A Tribute to Sidney W. Bijou, Pioneer in Behavior Analysis and Child Development: Key Works That Have Transformed Behavior Analysis in Practice

Sidney W. Bijou's contributions to the practice of behavior analysis spanned nearly 7 decades, and they continue to influence what is considered “best practice” in our field today. By extending basic behavioral phenomena conducted with nonhuman animals to children in laboratory and naturalistic settings, Bijou's early research sparked a watershed of similar extensions. More importantly, Bijou's approach has led to a greater understanding of child development and behavior. This tribute will highlight what may be three of Bijou's most significant contributions to practice, namely his studies on (a) programmed instruction for children with developmental disabilities (Bijou, Birnbrauer, Kidder, & Tague, 1966), (b) children's responding under schedules of reinforcement and extinction (Bijou, 1957), and (c) the use of descriptive analysis to identify functional relations (Bijou, Peterson, & Ault, 1968)