[1] Heaton holds the Camilla Kimball Chair in the Department of Sociology at Brigham Young University (BYU).
He has done research in both the United States on trends and sources of divorce and in Latin America on how the family characteristic effects the health of children.
Heaton holds bachelor's and master's degrees from BYU and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
[2] Heaton co-authored the article "Religious Influence on Marital Stability" with Vaughn R. A.
He wrote the article "The Effects of Religious Homogamy on Marital Satisfaction" with Edith D. Pratt.