UWF: EDF6225-Foundations of ABA (Exam 1)

Although most of you are preparing for the BACB certification exam, please know that the material is based on the work of ________ and his science and philosophy of human behavior. There are occasions where we may spend time on items that are no longer specifically required for the exam, but we feel are required to be an excellent behavior scientist.

B.F. Skinner

The ________ is the only standardized form of data measurement in our science. In this course, you will be charting your own behavior - specifically your daily study of ABA terminology.

Standard Celeration Chart (SCC)

The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) is the single governing body for professionals in the field of _______. The BACB was established in 1998 to provide certification to professionals in an effort to establish minimum criteria to be a reactionary in the field.

Applied Behavior Analysis

The standard celeration chart is the only standardized form of data ______ in our science.

measurement

The word _______ refers to a systematic approach for seeking and organizing knowledge about the natural world.

systematic approach

Scientific investigations can yield information regarding the three levels of understanding, which are _____ ,_______ , and _______.

description, prediction, control.

What is the purpose for this systematic approach?

-To achieve a thorough understanding of the phenomena under study.

-To seek to discover the real truths.

--so no bias by groups or organizations

--or by the scientists themselves.

_______ studies produce a collection of facts about the observed events that can be quantified, classified, and examined for possible relations with other known facts.

(Can also suggest hypothesis, questions, or additional research ideas.)

Description

The highest level of scientific understanding is ________ . In this regard, we specifically manipulate one event (the independent variable) in order to produce a reliable change in another event (the dependent variable), and the change in the dependent variable is not likely due to other extraneous factors (known as confounding variables). This relationship is referred to as a _______.

Control; functional relationship

The _________ is the event in which we observe change.

dependent variable

What is a functional relationship?

It exists when a well-controlled experiment demonstrates that a specific change in one event (the dependent variable) is reliably produced by specific manipulations of another event (the independent variable), and that the change in the dependent variable was unlikely to be the result of other extraneous factors (confounding variables).

The _______ is the event in which we manipulate.

independent variable

The "behavior" we wish to change in behavior analysis is known as the _________. (2)

dependent variable (2)

The "intervention" we employ in behavior analysis is known as the ________. (2)

independent variable (2)

When we apply an intervention, we are manipulating the _______ . The change we see in the target behavior is known as the ________.

independent variable; dependent variable

A _______ is demonstrated when we ________ the independent variable and see a ____ in the dependent variable and that change is not likely due to______.

functional relationship; manipulate; change; extraneous variables

______ is the assumption that the universe is a lawful and orderly place in which phenomena occur as a result of other events. _______ is the objective observation of the phenomena of interest. _______ is the repeating of experiments to determine the reliability and usefulness of the findings.

Determinism; Empiricism; Replication

What is Determinism?

-The idea that scientists follow that the universe is a lawful and orderly place in which all phenomena occur as the result of other events.

-Events do not occur at will.

-Events are related in systematic ways.

What is Accidentalism?

The idea that events occur by accident or without cause.

What is Fatalism?

the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable. The scientific discovery of functional relations and use of these discoveries to improve things would be impossible.

Can Accidentalism and Fatalism occur concurrently with Determinism?

NO. They are actually antithetical (opposite) to determinism.

What is Empiricism?

The practice of object observation of the phenomena or interest. The basis on which all scientific knowledge is built from.

_______ is ensuring we consider the simplest, most logical explanation of a phenomenon before more complex explanations are considered.

Parsimony

What is parsimony?

all simple explanations are ruled out before more complex or abstract explanations are considered.

Why is parsimony important?

Parsimonious interpretations help scientists assess and fit new findings within the field's existing knowledge base. A fully parsimonious interpretation consists only of those elements that are necessary and sufficient to explain the phenomenon at hand.

In other words, given a choice between two competing and compelling explanations for the same phenomenon, one should shave off extraneous variables and choose the simplest explanation, the one that requires the fewest assumptions.

What is an experiment?

