BA285 Unit 1 Core Principles Board Post Example

Course	BA285 Ethics in Behavior Analysis
Unit	Unit 1
Paper type	Discussion board post
Length	About 500 words, 2 pages double-spaced
Format	APA 7 discussion post
School	Purdue University Global
Program	BS in Psychology
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for BA285 Unit 1

A Grandmother Asks Me to Skip the Hard Part: A BA285 Unit 1 Discussion Post on the Core Principles

BA285 · Unit 1 Discussion Board Post

Posted by [Student Name]

The writer, her supervisor and the family are composite; the code and article cited are real.

What this part is doingStarting with a request that seems harmless shows that ethics lives in ordinary moments, not only in scandals.

Initial Post

My job is in-home therapy for young children in the hills south of Bowling Green, Kentucky, as a registered behavior technician. One of my clients is Caleb, a four-year-old who lives with his grandmother, Mrs. Pruitt. Last Sunday, I arrived for a morning session and she met me at the door. Caleb's toothbrushing program, which involves gradually increasing how long he tolerates the brush, usually leads to crying, and she wanted to go to church with a calm child. She asked me to skip it, just this once, and not write it down.

The Behavior Analyst Certification Board's ethics code rests on four core principles, which ask practitioners to do good for others, to treat people with compassion, dignity and respect, to act with integrity and to stay within their competence (Behavior Analyst Certification Board, 2020). The principles are meant to guide practitioners where specific standards do not settle a question.

Two principles applied directly. Compassion and respect pointed toward Mrs. Pruitt's request: she is seventy, raising a grandchild alone, and wanted one peaceful morning. Integrity pointed the other way: I could not leave a program out of my notes, because records must be accurate, and I am not authorized to change a treatment plan on my own.

The request to skip the program was reasonable; the request not to write it down was the part I could not grant.

Rosenberg and Schwartz (2019) argue that ethical practice is more than compliance with rules: it involves understanding the values behind them and using judgment in situations the rules do not anticipate. That helped me see that I did not need to choose between kindness and integrity. I called my supervisor from the driveway. She agreed that skipping the program on Sunday mornings made sense, moved it to weekday sessions in the plan, and asked me to document both the request and the change. I told Mrs. Pruitt honestly that I had to write it down, and why.

What situation in your work or studies has put two of the core principles in tension?

What this part is doingEnding with a question about tension invites classmates to test the principles rather than list them.

Reply to Courtney

Courtney, your example of a parent asking you to babysit a younger sibling after a session is a good case of integrity and compassion pulling apart. I would add that the code's concern is not only the extra role but the risk that it changes how the family relates to you during sessions.

Reply to Marcus

Marcus, I agree that the ensure competence principle is easy to overlook. For technicians, it often means recognizing when to call a supervisor rather than solving a problem alone, which is what Rosenberg and Schwartz (2019) describe as judgment rather than rule following.

References

Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2020). Ethics code for behavior analysts. Author.

Rosenberg, N. E., & Schwartz, I. S. (2019). Guidance or compliance: What makes an ethical behavior analyst? Behavior Analysis in Practice, 12(2), 473-482. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-018-00287-5

BA285 Unit 1 instructions, in plain terms

The first BA285 board asks why behavior analysts need an ethics code and what its core principles require. Name the four core principles of the current BACB code and explain each briefly in your own words. Apply at least two to a specific situation from work, fieldwork or a composite case, showing how they guide or conflict with each other. Explain what you would do and who you would consult, staying within your role. Close with a question for classmates. Cite the code and at least one article on ethics in behavior analysis. Roughly 400 to 450 words for the opening post is typical, followed by two replies that add a principle, a risk or a perspective the classmate did not consider.

How this BA285 Unit 1 example is built

The post opens with Mrs. Pruitt at the door on a Sunday morning asking to skip Caleb's toothbrushing program and leave it out of the record. A paragraph lists the four core principles. Another shows compassion and integrity pulling in different directions, under a highlighted line that the request to skip was reasonable but the request not to document was not. A paragraph uses Rosenberg and Schwartz to frame ethics as judgment and describes the call from the driveway, the moved program and an honest explanation to the grandmother. Replies address a parent's babysitting request and the competence principle as knowing when to call a supervisor.

Where the points sit in the BA285 Unit 1 rubric

Graders of the opening post look for accurate statements of the code's core principles and a real application, not a list. A situation in which principles conflict earns more than one where every principle agrees. Showing a decision that stays within the writer's role, including consultation, demonstrates understanding of professional limits. Citations to the code and a scholarly source are expected. Replies should add a principle, risk or perspective. Graders also watch for respectful, non-identifying descriptions of families. Posts that separate what can be accommodated from what cannot, as with skipping a program versus omitting it from records, usually stand out. A concrete phone call to a supervisor often lifts a post.

BA285 Unit 1 help: mistakes that cost points

Many first ethics posts recite the core principles without applying them. Others describe a dilemma and solve it alone, as if a technician could change a treatment plan. Students frequently pick an example with an obvious answer, which leaves nothing to analyze. Replies tend to agree that ethics is important. Some posts share identifying details about clients. Before posting, write each principle in one plain sentence, choose a situation where two principles pull apart, name who you would call and why, and remove any detail that could identify a family. In replies, describe one way the classmate's situation could become harder. Keep families composite. Then trim.

Get a BA285 Unit 1 example written to your instructions

Send the Unit 1 prompt and the rubric. A custom post explains the code's core principles through a real situation. The first is free, delivered within 24-48h. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.

More BA285 papers and BS in Psychology samples

BA285 Unit 1 questions, answered

What are the BACB code's core principles?

Benefit others; treat others with compassion, dignity and respect; behave with integrity; and ensure competence.

Who must follow the code?

Certified behavior analysts and applicants; technicians follow a separate RBT code.

What should replies add?

A situation where the classmate's principle would conflict with another.

Where can I find a free BA285 Unit 1 sample paper?

This page holds the complete BA285 Unit 1 post applying the BACB core principles to a composite grandmother's request, with two replies.

What did the technician do in the BA285 Unit 1 sample?

She called her supervisor, who moved the program to weekdays, and she documented both the request and the change.