RBT-Study Guide

Registered Behavior Technician study notes

Abolishing Operation

When something is made less valuable by satiation

Access to something in the environment

A person is engaging in behavior to access something positive in the environment

Access to something in the body

This is a sensory behavior. It is engaging in behavior to gain something positive in the body.

Analog or Functional Analysis Assessment

A Behavior Analyst manipulates the environment to determine the function of the behavior

Antecedent Behavior Consequence Data Collection (ABC)

A type of data collection in which you record what happened before a behavior occurred (antecedent), the behavior itself, and what happened after (consequence) to analyze behavior patterns.

Attention Extinction

Also known as planned ignoring. Ignore the behavior and provide no attention for the behavior.

Backwards Chaining

Training begins the link with the last behavior in the sequence.

Baseline

Finding out where the client’s skills or behavior currently stands before intervention begins. Before beginning to teach a new skill, a baseline probe should be conducted in order to identify whether the learner already has the skill.

Behavior Chain

A sequence of behaviors that must be preformed correctly.

Behavioral Skills Training

A research based training technique.

Choice

Giving the client a choice during therapy; choice increases compliance and provides the learner a sense of control.

Conditioned Reinforcers

The effectiveness of the reinforcer is dependent on the learning history. Things that differ from one person to another, such as music, specific types of food, electronics. Also known as secondary reinforcers.

Continuous Measurement Procedures

Measuring each and every instance of a behavior within the observation period.

Curriculum-Based Assessment

Curriculum-Based Assessment (CBA) and Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) are the repeated, direct assessment of targeted skills in basic areas such as math, reading, writing, and spelling.

Daily Living Skills

These are skills that people use every day to function. These include personal hygiene and grooming, dressing and undressing, meal preparation and eating, moving around the community, toileting, housekeeping, laundry, and safety skills.

Demand Fading

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

Differential Reinforcement of Alternate Behavior (DRA)

This is referencing a behavior that meets the same function of the maladaptive behavior.

Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior (DRI)

Reinforcing a behavior that cannot physically be engaged in at the same time as the maladaptive behavior.

Differential Reinforcing Lower Rates of Behavior (DRL)

Typically reserved for behaviors that are socially acceptable but may occur to often.

Different Reinforcement of Other Behavior (DRO)

Reinforcing another behavior other than the maladaptive behavior.

Direct FBA Procedures

Part of an FBA will include direct observations and skill assessments. These procedures involve observing the client and recording what is seen.

Discriminative Stimuli (DS)

A stimulus in which a particular response will be reinforced.

Discrimination Training

This procedure involves reinforcing one behavior and extinguishing the behavior (not reinforcing) in the presence of other stimuli

Discontinuous Measurement Procedure

Samples of the target behavior, but it doesn’t measure every instance of behavior within the observation period.

Discrete Trial Training (DTT)

A teaching method in which learning trials are presented in quick succession with a clear beginning and end to each trial. There are three parts to a discrete trial.

Duration

This is how long a behavior occurs. To take duration data, you start a stop watch when the behavior begins and end the stop watch when the behavior stops.

Escape Extinction

Do not allow the client to escape. Physical prompt the client into compliance.

Escaping something in the body

This is also known as pain attenuation. This refers to engaging in behavior to escape something aversive in the body.

Escaping something in the environment

A person engages in a behavior to escape something in the environment.

Establishing Operation

This refers to instances when something is made more valuable by deprevation

Fixed Interval (FI)

Providing reinforcement on an interval (average) time ratio.

Fixed Ratio (FR)

Providing reinforcement on a fixed response ratio.

Forward Chaining

Training begins the link at the first behavior in the sequence

Free Operant Preference Assessment

The therapist does not interact with the client. The therapist observes which items the client interacts with and records the time spent with the item.

Frequency

A simple count of the instances of a behavior, represented by a tally.

Full Physical Prompt

Where you give the learner full physical guidance

Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)

A set of procedures to determine why someone is engaging in maladaptive behaviors.

Generalization

Spreading the effects of training to other trainings and settings critical to ensure that ABA effects do not only take place during ABA training

Gestural Prompt

A prompt where you indicate the correct prompt by gesturing in some way.

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

Indirect FBA Procedures

Part of an FBA may include record reviews, interviews, and rating scales. There is very little contact with the client.

Intermittent Reinforcement

All other schedules when reinforcement does not occur after every response

Inter Rate Response

This is the time between responses. To take IRT data you start the stopwatch when the behavior ends and stop the stopwatch when the behavior begins again.

Latency

Latency is the time from prompt to the start of a behavior. To take latency data, start the stopwatch when the prompt is given and stop the stopwatch when the behavior starts.

