Theoretical and methodological dimensions of behavior therapy: An empirical analysis

An empirical study attempted to identify theoretical and methodological dimensions of the field of behavior therapy. The similarities among 44 prominent behavior therapists were judged by 64 active members of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy (AABT). Multidimensional scaling of these similarity judgments revealed three dimensions along which these figures varied. The 3 dimensions discovered were interpreted as, (1) cognitivism vs. behaviorism, (2) research vs. clinical practice, and (3) seniority of the figures. Hierarchical clustering was used to produce a taxonomic scheme that provided an alternative grouping of the figures along conceptual and technical lines.