From Kendra Van Wagner,
Your Guide to Psychology.
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A.

Behavior Analysis Defined

Behavior analysis is a school of psychology based upon the foundations and principles of behaviorism. Division 25 of the American Psychological Division is devoted to the area of behavior analysis. According to Division 25:

"Among the APA divisions that advance psychology as a natural science, the Division of Behavior Analysis is perhaps unique in its emphasis on behavior as a subject matter in its own right. This analysis is pursued in three relatively distinct ways:

• In the experimental analysis of behavior per se, which undertakes research on basic behavioral processes in a temporal and biological context.
• In applied behavior analysis, which extends these processes and research procedures to behavior in a social context, especially to behavior-environment relationships of relatively immediate individual, social, and cultural importance.
• In the conceptual analysis of behavior, which addresses historical, philosophical, theoretical, and methodological issues."

History of Behavior Analysis

Behaviorism was largely established through the influential work of three theorists:

• Ivan Pavlov
• John B. Watson
• B.F. Skinner

Pavlov discovered the conditioning reflex during his studies with dogs, establishing classical conditioning as a learning method. His research demonstrated that an environmental stimulus (i.e. ringing bell) could be used to stimulate a conditioned response (i.e. salivating at the sound of the ringing bell).

John B. Watson extended Pavlov's theory to apply to human behavior, publishing his landmark article Psychology as the Behaviorist View It in 1913 and establishing behaviorism as a major school of thought.

B.F. Skinner later introduced the concept of operant conditioning in which reinforcement leads to a desired behavior. These concepts continue to play an influential role in behavior analysis, behavior modification, and therapy.

Applications of Behavior Analysis

Behavior analysis has proven to be a particularly effective learning tool for helping children with autism or developmental delays acquire and maintain new skills. These treatments include the Lovaas Method and ABA (applied behavior analysis) and utilize techniques such as discrete trial training. The basic principles of behavior medication are often adapted for use in educational settings, the workplace, and childcare.