Glossary Flashcards
Abolishing Operations
a motivating operation that results in decreased effectiveness of a reinforcer
Antecedent
a stimulus that precedes the occurrence of a behavior that may serve as the discriminative stimulus for engaging in that behavior
Antecedent Intervention
a behavioral intervention that manipulates antecedent stimuli
Applied Behavior Analysis
the application of behavioral principles to solve problems of social significance
Aversive Stimulus
a stimulus that an individual finds unpleasant
Backward Chaining
A procedure for teaching a behavior chain in which the last step in the chain is targeted first and each preceding step is added as the individual demonstrates mastery. This continues until the individual is able to complete the entire chain from the first step to the last
Baseline Data
a measurement, calculation, or location used as a basis for comparison; a set of critical observations or data used for comparison or as a control and is taken prior to intervention to determine whether the intervention is effective
Behavior
an observable movement or interaction of an individual with its environment
Behavior Chain
a sequence of responses that ends in reinforcement
Behavioral Momentum
an increase in the rate of responding after an increase in reinforcement conditions
Conditioned Reinforcer/Secondary
A previously neutral stimulus that has been paired with a primary or other established secondary reinforcer, thus becoming reinforcing itself. Unlike primary reinforcers which are naturally reinforcing, secondary reinforcers are reinforcing only after the individual has been conditioned to find it reinforcing. Secondary reinforcers include tangibles, social praise, and activities
Consequence
a stimulus that follow the occurrence of a behavior that may serve as a reinforcer or punisher for that behavior
Contingency
a definition of a response topography that will produce a specified consequence, and the antecedents and establishing operations that influence the likelihood of the occurrence of the response. [The A-B-C model is an example of contingency; the Consequence (a reinforcer) is contingent on the Behavior (compliance) which is contingent on the Antecedent (a demand). Often referred to as the three-term contingency]
Continuous Measurement
recording all instances of a behavior
Continuous Reinforcement (CRF)
a reinforcement schedule in which all occurrences of a targeted behavior are reinforced
Data
the recorded responses of an individual to a stimulus. Factual information organized for analysis or used to reason or make decisions and calculate rate and amount of acquisition
Deprivation
the process of withholding access to a stimulus or stimuli which results in that stimulus or stimuli having increased effectiveness as a reinforcer
Differential Reinforcement
reinforcing the behaviors that meet a specified criterion while all other behaviors are placed on extinction
Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior (DRA)
a method for decreasing problem behavior in which an appropriate alternative behavior is reinforced and the targeted behaviors are placed on extinction
Differential Reinforcement of High Rate Behavior (DRH)
a method for increasing a behavior in which reinforcement is delivered at the end of a predetermined interval if the targeted behavior occurred at or above the specified number of responses
Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior (DRI)
a method for decreasing problem behavior in which an appropriate alternative behavior that is incompatible with the targeted problem behavior is reinforced and the targeted behaviors are placed on extinction
Differential Reinforcement of Low Rate of Behavior (DRL)
a method for decreasing a behavior in which reinforcement is delivered at the end of a predetermined behavior if the targeted behavior occurred at or below the specified number of responses
Differential Reinforcement of Other Behaviors (DRO)
a method for decreasing behavior in which reinforcement is contingent on zero occurrences of the targeted behavior at or during specific times
Direct Assessment
a type of functional behavior assessment in which the targeted behaviors and the corresponding antecedents and consequence are observed under naturally occurring conditions without the manipulation of any variables
Discontinuous Measurement
a measurement system that may not record each instance of behavior
Discrete Trial
a trial in which the rate of responding is limited by the presentation of opportunities to responsd
Discrete Trial Training (DTT)
a series of single presentations of a behaviorally-based instruction routine. A particular trial may be repeated several times in succession, several times a day, over several days (or even longer) until the skill is mastered. There are three main parts, the SD which elicits an R (response) which then encounters a SR which reinforces that response. SD –> R –> SR
Discriminative Stimulus (SD)
stimulus that signals reinforcement is available for a particular response
Duration
a measure of the amount of time for which a behavior occurs
Echoic
a type of verbal behavior in which an individual exactly repeats an occurrence of verbal behavior in the same mode in which it was first delivered (e.g. if a technician says “ball” the individual says “ball”, if a technician signs “ball” the individual also signs “ball”)
Environment
the entire constellation of stimuli that can affect the behavior of an individual. The environment include stimuli from all sensorial inputs including people, temperature, sights, sounds, smells, etc.
