ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the science of behavior analysis. The experimental analysis of behavior refers to a method of analyzing behavior–environment relationships. Functional analysis involves classifying behavior according to its response functions and analyzing the environment in terms of stimulus functions. The concept of stimulus function is an important development in the analysis of behavior. Humans and other animals have evolved in such a way that they can sense those aspects of the environment that have been important for survival. The relations between stimulus and response classes depend on the broader context of behavior. In contrast to the establishing operation, an abolishing operation (AO) decreases the effectiveness of behavioral consequences, and momentarily reduces behavior that has resulted in those consequences in the past. Aversive events also may decrease in intensity and function as AO, making removal or escape from these events less reinforcing and evoking less escape behavior.
