This week, you will examine the foundations of applied behavior analysis. You consider operant conditioning and how it has affected your life, and you will analyze behavior analysis scenarios and identify the applied behavioral characteristic involved in each scenario. You will also complete a module test to demonstrate your understanding of these critical concepts.

Students will:

• Analyze principles of operant conditioning
• Apply principles of behavioral theory to human behavior
• Demonstrate understanding of basic concepts and principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA)

For this Discussion, you will analyze the fundamental principles of operant conditioning and how it has impacted your life. Additionally, you analyze how behavioral psychological theory (e.g., antecedents, reinforcements, punishment) is applied to condition behavior. As you read this week’s Learning Resources, try to identify times in your life when operant conditioning clearly played a part in your learning.

• Consider how terminology of operant conditioning relates to specific behaviors.
• Think about how your parents reinforced or punished you when you were growing up, and how those acts influenced how you behaved.
• Consider how situations in your life today contribute to your behavior. Are you more or less likely to do something when a certain person is around?
• Review the interactive media in the Learning Resources, “Operant Conditioning Terms.”

Post a description of a scenario that illustrates the application of operant conditioning in your life and explain how behavioral theory (e.g., antecedents, reinforcements, punishment) was applied to condition behavior in the scenario you posted. Explain how the antecedent condition facilitated or inhibited the target behavior discussed.

Read your colleagues’ postings.

Respond to at least two colleagues’ posts in one of the following ways:

• Expand on each colleague’s explanation of how they applied behavioral theory to their scenario.
• Offer your perspective(s) on whether you agree or disagree with each colleague’s explanation of how the antecedent condition facilitated or inhibited the target behavior discussed.

Be sure to support your posts and responses with specific references to behavior-analytic theory and research. In addition to the Learning Resources, search the Walden Library and/or internet for peer-reviewed articles to support your posts and responses. Use proper APA format and citations, including those in the Learning Resources.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights that you have gained because of your colleagues’ comments.

One of the most frequently misused terms in psychology is “negative reinforcement.” Many people use this term to describe punishment because it “sounds better.” In behavioral psychology, terms are sometimes used differently than they are in everyday language. For example, the term “reinforcement” means that the rate of a behavior is increased. The term “punishment” means the rate of a behavior is decreased. The term “positive” means a stimulus is presented, and the term “negative” means a stimulus is removed. Therefore, negative reinforcement occurs when an aversive stimulus is removed, which results in an increase in probability of the behavior it followed.

For this Assignment, you will explore the application of behavioral theory. You will review a set of scenarios, analyze and identify the applied behavioral characteristic involved in the scenario, and explain how the scenario meets the definition of the characteristic you identified.

• Review the Learning Resources for this week, including the required weekly media programs.
• Review the “Behavioral Consequences Scenario Worksheet” found in the Learning Resources. You will use this worksheet to complete the Assignment.

Assignment (1–2 pages)

Complete the Behavioral Consequences Scenario Worksheet. To complete the worksheet, do the following for each scenario:

• Identify and define the following consequences used in applied behavior analysis in each scenario (i.e., positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, negative punishment).
• Explain how each scenario meets the definition of the applied behavior analysis characteristic you identified. Within your explanation, identify each of the components of the definition within the scenario.

Be sure to support your Assignment with specific references to behavior-analytic theory and research. In addition to the Learning Resources, search the Walden Library and/or the internet for peer-reviewed articles to support your Assignment. Use proper APA format and citations, including those in the Learning Resources. 

Submit the Behavioral Consequences Scenario Worksheet.

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

• Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK1Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
• Click on the Week 1 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
• Click on the Week 1 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
• Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK1Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click on Open.
• If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
• Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

• Review the Learning Resources and consider how these resources will guide your understanding of applied behavior analysis as you prepare for your Module 1 Test.

• This Test consists of 10 multiple-choice or true/false questions.
• Each question is worth one point.
• Questions are presented in a random order.
• This Test allows you to go back to check or change your answers at any point during your allotted Test time.
• You may use your course readings and other resources to help you. This Test is open book.
• You will have unlimited time to finish this Test by the end of the week.
• You must pass the Test at 90% for competency.
• Once the Test has been submitted, the correct answer will be indicated when you have given an incorrect answer.
• If you need to retake the Test, a new Test will be generated.

Submit your Test by Day 7.

This week, you were introduced to the fundamentals of applied behavior analysis. You reflected on how operant conditioning has affected your life, and you analyzed a set of scenarios to identify the applied behavior analysis characteristic being used. You also completed the Module Test to demonstrate your understanding of these critical concepts.

Next week, you will begin the next module of this course, Module 2: Philosophical Underpinnings. In the first week of Module 2, you will examine assumptions of behavior analysis and why they are important for a behavior analyst.

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 this behavioral assumption when communicating behavior-analytic interventions to a parent or teacher. 

