Concepts and Principles in Behavior Analysis   [Archived Catalog]
2011-2012 Academic Catalog and Student Handbook with Revised Addendum
   

AB 520 - Concepts and Principles in Behavior Analysis


Behavior analysis is a natural science approach to studying behavior, wherein behavior is a legitimate subject matter in its own right, and is not the result of processes occurring within the individual. This course instructs students in the basic principles of operant and respondent conditioning, selection by consequences, and the research literature upon which they were derived. It is important for students to understand and be fluent in basic behavioral principles so that they understand the philosophical and empirical underpinnings of the interventions they apply. Furthermore, when an intervention is unsuccessful, they can use them to understand why, and draw upon them to make appropriate modifications. Topics covered in this course include reinforcement, simple and complex schedules of reinforcement, punishment, stimulus control, extinction, behavioral contrast, equivalence relations, and Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior. Numerous applied examples are used to supplement the course material and readings. (3 credits)