Week 7: Behavior and Environment Have you ever observed yourself, or someone you know, avoiding a task? Perhaps the task was avoided instead by texting a friend, getting something to eat, or hitting the snooze button on an alarm clock. Those behaviors represented specific instances of behavior, or responses. And while they took different forms,…

Module 2 Test: Philosophical Underpinnings Each module in this course provides fundamental information in a critical area of applied behavior analysis. At the end of each module, you will take a test to demonstrate your understanding of the topics covered. This week’s Test assesses your knowledge of the assigned course readings and material regarding philosophical…

Discussion: Applications of Philosophical Underpinnings Have you ever wondered why it is relevant to understand the theory and philosophy that underpins the field of behavior analysis? In this week’s Learning Resources, Fryling (2013) discusses some ways behavior analytic theory and philosophy are relevant to the practice of applied behavior analysis. He focuses on its unique…

Week 6: Applications of Philosophical Underpinnings In this course, you have explored philosophical underpinnings of applied behavior analysis, specifically selectionism, determinism, empiricism, parsimony, and pragmatism. As a practitioner of applied behavior analysis, you may be asking the question, “Why should I care about theory and philosophy?” This week, you will examine current behavior analytic literature…

Assignment: Dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis Baer et al. (1968) suggest that for a science to be considered truly applied behavior analysis it must demonstrate the seven dimensions of being applied, behavioral, analytic, technological, conceptually systematic, effective, and display generality. These dimensions define the parameters of a scientifically based intervention. When designing the intervention, it…

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 on practical interventions and applied topics relevant to socially…

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 implies, very frequently, the study of those behaviors in…

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 6717: Foundation and Philosophy of Behavior Analysis. Because behavior…

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 help individuals achieve beneficial behavioral change. While applied behavior…

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 consider the context of the philosophy of behaviorism and…