University of West Florida EDF 6557 Chapter 1 Reading Notes

Chapter 1 – Introduction to ABA, Ethics, and Core Ethical Principles
Paradigms of clinical ethics – providing the groundwork
 Rules for conduct and resulting consequences are not the same for all humans
o Ex: taking another person’s life could result in the death penalty and/or time in
prison; however, it could also result in social recognition
 Both outcomes depend on variables such as dominant cultural group in
geographical location one resides and context in which the act occurred
Dominant paradigms in clinical ethics – virtue ethics, consequentialism, and deontology
Virtue ethics – argues that moral excellence is the proper focus or reflection on ethics and rules
for behavior
 Certain behaviors are ethical, “right,” or “good” in and of themselves, regardless of
context or outcomes
o Ex: honesty and patience often considered virtuous behaviors regardless of
context and what may happen as a result of being honest/patient
 One may label an individual as virtuous if two conditions are met:
o Individual tends to emit behavior consistent with the socially agreed-upon
virtuous label
o Individual’s virtuous response should be fluent in his/her repertoire and
maintained by nonsocial reinforcement
 Would reliably behave in a manner labeled as virtuous regardless of any
socially mediated consequences that may or may not occur
 Behaviors labeled as virtuous can vary between and within different cultures
Consequentialism – argues the outcomes of a behavior determine whether that behavior is
right or wrong
 Total hedonistic consequentialism – combination of act consequentialism and hedonism
o Act consequentialism – argues that behavior is deemed “right” or “wrong” if and
only if that act maximizes the good
o Hedonism – claims that pleasure is the only “right” and pain/aversiveness are the
only “wrong”
 Behavior is deemed ethically appropriate if and only if the behavior
causes the greatest happiness for the greatest number