Read attached documents and answer the following questions based off readings:
Cooper et al., Chapter 1:
1. According to Cooper et al., what is the purpose of science?
2. Briefly describe the attitudes of science discussed in the chapter.
3. What are the three branches of behavior analysis? How are these branches unique?
4. Who is B. F. Skinner? Describe his contributions to behavior analysis.
5. How is radical behaviorism different from other psychological theories?
6. List and briefly describe the seven dimensions of ABA.
7. What is the fourth domain of behavior analysis, and how are the four domains interrelated?
Cooper et al., Chapter 2 :
1. Review the glossary term for behavior on page 690. Why is it important for our science to precisely define behavior, and what are the major elements of this definition?
2. Discuss the involvement of the environment in the analysis of behavior.
3. Identify the terms for the stimulus changes occurring before and after a behavior of interest. (Hint: ABCs)
4. Refer to Table 2.1 on page 28. Identify novel antecedent and consequence events (not included on the table) for a behavior, and label them as social or nonsocial.
5. Compare and contrast respondent and operant behavior and conditioning.
6. What is the primary difference between reinforcement and punishment?
7. Punishment is a colloquial term used outside of behavior analysis. Describe how the term is defined functionally in behavior analysis and how this differs from the layman’s use of the term.
8. What is extinction?
9. Provide examples of the following:
– Unconditioned reinforcers and punishers
– Conditioned reinforcers and punishers
Pierce and Cheney, Chapter 14
1. What are the three levels of selection?
2. Describe how selection by consequences relates to selection at each level.
3. Describe how the authors discuss cultural practices.
4. What are metacontingencies?
5. How does cultural evolution occur?
Skinner (1981), Selection by Consequences document:
1. What are the three kinds of selection by consequences Skinner discusses in this paper? List the discipline associated with each level, i.e., which level is the focus of psychology, biology, and anthropology.
2. Skinner discusses how human verbal behavior is under similar contingencies of reinforcement selected by its consequences. What is the one distinguishing feature between the consequences of verbal behavior and other forms behavior?
3. According to Skinner, how does a culture evolve?
4. Skinner asserts that human behavior is the joint product of three factors. List these here.
5. At each level of selection, one may ask why a specific behavior continues to occur (species characteristics at Level 1 or cultural practices at Level 3). What is Skinner’s response to this question?
6. Comment on the final section regarding the lack of an initiating agent. Why do you think the selectionist approach to behavior was controversial? Do you think it is still a controversial approach today?
