Chapter 2 Flashcards
Appetitive Stimulus
an event that an organism will seek out
Aversive Stimulus
An event that an organism will avoid
Baseline
the normal frequency of a behavior before some intervention
case study approach
a descriptive research approach that involves intensive examination of one or few individuals
changing-criterion design
a type of single-subject design in which the effect of the treatment is demonstrated by how closely the behavior matches the criterion that is systematically altered
Comparative Design
a type of control group design in which different species constitute one of the independent variables
Contingency
a predictive relationship between two events such that the occurrence of one event predicts the probable occurrence of the other
Control Group Design
a type of experiment in which, at its simplest, subjects are randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group; subjects assigned to the experimental group are exposed to a certain manipulation or treatment, while those assigned to the control group are not
Covert Behavior
behavior that can be subjectively perceived only by the person performing the behavior. Thoughts and feelings are covert behaviors.
Cumulative Recorder
a device that measures total number of responses over time and provides a graphic depiction of the rate of behavior
Dependent Variable
that aspect of an experiment that is allowed to freely vary to determine if it is affected by changes in the independent variable
Deprivation
the prolonged absence of an event that tends to increase the appetitiveness of that event
Descriptive Research
research that focuses on the describing the behavior and the situation within which it occurs
Duration
the length of time that an individual repeatedly or continuously performs a certain behavior
Establishing Operation
a procedure that affects the appetitiveness to aversiveness of a stimulus
Functional Relationship
the relationship between changes in an independent variable and changes in a dependent variable; a cause-and-effect relationship
Independent Variable
that aspect of an experiment that is made to systematically vary across the different conditions in an experiment
Intensity
the force or magnitude of a behavior
Interval Recording
the measurement of whether or not a behavior occurs within a series of continuous intervals ( note that the number of times that the behavior occurs within each interval is irrelevant)
Latency
the length of time required for a behavior to begin
multiple-baseline design
a type of single-subject design in which a treatment is instituted at successive points in time for two or more persons, settings, or behaviors
Naturalistic Observation
a descriptive research approach that involves the systematic observation and recording of behavior in its natural environment
Overt Behavior
behavior that has the potential for being directly observed by an individual other than the one performing the behavior
Rate of Response
the frequency with which a response occurs in a certain period of time
Response
a particular instance of a behavior
Reversal Design
a type of single-subject design that involves repeated alternations between a baseline period and a treatment period
Satiation
the prolonged exposure to (or consumption of) an event that tends to decrease the appetitiveness of that event
Simple-Comparison Design
a type of single-subject design in which behavior in a baseline condition is compared to behavior in a treatment condition
Single-Subject Design
a research design that requires only one or a few subjects in order to conduct an entire experiment
Spacial Contiguity
the extent to which events are situated close to each other in space
Speed
the amount of time required to perform a complete episode of a behavior from start to finish
Stimulus
any event that can potentially influence behavior
Temporal Contiguity
the extent to which events occur close together in time
time-sampling recording
the measurement of whether or not a behavior occurs within a series of discontinuous intervals
Topography
the physical form of a behavior
Variable
a characteristic of a person, place, or a thing that can change over time or from one situation to another
