Unit 5 Assignment Behaviorism and Philosophical Fundations

Behaviorism and Philosophical Foundations Author’s Name Institutional Affiliation Course Code and Name Professor’s Name Date Behaviorism and Philosophical Foundations Comparison of the Three Branches of Behavior Analysis Behaviorism is a term used in the science of behavior and it is normally used to explain and emphasize the methods leveraged in the objective investigation of behavior. It has its foundations in the assumption or the concept that asserts that behavior originates from daily interactions in the social world between people, individual variables, and the environment (Cooper et al., 2020). It matters to have an understanding of behaviorism as it presents a platform that encourages scientists and psychologists to test hypotheses using experimental methods as well as exploring environmental conditions that influence behavior (Yang et al., 2021). EAB provides a platform for gaining a solid scientific foundation of principles of behavior but does not explore the relevance of behavior or its social validity. It is normally used in real-world settings, not applied to research but done outside the laboratory. In contrast, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is used in the analysis of areas that matter to people using behavioral principles to human subjects (Cooper et al., 2020). It is used to understand behavior in areas such as communication, fitness and health, learning and generalization, instructional methods, management of a classroom, etc. It uses methods of the experimental analysis of behavior, which means is done in the lab to analyze behavior in human subjects (Yang et al., 2021). It creates a platform for learning new behaviors that can be used to improve the quality of life as it applies person-centered clinical programming and scientific inquiry to develop the best behavior to enhance life practices. Influence of Historical Perspective of Behaviorism to Study of Behaviors Analysis The study of behavior analysis as a natural science has highly been influenced by the historical perspective of behaviorism. Behavior analysis does not rely on concepts such as consciousness or the mind in the study of behavior as a natural science. This approach contradicts the style of study in traditional psychology that relies heavily on concepts of the mind and consciousness in the study of human behavior (Fisher et al., 2021). In contrast, behavior analysis leverages and emphasizes the observable behavior in a given setting together with antecedents and consequences of human behavior in a given setting. Historically, behaviorists such as Pavlov (1927) and Watson (1913) behavioral analysis in psychology should be a natural science similar to subjects such as chemistry and physics as it studies how learning is influenced by a pairing of stimuli (Callahan et al., 2023). Furthermore, the two psychologists agree that behavior analysis should be considered a natural science as it involves the study of behavior using lab experiments that investigate conditioning reflexes to understand the conditioning of human emotions. Changes in philosophical and historical viewpoints have also significantly influenced the study of ABA in behaviorism. B.F Skinner and J.B Watson are two of behaviorists’ founders of behaviorism as they initial works provide other researchers a foundation to understand and further research in observable behavior, thoughtful, and mentalistic explanation of research (Fisher et al., 2021). These two researchers provide a methodological approach for other researchers to understand behavior of organisms through ABA, which as instrumental for comprehending changes in behavior. In their works, they emphasized on the role environment and public events plays in influencing behavior of organisms through critical methods such as chaining and reinforcing a platform that help modify behavior of organism. According to Callahan et al. (2023) the approach used by Skinner and Watson helped to advance ABC as thy prioritized the use of environmental explanation of behavior and need to use data-driven research to bring the sense of experimentation and empiricism in the research of behavior, which are main tenets of ABA. The study of human behavior using ABA as a natural science according to Cooper et al. (2020) needs to be experimental and empirical in natures as it will help provide evidence-based behavioral therapies. Central Figures in the Development of the Science of Behavior Analysis The creation and development of the science of behavior analysis was done by founders of behaviorism that include Edward Thorndike. Skinner, Ivar Lovas, and Ivan Pavlov. By doing experiments in classical conditioning, Pavlov can arguably be called the father of behaviorism that gave birth to behavior analysis (Callahan et al. 2023). Through Pavlov experiments and work in the field, other behaviorists’ experts such Lovas and Skinner furthered the work by establishing platform for ABA that gave rise to intervention of autism using behavioral therapy. The technique was proven to be effective and successful in the treatment of the mental disorder (Cooper et al., 2020). The research conducted by Edward Thorndike helped develop a theory of behavioral analysis, which provides a new perspective on learning and comprehending modification and learning behavior (Callahan et al., 2023). Essentially, it is imperative to affirm that the worlds of these key figures play a significant role in helping bring the theoretical underpinning of behavior analysis and its application to fields such as therapy, education, and psychology in the real world. Definition of Radical Behaviorism The central proposition and definition of behaviorism is an idea in psychology that all behaviorists agree on and use to define behaviorism. In other words, it...