Chapter 3 - Selecting and Defining Target Behaviors

Question 1

ABC recording (another word)

Answer 1

anecdotal observation (another word)

Question 2

anecdotal observation

Answer 2

A form of direct continuous observation in which the observer records a descriptive, temporally sequenced account of all behavior(s) of interest and the antecedent conditions and consequences for those behaviors as those evens occur in the client’s natural environment.

Question 3

behavior checklist

Answer 3

An itemized list that provides descriptions of specific skills (usually in hierarchical order) and the conditions under which each skill should be observed. Some checklists are designed to assess one particular behavior or skill area. Others address multiple behaviors or skill areas. Most use a Likert scale to rate responses.

Question 4

behavioral assessment

Answer 4

A form of assessment that includes indirect and direct procedures such as interviews, checklists, and tests to identify and define the specific target behavior. In addition to identifying behavior(s) to change, comprehensive behavioral assessment can uncover functional relations between variables; it provides context on the resources, assets, significant others, competing contingencies, maintenance and generalization factors, and reinforcers (or punishers) that can be combined to improve the efficiency of an intervention.

Question 5

behavioral cusp

Answer 5

A behavior that has sudden and dramatic consequences that extend well beyond the idiosyncratic change itself because it exposes the person to new environments, reinforcers, contingencies, responses, and stimulus controls.

Question 6

ecological assessment

Answer 6

An assessment protocol that acknowledges complex interrelationships between environment and behavior. An ecological assessment is a method for obtaining data across multiple settings and persons.

Question 7

function-based definition

Answer 7

Designates responses as members of the targeted response class solely in terms of their common effect on the environment.

Question 8

habilitation

Answer 8

Habilitation (adjustment) occurs when a person’s repertoire has been changed such that short- and long-term reinforcers are maximized and short- and long-term punishers are minimized.

Question 9

normalization

Answer 9

As a philosophy and principle, the belief that people with disabilities should, to the maximum extent possible, be physically and socially integrated into the mainstream of society regardless of the degree or type of disability. As an approach to intervention, the use of progressively more typical settings and procedures “to establish and/or maintain personal behaviors which are as culturally normal as possible” (Wolfensberger, 1972, p. 28).

Question 10

pivotal behavior

Answer 10

A behavior that, when learned, produced corresponding modifications or covariation in other untrained behaviors.

Question 11

reactivity

Answer 11

Effects of an observation and measurement procedure on the behavior being measured. Reactivity is most likely when measurement procedures are obtrusive, especially if the person being observed is aware of the observer’s presence and purpose.

Question 12

relevance of behavior rule

Answer 12

Holds that only behaviors likely to produce reinforcement in the person’s natural environment should be targeted for change.

Question 13

social validity

Answer 13

Refers to the extent to which target behaviors are appropriate, intervention procedures are acceptable, and important and significant changes in target and collateral behaviors are produced.

Question 14

topography-based definition

Answer 14

Defines instances of the targeted response class by the shape or form of the behavior.