ADI’s methodologies are based on laws of human behavior that have been repeatedly tested in experimental and applied research in laboratories, universities, hospitals, schools, clinics, and businesses. These laws compose the science of Applied Behavior Analysis, which is as scientific as biology, chemistry, and physics.
Applied Behavior Analysts use the same scientific methods used by the physical sciences: precise definition of the behavior under study, experimentation, and consistent replication of the experimental findings. Basic research in this area has been conducted for nearly a century, and applied research has been conducted for more than 50 years. Times change. People change. But the laws that govern behavior don’t.
A founding principle of Applied Behavior Analysis is that behavior is a function of its consequences—people do what they do because of what happens to them when they do it. Consequences, whether managed or not, routinely reinforce and punish behavior. An understanding of the impact of consequences on behavior allows scientists—and all of us—to study and predict behavior through systematic observation. Because we can observe the impact of a particular consequence on the rate or frequency of a behavior, we can begin to understand how to influence or change any behavior. A systematic application of the science of Applied Behavior Analysis then lets us bring out the best in ourselves and those around us.
