SPE563_Module 2 Transcript
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Arizona State University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
563
Subject
Philosophy
Date
Feb 20, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
7
Uploaded by UltraFreedom12162
Hello, welcome to Module 2 Philosophical Foundations of Applied Behavior Analysis. I am Dr. Sam DiGangi. In this screencast I will outline and introduce some of the key components of this module.
We will be looking in particular at Behavior Analysis as a science, philosophical assumptions underlying Behavior Analysis, and behavior
from the perspective of Radical Behaviorism.
As we begin the readings for this module you will note that the Vocabulary and key terminology introduced in Module 1 carries over into our focus and into our subsequent discussions in this module - and next week in module 3 as we begin our team discussion activities.
In this module, some key terms that we will be focusing on include pragmatism, realism, mentalism, determinism, explanatory fiction, private events and public events and natural events.
SLIDE 3 (MODULE 2)
KEY TERMS:
-
Pragmatism
-
Realism
-
Mentalism
-
Determinism
-
Explanatory Fiction
-
Private Event
-
Public Event
-
Natural Event
In the readings and viewings in this module we continue our focus on Behavior Analysis as a science and introduced pragmatism. PRAGMATISM
holds that a question is only worth pursuing if the answer to it would change our knowledge of the world.
To be pragmatic is to explore answers to questions for which the answers would improve someone's circumstance. In module one we talked about social validity
. Similar to social validity, in Behavior Analysis we only intervene when there is a behavior that needs to be, or that is shown to be of importance to the individual as a focus for change.
SLIDE 5 (MODULE 2)
SCIENCE:
noun
sci·ence | \ˈsī-ən(t)s
Definition
1: the state of knowing : knowledge as distinguished from
ignorance or misunderstanding
2: a department of systematized knowledge as an object of study
3: knowledge or a system of knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws especially as obtained and tested through scientific method
4: a system or method reconciling practical ends with
scientific laws
Through data collection and analysis, ALL BEHAVIOR ANALYSTS ARE “SCIENTISTS;”
we seek to better understand the behaviors were clients so that we can improve their lives.
SLIDE 7 (MODULE 2)
DETERMINISM
The assumption that the universe is a lawful orderly place in which phenomena occur in relation to other events, not in accidental fashion.
There are ALWAYS causes of behavior – Cause and Effect
All actions are the result of heredity or environmental factors
No instance of behavior occurs without a physical cause
In behavior analysis,
we focus on the environmental impact
on organisms
, both the antecedents and the
consequences.
DETERMINISM HOLDS THAT THERE ARE ALWAYS CAUSES OF BEHAVIOR. All actions are the result of heredity
or environmental factors
- there are no instances of behavior that do not have a physical cause. That's an important component to recognize in particular in the way that we define Behaviorism and the behaviorist perspective. In Behavior Analysis we focus on environmental impact on organisms; and as we talked about in Module 1 we look at the antecedents and the consequences of behavior
.
SLIDE 8 (MODULE 2)
REALISM
The view of the world that assumes only the natural world, which presupposes an absolute truth
”…
View of the world that assumes a real world to exist apart from our perceptions
” (Baum 2017, p. 288).
In contrast, REALISM
assumes a real world exists apart from - separate from - our perception
.
Behavior analysis focuses on that which we can see rather than that which we can feel.
SLIDE 10 (MODULE 2)
MENTALISM
An assumption of an “inner” dimension as the explanation of behavior
Describing behavior as having non-physical, mental cause; a ‘belief’
”Mentalistic” - any assumption of inner cause of behavior; inner causes which cannot be confirmed, observed or measured
Use of mentalistic terms implies that the actual cause has been determined
In contrast to a Behaviorist perspective
, MENTALISM
is the assumption of an inner dimension as an explanation for Behavior;
describing Behavior as having a non-physical, a mental cause, a belief...
Mentalistic refers to any assumption of an inner cause of behavior, something that we cannot observe or measure or confirm.
The use of mentalistic terms implies that the actual cause has been determined. Which is fallacious because we of course cannot confirm, verify, measure or observe these assumed or hypothesized causes.
As we will examine in our readings in this module and in our discussion in module 3, Mentalistic causes, hypotheses, assumptions, explanations of behavior are very common in everyday discussion and in common language
. We will look closely at the risk of using MENTALISTIC
terminology and phrases in our professional communication.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
EXPLANATORY FICTION
refers to the fictitious variable
– often another name for an observable Behavior - which implies that there's an inner cause of behavior mental events used to explain behavior.
