Chapter 1 Definition and Characteristics of Applied Behavior Analysis
Key Terms
applied behavior analysis (ABA)
behaviorism
determinism
empiricism
experiment
experimental analysis of behavior (EAB)
explanatory fiction
functional analysis
functional relation
hypothetical construct
mentalism
methodological behaviorism
parsimony
philosophic doubt
pragmatism
radical behaviorism
replication
science
Behavior Analyst Certification Board
BCBA/BCaBA Task List (5th ed.)
Section 1: Foundations
A. Philosophical Understandings
A-1Identify the goals of behavior analysis as a science (i.e., description, prediction,
control).
A-2Explain the philosophical assumptions underlying the science of behavior
analysis (e.g., selectionism, determinism, parsimony, pragmatism).
A-3Describe and explain behavior from the perspective of radical behaviorism.
A-4Distinguish among behaviorism, the experimental analysis of behavior, applied
behavior analysis, and professional practice guided by the science of behavior
analysis.
A-5Describe and define the dimensions of applied behavior analysis (Baer, Wolf, &
Risley 1968).
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