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Results
#1. A new behavior technician observes a child struggling to complete a puzzle. The technician offers an explanation, stating, ‘The child is experiencing an internal cognitive block because their executive functioning is momentarily impaired due to a lack of intrinsic motivation.’ When discussing this with a BCBA, the BCBA encourages the technician to consider more parsimonious explanations. According to the principle of parsimony, which of the following explanations would be preferred by the BCBA for the child’s difficulty with the puzzle?
Parsimony as an attitude of science in ABA dictates that when multiple explanations for a phenomenon are available the simplest explanation that requires the fewest assumptions should be preferred This means opting for explanations that are direct observable and require less inference about unobservable processes or complex underlying mechanisms Lets analyze the options A The child has an underlying neurological disorder that specifically affects puzzlesolving abilities This explanation introduces a complex unverified neurological disorder that would require extensive diagnostic testing and makes significant assumptions It is not the simplest explanation for a common struggle B The child is tired and has not been taught the necessary steps to complete this type of puzzle making them unable to engage This explanation is parsimonious because tiredness is a relatively simple observable state and not being taught the steps refers to a lack of learned behavior which is a direct and observable environmental or learning history factor Both are straightforward and require minimal assumptions C The childs unique personality traits predispose them to avoid tasks requiring fine motor skills and spatial reasoning Personality traits are constructs that require significant inference and multiple assumptions about internal dispositions While they might be true they are not the simplest behavioral explanation D The child is consciously choosing not to do the puzzle to gain attention from the technician reflecting an innate desire for control This explanation involves assumptions about conscious choice innate desire and control which are mentalistic and require multiple levels of inference beyond observable behavior and environmental contingencies While attention can be a reinforcer framing it with conscious choice and innate desire makes it less parsimonious than observable environmental or skill deficits Therefore the explanation citing tiredness and a lack of skill instruction observable states and environmental history is the most parsimonious because it relies on the fewest assumptions and most directly observable or verifiable factors
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