OBM Exam 1

We choose behaviors that aren’t necessarily great for experiments, but that are relevant to the clients. Is the behavior socially significant

Applied

Not easy to quantify behavior, it’s not just the subject’s behavior that can change. Is the behavior observable/measurable

Behavioral

Have achieved an analysis of behavior when you can control that behavior (turn it on and off). Does it have the data to back it up

Reversal Technique- Collect baseline data, add your experimental data, see if it makes a change, remove the experimental data, if you have control it should go decrease, add experimental data again, see if there’s a change.

Multiple baseline- good when a behavior is irreversible or when you don’t want to reverse the behavior. Take baseline data on a number of responses, add experimental variable that produces a change but shows little change in your other responses, add the experimental variable to another response and if it changes you have control

Analytic

Procedures are easy to replicate. Ask whether a trained reader could replicate and get the same results.

Technological

Interventions are rooted in your basic principles and are research-based and not tricks

Conceptually Systematic

Large enough effect for practical value ex. Going from a d- to a d, not large enough to show that you did something.

Effective

Intervention needs to be durable over time and spread to more behaviors and more context

Generality

core principles guiding evidence-based, socially significant behavior change. These dimensions define the field

Seven Dimensions of ABA

Using ABA techniques in the workplace to improve performance and behaviors. The goal is to create a workplace that brings out the best in people while generating the highest value for the organization

Performance Management

1. PM is practical

2. PM produces long-term and short-term results

3. PM requires no formal psychologist training

4. PM is a system for maximizing all kinds of performance

5. PM creates an enjoyable workplace in which to work

6. PM can be used to enhance relationships at work, at home, and in the community

7. PM is an open system

Reasons Organizations Use PM

PM has its roots in _

Operant Conditioning

1. Authority- We believe something is true because an authority says it is

2. Agreement- We can ask several people, and if they all come up with the same answer, we usually feel comfortable that we know something

3. Personal Experience-We do things that work for us. If they work for us consistently, we think we know how they work for others.

4. Science- Scientific knowing leads to more effective explanations and to the simplest explanation that allows for effective action

Ways of knowing something works in the long term

Some employees are turned off by the term _ because it indicates that employees are at fault. But actually, this approach relieves the individual of fault and places fault on the environment in general.

Behavior

A company’s net income or profit

Bottom Line

Outcome of behavior

Results

The single most important skill for anyone attempting to change the behavior of others in a business setting is the skill of _. This simply means being precise about behavior.

Unfortunately, most people asking for behavior change think they are being precise, even while the person being asked to change is forced to guess at the criterion for success

Pinpointing

_ are usually pinpointed first, so that you have the information necessary to make changes to the support system that has been created to produce valuable behavior.

If you have not pinpointed the behaviors you want from the beginning, you will be unable to determine if changes in the results are performer-produced or system-produced.

Results

A pinpoint must be _, measurable, and reliable. Managers frequently use vague terms to describe an employee’s performance. This is called labeling, which often leads to stereotyping. Stereotyping means that we have a preconceived idea of someone’s potential. Stereotyping causes us to attribute many qualities, often negative, to the person or group, qualities that were never actually demonstrated or observed.

Observable

Pinpointing behavior involves two challenges. The first is separating behaviors from non-behaviors, and the second is determining whether or not the behavior you select will in fact create the outcome you want. These challenges can be over¬come by simplifying and testing the effectiveness of your pinpoints.

To simplify pinpointing behaviors, describe them in terms of observable muscle movements. This implies that you must see the behavior you have described and that behavior must involve physical action of the performer.

Behaviors are __ (an action ex. Run, hop) and results are _ (person, place, or thing)

You can distinguish results from behaviors by the fact that while behaviors are active, results are static and inactive

Verb, Nouns

1. Pinpoint

2. Identify the Mission (Agree on Expectations)

3. Measure

4. Analyze using PIC/NIC

5. Give Feedback

5 step behavior change process

Action-Every behavior is an action

Object-Each behavior has an object of the action or the thing being acted upon.

Condition- Tell them when to do the behavior

Criterion- Tell them when to stop

While not all four are necessary for every pinpoint, you must check to ensure that an omission

doesn’t deprive the performer of vital information.

Four Components of a Pinpoint

Quality- What is the standard

Accuracy: Degree of conformity of a measure to the standard or true value

Class: A judgement of the comparative superiority of an accomplishment beyond accuracy

Novelty- Judgement of the degree to which an accomplishment involves a new or unusual combination or variation of objects, words, or events

Quantity- quantity is the category most often used. It involves only counting.

Frequency-Number of occurrences

Rate- Number of occurrences in a given period of time

Timeliness- The time in which a product or service is a. Completed or b. Arrives at an agreed time and place Cost

Labor- Total of all performance and performance related cost such as wages, benefits, reinforcers

Material- Include physical resources like buildings, supplies, machinery, electricity, and so on,

Management- Cost of management and supervisory practices

Measurement Categories

Counting- We can count the number of parts made, engineering drawings completed, lines of computer

code written, or hours of overtime. Counting is the preferred method of measuring because practically everybody can do it— and with a high degree of reliability. It is easy and usually can be completed quickly.

