Behavior Lecture 2 Notes (Definitions, Distinctions, and Check-ins)

Overview: context and purpose

• This is Lecture 2, Unit 1, Video 1, focusing on behavior in behavior analysis. The core goal is to understand how the environment affects behavior, building on prior foundational concepts and terminology.
• Across fields, the term meaning of “behavior” can vary, so we align definitions to emphasize observable, measurable movement of body parts (effectors) that affect the environment.

Key definitions and theorists

• Behavior (Hubert/Heron and Kewerd as cited in the transcript):
  • Definition emphasizes observability and measurability of the movement of some part of the body of an organism.
  • Emphasizes the action of an organism.
• Behavior (Michael’s perspective):
  • Behavior is the movement of an organism's effectors that leaves an observable effect on the environment.
  • Focuses on the movement itself as the core of behavior.
• Effectors (important term):
  • Effectors are muscles or glands that move and generate observable changes in the organism and/or environment.
  • In behavior analysis, behavior is always about the movement of muscles or glands.
• Central guiding idea:
  • Behavior = movement of muscles or glands that can be observed and yields an observable environmental effect.
  • Naming a behavior (like “opening a door”) is acceptable, but you should conceptualize it in terms of the actual movement of effectors involved.

Distinguishing terms: behavior, response, and stimulus

• Behavior vs Response:
  • Behavior is the aggregate term for a class of movements (e.g., sitting, driving, opening a door).
  • A single instance of that behavior is a response (e.g., this specific moment of standing to sitting is a sitting response).
  • Example progression: At this moment I am standing, then I sit → the act of sitting is a response within the broader sitting behavior.
• Activation vs Product:
  • Response: a single action of effectors (e.g., a single motion that constitutes movement).
  • Response Product: the environmental effect produced by the response (what results in the environment or other organisms perceiving it).
  • Stimulus: an environmental change that may elicit a response; it can be a product of the behavior (e.g., hearing words produced by talking).
• Important implication:
  • When describing behavior, separate the movement (the response) from the product or consequence (the response product), and differentiate both from the external stimulus that might trigger the behavior.

Dead Man’s Law (and related variants)

• Dead Man’s Law (also called Dead Person’s Law or mannequin’s law in the lecture):
  • If a person who is no longer living could perform the action, then it is not a behavior.
  • This helps distinguish behavior from non-behavioral actions that do not require movement of muscles or glands.
• Example applications:
  • Being seated in a chair: not a behavior by itself because a dead person could be seated.
  • Sitting (standing → seated): a behavior because it involves movement of effectors; a dead person could not perform this movement.
• Note on scope:
  • The term “response” is tied to a single instance of movement, whereas “behavior” can encompass a class of movements over time.

Concrete examples and how to conceptualize them

• Opening a door:
  • The name of the behavior (opening a door) describes a product or outcome, not the exact movement.
  • The underlying behavior is the movement of the body parts (e.g., grip, wrist rotation, forearm motion, pulling). The specific motion defines the behavior, not just the label.
• The same action can have different manifestations:
  • Opening a door could involve different movements for different individuals, yet still be the same behavior if the movement of effectors is present.
• Driving (as a broader activity):
  • Driving is a composite of multiple behaviors, not a single behavior.
  • Specific behaviors within driving include braking (foot moves and presses the brake pedal), steering (hand and arm movements), signaling (arm or wheel movements).
  • You can name a broader behavior (driving) but define it by the component movements of its effectors.
• Practical implication:
  • In teaching and assessment, emphasize identifying the actual movement of muscles/glands that constitutes the behavior, even when the everyday name refers to a product or outcome.

Language and practice: talking about behavior vs stimulus

• Talking as a behavior:
  • The movement includes the oral mechanism (lips, tongue, jaw, soft palate), diaphragm, lungs, vocal folds, etc.
  • What is often described as “talking” is the production of sound, which is the outcome of these movements.
  • The product of talking is the auditory stimulus that others hear (the words you speak).
• Distinguishing product from response in talking:
  • The action (movement of effectors) is the response.
  • The auditory output (words) is the response product (an environmental change perceived by others).
• Practical takeaway:
  • When describing talking, you can reference both the motor movements (response) and the resulting words/sound (response product), but remember to separate them conceptually.