An example that I provide here is assumptions of "Low self-esteem"
as a cause of behavior. Explanatory fictions fail to provide or identify a useful cause for Behavior
- because if a person's behavior were explained by a hypothesized concept of "low self-esteem" the cause would be considered to be within them; something that we cannot see, something that we cannot measure.
SLIDE 12 (MODULE 2)
IMPORTANCE OF BEHAVIORAL EXPLANATIONS
Mentalistic Explanations
• The cause is “within”
• Not observable or measurable
• Assumes explanatory fictions
• Internal causes cannot be
changed or the pathway to
change is complex and not
measurable
• Often involves feelings or
beliefs
Behavioral Explanations
• The cause is related to
observable and measurable
environmental variables
• Environmental variables can be
manipulated to change behavior
• Consequence stimuli lead to
increases or decreases in
behavior
On this slide, I have compared Mentalistic explanations with Behavioral Explanations. As example Mentalistic explanations tend to refer to cause of
behavior as being WITHIN an individual - these are not observable, not measurable.
ASSUMES the explanatory fictions as the reason for the behavior. Internal causes cannot be changed or the pathway to change is complex and we cannot measure... This often involves reference to FEELINGS or BELIEFS. In contrast, Behavioral Explanations focus on the cause as directly related to OBSERVABLE, measurable environmental variables
-- environmental variables that can be manipulated to change, to impact
Behavior and the consequence stimuli lead to increases or decreases in the behavior.
We will pause for an active Student Response (ASR).
---- ASR 1 ----
SLIDE 13 (MODULE 2)
Public, Private, and Natural Events
Public Event
An event observed by another person
• Walking across the street
• Eating lunch
Private Event
An event that can only be observed and verified by the individual
performing the behavior
• Thinking - An individual’s personal thoughts – ‘talking
to yourself’
Natural Event
An event that is locatable in time and space
in the natural world
• Explained by other natural events
Our readings in this module look at behavior from the perspective of
public events, private events, and natural events. Natural event is explained by other natural events, Specifically we look at those that are public and those that are private.
When we talk about public events we are looking at an event that can
be observed by another person. Examples - walking across the street - Eating lunch - these are behaviors that others can see - others can observe. Others than the individual who is performing or engaging in the behavior.
Private events - refer to events that can only be observed and verified by the individual performing the behavior. This might refer
to concepts such as THINKING, an individual's personal thoughts. The
behavior that we might refer to in common language as "talking to oneself".
In module 4 we will look more closely at this type of behavior in particular when we focus on what we refer to as - Verbal Behavior.
And we will pause for an Active Student Response (ASR). --- ASR 2 ---
Welcome back! I want to call attention to two readings and two viewings that we will review and discuss in this module - the first Baer, Wolf and Risley 1987 - Some Still Current Dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis. This is follow on to the article that you read in Module 1 -- Baer, Wolf and Risley, 1968. This article obviously was written and published 19 years after the initial article and as you go through this reading I encourage you to refer back to Baer, Wolf and Risley,
1968 and compare the not only the areas of focus that the authors in
87 call attention to but also your read of changes, differences similarities between the two articles. This something we will also be looking at in our discussion in Module 3.
Behaviorism at Fifty - an article by BF Skinner in 1969. In this article I call your attention in particular to page 955
- the section it's entitled "mental weigh stations" and refers to the hungry pigeon experiment.
I also make note of this section of the article in the readings within our module - in this section Skinner gives an example of a mentalistic, everyday colloquial discussion or interpretation of the
behavior of this pigeon and presents the interpretation in behaviorist - behavioral terminologies. We will be looking at this as we progress through the course as well.
In this module I have also included two viewings - two videos that feature BF Skinner - one is from 1959. Entitled – Learning and Behavior Conquest. In this video you get to see and hear BF Skinner talk about and describe the role of reinforcement in shaping behavior - you will find his terminology to be familiar to the terminology of the readings that you have engaged with in module 1 and module 2.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
And then I have also included a video also of Skinner from 1977 - description of behaviorism and of behaviorism as a science. So you can also see how Skinner in 1977 is describing our field.
Again we will have opportunity to directly discuss these in Module 3.
Enjoy Module 2 - if you have questions please post to your group
Virtual Office discussion area
Or email - DM - your instructional team or me directly.
I will see you in Module 3!