Least-to-Most Prompt Fading

Includes procedures where fewer prompts are provided at the beginning of teaching instruction and gradually more intrusive prompts are faded in when the learner needs help.

Maintenance

Probing the client to ensure they still are able to do mastered skills.

Model Prompt

A prompt in which you demonstrate the desired response.

Momentary Time Sampling

Recording the presence or absence of a behavior at the very end of an interval. Intervals are marked “+” if the target behavior occurred at the end of the interval. Intervals are marked “-” when the target behavior does not occur at the end of the interval.

Most to Least Prompt Fading

This prompt works in reverse direction. With MTL prompt fading, you begin the teaching interaction by providing a prompt that you are sure will help the learner make the correct response; then you will fade the prompts out.

Multiple Stimulus Preference Assessment With Replacement

The therapist presents multiple items at a time and records which item the client chooses to interact with. Once the item is chosen the therapist places it back into the mix of multiple items.

Multiple Stimulus Preference Assessment Without Replacement

The therapist provides multiple items at a time and records which item the client chooses to interact with. Allow the client to interact with the item for 30 seconds. Once an item is chosen the therapist does not place it back in the tray.

Naturalistic Training Procedures

Uses natural techniques, and its delivery can be embedded within play or every day routine

Negative Punishment

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

Negative Reinforcement

Removing something from the environment to increase the future probability of the behavior occuring.

Non-Contingent Reinforcement

This is providing reinforcement to a client regardless of behavior. This will act as an abolishing operation on the reinforcer.

Operational Definition

Detailed definition of the behavior in observable terms. Must be thorough enough that any person could read it and understand what the behavior is and begin collecting data on the behavior.

Paired Choice Preference Assessment (Forced Choice Preference Assessment)

The therapist provides two items to the client and records which item the client chooses.

Partial Physical Prompt

A physical prompt which less than the full amount of physical assistance is provided.

Partial Interval

Recording the presence or absence of a behavior during a brief interval of time. Intervals are marked with “+” if the behavior occurred during the interval, and are marked with “-” if the behavior did not occur during the interval.

Permanent Product Procedures

Permanent product recording is not recording behaviors, but recording the products the behavior produces.

Physical Prompt

A prompt in which you provide some amount of physical assistance in order to help the learner do the expected behavior.

Positive Punishment

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

Positive Reinforcement

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

Preference Assessment

A set of procedures used to determine if one or more stimuli may function to increase the rate of a specific behavior or behaviors when delivered following the occurrence of that behavior.

Proximity Prompt

A prompt where the stimulus that corresponds to the correct response is placed closer to the learner than the other stimuli.

Punisher

Any consequence that decreases a behavior.

Rate

Rate is a frequency count with a time element.

Reinforcer

Any consequence that increases a behavior.

Response Generalization

When one behavior occurs in the presence of a stimulus and then another behavior occurs in the presence of the stimulus.

S-Delta

A stimulus in the presence of which a particular response will not be reinforced.

Sensory

Engaging in behavior to gain something positive in the body.

Shaping

Defined as differently reinforcing successive approximations toward a terminal behavior.

Single Item Preference Assessment

The therapist simply provides one item after another. The therapist records whether the client consumed/interacted with the item, made no response to the item, or avoided the item.

Skill Assessments

Skill assessments determine where a client’s skills are. They typically assess areas such as social skills, coping skills, self-help skills, language skills, learning skills, daily-living skills, and communication skills.

Social Skills

Skills used to communicate and interact with people. Social skills include verbal and nonverbal communication, body language, and personal appearance.

Stimulus Discrimination

Occurs when new stimuli - similar or not similar to the controlling stimulus - do not evoke the same response as the controlling stimulus

Stimulus Generalization

Occurs when stimuli that share similar physical characteristics with the controlling stimulus evoke the same response as the controlling stimulus.

Tangible Extinction

Do not provide access to the item during the behavior.

Task Modification

This technique is changing how the client does work. Also used for behavior with the function of escape.

Time Delay Prompt Fading

Inserting a time delay that occurs after instruction but before the prompt.

Token Economy

Reinforcement systems that employ a monetary system (token reinforcers) and backup reinforcer

Total Task Chaining

Training is provided for every behavior in the sequence during every training session.

Variable Interval (VI)

Providing reinforcement on a variable (average) time ratio.

Variable Ratio (VR)

Providing reinforcement on a variable response ratio

Verbal Prompt

Supplementary words, instructions, or questions to assist a learner in demonstrating a correct response are called verbal prompts.

Visual Prompt

Often used to help clients with transitions and schedules

Whole Interval Recording

Recording the presence or absence of a behavior during the whole interval. Intervals are marked as “+” if the target behavior occurred during the entire interval, and marked as “-” is the target behavior stopped at any point during the interval.