Kenneth Jacobs


Professional Details

Title Assistant Professor
Department Psychology
Office Meier Hall 224G
Email kenneth.jacobs@salemstate.edu

Recent and Upcoming Courses

PSY 210 Introduction to Learning
PSY 519 Internship Preparation
PSY 540 Seminar: Topics in Psychology
PSY 545 Seminar in Learning Theory
PSY 715 Behavioral Principles of Learning
PSY 830 Small N Research Design & Analysis
PSY 875 Directed Study
PSY 899 Psychology Masters Thesis I
PSY 997 Special Topics in Behavior Analysis
PSY 999 Psychology Masters Thesis II

Professional Biography

Kenneth W. Jacobs, Ph.D., BCBA-D earned his doctorate in psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno. Dr. Jacobs was trained in the theory, philosophy, and experimental analysis of human behavior.

Professional Interests

Behaviorism as a philosophy of science, pragmatism as a way of life, and single-case experimental design as a way of understanding behavior-change in real time. 

Responsibilities

Interbehavioral Regulation Lab (IRL)

The IRL studies complex human behavior in various settings. Complexity is what demands an inter-behavioral analysis. Our current work covers the following topics:  

  • Behavior regulation online
  • Animal behavior in a sanctuary setting  
  • Subjectivity in political and social life

Please contact Dr. Jacobs for more information about IRL meetings. 

  • Thursdays 4:30-6:30 PM 
  • MH 249E

Selected Publications

Jacobs, K.W. (in preparation). Response disequilibrium as a determinant of instrumental performance: A replication and theory.

Barcelos Nomicos, L., Jacobs, K.W., Locey, M. (2020). The effects of obligatory and preferential frames on delay discounting. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 36, 74-86. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40616-020-00127-0 

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., 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  

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  

Dowdy, A., & Jacobs, K. W. (2019). An empirical evaluation of the disequilibrium model to increase independent seatwork for an individual diagnosed with autism. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 12(3), 617-621. http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s40617-018-00307-4  

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   

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

Killeen, P. R., & Jacobs, K. W. (2017). The modulated contingency. The Behavior Analyst, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-017-0101-1