How to Think Like a Behavior Analyst [Paperback]

Jon Bailey (Author), Mary Burch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 26, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0805858881 | ISBN-13: 978-0805858884 | Edition: 1

How to Think Like a Behavior Analyst is a revolutionary resource for understanding complex human behavior and making potentially significant quality of life improvements. Behavior analysts offer a worldview of the human condition different than almost any other professional perspective. To a behavior analyst, human behavior is largely learned and subject to change if the right variables are put into play. This is an empowering outlook, providing an opportunity for individuals to analyze the actions of those around them and an understanding of why others exhibit such behavior.
 
Practical, clear, and direct, this book addresses basic questions such as how behavior analysis is different from psychotherapy, what analysis involves, and the meaning of evidence-based treatment. A chapter on Applications presents tips on using behavioral procedures to improve lives and deal with others, and articulates how behavioral procedures are used in community settings. In question and answer format, the text thoroughly covers 50 frequently asked questions about behavior analysis in an educational and entertaining manner. It was developed out of questions raised by students in behavior analysis classes over the last 35 years, as well as questions raised by consumers of behavior analysis services.
 
This text is written for all professionals concerned with behavior, including undergraduate students in psychology and behavior analysis, parents, teachers, employers, and employees. The book can easily be used as a supplement to primary texts in introductory psychology courses, and the exercises that follow each question can be used to stimulate lively discussion in role-play and other active learning situations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...a very easy to read, passionate volume that addresses a range of issues for students, parents, and teachers.
—PsycCRITIQUES

About the Author

Jon S. Bailey, Ph.D.,is a Professor of Psychology at Florida State University where he teaches graduate courses for behavior analysts. Dr. Bailey is a founding director of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board™, and he is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst™. Dr. Bailey received the Distinguished Service to Behavior Analysis Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis in 2005. Dr. Bailey is co-author of the booksHow Dogs Learn, Ethics for Behavior Analysts,andResearch Methods in Applied Behavior Analysis.He has given major addresses at conferences throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. 

Product Details

• Paperback: 201 pages
• Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc Inc; 1 edition (May 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805858881
• ISBN-13: 978-0805858884
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #143,319 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Bailey received his PhD from the University of Kansas and is currently Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Florida State University where he was on the graduate faculty for 38-years and produced a record 63 PhDs. He is currently Co-Director of the FSU Panama City Masters Program in Applied Behavior Analysis, recently cited in the New York Times as one of the top applied behavior analysis programs in the country.

He is President of Behavior Management Consultants, Inc., is Board Certified Behavior Analyst; and has been an Expert Witness for the US Department of Justice and is a Fellow of the Association for Behavior Analysis: International and the American Psychological Association. He Past President of the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts and is Secretary/Treasurer of the Florida Association for Behavior Analysis which he founded in 1980.

Dr. Bailey has published over 100 peer-reviewed research articles, is a past-Editor of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and is co-author of four recent books: Research Methods in Applied Behavior Analysis, How Dogs Learn, Ethics for Behavior Analysts, How to Think Like a Behavior Analyst, and most recently 25 Essential Skills and Strategies for Professional Behavior Analysts, all co-authored with Dr. Mary Burch.

His hobbies include photography, videography, and dog training; he has trained his Welsh Springer Spaniel "Wyn" for both Obedience and Agility competitions; Wyn has been ranked #1 in the country for his breed in both performance events.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Thinking Behind ABA, July 22, 2006

By 

Paul Chance (Seaford, DE USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Think Like a Behavior Analyst (Paperback)

This book is an ideal introduction to applied behavior analysis (ABA). It's brief, easy to understand, and interesting. It describes basic principles and procedures, then illustrates them with anecdotes, case studies, or research -- and does it all in nontechnical terms.

Topics are organized around 50 questions commonly asked about ABA. Most of the questions deal with what behavior analysis is and what analysts do: Is ABA psychotherapy? What does evidenced-based mean? Is all behavior learned?

A few questions deal with common misconceptions and myths about ABA (eg., is reinforcement bribery?). One myth Bailey and Burch correct concerns B. F. Skinner, the "godfather" of ABA. The myth is that Skinner raised one of his daughters, Deborah, in a box. The fact is that Skinner designed a better baby crib. The air was filtered, the temperature regulated, and instead of the usual crib bars (responsible for many injuries) there was a plate glass window. The "air crib," as Skinner called it, rested on a raised platform so that adults need not bend over to pick up or talk to the baby. Deborah was not "raised" in a box any more than you were. Yet the myth persists, along with the myths that Deborah was confined to a mental hospital or that she sued Skinner for abuse. Such stories are invented and passed along by people who want to sabotage ABA by maligning those connected with it. This book provides the facts.

The best thing about this book, though, is that it explains the thinking behind ABA. With this book you really can learn to think like a behavior analyst - and that can make a profound difference in your life. No matter what you do in life, you are going to interact with other people: spouse, children, parents, coworkers, clients, neighbors, strangers. Once you learn to look at behavior like a behavior analyst, you have a better chance of understanding your own and other people's behavior. You may also deal more effectively with behavior problems and in that way improve your life and the lives of others.

The authors have excellent credentials for writing this book. Both are board certified behavior analyst and Jon is one of the leaders in the field. Collectively, what they don't know about ABA probably isn't worth knowing.

This is not a textbook. (For an atypical example of a text, see my First Course in Applied Behavior Analysis.) But How to Think Like a Behavior Analyst is an easy and entertaining introduction to ABA that will lay the groundwork for more formal study. Anyone who will be dealing with behavior problems (and that means everyone) should read this book. Anyone who is considering a career in ABA must read this book.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Order the Book-Shape the behavior you desire, July 28, 2006

By 

Debbie Strother (Debbie Strother, Jax Fl) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Think Like a Behavior Analyst (Paperback)

Behavior analysis is so simply explained in the book and it can be practiced in every living room, the car, working with animals especially horses(my world). When my young blind throughbred became progressively blind, I continued the functional assessment and behavioral diagnostics that I initited when when he was rescued, starved and very abused. It took a year to shape him into a proud champion in hunter-jumper events. After a year of magic, he became progressively blind almost overnight. I had known for awhile that he as losing his sight via results of ongoing systematic assessments which were compiled in my head. My first thought after total blindness was devastation, and then I thought of Bailey's favorite saying"shape, shape, and keep shaping".And within six(6)months I was riding that blind horse doing all the type riding as before except jumping although it would be possible to shape this behavior also.

My favorite "get-away" in Fl is Seaworld in Orlando. The whale program blows me away. They have about 24 behavior analysts that work with a big group of "killer whales" and their performances are unbelievable. When I was swimming with them and they would lift me onto their nose and give me a good high flip, all I could think was "shape, shape, and keep shaping". And all of a sudden I was so proud that I was a behavior analyst-and you could be one,too.Buy the book. Debbie Strother,MS,BCBA,CABA/Equine

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A much needed book for the field of ABA, July 11, 2006

By 

Kenneth F. Reeve (Caldwell College, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Think Like a Behavior Analyst (Paperback)

It is rare when a book serves so many purposes so wonderfully! Such is the case with "How to Think Like a Behavior Analyst." New students in the field of ABA, parents of children with autism, and new professionals in ABA can get a much needed perspective about what characterizes the field, how it is viewed in the popular media, where it stands within academia, and more. College professors now have another very valuable tool to use in their classes on ABA. Applied Behavior Analysts now have another resource to give to their clients.

Written in a very interesting but easy to understand style, "How to Think Like a Behavior Analyst" should be on the bookshelf of anyone interested in behavior change. We owe a great deal of thanks to Bailey and Burch.