Applied Behavior Analysis of Language and Cognition: Core Concepts and Principles for Practitioners

Written by leading experts in language and cognition, this groundbreaking behavior analysis textbook brings the study of verbal behavior into the 21st century with cutting-edge research. Students and clinicians in the burgeoning field of applied behavior analysis will find the theoretical foundation they need to effectively help the increasingly diverse clients seeking their services.

The origins of behavior analysis can be traced to the pioneering work of B.F. Skinner. Skinner’s fundamental insights into how human behavior is shaped, maintained, and can be changed were powerful and far-reaching. Some of Skinner’s most innovative contributions were in the study of language. Behavior analytic work in the area of language and cognition did not stop with Skinner, however. Indeed, Skinner’s work in this area has inspired considerable expansion, particularly with an eye toward more sophisticated verbal and cognitive repertoires.

This important volume provides an overview of the concepts and core behavioral processes involved in language and cognition. You’ll find a deeper exploration of complex linguistic and cognitive skills, including generative responding, learning by observation, and perspective taking. Also included are clinically supported interventions based in mindfulness, psychological flexibility, and emotion regulation to help clients improve complex language, social, and academic skills.

The future of behavior analysis is here. With its focus on the importance of language and cognition, this textbook is a must-read for anyone studying or practicing in the science of behavior.

• Relational Frame Theory: A Post-Skinnerian Account Of Human Language And Cognition
• A Contextual Behavioral Guide to the Self: Theory and Practice
• Derived Relational Responding Applications for Learners with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities: A Progressive Guide to Change
• The Self and Perspective Taking: Contributions and Applications from Modern Behavioral Science
• A Liberated Mind: How to Pivot Toward What Matters
• Prosocial: Using Evolutionary Science to Build Productive, Equitable, and Collaborative Groups
• The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living: A Guide to ACT
• The Big Book of ACT Metaphors: A Practitioner’s Guide to Experiential Exercises and Metaphors in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
• Evolution and Contextual Behavioral Science: An Integrated Framework for Understanding, Predicting, and Influencing Human Behavior