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8/25/2011

An Examination of Science What is Science • Is a systematic approach for analyzing and organizing . • Used by all scientists regardless of the field of study • ABA – socially important behaviors • Uses the • Allows you to achieve a thorough understanding of the phenomena under study ▫ Seeks to discover ▫ Not those held by certain groups or organizations

Some Characteristics of Science

• Different types of investigations provide • Lots of things to look at out there different levels of understanding: • Can be just about anything ▫ Observation ▫ Description • In and ABA - Behavior ▫ ▫ Control • Each level contributes to the overall knowledge base in a given field

Description Prediction Defined as the that when one Begin to collect about observed events occurs, another event or will not occur Can quantify, classify, or examine for with Is based on repeated revealing other “known” facts relationships between various events Old Philosophers, only examine one thing () Allows you to demonstrates a relationship or New way, make comparisons between items. correlation between events No causal relationships can be interpreted Relations allow you to create hypotheses or questions for additional research

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Control (continued) Control

• Is the highest level of scientific understanding • Events can only really be “co-related” • Functional relations can be derived through ▫ Cannot ever factor out all other possible “causes” various types of examinations. ▫ But you can significantly reduce them • E.g., Experimental method  Is why we use statistics and probability that an event Specific changes in one event (dependent occurs variable) can reliably be produced by specific  P<.05 vs. P<.10 vs. P<.001 etc. manipulations of another event (independent variable)  Change is unlikely to be the result of other extraneous factors (confounding variables)

Attitudes of Science Scientific Attitudes

• Science as a of attitudes (Skinner, 1953) • Guides the work of all scientists • Definition lies within the behavior of scientists, • Includes: not the instruments or materials they use ▫ Determinism • Only known as science due to an overriding of “scientific method” ▫ Experimentation ▫ Fundamental assumptions about the of events ▫ Replication ▫ Parsimony ▫ Philosophic doubt

Empiricism Determinism

• Is an Assumption upon which science is • Practice of objective observation of phenomena predicated of interest • Presumption • Is what all scientific knowledge is built upon The universe is a lawful and orderly place All phenomena occur as the result of other events • “Objective” is the key to gaining a better Events do not just occur at will understanding of what is studied Events are related in systematic ways

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Experimentation Replication

• Basic strategy in most sciences • Allows you to determine usefulness of findings • Experiment: • Includes the repetition of independent variable ▫ Controlled comparison of some measure of the conditions within experiments of interest (dependent variable) • Method for which mistakes are discovered under two of more different conditions in which only one factor at a (independent variable) differs from one condition to another

Parsimony Philosophic Doubt

• The idea that simple, logical explanations must • The continuous questioning of the truthfulness be ruled out, experimentally or conceptually, and validity of all and before more complex or abstract explanations knowledge are considered • Involves the use of before • Help scientists relate findings of a study to a implementing a new practice, then monitoring field’s existing knowledge base the effectiveness of the practice after its implementation

Science is…

• A systematic approach to the understanding of ABA natural phenomena… • As evidenced by description, and control… • Uses the underlying of science • That relies on determinism as its fundamental • Often uses experimental or quasi-experimental assumption… research • Empiricism as its prime directive… • Uses in applied settings • Experimentation as its basic strategy… ▫ Individuals • Replication as its necessary requirement for ▫ Businesses believability… ▫ Education • Parsimony as its conservative … ▫ Medicine • And philosophic doubt as its guiding .

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Conclusions

• Science is the basic underpinning of ABA and Psychology in general • Scientific method can be used to examine a wide variety of phenomena • Uses a variety of methods ▫ Some are more reliable and valid than others

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