Chapter 1 Flashcards
Science
A systematic approach to the understanding of natural phenomena that relies on determinism as its fundamental assumption, empiricism as its primary rule, experimentation as its basic strategy, replication as a requirement for believability, parsimony as a value, and philosophic doubt as its guiding principle.
Mentalism
An approach to explaining behavior that assumes that a mental or “inner” dimension (often referred to as psychic, neural, spiritual conceptual dimensions or “hypothetical constructs” that differed from behavioral dimensions and that phenomena in this dimension other directly cause or at least mediate some forms of behavior, if at all.
Experiment
A carefully controlled comparison of some measure of the phenomena of interest (dependent variable) under two or more different conditions in which only one factor at a time (independent variables) differs from one condition to the other.
Behaviorism
The philosophy of a science of behavior; various forms of behaviorism.
Methodological behaviorism
A philosophical position that views behavioral events that cannot be publicly observed as outside the realm of science private events
Radical Behaviorism
A form of behaviorism that attempts to understand all human behavior, including private events or public events.
Pragmatism
A philosophical position asserts that the truth value of a statement is determined by how well it promotes effective actions.
The primary criterion by which bAs judge the value of their findings.
Environmental explantation of behavior
Observable behavior is impacted by changes in observable variable within ones environment (both are public events)
Determinism
The assumption that the universe is a lawful and orderly place in which phenomena occur in relation to other events (are not random)
Lawfulness of behavior
Behavior occurs in relation to specific conditions/variables
Empiricism
Objective observation of the phenomena of interest (void of individual prejudices, tastes, and private opinions)
Parsimony
All simple, logical explanations for a phenomenon under investigation should be ruled out. (experimentally or conceptually) before complex/abstract explanations are considered.
Defining characteristics of ABA
Applied, Behavioral, Analytic, Technological, Conceptionally systematic, Effective, and Generality.
Applied characteristic
Behaviors of focus are socially significant and relevant to improvements in the subjects’ language, daily living, social, etc. functioning. (focus is on the importance to the participant, not to theory.)
Behavioral characteristic
Is the study of behavior? Is the behavior precisely and reliably measured? Did the subject’s behavior of focus change, or did somebody else behavior change?