BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS
A Brief Overview
Behavior analysis is a natural science that seeks to understand the behavior of individuals.
That is, behavior analysts study how biological, pharmacological, and experiential factors influence the behavior of humans and nonhuman animals. Recognizing that behavior is something that individuals do, behavior analysts place special emphasis on studying factors that reliably influence the behavior of individuals, an emphasis that works well when the goal is to acquire adaptive behavior or ameliorate problem behavior. The science of behavior analysis has made discoveries that have proven useful in addressing socially important behavior such as drug taking, healthy eating, workplace safety, education, and the treatment of pervasive developmental disabilities (e.g., autism). Behavior Analysis - Association for Behavior Analysis International.
WHAT IS ABA?
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
"Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a science devoted to the understanding and improvement of human behavior. It is a scientific approach for discovering environmental variables that reliably influence socially significant behavior and for developing a technology of behavior change that takes practical advantage of those discoveries." - J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2007). Applied Behavior Analysis (2nd Edition). Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Education.