Check-in discussion 1: Is swallowing a behavior?

• Answer: True (the swallow is a behavior).
• Rationale:
  • Swallowing involves movement of oral mechanisms, larynx, and epiglottis; the coordinated movement results in a swallow (the behavior).
• Conceptual takeaway:
  • A behavior can be named by its product, but it is defined by the movement of effectors involved in producing that action.

Check-in discussion 2: What is a response product?

• Task: Determine which option is not a response product.
• Options discussed (paraphrased):
  • A) Movement of the fingers on the keys (this is a behavior: a movement of effectors).
  • B) The sight of the fingers typing (this is a stimulus, i.e., something observed externally as a result of the behavior).
  • C) The feeling of, D) The sound of, E) The taste of, F) The sensation of (these are typically stimuli or perceived products associated with the behavior when perceived by an observer or by the performer).
• Correct answer (as explained in the lecture): The movement of the fingers on the keys is not a response product; it is the behavior itself (the response). The other phrases (the sight of, the sound of, the smell of, the taste of, the sensation of) describe stimuli or sensory consequences, i.e., potential response products depending on context.
• Practical takeaway:
  • Use a simple heuristic: If you can prefix the phrase with a sensory modality (the sight of, the sound of, etc.), you are likely describing a stimulus, i.e., a potential stimulus rather than the response product. If you prefix with a verb form like “moving” or “moving my fingers,” you are describing a response or behavior.
• Importance:
  • Differentiating stimuli from responses helps in analysis and in predicting behavior in context, especially as we move to more complex scenarios.

Connections and implications for future topics

• Foundational principle: behavior is about the environment’s effect on an organism’s movement (effectors).
• The language distinction (behavior vs response vs stimulus vs response product) is crucial for clear analysis and accurate measurement.
• The examples illustrate that names describing outcomes (e.g., driving, opening a door) can obscure the underlying motor movements; a precise analysis requires mapping the label to the actual effector movements.
• Ethical and practical implications: precise definitions help in designing interventions, assessments, and experiments in applied settings (education, therapy, clinical practice) by clarifying what exactly is being measured and changed.

Quick reference: core definitions (conceptual anchors)

• Behavior: $ext{Behavior} = ext{movement of muscles or glands (effectors) that is observable and measurable}$
• Effectors: $ext{Muscles or glands that produce movement}$
• Response: a single instance of a behavior (a specific movement at a particular moment)\
• Behavior (aggregate): the broader class of movements (e.g., sitting, driving) over time
• Response Product: the environmental outcome produced by the response (what others perceive as a result of the behavior)\
• Stimulus: an environmental change that can trigger a behavior (distinct from the response product)
• Dead Man’s Law: If a dead person could perform the action, it is not a behavior; if the action requires movement, it is a behavior.

Summary takeaways

• Ground your thinking in the movement of effectors (muscles and glands) as the essence of behavior.
• Distinguish between behavior (aggregate movement) and the single instance of movement (response).
• Recognize the product of a response (response product) and differentiate it from stimuli that may trigger behavior.
• Use labeling (e.g., driving, opening a door) as a cue, but always connect it back to the actual motor movements involved.
• Use the Dead Man’s Law as a quick check for whether something qualifies as a behavior.

Possible exam-style prompts to prepare for

• Define behavior from the perspectives presented by Hubert/Koerner and Michael, and explain how they complement each other.
• Explain the difference between a behavior and a response with examples (e.g., standing to sitting, braking while driving).
• Describe what constitutes a response product and how it differs from a stimulus.
• Provide examples where the same broader action (e.g., driving) comprises multiple behaviors and how you would analyze it.
• Apply the Dead Man’s Law to determine whether a given action is a behavior.