ABA Exam 3 Comprehensive Practice: Stimulus Control, Shaping, Prompting, and Chaining

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering foundational Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) concepts from Chapters 7, 9, 10, and 11, including stimulus control, discrimination training, shaping, response and stimulus prompting, prompt fading, and behavior chaining procedures.

Antecedent Stimulus

An event or condition that occurs before a behavior and can influence the likelihood of that behavior occurring.

Situation-Specific Reinforcement

The behavioral principle that the effects of reinforcement are specific to the environment or stimulus conditions in which reinforcement has historically occurred, rather than generalizing automatically to all situations.

Stimulus Control

The condition in which a behavior occurs more frequently in the presence of a specific antecedent stimulus because of a past history of reinforcement in that situation.

$S^D$ (Discriminative Stimulus)

An antecedent stimulus that signals that a particular response is likely to be reinforced, increasing the future probability of that response in its presence.

$S^\Delta$ (S-Delta)

An antecedent stimulus that signals that a response is not reinforced (or will result in extinction), making that response less likely to occur in its presence.

Stimulus Discrimination Training

A procedure that reinforces a behavior in the presence of an $S^D$ and withholds reinforcement (extinction) in the presence of an $S^\Delta$, resulting in the behavior occurring reliably under the $S^D$ condition and rarely under the $S^\Delta$ condition.

Three-Term Contingency

The basic functional unit of operant behavior consisting of an antecedent stimulus (A), a behavior or response (B), and a consequence (C).

Stimulus Generalization

The occurrence of a trained behavior in the presence of novel or untrained antecedent stimuli that share similar physical or functional features with the original $S^D$.

Stimulus Class

A group of antecedent stimuli that share common physical characteristics or evoke the same functional behavioral response.

Shaping

A behavioral procedure used to develop a novel behavior by systematically and differentially reinforcing successive approximations toward a designated terminal target behavior.

Successive Approximations

Behaviors that progressively and increasingly resemble the specified terminal target behavior.

Differential Reinforcement and Extinction (in Shaping)

The two behavioral principles that drive shaping: differential reinforcement reinforces responses that are closer to the target behavior, while extinction withholds reinforcement for previous, less advanced approximations.

Starting Behavior

The initial approximation chosen in a shaping plan that must already occur at least occasionally and represents an achievable baseline from which the target behavior can be constructed in small steps.

Conditioned Reinforcer (in Shaping)

A stimulus—such as praise, tokens, or an auditory clicker—paired with an established reward that delivers immediate reinforcement for intermediate steps, avoiding delay and reducing satiation.

Shaping a New Topography

A shaping procedure in which the physical form, motion, or mechanics of a behavior are systematically altered (e.g., transitioning from pointing to vocal speech).

Shaping a New Dimension

A shaping procedure in which an existing behavior is maintained in form while a measurable physical dimension—such as rate, duration, intensity, or latency—is systematically modified.

Extinction Burst (in Shaping)

A temporary increase in the frequency, intensity, or variability of an earlier approximation when reinforcement is withheld, often generating the behavioral variation needed to produce the next closer approximation.

Prompt

An antecedent stimulus or cue added to the teaching environment to evoke the desired response when the natural $S^D$ is not yet effective on its own.

Response Prompt

A prompt delivered directly by another individual that evokes the correct behavior, classified into verbal, modeling, gestural, and physical forms.

Verbal Prompt

A spoken hint, vocal instruction, or auditory cue given by a trainer to evoke the correct response.

Model Prompt

A visual demonstration of the correct behavior performed by an instructor or peer for the learner to imitate.

Gestural Prompt

Any physical gesture, motion, or pointing action directed toward a stimulus that guides the learner toward the correct response without physically touching them.

Physical Prompt (Physical Guidance)

A hands-on prompt where the instructor physically guides the learner's body through the required motor movements of the response.

Stimulus Prompt

A modification of the instructional stimulus or the addition of an external cue designed to make the correct stimulus more salient and noticeable.

Within-Stimulus Prompt

A stimulus prompt that changes an inherent visual or physical dimension of the target stimulus itself, such as altering its size, color, font, shape, or intensity.

Extra-Stimulus Prompt

A stimulus prompt that adds a supplementary cue or external marker alongside the target stimulus, such as placing an arrow, sticker, or colored dot next to the correct choice.

Least-to-Most Prompting

A prompting hierarchy (also called increasing assistance) that begins by presenting the natural $S^D$ and provides increasingly intrusive levels of assistance only if the learner fails to respond correctly within a specified interval.

Most-to-Least Prompting

A prompting hierarchy that begins with the highest level of assistance needed to ensure correct responding and systematically fades to less intrusive prompts across successive trials.

Transfer of Stimulus Control

The systematic fading and removal of artificial prompts so that responding shifts from prompt dependence to the natural antecedent stimulus ($S^D$) alone.

Response-Prompt Fading

The gradual reduction or withdrawal of trainer-delivered assistance (such as reducing physical guidance to a light touch or a gesture) so the learner responds independently.

Stimulus-Prompt Fading

The gradual removal or diminution of an added or altered stimulus feature (such as reducing the size, boldness, or brightness of an augmented cue) until only the natural stimulus remains.

Constant Prompt Delay

A transfer-of-stimulus-control strategy in which a fixed, unchanging time interval (e.g., 3 seconds) is inserted between the presentation of the natural $S^D$ and the delivery of the prompt.

Progressive Prompt Delay

A transfer-of-stimulus-control strategy in which the time interval between the presentation of the natural $S^D$ and the delivery of the prompt is systematically increased across trials.

Stimulus-Response Chain

A behavioral sequence of discrete responses where each individual response produces a stimulus change that serves both as a conditioned reinforcer for the preceding response and as an $S^D$ for the subsequent response.

Task Analysis

The process of breaking down a complex behavior chain into small, observable, ordered, and teachable behavioral components.

Forward Chaining

A chaining procedure in which the learner is taught and reinforced for completing the first step in the task analysis first, while the instructor completes or assists with subsequent steps, gradually chaining forward as steps are mastered.

Backward Chaining

A chaining procedure in which the instructor completes all initial steps except the final step, teaching and reinforcing the learner for performing the terminal step first, and systematically working backward.

Total Task Presentation

A chaining strategy where the learner is given the opportunity to attempt every step in the task analysis during each teaching trial, with prompts delivered as needed at each step.

Graduated Guidance

A physical prompting technique frequently paired with total task presentation where the instructor provides hands-on guidance moment by moment, fading assistance immediately as the learner demonstrates active control.

Written Task Analysis

A permanent product such as a written checklist or ordered list of steps that a literate learner uses independently to guide and verify completion of a complex behavioral chain.

Video Modeling

An antecedent strategy in which a learner views a video recording of a model performing the target behavior chain, subsequently imitating the observed sequence.

Self-Instructions

Covert or overt verbal statements that an individual gives to themselves to direct, prompt, and guide their own progression through each step of a behavior chain.