Contingency and Behavior Analysis

Abstract

The concept of contingency is central to theoretical discussions of learned behavior and in the application of learning research to problems of social significance. This paper reviews three aspects of the contingency concept as it has been developed by behavior .analysts. The first is the empirical analysis of contingency through ex­perimental studies of both human and non-human behavior. The second is the syn­thesis of experimental studies in theoreticallconceptual frameworks to yield a more general account of contingency and to integrate the concept with other behavioral processes. The third aspect is one of practical considerations in the application of the contingency concept in both laboratory and applied settings.