Aircraft engineering is to physics as:
a. radical behaviorism is to applied behavior analysis.
b. applied behavior analysis is to behavior analysis.
c. behavior analysis is to radical behaviorism.
d. behavior analysis is to applied behavior analysis.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is: b. applied behavior analysis is to behavior analysis.
Explanation:
The analogy compares the relationship between aircraft engineering and physics with the relationship between two fields related to behavior. Aircraft engineering is a practical, applied discipline that relies heavily on the foundational principles of physics. Physics is the broader, theoretical science that explains the fundamental laws of nature, while aircraft engineering applies those principles to design and build aircraft.
Similarly, behavior analysis is a broad scientific field that studies behavior systematically and includes both theory and research. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is the practical application of behavior analysis principles to address real-world problems, such as improving socially significant behaviors in individuals.
In the analogy, physics corresponds to behavior analysis as the foundational science, and aircraft engineering corresponds to applied behavior analysis as the applied discipline that uses the scientific principles to solve practical problems.
To clarify the other options:
- Option a: Radical behaviorism is a philosophical viewpoint within behavior analysis, but it is not directly comparable to applied behavior analysis in the way physics relates to aircraft engineering. Radical behaviorism informs behavior analysis but is not the applied form.
- Option c: Behavior analysis is broader than radical behaviorism; radical behaviorism is a theoretical framework within behavior analysis rather than something that behavior analysis applies.
- Option d: Behavior analysis is the foundational science, while applied behavior analysis is the practical application. The analogy reverses the roles here, so it is incorrect.
Thus, the relationship of applied behavior analysis to behavior analysis mirrors the relationship of aircraft engineering to physics: applied uses the foundational knowledge from the broader science to solve real-world problems.