Introduction to Behavior Modification, Assessment, and Graphing

Flashcards covering foundational principles, terminology, assessment strategies, measurement dimensions, and research designs in Behavior Modification.

Human Behavior

What people do and say; characterized by actions that have measurable dimensions, can be observed and recorded, have an impact on the environment, and are lawful.

Dimension

A measurable aspect of a behavior, such as its frequency, duration, intensity, or latency.

Frequency

The number of times a behavior occurs in a specific observation period.

Duration

The total amount of time occupied by a behavior from its onset to its offset.

Intensity

The amount of physical force, energy, or exertion involved in a behavior (also referred to as magnitude).

Latency

The time elapsed from a specific stimulus or event to the onset of a behavior.

Overt Behavior

An action that can be directly observed and recorded by an individual other than the person engaging in the behavior.

Covert Behavior

Private events (such as thinking) that cannot be observed and recorded by another person.

Behavior Modification

The applied science and professional practice concerned with analyzing and modifying human behavior.

Target Behavior

The specific behavior identified to be modified in a behavior modification program.

Behavioral Excess

An undesirable target behavior that a person wants to decrease in frequency, duration, or intensity.

Behavioral Deficit

A desirable target behavior that a person wants to increase in frequency, duration, or intensity.

Behaviorism

The core theoretical framework behind behavior modification, asserting that behavior is lawful and systematically controlled by environmental events.

Experimental Analysis of Behavior

The scientific study of behavior (also referred to as behavior analysis).

Applied Behavior Analysis

The scientific study of human behavior to help individuals change behavior in socially significant and meaningful ways.

Law of Effect

A principle identified by Edward L. Thorndike stating that a behavior producing a favorable effect on the environment is more likely to be repeated in the future.

Controlling Variable

An environmental event that is functionally related to a behavior and influences its occurrence.

Behavioral Assessment

The measurement of the target behavior or behaviors in a behavior modification program.

Direct Assessment

A measurement method in which an observer sees and records the target behavior as it occurs in real time.

Indirect Assessment

Assessment methods, such as interviews, questionnaires, and rating scales, that rely on an individual's recall of the target behavior rather than direct observation.

Behavioral Definition

An objective and unambiguous description of specific target behaviors using active verbs, without inferring internal states or intentions.

Interobserver Agreement (IOA)

A measure of consistency where two independent observers simultaneously observe and record the same target behavior and their recordings are compared.

Natural Setting

A location where the target behavior typically occurs during normal daily routines.

Analogue Setting

An observation setting outside the natural daily routine (such as a clinic or therapy room) designed to simulate specific conditions.

Structured Observation

An observation procedure in which the observer arranges specific events or activities to occur during the observation period.

Unstructured Observation

An observation period in which no specific events or activities are arranged and no special instructions are given.

Self-Monitoring

A recording process in which the client personally observes and records their own target behavior.

Observation Period

A specific period of time designated for observing and recording a target behavior.

Continuous Recording

A recording method in which the observer continuously monitors the client throughout the observation period and records every instance of the target behavior.

Rate

The frequency of a behavior divided by the duration of the observation period, commonly reported as responses per minute.

Real-Time Recording

A continuous recording procedure in which the exact onset and offset times of each instance of the target behavior are recorded.

Product Recording

An indirect assessment method that measures the tangible outcome or permanent product resulting from the occurrence of a target behavior.

Interval Recording

A sampling method where the observation period is divided into consecutive time intervals, and the behavior is recorded as occurring or not occurring in each interval.

Partial-Interval Recording

An interval recording variation where an interval is scored as an occurrence if the target behavior occurs at any point during that interval.

Whole-Interval Recording

An interval recording variation where an interval is scored as an occurrence only if the target behavior persists throughout the entire interval.

Frequency-Within-Interval Recording

A recording procedure in which the observer records the exact frequency of the target behavior within consecutive time intervals.

Time Sample Recording

A sampling method in which the observation period is divided into intervals, but behavior is observed and recorded during only a portion of each interval or discontinuous intervals.

Momentary Time Sample Recording (MTS)

A variation of time sample recording where behavior is scored only if it occurs at the exact instant that the interval ends.

Reactivity

The phenomenon in which the process of observing and recording a behavior causes the behavior to change before any treatment is implemented.

Graph

A visual representation of the occurrence of a behavior over time.

Abscissa

The horizontal axis (x-axis) on a behavior modification graph, which typically represents units of time.

Ordinate

The vertical axis (y-axis) on a behavior modification graph, which represents the level or dimension of the target behavior.

Phase Line

A vertical line drawn on a graph that indicates a change in treatment condition.

Baseline

The initial phase of a behavior modification project during which the target behavior is recorded prior to implementing treatment.

Level

The position of data along the vertical y-axis on a graph (how high or low the data points are).

Trend

A systematic increase or decrease in behavioral data across consecutive sessions within a phase.

Variability

The degree to which individual data points fluctuate above and below the mean level within a phase.

A–B Design

A basic graph layout featuring a baseline phase (A) and a treatment phase (B) used to evaluate behavior change, but which cannot demonstrate a functional relationship.

Functional Relationship

Demonstrated when a target behavior systematically changes as a direct result of manipulating an independent variable, and the manipulation is replicated.

Independent Variable

The environmental manipulation or treatment procedure implemented by a researcher to produce a change in behavior.

Dependent Variable

The target behavior measured to evaluate whether it changes when the independent variable is manipulated.

Extraneous Variable

An unplanned event or uncontrolled factor (confound) that may influence the target behavior during an experiment.

A–B–A–B Reversal Design

An experimental research design in which baseline and treatment phases are implemented twice to demonstrate a functional relationship.

Multiple-Baseline Design

An experimental research design where treatment is staggered across time for multiple subjects, multiple behaviors of the same subject, or multiple settings.

Alternating-Treatments Design (ATD)

A research design in which baseline and treatment conditions (or two different treatments) are rapidly alternated across sessions and compared.

Changing-Criterion Design

An experimental research design containing a baseline phase followed by a treatment phase with step-wise, sequential performance goal criteria.