Dr. Paige McKerchar

Department Head
 202 Ayers Hall
(256) 782-5808
pmckerchar@jsu.edu


Dr. McKerchar began her career at the University of Florida's Florida Center on Self-Injury and the Kennedy Krieger Institute before attending the University of Kansas for doctoral training. Through these experiences, she has provided applied behavior analysis services to children and adults across the lifespan in home, school, center, work, and residential settings. She is a former member of the editorial board for Behavior Analysis in Practice and has served as a guest reviewer for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and other behavior analytic journals. Her most recent work has been in promoting best practice in behavior analysis through university training and public policy changes. To this end, she secured ABAI accreditation for Jax State's master’s program in Applied Behavior Analysis in 2012 and has helped the program remain accredited through 2028. At the state level, she served as the Executive Director of the Alabama Association for Behavior Analysis from 2012-2024, led efforts to pass Alabama’s licensure legislation in 2014 & 2017, and served as the first chairperson of the Alabama Behavior Analyst Licensing Board from 2014-2020. Dr. McKerchar has been a Psychology professor at Jax State since 2007 and served as head of the Psychology Department since 2012.

Paige McKerchar

Courses Taught

  • PSY 222 Human Development

  • PSY 529 Applied Behavior Analysis II

     

Education

  • B.S. University of Florida (Psychology), 1998
  • M.A. University of Kansas (Human Development), 2002
  • Ph.D. University of Kansas (Behavioral Psychology), 2006
  • Licensed Behavior Analyst, AL
  • Doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst

Publications

  • McKerchar, P. M., & Abby, L. (2012). Systematic evaluation of variables that contribute to noncompliance: A replication and extension. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 45, 607-611
  • Thompson, R. H., Cotnoir-Bichelman, N. M., McKerchar, P. M., Tate, T. L., & Dancho, K. A. (2007). Enhancing early communication through infant sign training. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 40, 15-23.
  • Cote, C. A., Thompson, R. H., Hanley, G. P., & McKerchar, P. M. (2007). Teacher report and direct assessment of preferences for identifying reinforcers for young children. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 40, 157-166.
  • Cotnoir-Bichelman, N. M., Thompson, R. H., McKerchar, P. M., & Haremza, J. L. (2006). Training student teachers to reposition infants frequently. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 39, 489-494.
  • Cote, C. A., Thompson, R. H., & McKerchar, P. M. (2005). The effects of antecedent interventions and extinction on toddler compliance with transitions. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 38, 235-238.
  • Tate, T. L., Thompson, R. H., & McKerchar, P. M. (2005). Training teachers in an infant classroom to use embedded teaching strategies. Education and Treatment of Children, 28, 206-221.
  • Thompson, R. H., McKerchar, P. M., & Dancho, K. A. (2004). The effects of delayed physical prompts and reinforcement on infant sign language development. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 37, 379-383.
  • McKerchar, P. M., & Thompson, R. H. (2004). A descriptive analysis of potential reinforcement contingencies in the preschool classroom. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 37, 431-443.