Judging- When the pinpoints you have selected can’t be made specific enough to permit counting, you can use the judgment technique of measuring. Judgment is the process of forming an opinion or evaluation by discerning and comparing. Even though judgment is less reliable and more subjective than counting, it has at least two very practical uses in PM. First, judgment allows you to measure any performance. Second, in most cases when you use judgment measures, you discover new ways to count, and counting is most always preferred to judgment. However, when you can’t count, there are four techniques that are used in making judgments about performance.

They are as follows:

1. Opinion-based Ranking

2. Opinion-based Rating

3. Criteria-based Ranking

4. Criteria-based Rating

Only use rankings when ratings are impractical

Two major measurement methods

Observing the behavior as it happens

Direct Observation

Measuring the end result or outcome of a behavior

Permanent Product

a structured, often visual tool used to evaluate, measure, and track the effectiveness of individuals, teams, or business processes based on specific, predefined criteria

4 is past performance, 5 would be your baseline, 10 is the goal, and 13 is above and beyond

Circle the one where your performance is closest to

Multiply weight by column where it’s score

Performance Matrix

a formal, but not scientific, way of looking at a behavior from the perspective of the performer. It allows us to examine in detail the antecedents and consequences that affect a given behavior.

Everyone’s behavior makes sense to him or her at the time

A PIC/NIC Analysis® shows us why a person engages in behavior that seems irrational.

We start the analysis by identifying the problem behavior the positive consequences tend to be immediate and the negative ones tend to be in the future.

P= Positive

N= Negative

I= Immediate

F= Future

C= Certain

U= Uncertain

Purpose= Try to understand: What could this person get out of doing this

PIC/NIC Analysis

Information about performance that allows a person to change his/her behavior

The combination of feedback and positive reinforcement is a very effective approach to improving performance

Feedback alone does not change performance; rather, performance changes because of the consequences directly associated with feedback, or because of consequences expected in the future. If there are no consequences associated with the feedback, performance will not improve, or if it does, the improvement will only be temporary.

Feedback is most effective when it is a discriminative stimulus (SD) for positive reinforcement.

Feedback is a seemingly simple concept. However, a number of

factors tend to increase its effectiveness. Ten of them are presented below.

1. Specific information

2. Information on a performance the person controls

3. Immediately following the performance,i f not during

4. Individualized

5. Self-monitored when possible

6. If not self-monitored, delivered by the person in charge

7. Focused on improvement

8. Easily understood

9. Graphed

10. Used as an antecedent to reinforcement

Feedback

a proactive, self-management strategy where individuals observe, record, and assess their own behaviors (e.g., using checklists or apps) to increase, decrease, or maintain specific actions

You must reinforce accuracy (people lie, so you have to reinforce accuracy)

Beneficial for supervisors to recognize improvement as measured by self-monitoring

Valuable for new employees

Self Monitoring

1. Match your market with your personal passions and ability to get results

Research the market that captures your interest

3 ways to pivot

Become a specialist

Change the way you deliver your products and services

Pivot to another target market

2. Reframe Behavior analysis in a way that resonates with your target market

Like-as, behavior analysis is like

3. Differentiate your OBM products and services from the competition

Explore whether these systems are working as intended

Focus on how OBM differs from these systems

4. OBM Consultants are hired to help change behavior, antecedents alone are insuffcent

5. Always approach your consulting engagements with a perspective that is outside -> in

Seeing the client’s situation through their eyes

6. Turbocharge your OBM expertise with top-notch consulting

You need to develop consulting skills

7. Care. Really Care. Show you care.

Bracksmith and Smith Lessons Learned

refers to the coursework associated with experiential learning, whereas internship or fieldwork refers to site placement that

gives you access to “on the job” training

Practicum

Your supervisor’s job is to give you accurate feedback. That means that your supervisor will tell you when you have done something well as well as when you need to do something differently in the future.

Your supervisor will provide you with feedback on your clinical as well as ethical and professional skills. This will include, but is not limited to, your mannerisms, how you dress, and how you interact with others

A supervisor is your coach, trainer, mentor, advisor, and sometimes even your counselor.

Common misconceptions about the role of a supervisor:

Make sure I’m comfortable at all times

Always lift me up and yell me how good I’m doing

The duty of a supervisor/manager

Generally to increase the work productivity and quality of supervisees/subordinates

In human services

Quality and ethics of services being delivered

Therapeutic Relationships

Professional growth, competence, and well-being

Work Productivity

Supervision

To take learning you did in the classroom, outside the classroom This will require you to know the concepts, but go beyond.

Fieldwork

The primary purpose of on-campus experience sites is to provide high-quality su-pervision to students and, in most cases, opportunities for collaborative and applied research projects.

