• Watch the Unit 1 Lecture. (click here for transcripts)
• Read the following scenario

You are an applied behavior analysis (ABA) undergraduate major at Purdue University Global. Your professors have been stressing the importance of beginning the supervised fieldwork experience required to sit for your Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) certification exam. You finally found a company within driving distance of your home and you have an interview for an entry-level behavior technician position.

You know that the interview will cover a lot of questions about the basic principles of ABA and you have been studying – actually memorizing – as much as you can! Yikes! This is way more intense than you imagined! But, you know that you have worked hard in the degree program and you can do this!

Okay, the scene is set! You have brainstormed the possible interview questions. Now, it is time to prepare for your mock interview! Consider the following questions and create a script of your interview in which the Interviewer asks you to answer the questions and provide explanations of the concepts for this week’s primary post.

What will the potential supervisor ask?

• You can bet he/she will ask me about the three types of behavior analysis! I better be ready with some good answers! Briefly describe behaviorism; applied behavior analysis; and the experimental analysis of behavior.
• Positive reinforcement is a major principle of ABA. What could he/she ask about this principle? Oh, yes! Explain positive reinforcement, i.e., what it is and how it works to modify behavior. Does the timing of reinforcement impact the effectiveness? What is the “Delay Gradient?”
• What is the difference between unconditioned and conditioned reinforcement?
• Be ready to explain “behavior contingencies!” Let me see… maybe I can explain this concept using an example! Provide an example of a behavior contingency using positive reinforcement.
• We talked about the myths surrounding ABA in class. Explain the difference between “bribery” and “reinforcement.”

Reading and Resources

Read the following:

Chapter 1 in Applied Behavior Analysis (3rd edition): “Definition and Characteristics of Applied Behavior Analysis”

Chapter 1 introduces the basic characteristics and goals of science. Functional relations are explained, as are the overarching attitudes of science. The history and evolution of applied behavior analysis (ABA) are discussed and the different types of behaviorism are explored.

Chapter 11 in Applied Behavior Analysis (3rd edition): “Positive Reinforcement”

Chapter 11 introduces you to one of the primary principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA), i.e., positive reinforcement. You will learn what positive reinforcement is (and what it isn’t) and how it works to maintain behavior. You will also learn some of the fundamental terminology in ABA.

Chapter 7 in How to Think Like a Behavior Analyst: Understanding the Science that Can Change Your Life: “Myths and the Media”

Chapter 7 presents some of the common myths surrounding applied behavior analysis (ABA) and provides the reader with explanations as to why these are “myths” and not facts and how you can respond to the public when these myths come up.

TEXTBOOKS

How to Think Like a Behavior AnalystEdition: 1st (2013)Author: Bailey and BurchPublisher: Taylor and Francis

Applied Behavior AnalysisEdition: 3rd (2019)Author: John O. Cooper, Timothy E. Heron, and William L. HewardPublisher: Pearson