Dr. Samuel L. Morris, Assistant Professor

Headshot of Dr. Samuel Morris Office: 229 Audubon Hall

Department of Psychology

Louisiana State University

Baton Rouge, LA 70803

Dr. Morris is accepting new students for Fall 2026.

Dr. Morris obtained his Ph.D. in Psychology with a specialization in Behavior Analysis at the University of Florida under the mentorship of Dr. Tim Vollmer. He was an Assistant Professor and the Applied Behavior Analysis Program Coordinator at Southeastern Louisiana University before beginning his current position as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Louisiana State University in 2022. Dr. Morris' laboratory focuses on utilizing experimental manipulations of the environment to understand the causes of behavior and prescribe effective interventions to promote the development of adaptive social behaviors. His research interests revolve around three principal areas: (1) methods of assessing and improving sociability, (2) the identification, evaluation, and utilization of different types of reinforcing stimuli, and (3) the application of quantitative models to understand problems of basic and applied significance. Dr. Morris has taught a variety of behavior-analytic courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, served on the editorial board for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavior Analysis in Practice, and Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, and frequently serves as a reviewer for top behavior-analytic journals.

Education

Ph.D., Psychology, University of Florida

M.S., Psychology, University of Florida

B.S., Psychology, University of Florida

Professional Certifications

2020-Present | Board Certified Behavioral Analyst (BCBA)

2024-Present | Licensed Behavior Analyst

Representative Publications

Morris, S. L., Call, N. A., Mevers, J. L., & Taylor, P. M. (2025). A behavioral economic measure of sensitivity to social rewards in children with and without autism spectrum disorder. Research in Autism, 127, 202663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reia.2025.202663

Morris, S. L., & Joslyn, P. R. (2025). Applying techniques from precision medicine to predict challenging behavior and inform clinical resource allocation. Behavior Modification, 49(2), 193-223. https://doi.org/10.1177/01454455241310130

Morris, S. L., & Blakemore, E. T. (2025). Does increasing absolute conditioned reinforcement rate improve sensitivity to relative conditioned reinforcement rate? Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 123(2), 280-296. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.4242

Morris, S. L., & Bridges, K. G. (2024). On the identification and use of social versus nonsocial reinforcers: A review of research practices. Perspectives on Behavior Science, 47(4), 739-761. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-024-00426-0

Morris, S. L., & Vollmer, T. R. (2022). Increasing social time allocation and concomitant effects on mands, item engagement, and rigid or repetitive behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 55(3), 814-831. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.919

For more of Dr. Morris' research, see his Google Scholar or ResearchGate.