CFS135 Ch. 7 (Exam 3)

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

• Systematic use of reinforcement, punishment, & antecedents to shape behavior

What is the essential argument of behaviorism?

• Human behavior is shaped by consequences

If behaviorism is true, what does it imply about parenting?

• Parents have powerful control over behavior but risk relying too heavily on rewards/punishment to manage children

ABC Model

• A = Antecedents

• B = Behavior

• C = Consequences

  • Used to understand/analyze/adjust patterns of behavior

• ex own behavior:

  • A = Stress

  • B = Snacking

  • C = Momentary relief (reinforcement)

Antecedents

• Triggers / conditions / cues that come before a behavior

  • ex: A parent sets a plate of cookies on the table, which triggers the child to reach for one

How can antecedents promote desirable behavior?

• Prompts

• Structure

• Environment design

• Modeling

How can antecedents reduce undesirable behavior?

• Remove triggers

• Reduce temptations

• Change routines

Best practices for intentional conditioning:

• Immediacy (immediate reinforcement)

• Consistency

• Small steps

• Avoid mixed messages

Limitations of Rewards/Punishment

• Only change surface behavior (don’t teach values, internal motivation, or emotion skills)

• Risks even when used correctly:

  • Escalation

  • Dependency

  • Sneakiness

  • Fear

  • Relationship damage

• Rewards can become bribes or lose effectiveness

How do rewards & punishments overlap?

• Both rely on power

• Both can feel controlling or punishing to the child

Shaping Behavior

• Teaching through small steps (approximations) reinforced over time

Best practices for shaping behaviors:

• Reinforce approximations

• Increase expectations slowly

• Be consistent

Approximation

• Small, teachable steps toward a final behavior (used in shaping)

  • ex: child learning to tie shoes is first reinforced for crossing the laces, then for making a loop, then for pulling the knot tight

Extinction

• Stopping reinforcement so a learned behavior fades

  • Inappropriate when the behavior is rooted in biological or emotional needs (ex: infant crying; cry-it-out method)

Why is it a problem not to follow best practices?

• Inconsistency teaches the child that persistence or escalation works (extinction bursts)

• Strengthens the misbehavior through variable reinforcement

• Confuses the behavioral pattern

• Makes the unwanted behavior more resistant to change

Best practices for punishment:

• Use rarely

• Deliver calmly

• Be brief

• Pair with teaching & connection

When is it appropriate to use rewards/punishment?

• Short-term behaviors

• Safety-related behaviors

• When other strategies failed

Why do parents continue using rewards/punishment?

• Produce fast results

• Relieve parent frustration

Mistakes in Misguided Behavioral Programs

• Overuse rewards

• Ignore emotional needs

• Use punishment inconsistently

Are well-designed behavioral programs effective?

• Yes: when they follow best practices with respect, consistency, & clear teaching

Correlational Evidence

• Shows association/relationships

• Limitation: cannot prove causation

Correlational Evidence about Spanking

• Linked to:

  • Higher aggression

  • Anxiety & poorer mental health

  • Lower self-esteem

  • Weaker relationships (especially w/ frequent or harsh spanking

Experimental Evidence

• Manipulates variables to show causation/cause

Can we get experimental evidence about spanking?

• No: unethical to randomly assign children to be hit/spanked

How should educators respond to mild or infrequent spanking?

• Meet parents with empathy

• Discuss risks

• Provide alternatives based on evidence

Differential Reinforcement

• Reinforcing a behavior other than the undesirable one

  • By rewarding an alternative, incompatible, or “other” behavior to replace misbehavior

Schedule of Reinforcement

• The structured pattern that determines how often a behavior is reinforced

• Influences:

  • How quickly learning occurs

  • How resistant behavior is to extinction

Continuous Schedules

• Reinforce every time the behavior occurs

  • Fast learning & extinction

Fixed Schedules

• Provide reinforcement at predictable amounts

  • Steady but easily extinguished

Variable Schedules

• Reinforce unpredictably

  • Slow learning but extremely resistant to extinction

• Strongest & produce the most persistent behavior

Behavior Chain

• Sequence of learned behaviors that build a complex skill

  • ex: the full process of brushing teeth—getting the toothbrush, turning on water, applying toothpaste, brushing each section, rinsing, & putting items away

Classical Conditioning (Pavlov)

• Learning by pairing 2 stimuli to create an automatic response

Operant Conditioning (Skinner)

• Links behavior to consequences

• Behavior followed by:

  • reinforcement = increases

  • punishment = decreases

How are classical & operant conditioning similar?

• Both create learned associations that change behavior

Accidental Conditioning

• Learning that happens unintentionally through consistent patterns

Habituation

• When a reward loses power through overuse

Negative Punishment (-)

• Removing something pleasant to decrease behavior

Negative Reinforcement (-)

• Removing something unpleasant to increase behavior

Positive Punishment (+)

• Adding something unpleasant to decrease behavior

Positive Reinforcement (+)

• Adding something pleasant to increase behavior

Prompts

• Environmental or verbal cues that trigger desired behavior

Pavlov

• Discovered classical conditioning through dog salivation experiments

Watson

• Applied classical conditioning to human behavior

• Conducted Little Albert experiment (Infant conditioned to fear furry objects)