doctorate in psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno. He was trained in behavioral theory, philosophy, and the experimental analysis of human behavior. Dr. Jacobs is the Graduate Program Coordinator of the Master of Science in Behavior Analysis Program.
Behaviorism as a philosophy of science, pragmatism as a way of life, and behavior regulation theory as a way to change it.
Students interested in the Master of Science in Behavior Analysis Program should follow this link and contact Dr. Jacobs for more information.
Interbehavioral Regulation Lab (IRL)
The IRL seeks to understand the regulatory mechanisms that instigate and influence behavior in the laboratory and in real life.
Students interested in the IRL should read the following articles:
Jacobs, K. W., Morford, Z. H., King, J. E., & Hayes, L. J. (2017). Predicting the effects of interventions: A tutorial on the disequilibrium model. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 10(2), 195–208. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-017-0176-x
Jacobs, K. W., Morford, Z. H., & King, J. E. (2019). Disequilibrium in behavior analysis: A disequilibrium theory redux. Behavioural Processes, 162, 197–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2019.02.006
Highly motivated students are encouraged to contact Dr. Jacobs to discuss their interest in behavior regulation research and practice.
Jacobs, K. W., Klapak, B., Morford, Z. H., & Snyder, R. (2024). The effects of response disequilibrium on social media use: A laboratory analogue. Behavioural Processes. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BEPROC.2024.104995
Jacobs, K. W., King, J. E., & Dowdy, A. (2023). Disequilibrium as determinant of reinforcement and punishment effects: A replication. Psychological Record, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-023-00576-8
Jacobs, K. W. (2020). A pragmatic sign theory of truth for the behavioral sciences. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 16, 172-177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2020.04.010
Jacobs, K.W. (2019). Replicability and randomization test logic in behavior analysis. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 111(2), 329-341. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.501
Killeen, P. R., & Jacobs, K. W. (2017). Coal is not black, snow is not white, food is not a reinforcer: the roles of affordances and dispositions in the analysis of behavior. The Behavior Analyst, 40(1) 17-38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-016-0080-7