RBT study guide part 1

How does extinction work?

abruptly stopping reinforcement for a behavior (withholding reinforcement by ignoring behavior, not allowing individual to escape, denying access to activities/tangible items, preventing reinforcing sensory feedback)

Extinction Burst

When a problem behavior being addressed using extinction increases before it starts to decrease

Escape extinction

Not allowing the individual’s problem behavior to get them out of doing whatever triggered the behavior

Spontaneous recovery

when a previously extinguished behavior seemingly randomly occurs again

Response blocking

Blocking the person from harming themselves while providing no verbal and minimal visual feedback

Type 1 punishment

You add a condition to to reduce behavior

Type 2 punishment

You take away a condition to to reduce behavior

Restitutional overcorrection

A type 1 positive punishment in which a child is required to repair the damage caused by their behavior or return the environment to its original state and then have the child perform extra actions to make the environment “better” than it was prior to the misbehavior.

Response cost

A form of type 2 punishment in which conditioned reinforcers (tokens, points, or money) are withdrawn as a result of a undesirable behavior

How does differential reinforcement work?

By reinforcing only behaviors that should be increased and removing reinforcement for behaviors that should be reduced

Differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior (DRI)

Provides reinforcement for the occurrence of a behavior that cannot be exhibited at the same time as the inappropriate behavior (ex: an individual cannot engage in screaming if they are talking in a normal voice)

Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA)

Provides reinforcement for the occurrence of a behavior that is different to the problem behavior (ex: sally gets a point for raising her hand instead of blurting out)

Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO)

Reinforcing another behavior other than the maladaptive behavior. The other behavior (can be anything) is reinforced if the maladaptive did not occur for a specific amount of time

Differential reinforcement of low rates of behavior (DRL)

Provides reinforcement if a problem behavior occurred less than the established limit in the established time period

Differential reinforcement of high rates of behavior (DRH)

Provides reinforcement if the time between desirable behaviors is less than what was planned

Stimulus control

when an individual behaves one way in the presence of a stimulus and another way in its absence

Discriminative stimulus (SD)

a stimulus that is delivered to provoke an individual to engage in a particular behavior.

stimulus class

a set of stimuli that share a common attribute

Stimulus equivalence

when a response is correctly displayed in the presence of a stimulus that has not been trained or reinforced

Shaping

Reinforcing successive approximation of the target behavior

Chaining

the process of building a behavior chain, forward or backward.

Task analysis

Target behaviors are broken down into steps

Maintenance

the extent to which an individual continues to perform the target behavior after intervention has stopped

What 2 things need to be faded in order to maintain behavior?

Reinforcers and prompts

Mands

Requests for something reinforcing

Tacts

Identifying objects, items, or events and giving them a label. Evoked by non-verbal stimulus

Echoics

Verbal operant that merely repeat the sounds produced by a speaker

Intraverbal behavior

Social exchange of verbal communication

3 term contingency?

Antecedents, behavior, and consequences

What is the fourth term contingency?

Motivation operations

Transfer trial

Trials presented after a prompted trial where the initial prompt is faded so that the learner's response is eventually evoked by the MO or reinforcer and not the prompt

Scrolling

When a learner goes through a variety of vocalizations to mand for a particular item or activity.

How can you fix scrolling?

Do not reinforce it. Provide a prompt and a transfer trial so the correct mand can be reinforced.

Which verbal operant has a nonspecific reinforcer?

Tacts (Learner says "book", reinforcer: "yes, that's right. It is a book!")
Echoics
Intraverbals

Which verbal operant are reinforcements directly related or specific?

Mands (Ex: Mand: book, reinforcer: child gets book)

Stimulus-Stimulus Pairing

Repeated pairing of a neutral stimulus (ie vocalizations) with a reinforcing stimulus (hugs, smiles from parents, access to fun item). Neutral stimulus becomes conditioned as reinforcer

Echoic training

Direct reinforcement for echoic behavior. If learner repeats a target sound, they will receive a reinforcer.

Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP)

a five-component program designed to measure verbal behavior, guide individualized instruction needed to address deficits in verbal behavior, and evaluate progress over the course of a treatment program

Rote

Memorizing something using routine or repetition. Used to increase learner's skill repertoire (ex: what do you eat that is red? what do you drink that is red? name a sign on the road that is red.)

Convergent multiple stimulus control

Echo the verbal stimulus before giving the intraverbal response

Differential observing responses

Teach the target word as receptive identification, a tact and an interverbal.
(Ex: Show me the ball. - receptive identification.
What is this? - tact "Ball"
"Name something you throw" - intraverbal)

Multiple exemplar training

Delivery of reinforcement only happens after the last learner produces a different response from the last one.
Ex: What is something with 4 wheels? "Car"
Next reinforcement only given for a type of car such as truck

Unconditioned reinforcers

(primary reinforcers) The effectiveness of the reinforcer is not dependent on the learning history

Conditioned reinforcers

(secondary reinforcers) The effectiveness of the reinforcer is dependent on the learning history

Negative reinforcement

Removing something from the environment to increase the future probability of the behavior occurring

Positive reinforcement

Adding something to the environment to increase the future probability of the behavior occurring.