As result, university-based clinics usually provide focused services to specific populations (e.g., children younger than the age of four diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder) depending on the research projects and expertise of the faculty members involved with the clinic.

Supervisors at university-based practica are often faculty members or profes- sional experts hired by the university to supervise interns. Therefore, they have a high level of control over your training and personal development.

You are also likely to have dedicated time with a supervisor to discuss ideas, review the research literature, and test out your ideas

under the guidance of your supervisor with the clients. If you are considering a doctoral degree and a career as an academic and a researcher, this is definitely the right fieldwork for you because you will obtain applied research experience and

mentorship from university faculty. Some other advantages of university-based fieldwork are that you are likely to

gain firsthand experience in applying the concepts and procedures you learned in your classes. Sometimes, your supervisor(s) may be also your faculty in your graduate program and may help you link your experience with coursework.

You are likely to be the provider of the most recent evidence-based treatments available and cutting-edge research that has not yet been

published. The disadvantage is that you may be less prepared for the world outside of the university, where the controlling agents often are the third-party payers and you have much less control over the context of services.

Service Provision is often tied to research

Your supervisors are professors

Main goals are likely to train student and conduct research

Often not tasked with administrative duties (e.g. scheduling, billing, etc.)

More freedom to try out your own ideas, get to know literature

Lots of opportunities for research and control over treatment decisions

UNIVERSITY-BASED SITES

Supervision in a community setting provides you with the opportunity to experience what a career as a behavior analyst working outside of a university setting will really look like.

Primary focus of supervision in such a setting is client services, and your supervisor is likely to have administrative as well as clinical duties. In community settings, supervisors usually have little or no control over the number of clients they are assigned to, which staff are hired, and who they supervise.

An increasing number of clinical supervisors also have administrative duties, which can be challenging to balance and sometimes decrease their capacity to focus on their clinical supervision. In addition, supervisors in community settings work with a wider range of

both clients and staff

Unlike in a university setting, some consumers may not be willing participants in the behavior change program, and the supervisor will have to adapt the program to facilitate their participation. Staff may also lack the motivation or skills to perform specific behavior procedures, and the supervisor is responsible for leading the team and ensuring procedures are implemented correctly.

Some other advantages of community-based fieldwork are that you are likely to learn, firsthand, how to work with diverse populations, ages, and families who may not access university services as readily. You are more likely to learn how to deal with challenging caregivers, unsatisfied customers, parents with concerns, and other difficult circumstances that affect your therapeutic relationship.

Experience working alongside of people who are not clinicians (e.g. admin, HR, etc.)

Main focus is service provision

Supervisor likely will have administrative and clinical responsibilities, making the supervision of your fieldwork one of many tasks

Less control over treatment practices

COMMUNITY-BASED SITES

Selecting an ethical, competent, and professional supervisor is key to making your supervision experience a good one.

Supervisors have a lot of responsibilities and power in the supervisor–supervisee relationship. The power differentials between a supervisor and a supervisee can potentially even be enhanced if the supervisor is a member of the majority culture,

race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation but the supervisee is not

An ethical supervisor is self-aware of the differential power in the relationship and takes steps to limit potential harm to both supervisees and consumers of their services

The most challenging role the supervisor has is the role of a gatekeeper for certification, and an ethical supervisor takes this role very seriously. Your supervisor, therefore, will be responsible for noticing any impediments to you becoming a competent, independent practitioner. Some of the things that your supervisor may watch for include academic difficulties, mental health problems, ethical or

legal misconduct, and familial and life circumstances that compromise your performance.

An ethical supervisor will teach you to seek supervision the moment you self-detect that you may be having difficulties that compromise

your performance.

The supervisor will work with you to determine the appropriate steps you need to take to become a healthy, competent, and contributing member of the profession.

Although supervision is extremely important for shaping emerging clinicians, specialized training for it lags behind

The majority of supervisors reported that their current place of employment did not provide training about effective supervision practices.

The supervisor SHOULD recognize the power differential and:

Subject themselves to evaluation by the supervisee

Seek training in culturally competent supervision

Communicate they are doing so as to model good behaviir

Avoid conflicts of interests, multiple relationships, breaches of confidentiality

Good and Bad Supervisors

Teaching identified outcomes with workplace relevance to a pre-determined criteria. (that signal competence), using assessment/evaluation as the measure of the criteria.

Curriculum as a list of things you want someone to learn (e.g. objective)

In ABA, there is the BACB task list (now called the test content outline)

Concepts and principles but… what is the applied function of the concept

Determining the scope of content and skills

Competency-based instruction

What is competence or acceptable performance

What do the experts do

Quantitative mastery as a %

80-100 is good

Will the demonstration of competence be verbal or performance

Verbal- Measurement and Porfessionalism and Requirements

Performance- Assessment and Skill Acquistion and Behavior Reduction

Determining Mastery Criteria

ABA focuses exclusively on changing observable behaviors through environmental manipulation, rather than analyzing internal mental processes, emotions, or unconscious thoughts

How ABA is different