A controlled comparison of some measure of the phenomena of interest (DV) under two or more different conditions in which only one factor at a time (IV) differs from one condition to another.

What is replication?

The exact repeating of scientific experiments.

Why is replication important?

It is the primary method with which scientist determine the reliability and usefulness of their findings and discover their mistakes. Replication is the primary reason science is self-correcting Enterprise that ultimately gets it right (not the infallibility or inherent honesty of scientists).

(in ABA replication to be done with the exact same experiment, or reintroducing the same condition more than one time to see if you get the same results each time. This is essentially using someone as their own control group doing a single subject design we can get that replication using the same person over and over again)

What is philosophic doubt?

-The Continuous questioning of the truthfulness and the validity of all scientific theory and knowledge.

-Using scientific evidence before implementing a new practice and monitoring the effectiveness of the practice after its implementation.

Why is philosophic doubt important?

The skeptical practitioner not only requires scientific evidence before implementing a new practice but also evaluates continually it's effectiveness once the practice has been implemented. Practitioners must be particularly skeptical of extraordinary claims made for the effectiveness of new theories, therapies, or treatments.

You need to continuously question everything or you're missing the opportunity to expand on knowledge that's already found and your decreasing the credibility of something by not continuously researching and questioning.

Behavior analysis has three major branches: behaviorism, the experimental analysis of behavior, and applied behavior analysis. _______ is the natural science approach for discovering orderly and reliable relations between behavior and various type of environmental variables of which is the function. _______ is the philosophy of the science of behavior.

Observable behavior; Behaviorism

A working definition of science:...

- a systematic approach to the understanding of natural phenomena.

-as evidence by description, prediction, and control.

-that rely on determinism as its fundamental assumption.

-empiricism as its prime directive.

-experimentation as its basic strategy.

- replication as its necessary requirement for believbility.

-parsimony as a conservative value.

- and philosophic doubt as its guiding conscience.

_____ was established by Baer, Wolf, and Risley (1968) with seven guiding dimensions. (2)

Applied Behavior Analysis (2)

Describe the development of Applied Behavior Analysis.

Psychology in the early 1900s was dominated with the study of states of Consciousness, images, and other mental processes.

Introspection, the act of carefully observing one's own conscious thoughts and feelings, was a primary method of investigation.

Who was John B. Watson?

Watson argued that the proper subject matter for psychology was not states of mind or mental processes but observable behavior. Further, the objective study of behavior as a natural science should consist of direct observation of the relationships between environmental stimuli (S) and the responses (R) they evoke. Watsonian behaviorism became known as stimulus-response (S-R) psychology.

Although scientific evidence was insufficient to support S-R psychology as a workable explanation for most behavior, Watson was confident that his new behaviorism would lead to the prediction and control of human behavior and that it would allow practitioners to improve performance in areas such as education, business, and law. Watson (1924) made bold claims concerning human behavior (too bold).

What did John B. Watson bring to the field of psychology?

-observable behavior

(Watson argued that the proper subject matter of Psychology was not the states of mind or mental processes but the observable Behavior. There are some parts of the behavior that we see outside of the body.)

-(S-R) psychology

(so there's a stimulus and a response. Watson's behaviorism becomes known as the stimulus response psychology or S-R psychology)

-Foundations for the study of behavior as a natural science.

(Consist of direct observation of the relationships between environmental stimuli (S)(the S in psychology) and the responses (R) they evoke.

He made a strong case for the study of behavior as a natural science on a par with the physical and biological sciences.)

Define behaviorism.

It is the philosophy of the science of behavior, basic research is the province of the experimental analysis of behavior (EAB), and developing a technology for improving behavior is the concern of applied behavior analysis (ABA).

_______ attempts to explain all behavior, including private events such as thinking and feeling. _______ is the philosophical position that considers behavioral events that cannot be publicly observed outside the realm of science. These two are drastically different.

Radical behaviorism; Mentalism

Who is B.F. Skinner and why do we still learn about him today?

