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 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 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 PSYC 6717: Foundation and Philosophy of Behavior Analysis.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER NOW

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

• 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 PSYC 6717: Foundation and Philosophy of Behavior Analysis.

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

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.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

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. PSYC 6717: Foundation and Philosophy of Behavior Analysis

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.