Robles E, Vargas PA

Language: Spanish
References: 0
Page: 136-146
PDF size: 162.18 Kb.

ABSTRACT

We discuss Santoyo’s (2012) presentation of the origin and development of translational research which he clearly exemplifies in medical science, behavior analysis and developmental science, and we briefly expand the discussion to include two more areas of application of behavior analysis: behavioral pharmacology, and language development. We suggest that behavioral pharmacology is the area in which behavior analysis has had its most profound impact, mostly by providing the means to incorporate behavior as a central factor in the industrial development of pharmaceuticals, and the toxicological evaluation of chemical compounds. Specifically, we discuss the assessment of drug effects on response acquisition and stable behavior patterns, and the models of drug discrimination and drug self-administration. We describe how cognitive- behavior therapy and contingency management, which are based on principles of operant conditioning, are successfully used to treat diverse problems of drug addiction. And, finally, we describe language development as an important area of psychological research which, having produced findings of tremendous importance has not yet generated significant practical applications, and where translational research could potentially yield viable solutions to critical social problems. Specifically, we refer to the work by Hart and Risley (1995) and the observed relationships between parental language diversity and interactive style, and their children’s rate of language development and IQ.