ABA

Too much of a particular behaviour is called a behavioural

Excess

Behaviour is defined as what people ______ and ______

Say; do

Behaviour has an impact on the ______ and/or ______ environment

Physical; Social

Behaviour modification is the field of psychology concerned with the ______ and ________ of human behaviour

Analysis; Modification

Frequency, duration, intensity, and latency are called ______ of behaviour

dimensions

First to describe the conditioned reflex

Pavlov

Demonstrated the law of effect

Edward Thorndike

Conducted research on basic principles of operant behaviour and the foundation for behaviour modification

B.F. Skinner

Started the movement in psychology called behaviourism

John B. Watson

A(n) _____ behaviour is a behaviour that can be observed and recorded by another person

Overt

______ is the field of psychology concerned with analyzing and modifying human behaviour

Behaviour Modification

A(n) _____ behaviour is not observable by others

Covert

Charlie drinks too many cups of coffee each day. This behaviour would be considered a behavioural ____

Excess

Claire doesn’t eat enough fruit and vegetables each day. This behaviour would be considered a behavioural _____

Deficit

John Watson started the movement in psychology called

Behaviourism

Edward Thorndike’s major contribution to psychology was the description of the

Law of Effect

How long a behaviour lasts

Duration

How many times a behaviour occurs

Frequency

How much physical force is involved in the behaviour

Intensity

Behaviour modification is guided by the theory and philosophy of

Behaviourism

Behaviour modification emphasizes _____ environmental events

Current

Law of Effect

Behaviour that produces a favourable effect on the environment is more likely to be repeated in the future.

Behavioural Analysis

The scientific study of behaviour

Behavioural Assessment

Measurement of the target behaviour, antecedents, or consequences in a contingency.

Behavioural assessments are important for

Determining treatment effect, information on whether treatment is necessary, determining a treatment

Indirect Assessment

Assessment that relies on information from others in interviews and questionnaires.

Direct Assessments

An observer is specifically trained to observed the target behaviour and record its occurrence.

Steps to develop a behaviour recording plan

1. Define the target behaviour

2. Determine logistics of recording

3. Choose recording method

4. Choose a recording instrument

Behavioural definitions

Includes active verbs describing specific behaviours that a person exhibits

The logistics of recording include

Who will observe and record, the observation period, the setting (natural/analogue),(un)structured observations, length of observation period

Recording Methods include

Continuous, product, internal, and time-sample recording

Continuous recording

Some aspect of the behaviour is recorded each time the behaviour occurs

Continuous recording procedures can record

The frequency, duration, latency or intensity of a behaviour.

Real-Time Recording

Record the exact time of each onset and offset of the target behaviour in the observation period.

Latency

The time from some stimulus or event to the onset of the behaviour

Percentage of opportunities

Records the occurrence of a behaviour in relation to some other event, as a learning trial or a response to opportunity, and report the results as the percentage of opportunities in which the behaviour occurred.

If a teacher makes 12 requestion and the student complies 11 times, the percentage of compliance is

11/12

Product Recording

The outcome or permanent product of the behaviour is recorded as an indication of the occurrence of the behaviour

Discontinuous Recording Methods includes

Interval recording and time-sample recording

Interval recording

The observation period is divided into a number of consecutive time intervals and the behaviour is recorded as occurring or not occurring in each of the intervals

Partial Interval Recording

Behaviour is recorded if it occurs during any part of the interval

Whole Interval Recording

Behaviour is only recorded if it occurs throughout the entire interval

Time Sample Recording

The observation period is divided into intervals and the behaviour is recorded during a part of each discontinuous interval

Momentary Time Sample Recording

Behaviour is recorded only if it occurs at the exact instance of the interval

Reactivity

A phenomenon in which the process of recording behaviour causes the behaviour to change even before treatment is implemented for the behaviour

X-Axis

Time

Y-Axis

Measure of behaviour

Level

How high or low the behaviour is on the y-axis

Trend

Exists when a behaviour is increasing or decreasing across a phase

Variability

How high and low the data points are from the mean level in the phase

A-B Designs

Used to document behaviour in clinical practice. Not a true experimental design.

Independent variable

The variable manipulated to produce a change in the target behaviour

Dependent variable

The target behaviour to be changed

Research designs involve

A replication of the base-line and treatment phases

A functional relationship is established if

A target behaviour changes when an independent variable is manipulated and the independent variable manipulation is replicated or repeated one or more times and the behaviour changes each time

ABAB (ABA Reversal) Design Considerations

May be unethical to remove treatment, can the treatment be removed

Multiple-Baseline-Across Subjects Design

There is a baseline and a treatment phase that is replicated for the same target behaviour of two or more subjects

Multiple-Baseline-Across Behaviours Design

There is a baseline and treatment phase that is replicated in two or more settings with the same behaviour of the same subject

Multiple-Baseline Across-Settings Design

There is a baseline and treatment phase that is replicated in two or more settings with the same behaviour of the same subject

Reinforcement

The process in which the occurrence of a behaviour is followed by a consequence that results in an increase in the future probability of the behaviour.