He did the radical behaviorism and he defined operant behavior. One of the founding fathers of a ABA. Skinner did a lot including when we talked about verbal Behavior, operant behavior, the history of radical behaviorism, and the development of Aba.

What is Mentalism?

A mental or "inner" Dimension exist that is different from a behavioral dimension.

What role does mentalism play in Skinners radical behaviorism?

So with radical behaviorism, we're saying that because of mentalism we essentially could study what happens internally with thought processes and reinforcement processes that happen entirely inside of someone. But that is more difficult because it is going to be less accessible. Meanwhile observable behavior is much easier.

Describe Respondent Beahvior

-It is reflexive behavior

-Ivan Pavlov (1927/1960)

-Respondents are elicited ("brought on by") stimuli that immediately precedes them.

-Antecedent stimulus and response it elicits from a functional unit called a reflex.

-Involuntary response.

-Occur whenever elicit stimulus is present.

-S-R model (represents it)

(dog drooling is respondent bx)

Describe Operant behavior.

-Behavior is shaped through the consequences that immediately follow it.

-Three-term contingency.

-S-R-S model

(an extra stimulus is added at the end, which is also how behavior is formed).

-Behaviors that are influenced bu stimulus changes that have followed the behavior in the past.

Give an example of Operant behavior.

if I had a dog on the nose every time it comes to me over the overtime that dog is going to come to me less and less dogs learned that after the response of coming to me to be pet but she will receive the signals of getting hit that behavior will change.

behaviors are influenced by stimulus changes that have followed the behavior of the past. So what has happened to us before we learn from it and change how we interact.

what is radical behaviorism (Skinner's behaviorism). it Makes three assumptions about the nature of private events.

-private events such as thoughts and feelings or behavior.

-behavior that takes place within the skin is distinguished from other "public" behavior only by its inaccessibility.

-private Behavior has no special properties and is influenced by (i.e. is a function of) the same kinds of variable as publicly accessible Behavior.

define radical behaviorism

-makes 3 assumptions about the nature of private events.

-includes and seeks to understand all human behavior.

--far reaching and thouroughgoing

--dramatic departure from other conceptual systems.

describe 1950s FUller (1949)

one of the first studies to report human application of operant behavior.

-participant 18 year old boy with profound intellectual disability

-arm raising response was conditioned by injecting a small amount of a warm sugar milk solution into participants mouth every time he moved his right arm

describe Ayllon and Michael (1959)

-"the psychiatric nurse as a behavior engineer"

-forms of bias for branch of behavior analysis that would later be called applied Behavior Analysis Aba

-describe techniques based on principles of behavior to improve the functioning of chronic psychotic or presidents with intellectual disabilities

describe the 1960s

-researchers began to apply principles of behavior and effort to improve socially important Behavior.

-techniques for measuring behavior and controlling and manipulating variables were sometimes unavailable or inappropriate.

-little funding was available

-no ready outlets for publishing studies

-application of Behavioral principles to education is a major area of impact.

--provide foundation for

---behavioral approaches to curriculum design

---instructional methods

---classroom management

---generalization and maintenance of learning

(not a great time for a VA, used for bad things like conversion therapy)

describe the 1960s-1970s

-1968 formally begining of Contemporary applied Behavior Analysis

--Journal of Applied behavioral analysis (JABA) began publication.

---first journal in US to deal with applied problems and gave researchers using methodology from experimental analysis of behavior and outlet for publishing their findings.

---Flagship Journal of Aba (and remains)

--"some current dimensions of Applied behavioral analysis" ( bear ,wolf ,and risley)

---founding fathers of the new discipline (Aba)

---defined the criteria for judging adequacy of research and perspective and ABA and outlined the space of work for those in the science.

