Course Descriptions

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Introduction to Behaviorology – 101

This course introduces the student to behaviorology as a comprehensive natural science of behavior. It examines the philosophical foundations of the discipline, including radical behaviorism and the assumptions of natural science, and situates behaviorology in relation to psychology, behavior analysis, ethology, and the medical model. Emphasis is placed on modes of causation, selection by consequences, and the evolution of repertoires across biological, ontogenetic, and cultural levels. The course establishes the conceptual foundation for all subsequent coursework. Core topics include:

 

• Definition and history of behaviorology

• Philosophy of natural science

• Radical behaviorism

• Modes of causation

• Selection by consequences (biological, repertoire, cultural)

• Psychology and behavior analysis

• Ethology

• Medical model approach

• Verbal behavior of scientists

• Behaviorology as a comprehensive discipline

 

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Foundations of Professional Practice – 102

This course addresses the practitioner’s role in applied settings, with emphasis on health, safety, professional boundaries, and first-response decision-making. It clarifies the distinction between behavioral intervention and medical treatment, and examines how pain, illness, injury, and acute stress alter stimulus control and behavioral capacity. The course prepares students to manage risk responsibly, operate within scope, and coordinate effectively with veterinary professionals. Core topics include:

 

• Professional scope and boundaries

• Risk assessment in applied contexts

• Behavior under pain and illness

• Stress and behavioral capacity

• Limits of conditioning during physiological compromise

• Safe handling principles

• First-response procedures

• Referral and collaboration with veterinarians

• Professional communication during emergencies

 

 

Behavior, Health, and Husbandry – 104

This course examines the interaction between biological variables and behavioral organization. Students analyze how nutrition, illness, environmental deprivation, medication, and daily management practices alter reinforcement effectiveness, motivating operations, and stimulus control. The course strengthens the practitioner’s ability to interpret behavioral change within physiological and husbandry contexts. Core topics include:

 

• Health variables and behavioral capacity

• Pain and stimulus control

• Nutrition and reinforcement effectiveness

• Stress physiology and behavioral organization

• Environmental enrichment and deprivation

• Medication effects on behavior

• Husbandry practices and conditioning

• Referral boundaries

 

 

Development and Behavioral Capacity – 107

This course examines ontogenetic development and its impact on behavioral repertoires. Students analyze early conditioning histories, critical periods, socialization processes, and deprivation effects that influence later behavioral organization. Emphasis is placed on how developmental variables alter stimulus control, reinforcement sensitivity, and response variability across the lifespan. Core topics include:

 

• Ontogeny and repertoire formation

• Critical and sensitive periods

• Early socialization variables

• Deprivation and restricted environments

• Developmental effects on stimulus control

• Behavioral readiness and capacity

• Prevention strategies

• Early contingency engineering

 

 

Environment–Behavior Functional Relations I – 105

This course introduces the foundational analysis of how environmental variables influence behavior. Students examine the structure of operant contingencies and develop fluency in identifying antecedent stimuli, response classes, and reinforcing consequences. Emphasis is placed on stimulus control, motivating operations, and functional relations as the basis for all applied work. Core topics include:

 

• Three-term contingency structure

• Antecedent stimuli and evocative stimuli

• Response classes and functional definitions

• Reinforcement relations

• Motivating operations

• Discriminative control

• Stimulus generalization and discrimination

• Basic contingency notation

 

 

Environment–Behavior Functional Relations II – 106

This course builds on the foundational analysis of operant relations by expanding into complex stimulus control and interaction effects among multiple environmental variables. Students examine compound antecedent conditions, function-altering stimuli, and concurrent contingencies that influence response allocation. The course deepens analytic precision prior to advanced conditioning procedures. Core topics include:

 

• Compound and conditional stimulus control

• Function-altering stimuli

• Concurrent contingencies

• Response allocation

• Competing reinforcement systems

• Contextual control of behavior

• Shifts in reinforcement effectiveness

• Advanced contingency analysis

 

 

Introduction to Operant Conditioning I – 108

This course introduces the basic principles of operant conditioning, including reinforcement, extinction, and response strengthening processes. Students develop fluency in distinguishing between reinforcement and punishment, identifying contingency arrangements, and predicting changes in rate, duration, and relative frequency of responding. Core topics include:

