ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a brief history and basic tenets of behavior analysis and learning. It begins with the idea that behavior is acquired during one’s lifetime as a result of experience, with some responses strengthened through the process of reinforcement, while others are weakened. The consequences or outcomes of behavior function to select and establish a behavior repertoire. Respondent conditioning, in which conditioned reflexes are learned, is also described. Several foundational scientists are introduced to illustrate the history of behavior analysis, including Skinner, Watson, Pavlov, and Thorndike. We use a bio-behavioral in this textbook, in that behavior is considered to be a product of genes interacting with the organism’s environment over a lifetime. In this regard, responses to environmental contingencies alter gene expression (epigenetic effects), neural pathways (neuroplasticity), and retention of learning. Behavior analysis also includes an understanding of feelings and complex behavior involving problem solving and thinking. Finally, a current description of the field includes a broad array of problems that behavior analysts are attempting to solve, as well as a description of the diverse characteristics of behavior analysts in the field.
