Introduction to Applied Behavioral Analysis

This course will provide students with an introduction to the principles of the science of behavior known as behavior analysis. The philosophical system known as behaviorism that underlies this area of study will be explored, as will the application of behavioral principles to a number of areas of society, including interpersonal relations, parenting, treatments for persons with intellectual and other disabilities, business and management, and more. Students will learn techniques for utilizing the principles of behavior in their own lives, as well as the social benefits that the incorporation of behavioral principles into educational, rehabilitative, organizational, and other settings will afford.

Course Learning Outcomes

• The ABC’s of applied behavior analysis and what this means for understanding the causes of behavior

• The behavioral position on freedom and free will

• The basic methodology utilized by the science of behavior

• Strategies for increasing and decreasing behavior

• Strategies for establishing behavior change in new circumstances

• Clinical interventions that are based upon applied behavior analysis

• The relationship between applied behavior analysis and evidence-based treatment

• The ethics of changing the behavior of others

• The application of behavioral principles to individuals with autism or other intellectual disabilities and how behavioral treatment might affect relatives and friends of individuals receiving the treatment

• Simple strategies for how behavior analysis can be implemented successfully in the workplace, child-care, and one’s interpersonal relations