2.5 Defining Behavior Analysis
It has been suggested that behavior analysis is a field, a discipline, and a professional field of practice, all of the same name1. This can be a bit confusing, particularly because other fields can involve multiple disciplines or fields of practice. The field of chemistry, for example, is comprised of five distinct disciplines: organic, analytical, physical, inorganic, and biochemistry2. The types of problems studied in each subdiscipline of chemistry are different, and the skills needed to be a practicing chemist in each discipline are different.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Field | An area or division of an activity, subject, or profession. |
| Discipline | A field of study. |
| Practice | The continuous exercise of a profession. |
- Morris, E. K., Altus, D. E., & Smith, N. G. (2013). A study in the founding of applied behavior analysis through its publications. The Behavior Analyst, 36(1), 73-107.
- Ohio Wesleyan University Chemistry Department (n.d.) What is Chemistry? https://www.owu.edu/academics/departments-programs/department-of-chemistry/what-is-chemistry
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