Selectionism: is a theory that maintains that all living beings evolve naturally and continuously through their history of learning and evolutionary development. This happens at the individual level, and also at the species level.
Ontogeny: is the study of the development of an individual throughout their life. The environment can influence an individual's development in several ways, for example, by providing opportunities for learning or creating obstacles to growth.
Phylogeny: is the study of the evolutionary history of a biological group (species). The environment can influence the evolution of a species in several ways, for example, by selecting the characteristics that are most suitable for survival in a particular environment.
Cultural: it is the transfer of behavior between members of a group. The environment can influence culture in several ways, for example, by providing models of behavior or creating social norms.
Determinism: is the belief that all events are determined by previous causes. This means that there are no random or accidental events.
Empiricism: is the belief that knowledge is derived from experience. This means that knowledge cannot be obtained through reason or intuition.
Parsimony: is the belief that the simplest explanation is the most probable. This means that when two possible explanations for an event are presented, the simplest one is the most likely.
Pragmatism: is the belief that truth is determined by its usefulness. This means that something is true if it works.
Experimentation: is a scientific method that involves manipulating one variable to see the effects on another variable. Experimentation is used to establish causal relationships between variables.
Replication: is the repetition of an experiment to confirm the results. Replication is important to ensure the reliability of the results.
Philosophical doubt: it is the practice of questioning the veracity of beliefs. Philosophical doubt is important to avoid the acceptance of dogmatic beliefs.
Conclusions
The concepts reviewed are fundamental to applied behavior analysis (ABA). ABA is a branch of psychology that focuses on using learning principles to improve behavior. The concepts reviewed help ABA professionals understand how behavior is learned and changed.
Comments