EXAM TERMS

Question 1

Behavior Analysis

Answer 1

A natural science that studies functional relations between behavior and environmental events

Question 2

Behavior

Answer 2

Behavior is everything that an organism does. The interaction of the muscles, glands, or other parts of a live organism with the environment

Question 3

Public behavior

Answer 3

Behavior that can be observed by others, even though special instrumentation may be required at times.

Question 4

Private behavior

Answer 4

Behavior that cannot be observed by others; it is only accessible to the organism who is engaging in the private event.

Question 5

Response

Answer 5

A specific instance of behavior

Question 6

Response cycle

Answer 6

The beginning, middle, and end of a resonse

Question 7

Property

Answer 7

A fundamental quality of a natural phenomenon

Question 8

Fundamental properties

Answer 8

Temporal Locus, Temporal Extent, Repeatability

Question 9

Temporal Locus

Answer 9

A single response occurs in time

Question 10

Temporal Extent

Answer 10

A response occupies time

Question 11

Repeatability

Answer 11

A response can reoccur

Question 12

Dimensional quantities

Answer 12

A quantifiable aspect of property

Question 13

Latency

Answer 13

The amount of time between a stimulus and a response

Question 14

Duration

Answer 14

The amount of time between the beginning and the end of the response cycle

Question 15

Countability

Answer 15

The number of responses or number of cycles of the response class.

Question 16

IRT

Answer 16

The time between two successive responses

Question 17

Rate

Answer 17

The ratio of the number of responses over some period of time

Question 18

Celeration

Answer 18

Change in one of the other dimensional quantities of behavior over time

Question 19

Topography

Answer 19

Configuration, form, or shape of a response

Question 20

Function

Answer 20

The effects or results of a response on the evironment

Question 21

Response class

Answer 21

A grouping of individual actions or responses that share those commonalities included in the class definition

Question 22

Topographical Response Class

Answer 22

A collection of two or more responses which share a common form

Question 23

Functional Response Class

Answer 23

A collection of two or more topographically different responses that all have the same effect on the environment, usually producing a specific class of reinforcers

Question 24

Environment

Answer 24

The total constellation of stimuli and conditions which can affect behavior

Question 25

Environmental context

Answer 25

Consist of the situation (set of circumstances) in which behavior occurs at any given time.

Question 26

Stimulus

Answer 26

A change in the environment which can affect behavior

Question 27

Antecedent

Answer 27

A stimulus which precedes, that is, occurs before a response

Question 28

Consequence

Answer 28

A stimulus which follows, that is, occurs before a response

Question 29

Stimulus class

Answer 29

A group of stimuli that share specified common elements along formal, temporal and/or functional dimensions

Question 30

Functional relation

Answer 30

Changes in an antecedent or consequent stimulus class consistently alter a dimension of a response class

Question 31

Science

Answer 31

Science is a systematic approach for seeking and organizing knowledge about the natural world

Question 32

Goals of Science

Answer 32

Description, Prediction, and control

Question 33

Natural Science

Answer 33

Empirical phenomena; direct observation & measurement of phenomena or its permanent products

Question 34

Types of natural science

Answer 34

Physics, chemistry, biology, behavior analysis

Question 35

Social Science

Answer 35

Hypothetical constructs outside of the natural realm; Indirect observation & measurement

Question 36

Types of social science

Answer 36

Psychology, sociology, political science

Question 37

Philosophical assumptions

Answer 37

Determinism, empiricism, parsimony, philosophical doubt, pragmatism

Question 38

Determinism

Answer 38

The universe is a lawful and orderly place

Question 39

Empiricism

Answer 39

Objective observation with thorough description and quantification of the phenomena of interest, behavior

Question 40

Experimentation

Answer 40

Systematic manipulation of an independent variable

Question 41

Replication

Answer 41

Repeating any part of an experiment

Question 42

Parsimony

Answer 42

Requires that all simple, logical explanations for the phenomena of interest be ruled out experimentally before more complex or abstract explanations are considered

Question 43

Philosophical Doubt

Answer 43

Continually question the truthfulness of what is regarded as fact

Question 44

Pragmatism

Answer 44

Assesses the truth of theories or beliefs in terms of the success of their practical application

Question 45

Behaviorism

Answer 45

The philosophy or world view underlying behavior analysis. Posits that behavior is the subject matter of our science

Question 46

Radical Behaviorism

Answer 46

B.F. Skinner’s philosophy of the science of human behavior. Most influential type of behaviorism for guiding the science and practice of behavior analysis

Question 47

Determinants of Behavior

Answer 47

Causes of behavior; probabilistic

Question 48

Selection

Answer 48

The process in which repeated cycles occur of variation, interaction with the environment, and differential replication as a function of the interaction

Question 49

Natural Selection

Answer 49

The environment selects which variations survive and are passed on

Question 50

Cultural Selection

Answer 50

Cultural practices evolve as they contribute to the success of the practicing group.