EDSBA 51100 Philosophical Foundations of Behavior Analysis and Introductory Concepts

This course covers the philosophical underpinnings of behavior analysis including the goals of behavior analysis as a science (i.e. description, prediction, control), philosophical assumptions underlying the science of behavior analysis (e.g. selectionism, determinism, empiricism, parsimony, pragmatism), and the radical behaviorism perspective. Students will distinguish among behaviorism, experimental analysis of behavior, applied behavior analysis, and professional practice guided by the science of behavior analysis. Introductory concepts will be introduced including the dimensions of applied behavior analysis (Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968) along with definitions and examples of behavior, response, response class, stimulus, stimulus class, respondent conditioning, operant conditioning, and positive and negative reinforcement contingencies. This course covers Section 1 A1-5 and Section 1 B 1-4 of the BACB Fifth Edition Task List.

Credits

Offered

Fall.