 

• Positive reinforcement

• Negative reinforcement

• Extinction

• Basic reinforcement effects on behavior

• Strengthening and weakening processes

• Functional definitions of behavior

• Measurement of behavioral dimensions

• Introduction to applied conditioning procedures

 

 

Introduction to Operant Conditioning II – 109

This course extends foundational operant principles to more complex applications. Students examine competing contingencies, response hierarchies, reinforcement density, and practical contingency arrangement in training contexts. Emphasis is placed on engineering behavior change systematically rather than relying on ad hoc techniques. Core topics include:

 

• Competing response classes

• Reinforcement density and magnitude

• Response hierarchy formation

• Extinction dynamics

• Conditioned reinforcement

• Stimulus control transfer

• Error patterns in contingency application

• Applied contingency design

 

 

Respondent Conditioning – 111

This course examines respondent conditioning as a distinct but interacting behavioral process. Students analyze stimulus–stimulus relations, conditioned elicitation, and the role of respondent processes in emotional responding. Emphasis is placed on how respondent conditioning interacts with operant contingencies in applied settings. Core topics include:

 

• Unconditioned and conditioned stimuli

• Conditioned emotional responding

• Elicited behavior

• Stimulus pairing procedures

• Counterconditioning

• Desensitization

• Interaction of respondent and operant processes

• Applications in applied practice

 

 

Schedules of Reinforcement – 115

This course provides a detailed analysis of reinforcement schedules and their effects on response patterns. Students examine how temporal and ratio-based arrangements influence rate, persistence, and resistance to extinction. Applied implications for training durability and behavioral stability are emphasized. Core topics include:

 

• Continuous reinforcement

• Fixed and variable ratio schedules

• Fixed and variable interval schedules

• Rate and pattern effects

• Resistance to extinction

• Reinforcement thinning

• Schedule-induced behavior

• Applied schedule design

 

 

Differential Reinforcement – 116

This course develops systematic procedures for strengthening desirable behavior while reducing competing responses. Students examine differential reinforcement of alternative, incompatible, and other behaviors, along with the precise engineering of contingency shifts. Core topics include:

 

• Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA)

• Differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior (DRI)

• Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO)

• Response class replacement

• Competing contingencies

• Reinforcement allocation

• Applied intervention design

 

 

Aversive Stimulation and Its Problems – 117

This course examines aversive stimulation from a behavioral and ethical perspective. Students analyze punishment, coercion, escape-maintained behavior, and the structural side effects of aversive control. Emphasis is placed on long-term instability, aggression, avoidance, and countercontrol. Core topics include:

 

• Positive punishment

• Negative punishment

• Escape and avoidance behavior

• Coercive control systems

• Side effects of punishment

• Aggression and countercontrol

• Behavioral suppression vs. replacement

• Ethical implications of aversive procedures

 

 

Errorless Training Strategy – 121

This course focuses on minimizing errors during skill acquisition. Students examine stimulus control transfer procedures, prompt fading, and systematic shaping of correct responding. The goal is to reduce frustration, prevent competing response histories, and accelerate acquisition. Core topics include:

 

• Prompting procedures

• Prompt fading

• Prompt delay

• Stimulus control transfer

• Errorless learning procedures

• Response shaping

• Preventing competing histories

• Applied training design

 

 

Non-Coercive Contingency Engineering – 189

This course synthesizes reinforcement-based intervention strategies that avoid coercive control. Students examine constructional approaches, environmental arrangement, and reinforcement reallocation as alternatives to suppression-based procedures. Core topics include:

 

• Constructional contingency engineering

• Reinforcement reallocation

• Response class replacement

• General Level of Reinforcement (GLR)

• Non-coercive environmental design

• Long-term maintenance planning

• Ethical engineering of behavior change

 

 

Animal Training Technology I – 122

This course translates conditioning principles into applied training systems. Students develop fluency in reinforcement timing, marker systems, shaping procedures, and applied stimulus control within structured training environments. Core topics include:

 

