It often feels like the board is asking candidates to study concepts you may never use in practice. PTB co-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