Definition
Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is a science that identifies variables that meaningfully and lawfully influence socially significant behavior in real-world settings. This is done by using principles of behavior to successfully teach and support the learning of adaptive, constructive behavior and by reducing excessive problem behavior. Within ABA, the behaviors to be changed and descriptions of interventions responsible for changes are explicitly defined and technologically exact, allowing replication of procedures by others. Scientific methods, including objective description, measurement, and experimentation, allow analysis and establishment of functional relationships between interventions and behavior change. It is these interventions that have been come to be known in the public vernacular as ABA.
Historical Background
In his experiments with non-human animals, B.F. Skinner discovered the principle of operant conditioning, where consequences following responses result...
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Dyer, K. (2021). Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). In: Volkmar, F.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91280-6_1004
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91280-6_1004
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