---most widely cited publication in aba

---remains standard description of the discipline

In the early 1900's the struggling field of psychology was based on introspection and states of _________ , relying on case studies to document work.

consciousness

B.F. Skinner is credited with developing what Watson previously described into the actual science of behavior by conducting thousands of experiments that demonstrated orderly and reliable relationships between behavior and the ________. This work was published in the _______ (1938/1966) and should be added to every behavior analyst's library.

environment; JABA

what are the the components of applied behavior analysis?

-applied

-behavioral

-analytic

-technological

-conceptually systematic

-effective

-capable of generalized outcomes

Describe the applied component of applied behavioral analysis.

-investigate socially significant behaviors with immediate importance to the participants.

-behaviors include

--social

--language

--academic

--daily- living

--self-care

--vocational

--recreation and/or leisure

(important to the participant is Paramount but this doesn't always happen in practice. applied also signaled Aba's commitment to affecting Improvement in behaviors that enhance and improve people's lives.)

describe the behavioral component of aba.

-precise measurements of the actual behavior in need of improvement and documents that it was the participants behavior that changed.

--the behavior in need of improvement and it is a study of behavior (not about Behavior).

--the behavior must be measurable.

--important to note whose Behavior has changed.

why is it important to note whose Behavior has changed?

perhaps only the behavior of the Observer has changed, which shows "whether the study was appropriately Behavioral". perhaps the experimenter changed in an unplanned way, making it appropriate to attribute any observed change in the subject's behavior to the independent variables that were manipulated.

-to see how these respondents change over time.

describe the analytic component of aba.

demonstrates experimental control over the occurrence and non-occurrence of the behavior (a functional relation is demonstrated).

what does experimental control look like?

what does experimental control look like?maybe changing the antecedent before math class could change the behavior rather than changing the consequence or if she is normally removed from class when she can't run then we would stop the consequences when she Tantrums.

probably best to look at the environment first before looking at consequences because of sensory overload could be the antecedent for responses or behaviors that are considered unpleasant or aggressive. Maybe shift environment for someone with sensory overload.

describe the technological component of aba.

-written description of all procedures in the study is sufficiently complete and detailed to enable others to replicate it written description of all procedures in the study is sufficiently complete and detailed to enable others to replicate it.

-all operative procedures are identified and described in detail and clearly.

what does it mean to replicate a study?

done the exact same way each time.

describe the conceptually systematic component of aba.

-Behavior change interventions are derived from basic principles of behavior.

-better enable research consumers to derive other similar procedures from the same principles.

-assist integrating discipline into a system instead of a collection of tricks.

(the interventions that we use are derived from these basic principles of behavior. Studied multiple times through multiple people.)

describe the affective component of Aba.

-improve Behavior sufficiently to produce practical results for the participant.

-improvements in Behavior must reach clinical or social significance.

-extent to which changes in the Target Behavior results in noticeable changes.

(so was it easy to observe that the target Behavior has actually changed. Did it improve and did it improve in a way that produce practical results for the participant)

describe the generality component of aba.

-produces Behavior changes that last over time

-appear in other environments (other than the one in which intervention was implemented)

-or spread to other behaviors (those not directly treated by the intervention)

describe aba

the science in which tactics derived from principles of behavior are applied systematically to improve socially significant behaviors and experimentation is used to identify the variables responsible for Behavior change

The _____dimension of ABA was summarized by Baer et al. (1968): "applied research is constrained to examining behaviors which are _____ important, rather than convenient for study" (p. 92). These are other wise known as _______.

current; socially; socially signifigant

______ is the dimension in which we are certain that we not only changed behavior, but we know whose behavior changed.

behavioral

______ defines how we arrive to our decision as to whether or not behavior change occurred as we predicted.

analytic

________ means that we fully disclose all of the procedures we followed in order to measure behavior before and during intervention, as well as to how the intervention was applied.

technological

______ procedures mean that we rely on behavioral procedures derived from the research, not just random attempts to change behavior.

conceptually systematic

_______ is when the applied behavior we selected was objectively measured and it demonstrated a reliable change.

effective

______ is the golden standard of our procedures. It simply means that the intervention not only changed the behavior in a particular setting, with a particular person, but that in generalized to other environments and it maintained long after we exited the picture.

generality

When a stimulus is added and future frequencies of behavior maintain or increase, it is known as ______ reinforcement.

positive

_______ _________ is when stimulus is added and future occurrences of behavior decreases.

positive punishment

When a stimulus is removed and future frequencies of behavior maintain or increase, it is know as ________.

negative reinforcement.

