Chapter 1 - Definitions

what is ABA?

science of behaviour of organisms. it is a natural science, not a social science.

experimental control is used to see how the individual is affected.

Based in determinism - environment has external/internal impacts.

Rejects hypothetical constructions, including free will.

can apply ABA to humans, animals and cultures

Seven Dimensions/Characteristics of ABA (GET A CAB)

• Generality,

• Effective,

• Technological,

• Analytic,

• Conceptually Systematic,

• Applied,

• Behavioural (GET A CAB)

Applied

Determined by the interest society shows in the problems being studied. The behaviour stimuli, and organism under study are chosen by their importance to humans and society.

How immediately important is the behaviour/stimuli to the subject. aka what is important to society AND individual, but individual always comes first.

Behavioural

interested in what people do and not what they say (about their behaviour, like self reporting about ones own behaviour).

to get an individual to do something effective.

behaviour measurement requires very precise requirements. measure observed actions

Analytic

a believable observation of the events responsible for the occurrence and nonoccurrence of the behaviour.

an experimenter has achieved analysis of behaviour when you can control it, to turn it on or off or up or down.

Two types of research design - 1. reversal(on off condition, ex - asking a dog to sit, then the dog stands again), and

2. Multiple baseline (across diff people, behaviours or contexts)

technological

techniques are identified and described.

Could another person replicate the procedures well enough to produce the same results?

Emphasizes the importance of replication

Conceptually systematic

behavioural procedures are tied to principles.

Things just occur automatically (ex - writing but you dont think about writing or when you learned to write).

Procedures are understood in terms of behaviour mechanisms responsible for their effects.

ABA is a discipline rather than a 'bag of tricks'

Effective

ABA techniques should produce 'large enough effects' for practical value ex - kid never opening car door.

A procedures power in altering behaviour enough to be socially important is the essential criterion (of effective).

Generality

behaviour change has generality if it

1. is durable overtime (matinance)

2. and appears in a wide variety of environments

3. spreads to wide variety of related behaviours. It should be programmed rather than expected or lamented.

Levels of Understanding

Description, Prediction, Control

description

collection of facts about observed events

prediction

repeated observations show 2 events covary (Correlation)

Control

functional relationship. a causal relationship.

A change in one event (DV) that is reliably produced by manipulation of another event (IV). Unlikely that results are due to extraneous factors (confounding DVS).

upmost highest level of understanding, when we can demonstrate this casual relationship

Functional relations (control)

the highest level, which philosophically requires scepticism and open mind-ness.

ex - clever hans the horse ( to be skeptical when something doesnt seem quite right). FC, S2C, Rapid promting method

attitudes of science (DEERPP)

all natural science is based in the concept of

• determinism,

• Empiricism,

• Experimentation,

• Replication,

• Parsimony,

• philosophical doubt

Determinism

universe the lawful and orderly, everything is connected and important to each other

Empiricism

objective observation & measurement (able to quantify)

Experimentation

controlled comparison and functional analysis (a control group vs experiment group).

Parsimony

simple and logical explanations are ruled out before complex & abstract explanations are introduced

replication

repeat experiments & demonstrate reliability

Philosophical doubt

continually question the fact, does it seem factual or logical

significance of BW&R article

defined what ABA is, set standards for future research and practice, identified early SSEDs (single subject experimental design) & conceptual justification, emphasizes social significance (for individual/society).

and defined 3 types of generality (maintenance/overtime, other environments and other behaviours)

ABA definition

the science in which tactics derived from the principles applied systematically to improve socially significant behaviour.

and experimentation used to identify the variables responsible for behaviour change

4 domains of behaviour analysis (BEAP+t)

• behaviourism,

• EAB (experimental analysis of behaviour),

• ABA (applied behavioural analysis),

• practice,

• translational (which bridges between EAB and ABA)

Behaviourism

conceptual, looking at principles and why they happens. why do reinforcements / punishments work etc..

EAB (Experimental analysis of behaviour)

Basic science, coming up with the principles on animals

ABA (applied behaviour analysis)

Applied, using the principles on humans

Translational

connection to EAB and ABA tests them in more complex or clinical scenarios,

Practice

connection to clients, working with a client to rehabilitate as well as collecting data to make sure that the thing you are testing works.