Positive punishment

Introducing something that will increase the future probability that the behavior will decrease

Negative Punishment

Taking something away that will increase the future probability that the behavior will decrease

What are the 2 primary reasons why Intermittent schedules of reinforcement are used?

To maintain previously acquired behaviors
To help the individual progress to naturally occurring reinforcers

Types of intermittent reinforcement

Fixed Ratio (FR)
Fixed Interval (FI)
Variable Ratio (VR)
Variable Interval (VI)

Ratio schedules

Providing reinforcement after a specific number of target behaviors are displayed. Best to use when you are trying to increase the number of times a person displays a behavior or uses a skill.

Interval schedules

Involve a lapse of time to be emitted before a response is emitted.

Post reinforcement pause

Behavioral responding may temporarily stop after reinforcement

Fixed ratio (FR)

Providing reinforcement on a fixed response ratio

Fixed interval (FI)

Providing reinforcement on an interval (average) time ratio.

Variable ratio (VR)

Reinforcement is provided after an average number of responses
Ex: The schedules might look like this: reinforce after 1 response, 3 responses, 5 responses. The average of 1, 3, and 5 is 3, so it is a VR3.

Variable interval (VI)

Reinforcement is provided for a response after an average or unpredictable amount of time has elapsed
Ex: The schedules might look like this: reinforce first correct response after 1 min, 3 min, 5 min. The average of 1, 3, and 5 is 3, so it is a VI3.

Limited hold

when reinforcement is only available for a specific amount of time following the lapse of a fixed interval or variable interval reinforcement schedule.

Thinning reinforcement

Gradually reducing the frequency of reinforcers delivered after the target behavior is displayed

Ratio strain

occurs when reinforcement is thinned too quickly

Concurrent reinforcement schedule

A reinforcement procedure in which the participant can choose to respond on one of two or more simple reinforcement schedules that are available simultaneously.

Compound schedules of reinforcement

essentially 2 or more schedules of reinforcement being used at the same time to increase 1 or more behaviors

Fixed ratio schedules are best used for:
a) Maintaining a behavior
b) Learning a new behavior

Learning a new behavior

Components of a behavior reduction plan

1.) Operational definition
2.) Function of behavior
3.) Antecedent strategies
4.) Replacement behavior
5.) Consequence strategies
6.) People responsible
7.) Emergency measures

Functions of behavior

Access to tangibles
Gain
Escape
Sensory stimulation

Two components of BIP that need close attention

How the environment triggers behavior (then modify antecedents accordingly)
How to implement emergency procedures

contingency

If the reinforcer is reserved for only the target response, it will be much more effective in getting the person to make that particular response

Antecedent modifications

Changes some aspect of the learner’s environment to prevent challenging behaviors. Proactive rather than Reactive.
Ex:
Non-Contingent Reinforcement (NCR)
Demand Fading
Task Modification
Behavioral Momentum (high-P, low P)
Provide choices
Mix and vary instructional demands
Pace instruction properly
Environmental Control

non-contingent reinforcement

This is providing reinforcement to a client regardless of behavior, provided on a set schedule.
Will make it less likely for the client to engage in maladaptive behaviors for reinforcer.

Demand fading

This is a technique where you increase the demand over time; used to decrease behaviors with the function of escape

Task Modification

This technique is changing how the client does work. Also used for behavior with the function of escape. Making it more preferred by the client
(Ex: using a favorite character for counting)

High Probability Sequence/Behavior Momentum

Providing 3-4 demands with high compliance (you are sure the learner can and will do them), and presenting the demand with low compliance at the end of the sequence.

Latency

is the time from prompt to the start of the behavior

Inter-response time

the time between responses/behaviors

Which type of measurement underestimates?

Whole interval time recording

Which type of measurement overestimates?

Partial interval time recording

Multiple Stimulus with Replacement

Allow learner to pick from array of items and do not remove item. Re-organize and make a list accordingly.

Multiple Stimulus without Replacement (MSWO)

Allow learner to pick from array of items and remove item that is picked. Re-organize and make a list accordingly.

stimulus generalization

multiple stimuli = one response

response generalization

multiple responses = one stimuli; a variation of the desired response to the stimuli that are functionally equivalent – e.g. “bathroom, potty, and toilet”

Role of RBT

Implement, not design
Front-line data collector, liaison between parents/caregivers & BCBA

Professional conduct of RBTs

No dual relationships/conflicts of interest
Client dignity: People-first language, consider cost-benefit & social validity, increase independence, incorporate choice
Monthly supervision (5% of total hours; 2 face to face, 1 1:1)