Chapter 1: ABA

Question 1

ABA

Answer 1

Using behavioral science to help people in the real world in a socially significant way that improves their life.

Example: Reducing SIB

Question 2

Behaviorism

Answer 2

Viewing behavior through a philosophical, historical, and theoretical lens.

Question 3

Determinism

Answer 3

Everything happens for a reason. Things don’t just randomly occur.

Example: Johnny is not running out of the room for no reason.

Question 4

Empiricism

Answer 4

Observation and measurement must occur.

Example: Johnny ran out of the room 5 times in a 30 minute period.

Question 5

Experimentation

Answer 5

Systematically using an intervention to determine it’s effects.

Example: Changing the setup of a classroom

Question 6

Experimental Analysis of Behavior

Answer 6

A scientific approach to the study of behavior.

Example: Lab rats

Question 7

Professional Guided Practice

Answer 7

Caregivers, teachers, RBTs, etc. implementing ABA under guidance of a BCBA.

Example: Teaching a parent to implement protocol under your supervision

Question 8

Explanatory Fiction

Answer 8

Explaining a behavior based on a label.

Example: Johnny did the behavior because he has ADHD

Question 9

Circular Reasoning

Answer 9

The cause equals the effect, and the effect equals the cause.q

Example: Using logic is important because it’s important to use logic.

Question 10

Functional Analysis

Answer 10

Experimentally arranging antecedents and consequences so that their separate effects on problem behavior can be observed and measured.

Example: Conducting a FA to determine the function of Johnny yelling out during instruction.

Question 11

Functional Relation

Answer 11

Exists when we can make the DV happen or not based on whether or not the IV is present.

Example: Changing the setup of a classroom stopped Johnny from running out of the room.

Question 12

Independent Variable (IV)

Answer 12

The variable that is manipulated in an experiment.

Example: Time doing work, proximity to teacher, light/lever press experiment.

Question 13

Dependent Variable (DV)

Answer 13

The measured behavior in an experiment.

Example: Hand raising, profanity, running out of room, SIB

Question 14

Setting Events

Answer 14

Any event or situation that makes it more likely for the behavior to occur in the presence of an antecedent.

Example: Waking up late and not eating breakfast

Question 15

Hypothetical Construct

Answer 15

Explaining one’s behavior as a result of them “knowing” or “wanting” something.

He is crying because he knows it’s almost nap time.

Question 16

Mentalism

Answer 16

Explaining why behavior occurs is due to an unobservable reason/cause that comes only from within.

Question 17

Methodological Behaviorism

Answer 17

Only looks at publicly observable events, not private events, and behavior should be studied by direct observation between environmental stimuli and the responses they bring out.

1913, S-R Psychology, Watson

Question 18

Parsimony

Answer 18

Simple before considering complex.

Example: My headache is likely caused by dehydration not a brain tumor.

Question 19

Philosophic Doubt

Answer 19

A healthy skepticism of everything until you have seen the data yourself.

Example: I successfully completed the experiment once, but I need to repeat it to make sure I get the same results.

Question 20

Pragmatism

Answer 20

The practical and logical nature of behavior analysis.

Example: Taking advil for a headache before going to the ER

Question 21

Radical Behaviorism

Answer 21

An attempt to understand all human behavior, including private and public events.

1938-1990s, Skinner, S-R-S Psychology

Example: ABC data

Question 22

Replication

Answer 22

Conducting an experiment multiple times with different subjects/settings or behaviors to assess the strengths of its findings.

Example: If I do this experiment several more times, will it come out with the same results?

Question 23

Science

Answer 23

A systematic approach for seeking and organizing knowledge about the natural world.

Example: Experimental method, levels of organization of species, etc.

Question 24

Levels of Scientific Understanding

Answer 24

Description, prediction, control

Question 25

Description

Answer 25

Observations occur, and data is collected during those observations on the behavior of interest.

Example: The number of praise statements made by teachers in a classroom.

Question 26

Prediction

Answer 26

Hypotheses and correlations are realized at this level, research questions are established.

Example: When the weather is hot, there are more drowning deaths.

Question 27

Control

Answer 27

The highest level of scientific understanding. Patterns evolve into functional relations.

Example: Every time mom says no to Bobby, he hits.

Question 28

Selectionism

Answer 28

Consequences that benefit a species by survival of the fittest.

Question 29

Phylogeny

Answer 29

How a species changes over time.

Example: Giraffes with longer necks survive more than shorter because they have access to more food.

Question 30

Ontogeny

Answer 30

How an individual changes over time based on their learning history.

Example: Girl gets made fun of for clothes, buys new clothes then is reinforced.

Question 31

Cultural Selectionism

Answer 31

Selection by consequences on a more “macro” scale, politics, education, etc. through imitation and modeling of behaviors.

Example: You choose to either keep or veer away from your parent’s political beliefs.

Question 32

7 Dimensions Acronym

Answer 32

BATCAGE

Question 33

Behavioral

Answer 33

We study the socially significant behavior that needs improvement, that can be measured, and stay aware of the behavior of the observers as well.

Question 34

Applied

Answer 34

Socially significant. Does it improve the quality of life?

Question 35

Technological

Answer 35

Detailed fully, operationally. Can it be replicated?

Question 36

Conceptually Systematic

Answer 36

Use principles of behavior in behavior change procedures.

Question 37

Analytic

Answer 37

Conducting experiments with IVs and DVs, visually analyzing data, determining if functional relations exist. Clinically significant.

Question 38

Generality

Answer 38

When behaviors begin to happen in other environments, with other stimuli, and last over time or spread to other behaviors.

Question 39

Effective

Answer 39

Does the intervention change behavior to a practical, meaningful degree? Is it working?

Question 40

Attitudes of Science Acronym

Answer 40

DEARPPPS

Question 41

Attitudes of Science AKA

Answer 41

Philosophical Assumptions