Foundations of Behavior Analysis
Throughout the first half of this course, you have explored the history of behaviorism and the roots of applied behavior analysis in the philosophy and practices of natural science. In this assignment, you will have the opportunity to synthesize the knowledge you have gained.
Assignment Directions
For this assignment, you will provide a long-answer essay response to each of the questions below. For each question, you are encouraged to use the peer-reviewed resources provided throughout the units to support your responses. Please do not copy and paste the whole question into the document. Rather, use APA format section headings to organize your paper, with separate sections for each question. Use the rubric and the assignment prompts as guides to be sure you address all topics. Be sure to use the sources provided so far in the course and support your work throughout with in-text citations and a reference list at the end of your paper.
Please respond to the following:
- Compare the three branches of behavior analysis (behaviorism, EAB, and ABA).
- Explain how the evolving historical and philosophical perspectives of behaviorism have influenced the study of applied behavior analysis as a natural science.
- Name at least four important figures who have developed and furthered the science of behavior analysis and, specifically, discuss their contributions to the field.
- Define radical behaviorism.
- Explain the ways in which radical behaviorism attempts to create a set of universal laws to understand all behavior.
- How does radical behaviorism differentiate between private events and public events?
- How does the distinction between private events and public events relate to a distinction between mentalistic and environmental explanations for behavior?
- In radical behaviorism, which explanation is preferred and why?
- Explain the six attitudes/assumptions of experimental analysis of behavior, the goals of behavior analysis as a science, and the seven dimensions of applied behavior analysis.
- Examine how each of these areas contribute to the development of a technology that is used to influence socially significant behavior.
