Philosophical foundations of behaviour analysis

Behaviour analysis is a science devoted to understanding and improving human behaviour. To be skilled in designing and delivering behaviour-analytic interventions, one must first develop a strong understanding of the philosophy that underpins this science. In this unit, you will explore radical behaviourism—the foundational philosophy of behaviour analysis. You will examine the goals of science, the philosophical assumptions underlying behaviour analysis, and describe learning and behaviour from a radical behaviourist perspective. You will also explore the philosophical, conceptual, methodological, and practical implications of this perspective, and compare and contrast it with other learning theories such as constructivism, social learning theory, and cognitive load theory.