When a _______ is added and future frequencies of behavior maintain or increase, it is known as positive reinforcement

stimulus

______punishment is when stimulus is added and future occurrences of behavior decreases. (2)

positive (2)

When a stimulus is _______ and future frequencies of behavior maintain or increase, it is know as negative reinforcement.

removed

Positive ______ is when stimulus is added and future occurrences of behavior decreases.

punishment

When a stimulus is added and future frequencies of behavior maintain or increase, it is known as positive _______.

reinforcement

______ reinforcement is when a stimulus is removed and future frequencies of behavior maintain or increase.

negative

When a stimulus is added and frequencies _____ of behavior maintain or increase, it is known as positive reinforcement.

future

Positive ______ is when a stimulus is ______ and future frequency of behavior increases or stays the same.

positive; added

When a stimulus is ____ and future frequencies of behavior maintain or increase, it is known as positive _____

added. reinforcement

______punishment is when a stimulus is added and future occurrences of behavior______

positive; decrease

_______reinforcement is when a stimulus is removed and future frequencies of behavior

negative

Reinforcement theory is a ________. That means all of its components are defined by their function (how they work) rather than by their ________ (how they look).

functional theory;

structure

Positive reinforcement is a functional relation defined by a two-term contingency: A response is followed immediately by the ________ of a stimulus, and, as a result, similar responses occur more ________ in the future.

presentation;

frequently

The stimulus change responsible for the increase in responding is called a _______. A delay (as long as even one second) can _______ the intended effects of a stimulus because it allows for another, unintended stimulus to happen prior to the intended stimulus.

reinforcement;

change

In addition to increasing the future frequency of the behavior it follows (consequence stimuli), ________ changes the function of antecedent stimuli. This antecedent stimulus may evoke behavior because it is correlated with the availability of reinforcement and is known as the _______ .

reinforcement;

discriminative stimulus

The discriminative stimulus only signals the _______ of a reinforcer. It does not change the effectiveness of a reinforcer.

occurance

A ___________ increases or decreases the current effectiveness of a reinforcer. A motivating operation does not signal the ______ of a reinforcer.

motivating operation;

occurrance

The refrigerator may typically signal the availability of food and food could be considered a _________ if you are hungry.

reinforcer

Your hunger is not contingent on the availability of the refrigerator - it can happen anywhere. Your hunger is considered a ______________ .

motivating operation

Your refrigerator may be available when you are not hungry. It is always there. Your refrigerator is simply a signal for the availability of reinforcement, otherwise known as the ________.

discriminative stimuli

_____________ are stimuli that function as reinforcement without requiring a learning history. These stimuli are the product of phylogenic development, meaning that all members of a species are susceptible to the same properties of stimuli.

unconditioned reinforcers

___________________ are previously neutral stimuli that function as reinforcers as a result of prior pairing with one or more other reinforcers.

conditioned reinforcers

A _________________is a conditioned reinforcer that has a result of having been paired with many unconditioned and conditioned reinforcers does not depend on a current EO for any particular form of reinforcement for its effectiveness.

generalized conditioned reinforcer

As Skinner (1989) pointed out, the powerful reinforcer "does not need to be ______ for instructional purposes; it is unrelated to any particular kind of behavior and hence always available. We call it success." (p.91).

contrived

An _____________ is one in which responding terminates an ongoing aversive stimulus.

escape contingency

An ___________ is one in which responding delays or prevents the presentation of an aversive stimulus.

avoidance contingency