EPSY5659

There are numerous influences on human learning and behavior including but not limited to developmental, physiological, and environmental. Environmental influences generally encompass operant and respondent learning and contemporary research is conducted on a continuum of basic, translational, and applied investigations. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is concerned with understanding human behavior. It is the science in which strategies derived from the principles of basic behavior analysis are applied systematically to improve socially significant behavior and experimentation is used to identify the variables responsible for change (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2007). This course focuses on basic concepts and methodologies involved in behavior analysis, their conceptual underpinnings, and their relation to other theories of learning and behavior. The content is built on the philosophical assumptions underlying the science of behavior analysis (i.e., selectionism, determinism, empiricism, parsimony, pragmatism, and philosophical doubt). This course is designed for individuals interested in learning and behavior through the lens of environmental influences, including social and observational learning, reinforcement, antecedent stimulus and instructional control, culture, and learning history/personal experience. Topics include matching theory, verbal behavior, rule-governed behavior, relational frame theory, stimulus equivalence, learned helplessness, and many other foundational concepts, all of which apply to all humans, including individuals with significant cognitive and language impairments. This course is designed also to meet the requirements of preparation for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) exam (see test content outline items for specific content covered).