The Need for an Integration of Technology, Behavior-Based Instructional Design, and Contingency Management: An Opportunity for Behavior Analysis

Abstract

Behavior analysis has a long history of relying on technology for its advances and in turn, behavior analysis provides a framework for approaching technological implementations in a pragmatic manner. One of the field’s earliest technological innovations was teaching machines, a development that is well-represented by today’s use of computer-based instruction in both education and training. However, effective technology such as computer-based instruction requires an alignment between an analysis of behavior and an analysis of instructional content. This paper will cover the early historical development of technology in behavior analysis and the need for behavior- based instructional design in coordinating technology with the science of behavior. The paper will also provide a brief overview of the behavior-based instructional design process proposed by designers such as Susan Meyer Markle.