Students will:

• Analyze the assumptions of behavior analysis
• Analyze the Law of Parsimony as it relates to a real-life application

• Review the Learning Resources for this week as well as the required weekly media program to gain an understanding of the philosophical assumptions that inform the practice of behavior analysis.
• Consider examples of how the philosophical assumptions apply to the study of human behavior.
• Review the interactive media in the Learning Resources, “Six Assumptions or Attitudes of Behavior Analysis.”

The behavior of scientists, including behavior analysts, is characterized by a common set of assumptions: determinism, empiricism, experimentation, replication, parsimony, and philosophic doubt.

Post two of these assumptions and give an example of how each applies to the study of human behavior.

Read your colleagues’ postings.

Respond to at least two colleagues’ posts by expanding on each of their explanations of how the assumptions they identified in their examples apply to the study of human behavior.

Be sure to support your posts and responses with specific references to behavior-analytic theory and research. In addition to the Learning Resources, search the Walden Library and/or internet for peer-reviewed articles to support your posts and responses. Use proper APA format and citations, including those in the Learning Resources.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights that you have gained because of your colleagues’ comments.

Ultimately, an important purpose for using parsimonious interpretations is to enable a principle of economy when determining where new findings might incorporate into the existing knowledge base of a given field. By way of illustration, consider the following review regarding negative symptoms in schizophrenia. In the review, the authors identify a lengthy list of nearly 20 negative schizophrenia symptoms ranging from different forms of affect issues to poor grooming to asociality. Applying the law of parsimony (referred to as Occam’s Razor in the review) the authors simplified their evidence by stating, “…we propose that while negative symptoms are varied and broad in both their clinical presentation and longitudinal course, they can all be subsumed under the concept of avolition. As the primary construct, avolition translates to decreased functional performance, a hallmark of schizophrenia’s longer-term outcome but identifiable in its earliest stages” (Foussias, & Remington, 2010).

For this Assignment, you will consider why parsimony is an important construct a behavior analyst might use when communicating interventions to a parent or teacher.

References:
Foussias, G., & Remington, G. (2010). Negative symptoms in schizophrenia: Avolition and Occam’s razor. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 36(2), 359–369. https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbn094
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Parsimony. Retrieved February 6, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parsimony

To Prepare:

• Review this week’s Learning Resources about parsimony.
• Consider practical ways parsimony might be used by a behavior analyst.

Assignment (1 page)

• Write an explanation addressing why parsimony is important for a behavior analyst when communicating a prospective intervention to a parent or teacher. Be parsimonious in your response.

Be sure to support your Assignment with specific references to behavior-analytic theory and research. In addition to the Learning Resources, search the Walden Library and/or the internet for peer-reviewed articles to support your Assignment. Use proper APA format and citations, including those in the Learning Resources. 

Submit your Assignment.

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

• Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK2Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
• Click on the Week 2 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
• Click on the Week 2 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
• Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK2Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click on Open.
• If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
• Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

This week, you examined six assumptions and attitudes of behavior analysis. You analyzed and applied the Law of Parsimony to how a behavior analyst might use it when communicating a proposed behavioral intervention.

Next week, you will examine the principles of B. F. Skinner’s radical behaviorism. You will evaluate the effectiveness and appropriateness of radical behaviorism using specific instances in your own life experience that seem to be consistent with Skinner’s learning principles.

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 the principles of radical behaviorism. You will examine the history of behaviorism and how the development of Skinner’s radical behaviorism was a significant departure from the historical conceptual systems of behaviorism preceding its emergence. Using the principles of radical behaviorism, you will consider your own life experiences, or life experiences you have observed in others, that seem to exemplify Skinner’s learning principles and employ your judgment regarding their effectiveness and appropriateness.

Reference:
Skinner, B. F. (1989). Recent issues in the analysis of behavior. Merrill.

Students will:

• Evaluate radical behaviorism
• Evaluate the principles of radical behaviorism to one’s life and behaviors

For example, if a child in a classroom is repeatedly leaving their seat during instruction (i.e., maladaptive behavior), an applied behavior analyst would work with the child to identify the factors contributing to the maladaptive behavior and then develop strategies or interventions to generate more appropriate behavior by the child.

For this week’s Discussion, you will consider your perspectives on radical behaviorism and its learning principles.

Reference:
Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied behavior analysis (3rd ed.). Pearson. 

• Review the Learning Resources for this week as well as the required weekly media program to gain an understanding of radical behaviorism.
• Think about whether you concur with the learning principles of radical behaviorism.

Post an explanation of whether you agree or disagree with the following statement, and why or why not:

• Skinner’s “radical behaviorism” proposes that behavior, rather than cognitive processes, should be the primary topic of study.

Read your colleagues’ postings.

Respond to at least two colleagues’ posts by expanding on each colleague’s rationale for why they agree or disagree with Skinner’s proposal. Justify your response.

Be sure to support your posts and responses with specific references to behavior-analytic theory and research. In addition to the Learning Resources, search the Walden Library and/or internet for peer-reviewed articles to support your posts and responses. Use proper APA format and citations, including those in the Learning Resources.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights that you have gained because of your colleagues’ comments.

For this Assignment, you will describe specific instances in your own life experiences, or life experiences you have observed in others, that seem to be consistent with Skinner’s learning principles and use your own judgment to evaluate their effectiveness and appropriateness.

