Running head: APPLICATION PAPER 1
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University of Oklahoma
EDSP-5603 Philosophical Assumptions
Application Paper 1
Meredith Rainwater
September 30, 2023
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When studying the science of human behavior, we have to be prepared to discover
answers that we may not necessarily be prepared for, and we must always be prepared to provide
an ethical and truthful response to the evidence that is collected. B. F. Skinner said it best in his
book Science and Human Behavior when he said “science is a willingness to accept facts even
when they are opposed to wishes” (Skinner, 1953). We may hope that a study turns out a certain
way, but it is our duty as scientists to accurately portray the results of all experiments in order to
accurately further the study of human behavior.
The three underlying assumptions for studying the science of human behavior are
determinism, empiricism, and parsimony. It is important to understand these underlying
assumptions and the role they play in studying human behavior because of how they affect the
way studies are handled, and results are gathered. Without these assumptions, there would be no
general expectation of the scientists and how they affect the participants and other various
variables of the experiments. It is important that the scientists come into these studies’ as neutral
parties with no outcome expectations and no personal interests vested in any of the participants.
A science of human behavior is important because it can lead to a better understanding of
why humans behave certain ways in social situations, and therefore be able to perhaps make the
world a better place and humans generally happier. According to Baer, Wolf and Risley, “better
applications, it is hoped, will lead to a better state of society, to whatever extent the behavior of
its members can contribute to the goodness of a society” (Baer, et al., 1968). When behaviors are
better understood, then predictions of those behaviors can be made. Implementations of certain
things can then be made that will guarantee a better society, thus proving that the science of
human behavior is vastly important.
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The underlying assumptions for studying the science of human behavior have been
established by scientists in an effort to completely rule out the concept of free will. Some have
argued that spontaneity proves free will, but Jack Marr argues that it has more to do with
determinism than free will, stating that “spontaneity also does not imply that simply anything can
occur. Just as microphysical processes are limited by kind and distribution, so species
membership and individual genetic endowment set natural limits to the form and variability of
spontaneously emitted behavior” (Marr, 1982). Skinner came back and said “We have accepted
the assumption of determinism in part; yet we allow our sympathies, our first allegiances, and
our personal aspirations to rise to the defense of the traditional view” (Skinner, 1953). M. W.
Taylor went so far as to “suggest that self-awareness leads to the illusion (as he terms it) of free
will, and generally adopts a type of psychophysical parallelism” (Taylor, 1992). Free will has
been argued to not exist, that it is behaviors that are not understood yet and so are attributed to
free will. Determinism is the argument against free will and has been accepted by the majority of
behavioral analysts as the set of rules that the universe is governed by.
Empiricism is the idea that humans learn through physical experience and observations.
This brings to mind a baby that sticks everything in their mouth. As an adult, an individual can
look around a room and know what everything tastes like, the pillow, the arm of the chair, the
coaster on the table, they are all memories that are embedded in our brains from childhood. We
were experiencing everything first-hand, without any prior knowledge, experience, or
observations, without anything to bias us one way or another. These experiences provided us
with knowledge and information that we will retain for the rest of our lives.
In real-world terms, parsimony basically means that someone really does not want to
spend money, but when discussing behavior analysis, parsimony takes on a different connotation.
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According to Cooper, Heron, and Heward, “parsimony requires that all simple, logical
explanations for the phenomenon under investigation be ruled out, experimentally or
conceptually, before more complex or abstract explanations are considered” (Cooper, et al.,
2017). So, where the layman’s term for parsimony means frugality, as an assumption of science
it is used for simplicity.
Parsimony is important because without first ruling out the simple explanations, the more
complex explanations have no place even being considered. There would be no logical reason
behind trying to find a more complex explanation for a problem when the answer could be very
simple. Especially when dealing with children, the simplest approach is most commonly the
easiest and most efficient approach. It is also the approach that most quickly gets to the source of
the issue and allows for quick correction and resolution.
Human behavior as a science has the potential to create a better functioning society.
Ruling out the possibility of free will and focusing on the inherent reasons humans behave the
way they due in certain situations will allow scientist to better predict societal changes and
therefore create environments that promote “social adaption and adoption” (Baer, et al., 1968).
Identifying the underlying assumptions for studying human behavior, determinism, empiricism,
and parsimony, will also aid in furthering the understanding of what actually drives human
behavior and how scientists can observe the behavior. These underlying assumptions are
important in that they rule out the possibility of free will, they provide neutral, unbiased
experiences and observations, and they first rule out the simple explanations before moving on to
the more complex explanations. Without these assumptions, the study of the science of human
behavior would have no guided direction and no trusted results.
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References
Baer, D. M., Wolf, M. M., & Risley, T. R. (1968, Spring). Some Current Dimensions of Applied Behavior
Analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1(Number 1), 91-97.
Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2017). Applied Behavior Analysis. (Third, Ed.) Hoboken, NJ:
Pearson.
Delprato, D. J., & Midgley, B. D. (1992, November). Some Fundamentals of B. F. Skinner's Behaviorism.
American Psychologist, 47(11), 1507-1520.
Leslie, J. C. (2006, July). Herbert Spencer's Contributions to Behavior Analysis: a retrospective review of
principles of psychology. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 86(1), 123-129.
Marr, J. (1982, Fall). On Terms. The Behavior Analyst, 5(2), 205-207.
Skinner, B. F. (1953). Science and Human Behavior. New York, New York: The Free Press.
Taylor, M. W. (1992). Men versus the state. Oxford: Clarendon Press.