SNABA Study Flashcards (Applied Behavior Analysis Refresher)

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering the core concepts, principles, and methodologies of Applied Behavior Analysis as detailed in the SNABA study notes.

Description

Accurately describing what we see, collection of facts, and observed events that suggest a hypothesis through objective and quantified data.

Prediction

Occurs when repeated observations reveal that two events consistently covary with each other, though no variables are being manipulated.

Control

The ability to predict with confidence why something is happening by manipulating variables to demonstrate a functional relation.

Pragmatism

A practical approach to science and intervention that promotes effective action.

Selectionism

The theory that everything that evolves, whether biological or behavioral, is a result of consequences and survival of the fittest.

Determinism

The assumption that the world is a lawful place and everything has a cause and effect rather than happening randomly.

Empiricism

The practice of objective observation and facts derived from what can be seen and quantified.

Experimentation

The process of experimental analysis and the manipulation of variables to determine a functional relation.

Replication

Repeating experiments to determine the reliability and believability of findings and to detect human error.

Parsimony

The practice of choosing the simplest explanation or theory that accounts for the facts before considering more complex ones.

Philosophic Doubt

A healthy skepticism and an attitude of questioning the truth of what is regarded as fact.

Applied (Dimension of ABA)

ABA’s commitment to affecting socially significant behaviors to improve people's lives.

Conceptually Systematic (Dimension of ABA)

Procedures for changing behavior should be described in terms of the relevant principle(s) from which they were derived (the roots of ABA).

Technological (Dimension of ABA)

Procedures are described with enough detail and clarity that a child or another person could replicate them like a recipe.

Analytic (Dimension of ABA)

Demonstration of a functional relation between the manipulated variables and a reliable change in some measurable dimension of the target behavior.

Generality (Dimension of ABA)

Behavior change that lasts over time, appears in environments other than the training setting, and spreads to other behaviors.

Effective (Dimension of ABA)

The intervention improves behavior sufficiently to produce practical results for the participant.

Behavioral (Dimension of ABA)

Choosing a measurable, clear, and observable behavior in need of improvement.

Radical Behaviorism

A branch of behaviorism that includes and seeks to understand all human behavior, including private events such as thinking and feeling.

Experimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB)

The branch of behavior analysis that focuses on basic research and laboratory studies.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

The branch of behavior analysis that develops technology for improving socially significant behavior and figures out the causes of behavior.

Phylogenic

Behavior that is selected during the evolutionary history of a species; behavior individuals are born with (Darwinian survival of the fittest).

Ontogenic

Behavior that is selected by consequences during the lifetime of the individual organism (operant selection).

Respondent Behavior

Involuntary behavior elicited by antecedent stimuli, characterized by the $S-R$ (stimulus-response) model, such as a reflex.

Habituation

The process where the strength of a respondent behavior diminishes when an eliciting stimulus is presented repeatedly over a short period of time.

Operant Behavior

Voluntary behavior learned through a history of consequences, characterized by the $S-R-S$ (stimulus-response-stimulus) or $A-B-C$ model.

Adaptation

Reductions in responding evoked by an antecedent stimulus over repeated or prolonged presentation, such as adapting to a dog barking.

Methodological Behaviorism

Acknowledge the existence of private events but do not consider them in the analysis of behavior, focusing only on observable behavior; associated with Watson.

Mentalism

An approach to explaining behavior that assumes an inner or mental dimension exists and causes behavior.

Circular Reasoning

A fallacy where the cause and effect are the same (e.g., 'He has autism so he spits; he spits because he has autism').

Respondent Conditioning

Also known as Pavlovian or Classical conditioning; it involves stimulus-stimulus pairing in the antecedent to elicit a conditioned response.

Extinction (Operant)

Withholding reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior to decrease or eliminate that response.

Positive Reinforcement

A process where a stimulus is added following a behavior, resulting in an increase in the future frequency of that behavior.

Negative Reinforcement

A process where an aversive condition is removed or terminated after a behavior, resulting in an increase in the future frequency of that behavior.

Positive Punishment

A process where a stimulus is added following a behavior, resulting in a decrease in the future frequency of that behavior.

Negative Punishment

A process where a stimulus is removed following a behavior, resulting in a decrease in the future frequency of that behavior.

Response Class

A group of responses with the same function (e.g., screaming or raising a hand both resulting in attention).

Dead Man Test

A test to determine if something is behavior: 'If a dead man can do it, it’s not a behavior.'

Repertoire

The collection of all behaviors and skills a client already knows how to do.

Formal Stimulus Class

Stimuli that share physical features such as shape, size, color, or prepositions.

Temporal Stimulus Class

Stimuli that are grouped based on when they occur in time (antecedents or consequences).

Functional Stimulus Class

Stimuli that evoke the same behavior, regardless of their physical form (e.g., a 'Go' sign and a green light).

Rule-Governed Behavior

Behavior controlled by a verbal statement of an $A-B-C$ contingency rather than direct contact with the consequence.

Automatic Reinforcement

Reinforcement that occurs independent of the social mediation of others (e.g., scratching an itch).

Unconditioned Reinforcers

Primary reinforcers that require no prior learning history, such as food, water, oxygen, and sex.

