Discussion: Baer, Wolf, and Risley (1968) Applied behavior analysis is a movement that began in the late 1950s within the field of experimental analysis of behavior (EAB) and was based on B. F. Skinner’s operant conditioning principles. As the applied orientation began to develop, it focused...
Week 5: Dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis In their seminal article, Baer et al. (1968) elucidate the differences between applied and non-applied (theoretical) research, stating “. . . applied research is constrained to examining behaviors which are socially important, rather than convenient for study. It also...
Assignment: The Science of Behavior Analysis The field of behavior analysis comprises three separate yet overlapping and related branches: behaviorism, experimental analysis of behavior (EAB), and applied behavior analysis (ABA). The theories, procedures, and practices of each of the three branches should inform one another PSYC...
Discussion: Applied Behavior Analysis You have made a significant decision to further your formal education in the field of applied behavior analysis. You likely have an interest in behaviors and their relationship with the environment and a desire to learn and apply behavioral techniques that will...
Week 4: Science of Behavior Analysis The science of behavior analysis is made up of three domains: behaviorism (philosophy), experimental analysis of behavior (basic research), and applied behavior analysis (applied practice and research). These domains are interrelated; therefore, an understanding of applied behavior analysis (ABA) must...
In this week’s Learning Resources you read about Skinner’s radical behaviorism. Skinner’s learning principles can be applied in the areas of behavior management and education. For example, “reinforcement” is one of Skinner’s learning principles and refers to anything that increases the likelihood a response will...
Discussion: Behaviorism One skill of an applied behavior analyst is collaborating to identify negative behaviors an individual is exhibiting and then developing treatments for those behaviors (e.g., strategies, interventions, etc.) to help them change the behaviors and derive improved outcomes for themselves. Radical behaviorism posits there...
Week 3: Radical Behaviorism In his own words, psychologist and behaviorist B. F. Skinner explained radical behaviorism as, “the philosophy of a science of behavior treated as a subject matter in its own right apart from internal explanations, mental or physiological” (p. 122). This week focuses on...
Assignment: Parsimony For this week’s Discussion, you examined a common set of assumptions characterizing the behavior of behavior analysts. One of those assumptions is the Law of Parsimony. The history and etymology of the word parsimony is from the Latin pars-, meaning “to act sparingly, be...
This is the first week of Module 2: Philosophical Underpinnings. During this week, you will analyze assumptions of behavior for behavior analysts. You will further focus on the assumption known as the Law of Parsimony and consider how, as a behavior analyst, you could apply...