• Marker-based training

• Timing and precision

• Reinforcement delivery systems

• Shaping basic behaviors

• Cue establishment

• Stimulus control development

• Training session structure

• Applied skill acquisition

 

 

Animal Training Technology II – 123

This course builds on foundational training skills and expands into complex skill acquisition, distraction management, and durable performance under variable conditions. Core topics include:

 

• Advanced shaping

• Distraction training

• Stimulus generalization

• Performance reliability

• Reinforcement thinning

• Competing contingencies

• Field application strategies

• Durable performance design

 

 

Advanced Animal Training Techniques (Shaping) – 140

This course provides an in-depth technical treatment of shaping as a systematic response-building procedure. Students analyze successive approximation, criterion setting, and precision reinforcement. Core topics include:

 

• Successive approximation

• Criteria adjustment

• Micro-shaping techniques

• Response topography refinement

• Rate and latency analysis

• Shaping plateaus

• Avoiding inadvertent reinforcement

• Complex behavior construction

 

 

Advanced Animal Training Techniques (Chaining and Sequencing) – 141

This course examines behavioral chaining and sequence construction. Students learn to engineer forward, backward, and total-task chains while maintaining stimulus control and reinforcement clarity. Core topics include:

 

• Forward chaining

• Backward chaining

• Total-task presentation

• Stimulus control within sequences

• Reinforcement placement in chains

• Response fluency

• Error correction in chaining

• Applied performance sequencing

 

 

Basic Training Skills Workshop* – 103

This applied workshop provides structured practice in foundational training procedures. Students demonstrate reinforcement timing, cue delivery, shaping fundamentals, and stimulus control under supervision. Emphasis is placed on procedural fluency and precision. Core topics include:

 

• Reinforcement timing practice

• Marker system application

• Cue clarity and consistency

• Response acquisition drills

• Stimulus control refinement

• Error prevention strategies

• Session organization

• Performance feedback

 

 

Shaping Workshop* – 160

This workshop provides intensive applied experience in shaping complex behaviors. Students design shaping plans, adjust criteria dynamically, and demonstrate precision in reinforcing successive approximations. Core topics include:

 

• Shaping plan development

• Criterion adjustment

• Micro-approximation strategies

• Reinforcement density management

• Plateau resolution

• Response topography refinement

• Applied shaping analysis

 

 

Chaining Workshop* – 161

This workshop focuses on applied construction of behavioral sequences. Students practice forward and backward chaining while maintaining stimulus clarity and reinforcement precision. Core topics include:

 

• Forward chaining application

• Backward chaining application

• Chain fluency

• Reinforcement placement within sequences

• Error management in chaining

• Applied sequencing practice

 

 

Functional Behavioral Assessment I – 170

This course introduces systematic identification of controlling variables in behavior problems. Students learn to conduct structured interviews, identify evocative stimuli, and hypothesize maintaining contingencies. Core topics include:

 

• Three-term contingency analysis

• Evocative stimuli identification

• Reinforcing consequence identification

• Interview procedures

• Data collection strategies

• Hypothesis generation

• Functional classification

 

 

Functional Behavioral Assessment II – 171

This course expands assessment procedures to include systematic testing of hypotheses. Students examine experimental and quasi-experimental methods for validating functional relations. Core topics include:

 

• Contingency testing

• Trial-based assessment

• Component analysis

• Reversal logic

• Data interpretation

• Assessment refinement

• Ethical testing boundaries

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Functional Behavioral Assessment III – 172

This course integrates complex assessment variables including motivating operations, respondent processes, and competing contingencies. Students synthesize multi-variable functional analyses for applied planning. Core topics include:

 

• Motivating operation analysis

• Respondent–operant interactions

• Competing contingencies

• Multiple maintaining functions

• Complex case formulation

• Assessment documentation

 

 

Functional Diagnostics – 173

This course advances the classification of behavior problems by functional code. Students integrate assessment data into precise diagnostic formulations that guide intervention selection. Core topics include:

 

• Functional diagnostic coding

• Escape-maintained behavior

• Attention-maintained behavior

• Automatic reinforcement

• Tangible-maintained behavior

• Mixed-function cases

• Diagnostic precision

• Documentation standards

 

