What Is Behavioral Analysis?

Applied: ABA focuses on the social impact of the conduct under consideration. A non-applied researcher, for example, may study eating behavior because it aids in the clarification of metabolic processes, whereas an applied researcher may study eating behavior in individuals who eat too little or too much, attempting to change such behavior so that it is more acceptable to the individuals involved.

Behavioral: ABA is pragmatic; it asks how to encourage a person to accomplish something efficiently. To address this question, the conduct must be measured objectively. Verbal descriptions are viewed as behavior in and of themselves, rather than as replacements for the reported activity.

Analytic: Behavior analysis is successful when the analyst comprehends and manipulates the events that govern a target behavior. This may be relatively straightforward to perform in the lab, where a researcher can create the necessary circumstances, but it is not necessarily easy, or ethical, in a real-world setting. Baer et al. describe two ways for demonstrating control while adhering to ethical requirements in practical contexts. The reversal design and the multiple baseline design are examples of these. In the reversal design, the investigator first measures the decision behavior, then introduces an intervention and measures it again. The intervention is then eliminated or lessened, and the behavior is assessed once more. The intervention is effective if and only if the behavior changes and then reverses in response to these manipulations. For actions that appear permanent, the multiple baseline technique may be utilized. Several behaviors are measured in this case, and then the intervention is administered to each one in turn. Changes in the behavior to which the intervention is applied demonstrate the intervention’s efficacy.

Technological: The explanation of analytic research must be precise and thorough enough that any qualified researcher can properly reproduce it. Cooper et al. describe an excellent method for doing so: Allow someone who has been trained in applied behavior analysis to read the description and then do the method in full. If the individual makes any mistakes or has any inquiries, the description has to be improved.

Systematic Behavior Analysis: Behavior analysis should not merely generate a list of effective interventions. Rather, these strategies should be based on behavioral principles to the greatest degree possible. This is facilitated by the use of theoretically relevant terminology like “secondary reinforcement” or “errorless discrimination” when applicable.

Effective: Analytic procedures must be effective, even if they are theoretically justified. If an intervention does not have a substantial enough effect to be useful, the analysis fails.

Generality: Behavior analysts should strive towards treatments that are broadly applicable; the approaches should be relevant in a variety of settings, apply to more than one specific behavior, and have long-term impacts.