Generalized Conditioned Reinforcer (GCR)

A conditioned reinforcer that has been paired with many unconditioned and conditioned reinforcers and does not depend on a current MO for effectiveness (e.g., money or tokens).

Escape

A type of negative reinforcement where a response terminates an ongoing aversive stimulus (e.g., going inside when it rains).

Avoidance

A type of negative reinforcement where a response prevents an aversive stimulus from occurring (e.g., studying to avoid a bad grade).

Behavior Contrast

The phenomenon where the rate of responding in one setting goes the opposite direction of the rate in another non-reinforced or punished setting for the same behavior.

Overcorrection

A positive punishment procedure that requires effortful behavior related to the problem behavior, including restitutional and positive practice variations.

Response Cost

A negative punishment procedure involving the loss of a specific amount of reinforcement contingent on a target behavior (e.g., a fine).

Spontaneous Recovery

The re-emergence of a behavior that was previously put on extinction after a period of time has passed.

Stimulus Control

When the frequency, latency, duration, or amplitude of a behavior is altered by the presence or absence of an antecedent stimulus.

Discriminative Stimulus ($S^{D}$)

A stimulus that signals that reinforcement is available for a specific behavior.

Stimulus Delta ($S^{\Delta}$)

A stimulus that signals that reinforcement is not available for a specific behavior.

Masking

When a competing stimulus interferes with the stimulus control of a relevant stimulus (e.g., 'knower-not-a-shower' due to stage fright).

Overshadowing

When one stimulus has more salience than another, preventing the learner from acquiring stimulus control from the less salient stimulus.

Stimulus Generalization

The tendency for a learner to emit a trained behavior in the presence of stimuli that are similar but not identical to the training stimulus.

Response Generalization

The extent to which a learner emits untrained responses that are functionally equivalent to the trained target behavior.

Reflexivity

A type of stimulus equivalence where a learner matches a stimulus to itself ($A = A$).

Symmetry

A type of stimulus equivalence where if $A = B$, the learner demonstrates that $B = A$ without training.

Transitivity

A type of stimulus equivalence where if $A = B$ and $B = C$, then the learner identifies that $A = C$ without training.

Mand

A verbal operant evoked by an MO and followed by specific reinforcement (a request).

Tact

A verbal operant evoked by a nonverbal discriminative stimulus and followed by generalized conditioned reinforcement (a label).

Echoic

A verbal operant evoked by a vocal verbal $S^{D}$ that has point-to-point correspondence and formal similarity with the response.

Intraverbal

A verbal operant evoked by a verbal $S^{D}$ that does not have point-to-point correspondence with the response (conversation).

Fixed Ratio (FR)

A schedule of reinforcement requiring a set number of responses before reinforcement is delivered, often characterized by a post-reinforcement pause.

Variable Ratio (VR)

A schedule of reinforcement where reinforcement is delivered after an average number of responses; results in the highest, steady rate of responding.

Ratio Strain

A disruption in responding that occurs when a schedule of reinforcement is thinned too quickly.

Rate Formula

$$\text{Rate} = \frac{\text{count}}{\text{time}}$$

Interresponse Time (IRT) Formula

$$\text{IRT} = \frac{\text{time}}{\text{count}}$$

Whole Interval Recording

A time sampling procedure where the behavior must occur during the entire interval to be counted; tends to underestimate behavior.

Partial Interval Recording

A time sampling procedure where behavior is counted if it occurs at any time during the interval; tends to overestimate behavior.

Reliability

The extent to which repeated measurements of the same event yield the same result.

Observer Drift

An unintended change in the way an observer uses a measurement system over time.

Reversal Design

An experimental design consisting of at least three phases (Baseline, Treatment, Baseline) to demonstrate experimental control.

Multielement Design

Also known as Alternating Treatments Design, it features rapid alternation between two or more conditions.

Type I Error

A false positive; concluding that the independent variable had an effect on the dependent variable when it did not.

Type II Error

A false negative; concluding that the independent variable did not have an effect on the dependent variable when it actually did.

Shaping

Differential reinforcement of successive approximations to a terminal behavior.

Prompt Fading

The gradual removal of a prompt to transfer stimulus control to the natural SD.

Behavioral Cusp

A behavior change that has consequences for the organism beyond the change itself, exposing the individual to new environments and contingencies.

Premack Principle

Also known as 'Grandma's Law,' it states that making the opportunity to engage in a high-probability behavior contingent on a low-probability behavior will function as reinforcement for the low-probability behavior.

Internal Validity

The extent to which an experiment shows convincingly that changes in behavior are a function of the independent variable and not extraneous variables.

External Validity

The degree to which a study's findings have generality to other subjects, settings, and/or behaviors.

Parametric Analysis

An experimental evaluation of the range of values of an independent variable (the dosage) to see which is most effective.

Component Analysis

An experimental design that identifies which part of a treatment package is responsible for the behavior change.

Functional Analysis (FA)

An experimental assessment to identify the functional relation between a behavior and its consequences through systematic manipulation of conditions (Play, Attention, Escape, Alone).

Precision Teaching

An educational methodology developed by Ogden Lindsley that uses fluency and speed measured on a Standard Celeration Chart (SCC).