ABA/Applied Behaviour Analysis Flashcards
what is applied behaviour analysis?
Applied behaviour analysis is a natural science approach to the study of behaviour of humans.
what is the fundamental premise of a natural science approach?
the fundamental premise of a natural science approach to psychology is that all behaviour is caused and that the cause of our behaviour is physical and external to us.
what is conventional thought?
in conventional thought we typically see ourselves as being the originators of our own behaviour, that we possess the ability to act freely independent of our history.
…this is in stark contrast to the premise of natural science.
what are the two sub-disciplines within the behavioural field?
- the experimental analysis of behaviour (EAB)
- Applied behaviour analysis (ABA).
what is EAB?
EAB involves the study of the fundamental principles that govern behaviours.
the goal of such research is to determine environmental conditions that control or cause behaviour in organisms.
what is ABA primarily interested in?
ABA is primarily interested in the application of the principles of behaviour which are derived from laboratory research to issues of human interest.
the popular term PBS describes the application of ABA principles to the assessment and treatment of challenging behaviours.
(NB to know the diff between ABA and PBS; PBS uses principles of ABA (behaviour analysis) to deal with challenging behaviours).
what did Horner say about PBS (note this is not about ABA)?
Horner 2000, said that specifically positive behaviour support interventions involve restructuring and changing environments, which result in the reduction of challenging behaviours as well as increases in prosocial and adaptive behaviours that may improve the quality of life for individuals with developmental disabilities.
what happened in the 1970’s, according to Gold 1976?
In the early to mid 1970’s researchers began to demonstrate that people with developmental disabilities or capable of performing community, vocational and domestic tasks traditionally thought to be beyond their capabilities, Gold 1976.
what else did Gold say?
complex skills such as preparing meals, self grooming and grocery shopping could be taught if they’re broken down into small discrete steps that were then taught systematically using instructional prompts and positive reinforcements.
what is task analysis?
we must first break complex sequences of behaviour down into their component parts. the process by which a complex sequence of behaviours is broken down and the resulting set of behaviours is called a task analysis.
what is the first step of task analysis?
the first step consists of identifying the essential behaviours involved in performing the task sequence. this can be achieved by observing and recording the behaviours of individuals who are skilled in performing the task.
what did Cuvo do in 1978 (task analysis)?
for example, Cuvo in 1978 taught janitorial skills such as sweeping and mopping the floor, cleaning the stool and cleaning the mirror to individuals with developmental disabilities. the task analysis analyses were developed by observing janitors performing these tasks.
what are instructional strategies?
Instructional prompts are cues used to evoke a desired response. They are supplementary stimuli that will be removed once the person can perform targeted behaviours at the desired level of independence.
what types of prompts are there?
prompts are of two general types:
- response prompts
- stimulus prompts.
what are response prompts?
response prompts are cues that describe and demonstrate the new desired response.
there are several types of response prompts, including verbal, model, picture and physical prompts
what are stimulus prompts?
Stimulus prompts are cues that highlight the natural discriminative stimuli in the environment and therefore increase the probability of correct responding.
what are verbal response prompts?
These prompts can be written or oral. An indirect verbal prompt is used to cue the person that some behaviour needs to be performed, but it does not describe what the behaviour is. for example, “what do you need to do next” is an example of an indirect verbal prompt.
A direct verbal prompt specifies that the person needs to perform, for example “open your book” clearly describes what needs to be performed.
what did Lancioni in 2000 do? (verbal response prompts)
Lancioni in 2000 taught adults with severe intellectual disabilities to perform domestic tasks via the use of vocal prompts delivered through a small pocket audio device with an earpiece.
what are model response prompts?
model response prompts involve the teacher demonstrating the desired behaviour so it can be imitated by the person.
what are picture response prompts?
picture response prompts are visual representations of the behaviours to be performed.
Sowers et al in 1980 taught individuals with intellectual disabilities to use picture cues of clock faces to leave a return from lunch and work breaks.
what are physical response prompts?
physical response prompts produce correct responding by manually guiding the person through the appropriate response. physical prompting is obviously a very intrusive way to teach someone to respond correctly.
back to stimulus prompts, what are they in more detail?
stimulus prompts are additional stimuli that are used to highlight important stimuli in the environment and enhance the evocative effectiveness of natural stimuli.
stimulus prompts can be used in conjunction with response prompts when teaching a skill.
what does instructional protocol mean, in terms of stimulus and response prompts?
response and stimulus prompts are instructional protocol that must eventually be partially or totally removed. the goal of an instructional program is that the student will eventually be able to perform the skills as independently as possible.
what is the fading of prompts called?
the fading of prompts is therefore sometimes called “errorless learning” by Terrace 1963.