To Prepare:

• Review the Learning Resources for this week to gain an understanding of the learning principles of Skinner’s radical behaviorism, including the weekly media video and the interactive media, “Skinner’s Radical Behaviorism.
• Identify at least two specific instances in your own life experiences, or life experience you have observed in others, that seem to be consistent with Skinner’s learning principles, either from the behavior management side (e.g., reinforcement, extinction, time out, token economies) or from the educational side (e.g., behavioral objectives, self-paced learning).

Assignment (1–2 pages)

Write a description of at least two specific instances in your own life experience, or life experiences you have observed in others, that seem to be consistent with Skinner’s learning principles. These can be either from the behavior management side (e.g., reinforcement, extinction, time out, token economies) or from the educational side (e.g., behavioral objectives, self-paced learning). Briefly describe these instances and comment on their effectiveness and appropriateness (in your judgment).

Be sure to support your Assignment with specific references to behavior-analytic theory and research. In addition to the Learning Resources, search the Walden Library and/or internet for peer-reviewed articles to support your Assignment. Use proper APA format and citations, including those in the Learning Resources. 

Submit your Assignment.

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

• Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK3Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
• Click on the Week 3 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
• Click on the Week 3 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
• Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK3Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click on Open.
• If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
• Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

This week, you examined the principles of B. F. Skinner’s radical behaviorism. You evaluated the effectiveness and appropriateness of radical behaviorism using specific instances in your own life experience that seemed to be consistent with Skinner’s learning principles.

Next week, you will examine the three branches of behavior analysis and provide examples of how each branch contributes to the practice of behavior analysis. Additionally, you will analyze your professional motivations for pursuing a course of study that will lead to your becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).

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 the foundational research traditions and findings of the experimental analysis of behavior.

This week, you will examine the similarities and differences between the three domains of the science of behavior analysis as well as how each contribute to the practice of behavior analysis. Additionally, you will analyze your personal motivations and goals for studying behavior analysis and earning your Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA)  certification.

Students will:

• Analyze professional motivations for becoming a BCBA
• Analyze similarities and differences between behaviorism, experimental analysis of behavior (EAB), and applied behavior analysis (ABA)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020) reports that autism spectrum disorders (ASD) affect 1 in 54 children, representing a tripling of the prevalence rate since 2000. The respected and specialized behavior analysis assessment and intervention strategies you employ in your role as an applied behavior analyst can help autistic children and others with developmental issues to learn new skills and meet behavioral challenges.

For this Discussion, you will analyze your decision to embark on a course of study that will lead to your becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).

Reference:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 years — autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, 11 sites, United States, 2016. Surveillance Summaries, 69(4), 1–12. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/ss/ss6904a1.htm

• Reflect on what motivated you to pursue a course of study that will lead to your becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).
• Consider what professional goals you will have once you earn your BCBA.

Post a reflection addressing the following:

• What led you to decide to study behavior analysis?
• What experience do you have in behavior analysis?
• What work do you hope to do once you earn your BCBA and how might this impact your desire for positive social change?

Read your colleagues’ postings.

Respond to at least two colleagues’ posts by providing your perspectives on their professional goals once they earn their BCBA.

Be sure to support your posts and responses with specific references to behavior-analytic theory and research. In addition to the Learning Resources, search the Walden Library and/or the internet for peer-reviewed articles to support your posts and responses. Use proper APA format and citations, including those in the Learning Resources.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights that you have gained because of your colleagues’ comments.

For this Assignment, you will define each of the three branches of behavior analysis and analyze their similarities and differences. You will also provide examples of how each branch contributes to the practice of behavior analysis

To Prepare:

• Review the Learning Resources for this week, including the video and interactive media, “Branches of Behavior Analysis,” to gain an understanding of the three branches of behavior analysis.
• Consider the relationships between the three branches of behavior analysis and how they contribute to the practice.

Assignment (1–2 pages)

Define of each of the three branches of behavior analysis: behaviorism, experimental analysis of behavior (EAB), and applied behavior analysis (ABA). Then, clarify the similarities and differences by giving examples of how each contributes to the practice of behavior analysis.

Be sure to support your Assignment with specific references to behavior-analytic theory and research. In addition to the Learning Resources, search the Walden Library and/or the internet for peer-reviewed articles to support your Assignment. Use proper APA format and citations, including those in the Learning Resources. 

Submit your Assignment.

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

• Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK4Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
• Click on the Week 4 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
• Click on the Week 4 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
• Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK4Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click on Open.
• If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
• Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

This week you examined the three branches of behavior analysis and provided examples of how each branch contributes to the practice of behavior analysis. Additionally, you analyzed your professional motivations for pursuing a course of study that will lead to your becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).

Next week, you will analyze the seven dimensions of behavior analysis proposed by Baer, Wolf, and Risley in their seminal article, “Some Current Dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis,” and provide examples of how each apply to the practice of behavior analysis. You will also evaluate the relevance of the seven dimensions of behavior analysis to the practice of behavior analysis today.