The broad field of behaviour analysis grew out of the scientific study of principles of learning and behaviour. It has two main branches: experimental and applied behaviour analysis. The experimental analysis of behaviour is the basic science of this field and has over many decades accumulated a substantial and well-respected research literature. This literature provides the scientific foundation for applied behaviour analysis (ABA), which is both an applied science that develops methods of changing behaviour and a profession that provides services to meet diverse learning and behavioural needs. Professionals in applied behaviour analysis engage in the specific and comprehensive use of the principles of learning in order to address behavioural needs of widely varying individuals in diverse settings. Examples of these applications include building the skills and achievements of children in school settings; and enhancing the development, abilities, and choices of children and adults with various types of kinds of disabilities.
