| If you are a serious student of
behavior (sometimes called "psychology") this is the site for you.
You may wish to
bookmark this site and even send an icon to your desktop
at this very moment to remind you to come back.
This site offers interactive tutorials dedicated to
helping people learn about the science of behavior and to acquire
techniques that solve real-life behavioral problems.
The tutorials are interactive, screen by screen. In them you do
NOT simply read text, scroll and click. Instead, they employ the
educational technology called Programmed
Instruction (PI). Learning from a PI tutorial is like
learning from a private tutor. Subject matter is presented in a
carefully crafted frame-by-frame sequence with brief screens of
information and the requirement of active participation as you
learn. Users work by themselves at their own pace. This is harder
work than simply reading, but recall of what has been learned is
much greater. Experimental research has shown that programmed
instruction teaches more effectively.
Below is a current list of tutorials and courses. They build upon
each other and should ordinarily be done in
sequence. Clicking on the titles (in the center left)
will display a detailed description of each series of tutorials
and how to subscribe, if and when subscription is necessary. This
site is supported by income from its users. Therefore, there will
be a modest charge for most tutorials (where indicated). Trainers
and instructors wishing to use this site for assignments should
contact us directly to learn how we can
provide proof of trainee/student accomplishment directly to the
trainer/instructor. The owner of this site is donating his
services free of charge during his retirement years. But the
costs of creating the site and maintaining it are NOT free. Feel
free to donate money to this cause by clicking the PayPal button
to the left. It helps to keep this website functional. And,
by the way, you will notice non-American spelling here and
there in this site. The software delivery system was
created by those who use British spelling and punctuation
conventions and we have not elected to change all occurrences.
If you are new to this site, please start here. Doing the first of these will give you an idea of nature of the instruction at this website. These five sets explain what behavior analysis is and what a "contingency of reinforcement" is. Do them in sequence. They are for those who are new to the science of behavior or would like a review of this site's orientation. We suggest that immediately following these five sets you do the next selection below this one. Do selections down this menu in sequence because they build upon each other using the vocabulary introduced in each preceding set. Very few people talk about curtailing the world trends of overpopulation, overconsumption, pollution, and the threat of nuclear warfare. Even fewer people are doing much about it. These sets explain why. They also point to the "fourth estate," which is scholars, writers, scientists, and teachers, as possibly the only source for correction of current trends. So long as this "fourth estate" remains uncommitted to governments, religions, and the accumulation of wealth, it might save the world. But it will need a clear understanding of a science of behavior to accomplish this. These sets draw significantly from a seminal paper about the subject by B. F. Skinner shortly before he died. This series of computer programmed instruction tutorials, called
ABASETS, delivers an expanding presentation about the science of
behavior, its philosophy, assumptions, and methods for discovery of
the functional relations between behavior and the variables that
control it.
You can work through this group 6 tutorials for free. They are the
first 6 sets/lessons of the ABOUT BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS selection just
below this one. (The first three sets of frames in this program are available above
for free.) This series of computer programmed instruction
tutorials, called ABASETS, delivers an expanding presentation about
the science of behavior, its philosophy, assumptions, and methods
for discovery of the functional relations between behavior and the
variables that control it. The entire ABASET program includes
roughly 60 sets, each taking the user about 15-30 minutes. Look
here for a complete explanation of the concepts covered in this
tutorial. This set of 3 free tutorials is the beginning of the program immediately below this selection on your menu. This is a good way to sample the program. Each set takes approximately 15 minutes to accomplish. If you Like what you experience here, purchase the remaining 8 sets immediately below. The role of feelings in our lives is confusing. Do we act because we feel like it, or do we feel certain ways because of how we act? These sets analyze feelings. They teach you how to explain the relation of your feelings to what you do, to help you more accurately describe why you feel the way you do, and prepare you to create a world in which you will feel better. You may wish to brush up on your command of scientific behavioral terminology before you attempt these sets. The program, itself, is approximately 8 sets--each taking about 15-20 minutes to accomplish. This set of 3 free tutorials is the beginning of the program immediately below this selection on your menu. This is a good way to sample the program. Each set takes approximately 15 minutes to accomplish. If you Like what you experience here, purchase the remaining 60 sets immediately below. This program of 60 (15-20 minute) tutorials teachs the implications
of a science of behavior. Freedom of action is defined from a
scientific point of view. A science of behavior leads to more
effective methods of behavior management, but in doing so it raises
the issue of ethics. The critical issue of where behavior
begins--what it causes are--is carefully explained. At the end of
this entire tutorial, the user will be able to broadly explain why
people behave as they do, explain the significance of current
cultural traditions, and explain how a science of behavior can help
to solve the behavioral problems of daily living and world trends.
