Dr. Hunter King

Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development and Child Studies
Special Education Program

Office: 435D Pawley Hall
Phone: (248) 370-4204
E-mail: hunterking@oakland.edu

Dr. Hunter King is an Assistant Professor of Education in the School of Education and Human Services at Oakland University and a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst at the doctoral level. Dr. King received a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Minnesota State University, Mankato and a Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of Utah. He completed his predoctoral internship and postdoctoral research fellowship in Behavioral Psychology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Dr. King specializes in the assessment and treatment of challenging behavior exhibited by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Within this area, his research focuses on identifying environmental variables underlying the reemergence of challenging behavior following successful treatment to inform the development of more durable and ecologically valid behavioral interventions. Dr. King is the director of the Training and Education in Behavior Analysis (TEBA) Lab. Current projects include translational research on strategies for producing and mitigating relapse produced by combined contingency and context changes, contextual resurgence, meta-analysis of the functional communication training (FCT) literature for challenging behavior maintained by access to tangibles, and strategies for promoting caregiver adherence to FCT. Dr. King actively publishes in, and reviews manuscripts submitted to, peer-reviewed behavioral, educational, and pediatric psychological journals, and thoroughly enjoys mentoring students and professionals from all walks of life. If you would like to support Dr. King’s research, whether as a participant or research assistant, please contact him to discuss available options.

Professional Experience

• Behavior consultant for educators and caregivers in more than 15 schools
• Behavioral teleconsultant in community settings
• Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapist for children and youth

Courses Taught

• Concepts and Principles of Applied Behavior Analysis
• Experimental Analysis of Behavior (coming Fall of 2025)
• Behavior Assessment
• Assessment for Intervention Across the Lifespan
• Supporting Students with Behavioral and/or Emotional Impairment
• Counseling Issues for Special Needs

Research Interests

• Assessment and treatment of severe challenging behavior
• Translational research on treatment relapse
• Educator and caregiver training
• Problem-solving [tele]consultation

Select Publications (Research Gate Profile)

King, H. C., Falligant, J. M., & Kranak, M., Spink, C. (in-press). On the role of the discriminative properties of reinforcers in modulating relapse: A systematic review of the contextual relapse literature. Perspectives on Behavior Science.

King, H. C., Sprink, C., & Falligant, J. M. (2025). Discriminative properties of reinforcers modulate resurgence: A human operant demonstration. Journal of Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

King, H. C., Kurtz, P., Chin, M., & Falligant, J. M. (2025). Characterizing automatically maintained self-injury with the aberrant behavior checklist. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 130(1), 13–23. https://doi.org/10.1352/1944-7558-130.1.13.

King, H. C., Falligant, J. M., & Jacobs, K. W. (2024). Recent research on response disequilibrium theory: A concise review. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. Advanced Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.2917.

Madden, S., King, H. C., Chesbrough, E., & Falligant, J. (2024). Behavioral assessment and treatment of Pica: A brief report. Neurodevelopmental Rehabilitation, 1–5. Advanced Online Publication.  https://doi.org/10.1080/17518423.2024.2397336

Falligant, J. M., Cero, I., King, H. C., Nall, R. (2024). A preliminary analysis of temporal dynamics in human-operant performance. Experimental Analysis of Human Behavior Bulletin, 35, 1–14.

Ryan, M., King, H. C., & Falligant, J. M. (2024). Increasing toy engagement using response disequilibrium theory: A systematic replication. The Psychological Record, 74, 219–224. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40732-024-00601

King, H. C., Martone, L., Laureano, B., & Falligant, J. M. (2024). A systematic review of enhanced resurgence paradigms. Journal of Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 121(2), 266–278. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.902

Davis, J., King, H. C., Radley, K., Jenson, H., & Corsi, C., & Jenson, B. (2024). A meta-analysis of the mystery motivator intervention. Journal of Positive Behavioral Interventions, 26(2), 113–127. https://doi.org/10.1177/10983007231224048.

Martone, L., King, H. C., Fischer, A. J., & Cornejo, P. (2024). Toward an inclusive research laboratory climate in school psychology training programs. School Psychology Training and Pedagogy, 44(2), 1–21.

King, H. C., Fischer, A. J., Radley, K., Davis, J., Houlihan, D., & Jenson, B. (2023). Caregiver telehealth training on antecedent strategies to increase children’s instruction following in the home. Journal of Behavioral Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-023-09528-2

Spencer, S., King, H. C., Martone, L., & Houlihan, D. (2022). Countercontrol: A relational frame theory account and revival of a 70-year-old Skinnerian term. Perspectives on Behavior Science, 45(1), https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-022-00337-y.

King, H. C., Wu, S., Bloomfield, B., & Fischer, A. J. (2022). A practical guide on problem-solving teleconsultation in schools. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 33(2), 181–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2022.2070495.

King, H. C., Howarth, R. E., Choi, S., & Fischer, A. J. (2022) Using teleconsultation-enhanced treatment for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder in an adolescent male. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 44(1), 35–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317107.2021.2024716.

King, H. C., Bloomfield, B., Wu, S., & Fischer, A. J. (2021). A systematic review of school-based teleconsultation: Implications in research and practice. [Special Issue]. School Psychology Review, 51(2), 237–256. https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966X.2021.1894478.  

Bloomfield, B. S., Fischer, A. J., King, H. C., Lehman, E. L., & Clark, R. R. (2020). Exploring implementor error during a remotely conducted school-based functional analysis training package. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 36(4), 347–375. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377903.2020.1749204.

King, H. C., Bloomfield, B., Fischer, A.J., Radley, K., & Dart, E. (2020). A Comparison of digital observations of students from video cameras and aerial drones. [Special Issue]. Journal of Educational and Psychoeducational Consultation, 31(3), 360–381. https://doi.org/10.1080/10474412.2020.1744446.