2021 Volume 35 Issue 2 Pages 128-143
Applied behavior analysis is the science of behavior; radical behaviorism is the philosophy of applied behavior analysis. Applied behavior analysis focuses on the relation between socially significant behavior and relevant variables. The purpose of the present article is to discuss the close relationship between radical behaviorism and applied behavior analysis in the context of theory, research, and practice. The points of discussion include prediction and control, and replicability; interventions for changing steady state, causal, and correlational relationships; and interactions, integration, and detailed reconsideration of the 7 dimensions of applied behavior analysis that were elucidated by Baer, Wolf, and Risley (1968). Because radical behaviorism is a universal conceptual system, applied behavior analysis with radical behaviorism (a) is able to integrate research and practice with related fields and establish unique human service areas, and (b) can be used in research on topics of everyday life and practice. Because applied behavior analysis has an inclusive methodology and is able to accumulate robust and effective data, the logical structure of the philosophy of radical behaviorism is strengthened and elaborated through the research and practice of applied behavior analysis.
