ABA 510 - Conceptual Issues in Applied Behavior Analysis

This is the first course in the BCBA sequence and is the prerequisite for all other courses. The field of behavior analysis comes from the philosophical world view of behaviorism, which will be focus of this course.
Behavior Analysis is a scientific approach to the study of behavior, with behavior emphasized as the proper subject of investigation. It is concerned with describing, explaining, predicting, and changing behavior. Environmental events are the primary independent variable in our science, although it is recognized that genetics and other biological variables are needed to fully explain behavior. This course will cover the conceptual analysis of behavior, which addresses philosophical, theoretical, historical, and methodological issues that underpin our profession. Within this course the definition and characteristics of behavior analysis will be reviewed. Students will learn the distinction between behaviorism and the experimental analysis of behavior and applied behavior analysis. Additionally, critical terms, definitions and concepts in applied behavior analysis will be reviewed. Journal articles from the behavior analytic literature will be used to emphasize the interrelationship between behavior analytic principles and effective education and clinical treatment.

(Cr: 3)