 

Strategies in Constructional Contingency Engineering – 180

This course introduces the constructional approach to behavior change. Students design interventions that build alternative repertoires rather than focusing solely on suppression. Core topics include:

 

• Constructional vs. reductive approaches

• Replacement repertoire development

• Reinforcement system design

• Shaping durable alternatives

• Minimizing aversive control

• Ethical intervention framing

• Long-term stability planning

 

 

Behavior Objectives – 181

This course focuses on writing precise, measurable behavior objectives that guide intervention design and evaluation. Core topics include:

 

• Operational definitions

• Observable response criteria

• Measurement dimensions (frequency, duration, latency, intensity)

• Baseline specification

• Performance thresholds

• Mastery criteria

• Documentation standards

 

 

Antecedent Contingency Engineering Procedures – 182

This course examines procedures that alter evocative conditions and motivating variables prior to target behavior occurrence. Core topics include:

 

• Stimulus control engineering

• Evocative stimulus arrangement

• Motivating operation manipulation

• Response effort adjustment

• Environmental structuring

• Trigger reduction strategies

• Preventative design

 

 

Postcedent Contingency Engineering Procedures – 183

This course addresses procedures that alter consequences following behavior to strengthen desired repertoires and weaken competing responses. Core topics include:

 

• Differential reinforcement procedures

• Extinction applications

• Reinforcement schedule design

• Response cost and ethical limits

• Consequence timing precision

• Avoiding inadvertent reinforcement

• Data-based adjustment

 

 

Contingency Engineering Strategies by Functional Diagnostic Code – 184

This course integrates diagnostic assessment with targeted intervention planning. Students select strategies based on verified maintaining contingencies. Core topics include:

 

• Function-based intervention matching

• Escape-maintained intervention strategies

• Attention-maintained intervention strategies

• Automatic reinforcement strategies

• Tangible-maintained intervention strategies

• Multi-function case planning

• Procedural integrity monitoring

 

 

Maintenance of Behavior Changes – 185

This course addresses the long-term stability of behavior change. Students examine how to preserve conditioned repertoires under shifting environmental conditions and prevent relapse through structured contingency planning. Core topics include:

 

• Reinforcement thinning

• Transfer to natural contingencies

• Generalization programming

• Contingency drift

• Relapse mechanisms

• Rollback procedures

• Long-term stability planning

 

 

Training Humans – 124

This course applies behaviorological principles to human performance, supervision, and organizational contexts. Students design reinforcement systems for skill acquisition, professional behavior, and procedural fidelity. Core topics include:

 

• Human operant conditioning

• Performance management

• Feedback systems

• Precision instruction

• Shaping professional repertoires

• Motivating condition management

• Ethical boundaries in human training

 

 

Contingency Management Planning Workshop* – 188

This workshop integrates assessment, objective writing, and intervention design into a complete contingency management plan. Students produce structured case documents suitable for applied settings. Core topics include:

 

• Case conceptualization

• Behavior objective integration

• Antecedent and postcedent design

• Reinforcement scheduling

• Data tracking plans

• Maintenance protocols

• Professional documentation standards

 

 

Introduction to Behavioral Complexity – 110

This course examines how simple conditioning processes scale into complex behavioral repertoires across biological, individual, and cultural levels. Core topics include:

 

• Selection by consequences

• Repertoire integration

• Rule-governed behavior

• Stimulus equivalence

• Emergent responding

• Cultural selection processes

• Systems-level analysis

 

 

Case Management – 190

This course addresses the coordination of assessment, intervention, documentation, communication, and ethical decision-making across applied cases. Core topics include:

 

• Case intake procedures

• Functional assessment integration

• Risk management

• Client communication

• Scope boundaries

• Documentation systems

• Outcome evaluation

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Professional Ethics – 191

This course examines ethical practice in applied behaviorology, emphasizing scope discipline, welfare protection, and scientific integrity. Core topics include:

 

• Professional scope of practice

• Non-coercive intervention standards

• Welfare safeguards

• Informed consent principles

• Referral criteria

• Documentation integrity

• Ethical decision-making models

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