Date of Award

8-2026

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Jonathan Baker, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Heather McGee, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Sarah Pinkelman, Ph.D.

Fourth Advisor

Leilani Feliciano, Ph.D.

Keywords

Aging, applied behavior analysis, behavioral gerontology, competency model, job analysis, neurocognitive disorder

Abstract

Behavioral gerontology continues to evolve and grow as an application of behavior analysis, but there remains a critical need to define competencies necessary for behavior analysts to provide ethical, effective care within their scope of competence. This study sought to establish and validate foundational competencies for Board Certified Behavior Analyst s® (BCBA s® ) working in this area. A mixed-methods design using three experiments was used. In Experiment 1, a review of discipline-specific competency frameworks and a job mapping process yielded a preliminary set of behavior-analytic competencies for behavioral gerontology. This produced a preliminary framework consisting of 142 competencies. Experiment 2 involved utilizing job analyses and competency modeling with expert BCBA s® trained in behavioral gerontology to assess alignment between real-world consultation practices and the proposed competencies. Three BCBA s® participated in semi-structured interviews to refine the framework through discussing job-related knowledge and skills, resulting in a revised set of 140 competencies. In Experiment 3, a two-round Delphi method with subject matter experts (SMEs) was conducted to evaluate the importance and relevance of each competency item. Eleven SMEs completed two rounds of the Delphi process. Following the first round, 92.1% of the competencies met the established critical value criterion, and the framework was reduced to 137 competencies. After the second round, 98.5% of the competencies met the critical value criterion, and the final framework included 133 competencies. This final framework is a preliminary step toward defining competencies in behavioral gerontology; however, additional validation is needed. Future research should incorporate broader input from behavioral gerontologists and other professionals working with older adults with neurocognitive disorder to further refine and validate the framework.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

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