Some Current Dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis

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There are many things to learn from this article written by Donald Baer, Montrose Wolf, and Todd Risley. It is a very informing article in which you can learn about the current dimensions of applied behavior analysis. The seven dimensions mentioned are: applied, behavioral, analytic, technological, conceptually systematic, effective, and generality.
The applied dimension of applied behavior analysis is determined by how much society is interested in the problem being studied. Which means that if it is not important to man and/or society it is not a behavior society is interested in. There is typically a close relationship between the behavior and stimuli under study and the subject in whom they are studied. For example, eating as it relates to metabolism versus eating as it relates to children/ adults eating too little or too much.
The behavioral dimension goes hand in hand with pragmatism. It asks how is it possible to get a child to do something effectively. So its main focus is on what the person says or thinks not what he says about what he can do or think. Which requires precise measurement. Another important question in the behavioral dimension is to ask not just was the behavior changed but whose behavior was changed. The test- retest, and the inter- rater reliability techniques are of major importance for considering the presence of this dimension.
In the analytic dimension we are responsible for achieving control over a behavior. As said in the article it is the ability to turn the behavior on or off, or up and down, at will. The two techniques used to demonstrate consistent control are the “reversal” technique, and the “multiple baseline” technique. The reversal technique is when the experimenter applies a certain...

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... different settings. The more general the application the better it is for the child. A procedure, which is effective in changing behavior in one setting, may be easily repeated in another.
Baer, Wolf, and Risley wrote a great informative article. It taught much about the seven dimensions of applied behavior analysis, which are applied, behavioral, analytic, technological, conceptually systematic, effective, and generality. They went in depth and explained each dimension allowing the reader to really understand applied behavior analysis. The breakdown of these seven dimensions will allow readers to be informed and know what applied behavior analysis consist of.

Works Cited

Baer, Donald M., Montrose M. Wolf, and Todd R. Risley. "Applied Behavior Analysis for Criminal Justice Practice: Some Current Dimensions." Applied Behavior Analysis 1.1 (1968): 91-97. Print.

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