This tutorial borrows significantly from B. F. Skinner's book
BEYOND FREEDOM AND DIGNITY. Look here for a complete explanation of the concepts
covered in this tutorial. This pretest of your ethical recognition skills is free. The
pretest is a series of scenarios in which a behavior analyst is
faced with an ethical dilemma. These scenarios align with the
guidelines for ethical behavior available at the www.bacb.com website. Your score will
inform you as to how much you will gain from the instructional sets
you can purchase below. At the end of the tutorials below, a
similar posttest appears to evaluate how much you have learned in
the purchased tutorials. Behavior analysts work in a variety of settings, from clinics and
schools to workplaces. Since their practice often involves aversive
stimuli or punishment, they confront many special ethical
challenges. This tutorial examines the study of difficult decisions
involving conflicting individual and cultural (social)
contingencies of reinforcement, known as ethics. A series of
eight 15-20 minute tutorials covers the basic principles of ethical
behavior. Combined with careful study of the ethical
guidelines available at the www.bacb.com website, users of this set
of tutorials should perform well on the posttest that appears at
the end of the sequence of tutorials. This posttest contains
150 practical situations in which a behavior analyst is faced
with an ethical dilemma. We feel our choice of
situations aligns with the guidelines for ethical behavior
available at the www.bacb.com
website but they are solely our interpretation of these
guidelines. Our interpretations are in no way sanctioned, nor
approved by the BACB. These tutorials discuss various issues important in our daily
lives. They demonstrate how a behavior analytic interpretation can
clarify how we might live happier lives.
We believe this self-test is a good way to see where you stand concerning your knowledge of basic behavioral principles--possibly as you are preparing to achieve certification in the field of behavior analysis. Each of the 12 self tests covers a unit of content taught by the ABOUT BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS tutorials (see above in this roster of tutorials) --and should be taken relatively quickly--and each takes about 10-15 minutes. They are an excellent review in preparation for taking examinations for certification or courses.
RESTRICTED ENROLLMENT - PLANNED PUBLIC
RELEASE IN AUGUST 2008 - The goals of
this course are to help practitioners identify
strengths, target areas for future training, and learn
and practice skills in Functional Behavior Assessment
(FBA). Instructional methods employed in
this course include pre-training knowledge screenings,
tutorials, post-training measures and activities, and related
tools. Interactive online instruction may be supplemented by
face-to-face instruction from approved trainers. A sampling
of course topics includes identifying the
purposes of FBA, defining behaviors, gathering information via
indirect and direct methods, completing reinforcer
surveys, measuring behavior, and preparing line
graphs. Practitioners will also learn when and how to
consult with skilled professionals to conduct a FBA,
design and implement an effective and efficient
intervention, and evaluate outcomes. The target
audience for this training program is practitioners who
have limited training in FBA. Practitioners with extensive
training and experience in providing behavioral services may find
this training is useful for refreshing or expanding their
knowledge and skills. Practitioners can earn a
record of successful completion that may be exchanged for
licensure and/or professional development credit in some
states, agencies, school districts, etc. This course does not
provide continuing education (CE) units to maintain
certification as a behavior analyst. To apply this course
toward becoming board certified in behavior analysis, the
practitioner must be currently enrolled in an
approved BCaBA or BCBA preparation program (see
www.bacb.com)
that requires this course in the syllabus. This course may
be good review for anyone preparing for the board
certification examination.
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