ABSTRACT
Experimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB) was founded as a science of behavior. Its approach, including a rigorous experimental methodology, was designed to determine functional, or causal, relationships between an organism's behavior and specific environmental variables. This chapter reviews assumptions of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) beginning with Skinner's statement about the science of behavior to more practical matters such as ABA's position that all students can learn. While this list does not pretend to be exhaustive, it does represent features of ABA that are relevant to education and school psychology practice. Taken together, school psychologists adopting an ABA framework are well positioned to support students and shepherd education toward a more prosperous future. Identifying environmental causes of behavior that can be manipulated should hold great appeal to school psychologists. Principles of behavior have been successfully used to teach students who were previously thought to be unteachable.
