Ch. 1 & Ch. 2 w/ Quiz

Question 1

applied behavior analysis (ABA)

Answer 1

The science in which principles of behavior are applied to improve socially significant behavior

Question 2

behaviorism

Answer 2

The philosophy of a science of behavior; there are various forms of behaviorism.

Question 3

determinism

Answer 3

The assumption that the universe is a lawful and orderly place in which phenomena occur in relation to other events and not in a willy-nilly, accidental fashion.

Question 4

empiricism

Answer 4

The objective observation of the phenomena of interest that does not depend on the subjective belief of the individual scientist

Question 5

experiment

Answer 5

A carefully controlled comparison of some measure of the phenomenon of interest (the dependent variable) under two or more different conditions in which only one factor at a time (the independent variable) differs from one condition to another.

Question 6

experimental analysis of behavior (EAB)

Answer 6

A natural science approach to the study of behavior with an emphasis on

1) describing functional relations between behavior and
2) controlling variables in the environment

Question 7

explanatory fiction

Answer 7

A fictitious or hypothetical variable that often takes the form of another name for the observed phenomenon it claims to explain, and contributes nothing to a functional account or understanding of the phenomenon, such as “intelligence” or “cognitive awareness” as explanations for why an organism pushes the lever when the light is on and food is available but does not push the lever when the light is off and no food is available.

Question 8

functional analysis

Answer 8

A term with two meanings in contemporary behavior analysis literature. In its original and most fundamental usage, functional analysis denotes demonstrations of functional relations between environmental variables and behavior.

In the context of determining the purposes (functions) of problem behavior for an individual, functional analysis entails experimentally arranging antecedents and consequences representing those in the person’s natural routines so that their separate effects on problem behavior can be observed and measured.

Question 9

functional relation

Answer 9

A verbal statement summarizing the results of an experiment (or group of related experiments) that describes the occurrence of the phenomena under study as a function of the operation of one or more specified and controlled variables in the experiment in which a specific change in one event (the dependent variable) can be produced by manipulating another event (the independent variable), and that the change in the dependent variable was unlikely the result of other factors (confounding variables)

Question 10

hypothetical construct

Answer 10

A presumed but unobserved process or entity (e.g., Freud’s id, ego, and superego).

Question 11

mentalism

Answer 11

An approach to explaining behavior that assumes that a mental, or “inner,” dimension exists that differs from a behavioral dimension and that phenomena in this dimension either directly cause or at least mediate some forms of behavior, if not all.

Question 12

methodological behaviorism

Answer 12

A philosophical position that views behavioral events that cannot be publicly observed as outside the realm of science.

Question 13

parsimony

Answer 13

The practice of ruling out simple, logical explanations, experimentally or conceptually, before considering more complex or abstract explanations.

Question 14

philosophic doubt

Answer 14

An attitude that the truthfulness and validity of all scientific theory and knowledge should be continually questioned.

Question 15

pragmatism

Answer 15

A philosophical position asserting that the truth value of a statement is determined by how well it promotes effective action; pragmatism is a primary criterion by which behavior analysts judge the value of their findings.

Question 16

radical behaviorism

Answer 16

A form of behaviorism that attempts to understand all human behavior, including private events such as thoughts and feelings, in terms of controlling variables in the history of the person (ontogeny) and the species (phylogeny).

Question 17

replication

Answer 17

Repeating conditions within an experiment to determine the reliability of effects and increase internal validity

Question 18

science

Answer 18

A systematic approach to the understanding of natural phenomena (as evidenced by description, prediction, and control) that relies on determinism as its fundamental assumption, empiricism as its primary rule, experimentation as its basic strategy, replication as a requirement for believability, parsimony as a value, and philosophic doubt as its guiding conscience.

Question 19

This involves the repetition of experiments to determine the reliability of findings

Answer 19

Replication

Question 20

This formally began the experimental branch of behavior analysis

Answer 20

B.F. Skinner’s “Behavior of Organisms”

Question 21

This branch of behavior analysis concentrates on development of a technology to improve behavior.

Answer 21

Applied Behavior Analysis

Question 22

This approach to understanding behavior attempts to explain all behavior, including private events.

Answer 22

Radical Behaviorism

Question 23

________________ refers to a specific instance of behavior

Answer 23

Response

Question 24

What a the principles of behavior?

Answer 24

Reinforcement

Question 25

The three-term contingency is the basic unit of analysis in the analysis of operant behavior and is made of the following elements:

Answer 25

antecedent, behavior, and consequence

Question 26

Consequences can only affect _________ behavior

Answer 26

future

Question 27

A ________________ _____________ is a group of responses of varying topography, all of which produce the same effect on the environment.

Answer 27

response class (not the same as response topography)

Question 28

The levels of understanding science provides includes

Answer 28

Collection, Prediction, Experimentation

Question 29

Behavior

Answer 29

an organism’s interaction with its environment that | involves movement of some part of the organism

Question 30

Response

Answer 30

action of an organism’s effector

Question 31

Response Class

Answer 31

A group of responses of varying topography, all of which produce the same effect on the environment.

Question 32

automatic reinforcement automaticity of reinforcement

Answer 32

Reinforcement that occurs independent of the social mediation of others (e.g., scratching an insect bite relieves the itch).

Question 33

aversive stimulus

Answer 33

an unpleasant or noxious stimulus; more technically, a stimulus change or condition that functions (a) to evoke a behavior that has terminated it in the past, (b) as a punisher when presented following behavior, and/or (c) as a reinforcer when withdrawn following behavior.

Question 34

behavior change tactic

Answer 34

A technologically consistent method for changing behavior derived from one or more principles of behavior (e.g., response cost is derived from the principle of negative punishment)

Question 35

consequence

Answer 35

A stimulus change that follows a behavior of interest. Some consequences, especially those that are immediate and relevant to current motivational states, have significant influence on future behavior

Question 36

deprivation

Answer 36

The state of an organism with respect to how much time has elapsed since it has consumed or contacted a particular type of reinforcer; also refers to a procedure for increasing the effectiveness of a reinforcer

Question 37

``` discriminated operant discriminative stimulus (SD) ```

Answer 37

An operant that occurs more frequently under some | antecedent conditions than under others

Question 38

environment

Answer 38

circumstances in which the organism or referenced part of the organism exists; behavior cannot occur in the absence of environment.

Question 39

extinction

Answer 39

The discontinuing of a reinforcement of a previously reinforced behavior (i.e., responses no longer produce reinforcement); the primary effect is a decrease in the frequency of the behavior

Question 40

habituation

Answer 40

A decrease in responsiveness to repeated presentations of a | stimulus; most often used to describe a reduction of respondent behavior

Question 41

higher-order conditioning

Answer 41

Development of a conditioned reflex by pairing of a neutral stimulus (NS) with a conditioned stimulus (CS). (Also called secondary conditioning.)

Question 42

history of reinforcement

Answer 42

An inclusive term referring in general to all of a person’s learning experiences and more specifically to past conditioning with respect to particular response classes or aspects of a person’s repertoire. (See also ontogeny.)