Essential Reading
Read the following article — widely regarded as the first formal definition of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA):
This is an academic article aimed at a postgraduate audience. You are not expected to understand everything, but pay attention to the key themes and reflect on your experience of reading it in your reflection exercise.
Essential Viewing
Watch this short video from Ryan O’Donnell of the Daily BA, where he explains the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB) in under a minute:
Next, visit the UK Society for Behaviour Analysis and watch the “This is ABA” video. It provides examples of the diverse areas where ABA is applied:
Conversation Exercise
Complete the Conversation Exercise with FRED, our AI-powered chatbot. This helps reinforce your understanding through guided questions.
Click for instructions on accessing and using FRED
Click the conversation icon in the bottom right corner of your screen, or open FRED directly here.
For guidance on using FRED effectively, read our instructions here.
Reflection Exercise
After completing the reading and viewing tasks, reflect on your learning using the prompts below. Your reflection should be:
- Between 100 and 500 words (about 5-7 sentences minimum)
- Written in your preferred language
- Expressed in your own words — do not copy text from chatbots, websites, or this course
You’ll receive an email copy of your reflection to aid your RBT exam preparation.
Click to view Reflection Prompts & Example
Reflection Prompts (use one or more):
- Summarise Key Concepts: What are the main ideas you learned from the reading and videos?
- Define in Your Own Words: How would you explain these concepts simply?
- Importance and Connections: Why is understanding the history and foundations of ABA important?
- Practical Applications: Where could these concepts be useful in real-world practice?
- Insights: What aspects of the reading or videos did you find challenging, surprising, or thought-provoking?
Example Reflection:
Before this lesson, I didn’t really think about where ABA came from — I thought of it as just a teaching method. Learning about EAB made me realise that ABA is built on a scientific foundation, like medicine is built on biology and chemistry. It also made me think about how carefully we need to apply these methods. If we’re working with people to teach skills or reduce challenging behaviours, we need to be sure what we’re doing is backed by evidence. It makes me question some educational practices that aren’t evidence-based. I can also see how ABA’s structure comes from rigorous testing, but I wonder whether that sometimes makes it too rigid for some learners.
When you’re ready, submit your reflection below:
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