Consequence

The stimulus or event occurring immediately after a behaviour

Principle of reinforcement

When a behaviour results in a favourable outcome, that behaviour is more likely to be repeated in the future or in similar circumstances (the law of effect)

Can determine that a behaviour has been strengthened when

There is an increase in its frequency, duration, intensity, or speed (decreased latency)

Operant behaviour

Behaviour that acts on the environment to produce an immediate consequence and, in turn, is strengthened by that consequence.

Positive Reinforcement

The occurrence of a behaviour, followed by the addition of a stimulus (a reinforcer) or an increase in the intensity of a stimulus which results in the strengthening of the behaviour

Negative Reinforcement

The occurrence of a behaviour, followed by the removal of a stimulus (an aversive stimulus) or a decrease in the intensity of the stimulus which results in the strengthening of the behaviour.

Stimulus

An objects r event that can be detected by one of the senses and thus has potential to influence the person

Positive Reinforcer

A stimulus that will increase the future probability of behaviour when the stimulus is delivered contingent on the occurrence of the behaviour

Social Reinforcement

When a behaviour produces a reinforcing consequence through the actions of another person

Automatic reinforcement

A form of reinforcement in which the behaviour produces a reinforcing consequences through direct contact with the physical environment

Premack Principle

The chance to engage in a preferred behaviour only after a less-preferred behaviour occurs, can reinforce a less-preferred behaviour

Escape Behaviours

Behaviour that results in the termination of an aversive stimulus. The termination of the aversive stimulus negatively reinforces behaviour

Types of negative reinforcement

Escape and Avoidance Behaviours

Avoidance Behaviours

A behaviour that prevents an aversive event. The behaviour is negatively reinforced by the avoidance of the aversive event.

Avoidance Situation

A warning stimulus often signals the occurrence of an aversive stimulus, and the person engages in an avoidance behaviour when this warning stimulus is present

Unconditioned Reinforcers

A stimulus that is naturally reinforcing because the capacity for out behaviour or be strengthened by the stimulus has survival value

Conditioned/Secondary Reinforcers

A previously neutral stimulus that has been paired a number of times with an established reinforcer and consequently functions as a reinforcer itself.

Token Reinforcers

Reinforcers used in a token economy

Generalized Conditioned Reinforcer

A conditioned reinforcer that has been paired with a variety of other reinforcers.

Examples of unconditioned reinforcers

Food, water, escape, sexual contact

Examples of secondary reinforcers

Money, attention, clickers, tokens

Factors that influence the effectiveness of reinforcement

Immediacy, consistency, MOs, magnitude, and individual differences

For a consequence to be most effective as a reinforcer, it should occur

Immediately after the response occurs

Rule-Governed Behaviour

Behaviour that is controlled by a verbal statement about a contingency between the behaviour and a consequence.

Contingency

A relationship between a response and a consequence in which the consequence is presented if and only if the response occurs.

Motivating Operations (MOs)

An antecedent stimulus or event that alters the value of a reinforcer and alters the probability of the behaviour that produces that reinforcer.

Establishing Operations (EO)

A motivating operation that makes a reinforcer more potent, establishing the effectiveness of a reinforcer.

Abolishing Operations (AOs)

A motivating operation that makes reinforcers less potent. Abolishes or decreases the effectiveness of a reinforcer.

2 Effects of MOs

Alters the value of a reinforcer, makes the behaviour that produces that reinforcer more or less likely to occur at that time.

Evocative effect of an EO

Makes behaviour more likely

Abative effect of AO

Makes behaviour less likely

Satiation

Progression (and ultimately total) loss of effectiveness of a reinforcer. Occurs when you have recently consumed/been exposed to a large amount of a particular reinforcer.

Reinforcer magnitude

Effectiveness of a stimulus as a reinforcer is greater if the amount of magnitude a stimulus has is great

Concurrent Schedules of Reinforcement

Schedules of reinforcement that exist at the same time for two or more behaviours (concurrent operants)

Which particular behaviour occurs at a particular times depends on

The schedule of reinforcement, magnitude of reinforcement, delay of reinforcement, and response effort for available beahviours

Concurrent Operants

Two or more of different behaviours or response options that are available for the person. Each response option is associated with a specific reinforcement schedule.

Response Effort

The amount of force, exertion, or time involved in executing a response.

With an increase in response effort for one behaviour, the probability of that behaviour

Decreases relative to the probability of a functionally equivalent alternative behaviour

Matching Law

A mathematical model of choice in concurrent operants that predicts that a response that produces a greater rate of reinforcement will occur more often than a response that produces a lower rate of reinforcement. — You will choose the response that is reinforced more often

People most often engage in behaviour that results in

More frequent reinforcement, a greater magnitude of reinforcement, more immediate reinforcement, or less response effort