Exam 1

Question 1

what is ABA

Answer 1

applied behavior analysis

the science (and practice/profession) in which tactics derived from basic principles of learning are applied to improve socially important behavior and analytic methods are used to identify the variables responsible for the improvement in behavior

EX. how to effectively teach a college course, how to get people to engage in going green

Question 2

what is behavior?

Answer 2

anything you say or do.

professional behavior modifiers are concerned with those behaviors that are measurable on at least one dimension (duration, frequency, force)

Question 3

dead man’s test

Answer 3

if a dead man can do it, it ain’t behavior, and if a dead man can’t do it, the it is behavior

Question 4

what is the environment?

Answer 4

all the stimuli that influence behavior at a given moment

Question 5

behaviorism

Answer 5

philosophy that behavior is orderly, determined by variables in past and current circumstances/environment of the individual

Question 6

trait-based views

Answer 6

explains why we do what we do in terms of person’s traits, attributes (ex. intelligence, morality, free will)

Question 7

mentalism

Answer 7

the view that behavior results from difficult-to-change characteristics of a person’s mind (ex. trait of laziness, aggressive personality)

may describe a pattern of behavior, but they do not explain it

Question 8

interdeterminism

Answer 8

is the view that causes of behavior are disorderly, subject to supernatural forces, and/or unknowable

Question 9

advantages of ABA/ circumstances view

Answer 9

focus on the current environment rather than original causes (which are often difficult to access and cannot be changed)

interventions are highly individualized and effective based on analysis of behavior-environment relations

Question 10

limitations of ABA/ circumstances view

Answer 10

by focusing on measurable behavior, extension to the group or cultural levels of change may hit barriers due to costs and logistics of direct measurement

by focusing on the measurable behavior, we sometimes overlook the importance of thoughts, feelings, private behavior

Question 11

defining practices of ABA

Answer 11

beginning with a circumstances view

directly measuring socially important behavior

analyzing controlling variables for that behavior in the current environment

developing individualized and conceptually systematic solutions

(often) developing solutions that can be implemented in everyday life

Question 12

anxiety

Answer 12

bodily responses to a feared stimulus or stimulus situation

ex. changes in respiration, nausea, flushed skin, increased heart rate or palpitations

Question 13

steps of in vivo (live) desensitization

Answer 13

therapist teaches client relaxation skills

develop a hierarchy involving ACTUAL stimuli from least to most feared

client reports subjective units of distress (SUDS) and notices when “the wave” of distress diminishes with each exposure; client gradually elects to progress to most feared stimulus situation

client completes homework involving relaxation and exposure in natural everyday routines

Question 14

direct assessment

Answer 14

involves observing and measuring target behavior as it occurs

Question 15

indirect assessment

Answer 15

involves interviews, questionnaires, and rating scales to obtain information about target behavior sometimes after it has occured

Question 16

clear and complete behavior

Answer 16

may need to include description of contextual info that distinguishes behavior of interest from other behaviors, for example antecedent events (ex. after an instruction is given, after a toy is removed)

details including examples, non-examples, and/or effect on environment

Question 17

observable/measurable behavior

Answer 17

avoid requiring subjective judgments or assumptions (ex. forceful, too loud, inappropriate)

Question 18

continuous method of measurment

Answer 18

dedicated observer, clear onset/offset of behavior, low to moderate rate of behavior

*frequency
*duration or cumulative duration
*percentage correct

Question 19

discontinuous (sampling) methods of measurment

Answer 19

busy observer, unclear onset/offset, high rate of behavior

*momentary time sampling
*partial interval recording

Question 20

skepticism

Answer 20

commitment to assess the validity of a claim based on objective, empirical evidence

defining feature of scientific inquiry

goals of science include description, prediction, and control of phenomena through replicable means

Question 21

pseudoscience

Answer 21

characterized by claims that an idea or intervention is well-established by science when the evidence is actually lacking

goals of pseudoscience include advancing specific beliefs or products through proprietary means

Question 22

cause-effect relations

Answer 22

demonstrated when we can arrange conditions under which a phenomena will vs will not occur

Question 23

red flags for pseudoscience

Answer 23

favoring anecdotes over objective data

dismissing all objective data/asserting unfalsifiable claims

equating science with close-mindedness and pseudoscience with the cutting edge of innovation

Question 24

responding like a scientific skeptic

Answer 24

let the values of science (objectivity, replication) guide your response to all new claims, scientific and pseudoscientific alike

study the conceptual and empirical support before deciding

in the absence of support, weigh the likelihood of harm from adopting an INEFFECTIVE practice vs. harm from rejecting an EFFECTIVE practice

Question 25

What are the claims of the case of facilitated communication?

Answer 25

People with severe disabilities and limited functional communication possess “untapped literacy”

The care and guidance of a facilitator can help people who have never demonstrated reading, writing, or extensive communication skills to convey complex messages

People with severe disabilities may have exceptional abilities to communicate telepathically with facilitators

Question 26

What are the costs of accepting FC although it is not valid?

Answer 26

Trauma for parents, facilitators when communications proven to be authored by the facilitator rather than the client/student

False allegations of sexual abuse

Facilitators sexually abusing clients