Area 9: Behavior Change Procedures: Part III

Question 1

In precision teaching, teaching is predicted on the position that

(1) learning is best measured as a ____ in response ___
(2) learning most often occurs through ____ changes in behavior
(3) past changes in performance can ____ future learning.

Answer 1

Teaching is predicted on the position that

(1) learning is best measured as a change in response rate
(2) learning most often occurs through proportional changes in behavior
(3) past changes in performance can predict future learning.

Question 2

A contingency contract:

Answer 2

Specifies how two people will behave toward each other

Question 3

How do you gradually withdraw token systems:

Answer 3

1. Always pair tokens with social approval and praise
2. Gradually increase the number of responses required to earn a token
3. Gradually decrease how often you implement the token system
4. Gradually, items should be introduced that would be in common in gen. ed. (e.g., gold stars, positive notes home) and take out things that are not (e.g., edibles)
5. Systematically increase the price of highly preferred items and keep less preferred items low
6. Gradually change the physical token: poker chips-slips of paper-tallies-etc.

Question 4

What is a level system?

Answer 4

…a type of token economy in which participants move up (and sometimes down) a hierachy of levels contingent on meeting specific performance criteria with respect to the target behaviors.

As participants move up for one level to teh next, they have access to more privileges and are expected to demonstrate more independence.

Question 5

An interdependent group contingency is most useful if:

Answer 5

One wants to change everyone’s performance

Question 6

What is a example of a behavioral contrast?

Answer 6

Behavioral contrast can occur as a function of a change in reinforcement or punishment density on one component of a multiple schedule.

Example: A child who got scolded from eating cookies in the presence of his grandma now, eats cookies at a higher rate when unsupervised prior to punishment.

Question 7

Behavioral contrast effects of punishment can be minimized, or prevented altogether, by:

Answer 7

1. Consistently punishing occurrences of the target behavior in all relevant settings and stimulus conditions
2. Withholding or at least minimizing the person’s access to reinforcement for the target behavior
3. Providing alternative desirable behaviors

…and just simply remove the cookie jar! ;)

Question 8

Describe the Matching Law:

Answer 8

…the rate of responding typically is proprotional (matches) to the rate of reinforcement received from each choice alternative (e.g., the higher the rate of reinforcement = the higher the rate of responding and vs.)

Question 9

What are the reasons Verbal Behavior was slow to develop appreciation? (4)

Answer 9

1. It was met with immediate challenges from the field of linguistics and psycholinguistics
2. Noam Chomsky published a scathing review of the book to which Skinner did not respond because he believed it to be condescending and demonstrated a clear misunderstanding of Skinner’s behaviorism
3. The field of behaviorism was disinterested and somewhat negative
4. Verbal Analysis was speculative and did not contain experimental data.

Question 10

Transcription consists of:

Answer 10

Writing and spelling words that are spoken

Question 11

Public accompaniment occurs when:

Answer 11

An observable stimulus accompanies a private stimulus

Question 12

Functional communication training (FCT) establishes an appropriate communicative behavior to compete with problem behaviors evoked by an ____ ___ (___)

Rather than changing EOs, functional communication training develops _____ _____ that are sensitive to EOs.

Answer 12

Functional communication training (FCT) establishes an appropriate communicative behavior to compete with problem behaviors evoked by an establishing operation (EO)

Rather than changing EOs, functional communication training develops alternative behaviors that are sensitive to EOs.

Question 13

What should be done to effectively use FCT? (4)

Answer 13

1. Use a dense schedule of reinforcement: alternative behaviors should be followed by continuous schedule of reinforcement during early stages.
2. Decreased use of verbal prompts: to remove prompt dependence
3. Behavior reduction procedures: use extinction, time-out, etc.
4. Schedule thinning: for firmly established communicative responses

Question 14

Limiting an undesired behavior to restructure stimulus conditions is:

Answer 14

An antecedent-based self-management tactic

Question 15

A type of self-management tactic that typically involves the use of self-awareness training, competing response training, and motivation techniques is:

Answer 15

Habit Reversal

Question 16

This type of self-management tactic involves self-generated verbal responses, covert or overt, that function as response prompts for a desired behavior.

Answer 16

Self-instruction

Question 17

Choosing only those behaviors to change that will produce reinforcers in the post-intervention environment is referred to as:

Answer 17

• Relevance-of-behavior* rule

Question 18

Including typical features of the generalization setting into the instructional setting is referred to as:

Answer 18

Programming common stimuli

Question 19

To promote maintainence, you should: (6)

Answer 19

1. Gradually approximate the antecedent stimulus conditions of the target environment by fading in natural distracters within the training environment.
2. Select antecedent stimuli for the training environment that can be altered to gradually approximate the stimuli in the target environment.
3. Gradually change the nature of consequent stimulus conditions from contrived to natural reinforcers and punishing stimuli
4. Gradually approximate the schedule of consequent stimuli in the target environment within the training environment
5. Gradually approximate the consequent stimuli conditions of the target environment by delaying reinforcement within the training environment or by varying the types of reinforcement within the training environment
6. Arrange contingencies within the target environment to promote generality (e.g., train the repertoires of others).