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Applied behavior analysis
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<p>Applied behavior analysis (ABA), also referred to as behavioral engineering, is a psychological discipline that applies the principles of <a href="/facts/Behaviorism/8DHljqrh">learning</a> based upon <a href="/facts/Respondent_conditioning/ddtohoz3">respondent</a> and <a href="/facts/Operant_conditioning/8TqfQQGq">operant conditioning</a> to change socially significant behavior. ABA is the applied form of behavior analysis; the other two are: <a href="/facts/Radical_behaviorism/vBTtBfdG">radical behaviorism</a> (or the philosophy of the science) and <a href="/facts/Experimental_analysis_of_behavior/ADQu8NBB">experimental analysis of behavior</a>, which focuses on basic experimental research. </p><p>The term <i>applied behavior analysis</i> has replaced <a href="/facts/Behavior_modification/dIlI7Wan">behavior modification</a> because the latter approach suggested changing behavior without clarifying the relevant behavior-environment interactions. In contrast, ABA changes behavior by first assessing the functional relationship between a targeted behavior and the environment, a process known as a <a href="/facts/Functional_analysis_(psychology)/IjqaBpYd">functional behavior assessment</a>. Further, the approach seeks to develop socially acceptable alternatives for maladaptive behaviors, often through implementing <a href="/facts/Positive_reinforcement/bn271VLa">differential reinforcement contingencies</a>. </p><p>Although ABA is most commonly associated with <a href="/facts/Autism_therapies/51Ak38EU">autism intervention</a>, it has been used in a range of other areas, including <a href="/facts/Contingency_management/NUvya2Fm">substance abuse</a>, <a href="/facts/Organizational_behavior_management/gPYoo8Em">organizational behavior management</a>, <a href="/facts/Positive_behavior_support/0PxKc7pR">behavior management in classrooms</a>, and <a href="/facts/Acceptance_and_commitment_therapy/fsh43Mdk">acceptance and commitment therapy</a>. </p><p>ABA is controversial, and rejected by the <a href="/facts/Autism_rights_movement/PKK5FaU0">autism rights movement</a> due to a perception that it emphasizes normalization instead of acceptance, and a history of, in some forms of ABA and its predecessors, the use of aversives, such as electric shocks. </p>