Chapter One: Definition and Characteristics Of Applied Behavior Analysis Flashcards
(16 cards)
Functional Relation
A verbal statement summarizing the results of an experiment (or group of experiments) that describes the occurrence of the phenomena under study as a function of the operation of one or more specified and controlled variables in the experiment in which a specific change in one event (the dependent variable) can be produced by manipulating another event (the independent variable), and that the change in the dependent variable was unlikely the result of other factors (confounding variables); in behavior analysis expressed as b=f(x1),(x2),…, where b is the behavior and x1, x2, etc., are environmental variables of which the behavior is a function.
Determinism
The assumption that the universe is a lawful and orderly place in which phenomena occur in relation to other events and not in an accidental or random fashion.
Empiricism
The objective observation of the phenomena of interest; objective observations are “independent of the individual prejudices, tastes, and private opinions of the scientist…Results of empirical methods are objective in that they are open to anyone’s observation and do not depend on the subjective belief of the individual scientist.” (Zuriff, 1985, p.9)
Experiment
A carefully controlled comparison of some measure of the phenomenon of interest (the dependent variable) under two or more different conditions in which only one factor at a time (the independent variable) differed from one condition to another.
Functional Analysis
A term with two meanings in contemporary behavior analysis literature. In its original and most fundamental usage, functional analysis denotes demonstrations of functional relations between environmental variables and behavior. In the context of determining the purposes (functions) of problem behavior for an individual, functional analysis entails experimentally arranging antecedents and consequences representing those in the person’s natural routines so that their separate effects on problem behavior can be observed and measured.
Replication
(A) Repeating conditions within an experiment to determine the reliability of effects and increase internal validity. (B) Repeating whole experiments to determine the generality of findings of previous experiments to other subjects, settings, and/or behaviors.
Parsimony
The practice of ruling out simple, logical explanations experimentally or conceptually, before considering more complex or abstract explanations.
Philosophic Doubt
An attitude that the truthfulness and validity of all scientific theory and knowledge should be continually questioned.
Science
A systematic approach to the understanding of natural phenomena (as evidenced by description, prediction, and control) that relies on determinism as its fundamental assumption, empiricism as its primary rule, experimentation as its basic strategy, replication as a requirement for believability, parsimony as a value, and philosophic doubt as it’s guiding conscious.
Behaviorism
The philosophy of a science of behavior; there are various forms of behaviorism.
Hypothetical Constructs
A presumed but unobserved process or entity (e.g., Freud’s id, ego, and superego).
Experimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB)
A natural science approach to the study of behavior as a subject matter in its own right founded by B.F. Skinner; methodological features include rate of response as a basic dependent variable, repeated or continuous measurement of clearly defined response classes, within-subject experimental comparisons instead of group design, visual analysis of graphed data instead of statistical inference, and an emphasis on describing functional relations between behavior and controlling variables in the environment over formal theory testing.
Mentalism
An approach explaining behavior that assumes that a mental, or “inner,” dimension exists that differs from a behavioral dimension and that phenomena in this dimension either directly cause or at least mediate some forms of behavior, if not all.
Explanatory Fiction
A fictitious or hypothetical variable that often takes the form of another name for the observed phenomenon it claims to explain and contributes nothing to a functional account or understanding of the phenomenon, such as “intelligence” or “cognitive awareness” as explanations for why an organism pushes the lever when the light is on and food is available but does not push the lever when the light is off and no food is available.
Pragmatism
A philosophical position asserting that the truth value of a statement is determined by how well it promotes effective action; pragmatism is a primary criterion by which behavior analysts judge the value of their findings.
Methodological Behaviorism
A philosophical position that views behavioral events that cannot be publicly observed as outside the realm of science.
