For this discussion, post something to the discussion board related to the basic values of science and behaviorism or your Week 2 readings. Engage in a conversation with your course community related to at least ONE of the following:
– How do the three primary goals of behavior analysis—description, prediction, and control—interplay with each other, and how might an emphasis on one goal potentially impact the achievement of the others within the field of behavior analysis?
– Before completing the readings for this course, what was science to you? How does that differ or how is that the same from your understanding after completing the readings? Why is behaviorism a science?
As always, if you are relying on someone else’s ideas when presenting yours, you should reference your source. This includes sharing references to your fellow students’ ideas! Review the Evidence and APA Citation section of the Writing Center for help with references.
This ABA discussion asks you to engage with the values of science and behaviorism — often the interplay of behavior analysis’s three goals (description, prediction, control) or how your view of science changed. Pick one prompt and go deep with examples.
Key takeaways
- Behavior analysis has three goals: description, prediction, and control.
- They build on each other — description enables prediction, which enables control (influence).
- ‘Control’ means demonstrating a functional relationship, not coercion.
- Connect to the attitudes/values of science: empiricism, parsimony, determinism.
- Use your Week 2 readings and engage peers.
The three goals and their interplay
Explain that description (systematic observation) is the foundation; prediction (identifying correlations) builds on it; and control (demonstrating that manipulating one variable changes behavior) is the highest level and the goal that makes behavior analysis a science of change. Each depends on the one before.
How emphasis shifts the others
Discuss the trade-off: over-emphasizing control without solid description/prediction risks shaky conclusions; staying only at description limits practical impact. The goals work best together.
Science’s values
Tie it to the attitudes of science — empiricism, determinism, parsimony, and skepticism — and, if you choose that prompt, reflect honestly on how your understanding of ‘science’ changed after the readings.
Format
Keep it conversational for the discussion board, reference the readings, and respond to a peer.