Chapter 12: Changing the Stimulus Control of a Behavior with Fading

Vocabulary flashcards covering the concepts, types of prompts, stimulus dimensions, and procedures involved in fading stimulus control.

Fading

The gradual removal of prompts as the behavior continues to occur in the presence of the $S^D$ or in the presence of a partially changed or completely new stimulus.

Immediate Echolalia

The target behavior exhibited by Peter (who was diagnosed with Autism), which was modified using a response-dependent fading intervention and plastic chips as putative reinforcers.

Errorless Discrimination Training

A procedure (also called errorless learning) where no errors occur, offering advantages over trial and error because errors consume valuable time and tend to repeat themselves.

Stimulus Fading

A prompt fading technique where a dimension of a stimulus (such as a background picture) is gradually reduced or faded out until only the target stimulus remains.

Dimensions of Stimuli for Fading

Physical properties along which fading can occur, such as the loudness of a presented question or the clarity and intensity of dots to be traced.

Final Desired Stimulus

The stimulus chosen to evoke the target behavior at the end of the fading procedure, selected so that it can evoke and maintain the behavior in the natural environment.

Prompt

An antecedent stimulus used to indicate the likelihood that a person will engage in the correct behavior at the correct time.

Physical Prompt

A prompt (also called physical guidance) that consists of the trainer touching the learner to guide him or her appropriately.

Gestural Prompt

A physical movement or gesture of a trainer (or person) that leads to the correct behavior in the presence of the discriminative stimulus.

Modeling Prompt

A prompt (also known as modeling) in which the trainer demonstrates the target behavior for the learner; works best in conjunction with instructions and immediate role-play rehearsal.

Verbal Prompt

A prompt in which the verbal behavior of a person (trainer) results in the correct behavior of the trainee in the presence of the $S^D$.

Environmental Prompt

A prompt that consists of alterations of the physical environment in a manner that will evoke the desired behavior.

Extra-Stimulus Prompt

An additional stimulus added to the environment to make a correct response more likely.

Within-Stimulus Prompt

An alteration of the characteristics of the $S^D$ or S^\text{\textDelta} to make them more noticeable and discriminable.

Backtracking

The procedure of stepping back to an earlier step where the response was well established if errors (a response to an S^\text{\textDelta} or failure to respond to an $S^D$) occur during fading.