The present study aimed to exam the logic of the term "applied" in Behavior Analysis, as found in the literature in this area and in everyday language. The conceptions of application were categorized in three groups: a) application as service rendering, leading the discussion to the continuum service rendering x research, which is similar to everyday language use, b) application as a research mode, a revision of the concept of application in everyday language and its extension to scientific activities, turning the discussion to the continuum basic X applied research and c) application as simultaneous activities of research and service rendering which indicates the complementary character of these activities. Therefore, there are coexistent traditions in Behavior Analysis that support different uses of the term "applied".
Behavior analysis; application; service rendering; basic and applied research