BEH 5041 Unit 2
Reading Assignment
1. Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied behavior analysis (3rd
ed.).
▪ Chapter 1: Definition and Characteristics of Applied Behavior Analysis o
Pp. 10–12 (start at “Experimental Analysis of Behavior”; stop before
“Pragmatism”)
o P. 28 (start at “Classifying and Describing Stimuli”; stop before
“Respondent Behavior”)
2. Pierce, W. D., & Cheney, C. D. (2017). Behavior analysis and learning (6th ed.).
▪ Chapter 1: A Science of Behavior: Perspective, History, and Assumptions o
Pp. 6–7 (start at “Selection as a Causal Process”; stop before “FOCUS
ON…”)
▪ Chapter 2: The Experimental Analysis of Behavior
o Pp. 36–37 (start at “Response Classes”; stop before “Stimulus Functions”)
o P. 38 (“Stimulus Classes” section only)
Guided Reading Questions
Instructions: Answer the following questions while reading the assigned pages for this
unit. The answers to these questions can be found directly in the reading. After
answering the questions, complete the Reading Check in the course. The Reading
Check will consist of questions selected from the Guided Reading Questions along with
answer choices. You will select the answer choice that matches the answer you
recorded while reading the assignment. You may use the Guided Reading Questions
and the answers you recorded while completing the Reading Check.
Cooper, Heron, & Heward (2020): Ch. 1 Pp. 10–12, 28
1. What formally began with the publication of B.F. Skinner’s The Behavior of
Organisms? Experimental branch of behavior analysis
2. What two kinds of behavior were brought into perspective with the
publication of B.F. Skinner’s The Behavior of Organisms? Respondent
and operant
3. Like other psychologists of the time, Skinner found that the S-R paradigm:
could not explain a great deal of behavior, particularly behavior that had no
apparent antecedent causes
4. What did Skinner do instead of creating hypothetical constructs? Continued
to look in the environment for the determinants of behavior that did not
have apparent antecedent causes
5. What unit of analysis was a revolutionary conceptual breakthrough? The operant
three-term contingency
6. How did Skinner and his colleagues and students discover and verify the basic
principles of operant behavior that continue to provide the empirical foundation for
behavior analysis today? Systematically manipulating the arrangement and scheduling
Reading Assignment
1. Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied behavior analysis (3rd
ed.).
▪ Chapter 1: Definition and Characteristics of Applied Behavior Analysis o
Pp. 10–12 (start at “Experimental Analysis of Behavior”; stop before
“Pragmatism”)
o P. 28 (start at “Classifying and Describing Stimuli”; stop before
“Respondent Behavior”)
2. Pierce, W. D., & Cheney, C. D. (2017). Behavior analysis and learning (6th ed.).
▪ Chapter 1: A Science of Behavior: Perspective, History, and Assumptions o
Pp. 6–7 (start at “Selection as a Causal Process”; stop before “FOCUS
ON…”)
▪ Chapter 2: The Experimental Analysis of Behavior
o Pp. 36–37 (start at “Response Classes”; stop before “Stimulus Functions”)
o P. 38 (“Stimulus Classes” section only)
Guided Reading Questions
Instructions: Answer the following questions while reading the assigned pages for this
unit. The answers to these questions can be found directly in the reading. After
answering the questions, complete the Reading Check in the course. The Reading
Check will consist of questions selected from the Guided Reading Questions along with
answer choices. You will select the answer choice that matches the answer you
recorded while reading the assignment. You may use the Guided Reading Questions
and the answers you recorded while completing the Reading Check.
Cooper, Heron, & Heward (2020): Ch. 1 Pp. 10–12, 28
1. What formally began with the publication of B.F. Skinner’s The Behavior of
Organisms? Experimental branch of behavior analysis
2. What two kinds of behavior were brought into perspective with the
publication of B.F. Skinner’s The Behavior of Organisms? Respondent
and operant
3. Like other psychologists of the time, Skinner found that the S-R paradigm:
could not explain a great deal of behavior, particularly behavior that had no
apparent antecedent causes
4. What did Skinner do instead of creating hypothetical constructs? Continued
to look in the environment for the determinants of behavior that did not
have apparent antecedent causes
5. What unit of analysis was a revolutionary conceptual breakthrough? The operant
three-term contingency
6. How did Skinner and his colleagues and students discover and verify the basic
principles of operant behavior that continue to provide the empirical foundation for
behavior analysis today? Systematically manipulating the arrangement and scheduling
