Foundation and Philosophy of Behavior Analysis

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 characteristics involved in each scenario. You will also complete a module test demonstrating 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 PSYC 6717: Foundation and Philosophy of Behavior Analysis. 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 scenario description 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 PSYC 6717: Foundation and Philosophy of Behavior Analysis.

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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 PSYC 6717: Foundation and Philosophy of Behavior Analysis.
• 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 PSYC 6717: Foundation and Philosophy of Behavior Analysis.
• 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