ABA Exam Review: BCBA Task List Series

These flashcards are designed to help prepare for the BCBA exam by focusing on key concepts of behavior analysis, particularly surrounding the task list items related to behavior description, prediction, and control.

Description

The lowest level of scientific understanding where we simply state what happened without hypothesizing.

Prediction

The act of hypothesizing about why a behavior is occurring based on observations.

Control

The highest level of understanding in behavior analysis, allowing for reliable changes in behavior through manipulations.

Behaviorism

A philosophy of science that focuses on observable behavior and its modification.

Social Validity

The degree to which a behavior change is meaningful or valuable within a social context.

Circumstantial Antecedents

Events or conditions that occur before a behavior that may influence it.

Consequences

Events that follow a behavior, which can affect the likelihood of that behavior occurring again.

Observable behavior

Behavior that can be seen and measured objectively.

Data-driven

An approach that relies on quantifiable information rather than subjective opinions.

Independent variables

Factors that are manipulated in an experiment to observe their effect on behavior.

Experimental control

The ability to manipulate environmental variables to establish cause-and-effect relationships.

Extinction

A procedure used to reduce a behavior by no longer reinforcing it with positive outcomes.

Function of behavior

The reason or purpose a behavior serves for an individual.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction about the relationship between variables or the function of behavior.

Intervention

A strategy or technique implemented to change or influence behavior.