Critiques of Behavioral Approach and New Developments
Behavior analytic theories have been criticized for their focus on the explanation of the acquisition of relatively simple behavior (i.e., the behavior of nonhuman species, of infants, and of individuals who are intellectually disabled or autistic) rather than of complex behavior (see Commons & Miller). Michael Commons continued behavior analysis's rejection of mentalism and the substitution of a task analysis of the particular skills to be learned.. In his new model, Commons has created a behavior analytic model of more complex behavior in line with more contemporary quantitative behavior analytic models called the “Model of Hierarchical Complexity.” Commons constructed the Model of Hierarchical Complexity of tasks and their corresponding stages of performance using just three main axioms (see Model of Hierarchical Complexity).
In the study of development, recent work has been generated regarding the combination of behavior analytic views with dynamical systems theory. The added benefit of this approach is its portrayal of how small patterns of changes in behavior in terms of principles and mechanisms over time can produce substantial changes in development.
Current research in behavior analysis attempts to extend the patterns learned in childhood and to determine their impact on adult development.
Read more about this topic: Behavior Analysis Of Child Development
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