The Social Validity Manual

Stacy Carter is a Professor in the Special Education Program in the College of Education. Dr. Carter received his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in School Psychology from Mississippi State University which was accredited by both the National Association for School Psychologists and the American Psychological Association. Dr. Carter is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. Dr. Carter is also a licensed special education teacher and a licensed specialist in school psychology. Dr. Carter has over 20 years of experience working as a Behavior Analyst in developmental centers, psychiatric hospitals, community living situations, and school settings.Dr. John Wheeler has had over twenty-five years of experience in working with children with autism spectrum disorders and their families throughout his career in special education. He has served as a Professor, Director, Associate Dean and Dean and has also been active in grant funded projects in the areas of professional development and capacity building through technical assistance to underserved and rural schools. He has authored/co-authored numerous research studies in the education and treatment of children with ASD and serves on a number of editorial boards for professional journals in the field. He has authored 6 textbooks, on positive behavior supports, autism and inclusion.

Social Validity is a concept used in behavioral intervention research. It focuses on whether the goals of treatment, the intervention techniques used, and the outcomes achieved are acceptable, relevant, and useful to the individual in treatment. The Social Validity Manual, Second Edition, provides background on the development of social validity, an overview of current research in social validity, and guidelines for expanding the practice of social validation. The book offers detailed information on scales and methods for measuring social validity across the goals, procedures, and effects of treatments utilized in various fields. The second edition incorporates advances in research findings and offers two new chapters on the use of social validity in the health sciences and how social validity plays an important role in increasing cultural awareness.

1. Background of Social Validity2. Conceptualizations of Social Validity3. Instruments and Methods for Evaluating Social Validity4. Research on Social Validity5. Increasing the Social Significance of Treatment Goals6. Enhancing the Appropriateness of Treatment Procedures7. Improving the Importance of Treatment Effects8. Social Validity and Ethics9. Social Validity and Cultural Competence10. Social Validity in Health Sciences11. Organization of Social Validity Data12. The Future of Social Validity