It often feels like the board is asking candidates to study concepts you may never use in practice. PTB founder Dana Meller explains why that’s actually inaccurate. The philosophical assumptions underlying the science of behavior analysis is so much more integral than just passing the big exam.
Dana Do’s: What Do Philosophical Assumptions Got To Do With It? Read More
PTB co-founder Dana Meller offers a relatable cause-and-effect scenario that helps discriminate between determinism and pragmatism.
Refer to BCBA® Task List (5th ed.) Section A-2: Explain the philosophical assumptions underlying the science of behavior analysis (e.g., selectionism, determinism, empiricism, parsimony, pragmatism).
Dana Do’s: What’s the Difference Between Pragmatism and Determinism? Read More
A philosophical assumption underlying the science of behavior analysis that the world is an orderly, predictable, and lawful place where all events occur as a product of cause and effect.
A philosophical assumption underlying the science of behavior analysis that knowledge is built on objective observation and measurement (data).
A philosophical assumption underlying the science of behavior analysis that a controlled comparison of the dependent variable under two or more conditions (independent variables) is required to assess if one
A philosophical assumption underlying the science of behavior analysis that the simplest theory requiring the fewest assumptions must be ruled out before considering more complex explanations.
A philosophical assumption underlying the science of behavior analysis that the truth should always be questioned with healthy skepticism, which means viewing the results of studies and clinical work with
A philosophical assumption underlying the science of behavior analysis that focuses on practical solutions (e.g., if it works, don’t fix it), which at the level of behavior, involves the relation
A philosophical assumption underlying the science of behavior analysis that experiments should be repeated to determine the reliability and usefulness of their findings and to discover and correct mistakes.
A philosophical assumption underlying the science of behavior analysis that anything that evolves does so because of the consequences of behavior, meaning that behaviors that result in positive consequences survive