Escape Extinction
a procedure to decrease problem behavior in which emitting the target behavior no longer enables an individual to escape an aversive stimulus (work, loud noises, a particular person or place, etc.) In escape extinction, a targeted behavior that was previously reinforced with negative reinforcement is no longer being reinforced therefore is not followed by the termination of the aversive stimulus
Establishing Operations
a motivating operation that results in increased effectiveness of a reinforcer
Extinction
the act of no longer providing reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior in order to decrease and eliminate that behavior
Extinction Burst
an initial increase in the rate of the targeted behavior after the implementation of an extinction procedure
Extinction of Access to Items/Activities
a procedure to decrease problem behavior in which emitting the target behavior no longer enables an individual to access preferred items or activities. In extinction of access to items/activities, a targeted behavior that was previously reinforced with the delivery of an item or activity is no longer being reinforced therefore no item is delivered in response to the behavior
Extinction of Attention
a procedure to decrease problem behavior in which emitting the target behavior no longer enables an individual to receive attention. In extinction of attention, a targeted behavior that was previously reinforced with the delivery of attention is no longer being reinforced therefore no attention is delivered in response to the behavior
Fading
to gradually decrease and eventually eliminate any sort of stimuli or prompt used to obtain a desired behavior
Fixed Interval Reinforcement Schedule
reinforcement is delivered for the first response after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since the last reinforced response
Fixed Ratio Reinforcement Schedule
reinforcement is delivered after a predetermined number of responses
Fixed Time Schedule
a schedule that is not contingent on the occurrence or non-occurrence of any behavior but instead remains the same from one stimulus delivery to the next (e.g. goes to the restroom every 1 hour)
Forward Chaining
a procedure for teaching a behavior chain in which the first step in the chain is targeted first and each subsequent step is added as the individual demonstrates mastery. This continues until the individual is able to complete the entire chain from the first step to the last.
Free Operant
a behavior that can be emitted at any time, requires minimal time for completion, and can produce varying response rates (e.g. number of stomps in a session, the number of words said in an hour)
Frequency
the number of responses that are emitted
Functional Analysis
an analysis conducted to determine the function of a targeted behavior. the analysis is an experimental design to assess for maintaining function by controlling for every other function in each condition. the functions that are typically assessed are attention, escape, access to items, and automatic. the results of the functional analysis are used to determine behavior treatments
Functional Behavior Assessments
a functional behavior assessment is a method to obtain information about the antecedents and consequences that occur surrounding the targeted behavior to attempt to determine the reinforcer that is maintaining the targeted behavior or the behavior’s function
Functional Communication Training
a behavior reduction procedure in which an appropriate communicative response is taught as a replacement to the targeted problem behavior. in this procedure, the communicative response would be reinforced with the reinforcer that was maintaining the targeted problem behavior. for example, an individual who displays hitting behavior that is maintained by escape from demands could be taught to mand for a break and the mand would be reinforced with escape from the demands
Functional Reinforcer
a reinforcer that matches the function of the targeted problem behaviors
Generalized conditioned punisher
a punisher that has been paired with many other punishers so functions as a punisher itself and is not subject to motivating operations (e.g. a stern look from a parent that has also been paired with verbal reprimands, response cost, and time-out that now functions as a punisher by itself)
Generalized conditioned reinforcer
a conditioned reinforcer that has been paired with many other reinforcer so functions as a reinforcer and is not subject to satiation (e.g. tokens or money)
Graph
a visual representation of an individual’s data. a graph can display how an individual’s responding as changed (or maintained the same) over time
High Probability (High-P) Request Sequence
an intervention in which a few tasks that have a high probability of compliance based on past performance are presented in quick succession followed by the task that has a history of low probability of compliance. This intervention is intended to increase the probability of compliance with the low probability task because of behavior momentum. this is an antecedent intervention and should not be performed in response to non-compliance
History of Reinforcement
an individual’s previous learning and conditioning experiences. this is usually used in reference to the reinforcement of a specific behavior or class of behaviors
Imitation
a behavior that is an exact replication of a behavior that was just modeled
Intermittent Schedule of Reinforcement
a contingency in which not every instance of the behavior is reinforced
Interobserver Agreement
the extent to which two independent observers record the same behaviors and values of those behaviors
Interresponse Time
the amount of time between two occurrences of a behavior
Intraverbal
a verbal stimulus is followed by a different verbal stimulus. some examples of intraverbals would be “what do you eat?” “food” or “you kick a…” “ball”
Magnitude
the force or intensity of a behavioral response
Maintenance
the extent to which an individual continues to perform a behavior after the intervention has been removed
Mand
a form of verbal behavior through which the individual requests something like an item, activity, etc. can be communicated through verbal language, sign language, picture exchange communicate system (PECS), assistive communication device (ACD), or even through gestures like pointing and hand leading
Momentary Time Sampling
a discontinuous measurement procedure in which the observer records if the targeted behavior occurred at a specified moment in each interval (typically at the end of a brief time interval of 10 seconds)
Motivating Operations
an environmental variable that increases or decreases the value of a stimulus and that alters the frequency of behaviors associated with the stimulus
Natural Environment Training (NET)
a child-led approach to teaching which uses stimuli naturally occurring in an individual’s environment to serve as teachable moments. examples include labeling the colors or counting the wheels on a car with which the child is playing
Negative Punishment
when a behavior is immediately followed by the TERMINATION OR REMOVAL of a stimulus, and as a result, the behavior occurs LESS often in the future
Negative Reinforcement
when a behavior is immediately followed by the TERMINATION OR REMOVAL of a stimulus, and as a result, the behavior occurs MORE often in the future
Noncontingent Reinforcement (NCR)
a stimulus with reinforcing value is delivered or a stimulus with aversive value is removed according to a fixed-time or variable-time schedule regardless of the occurrence of non-occurrence of any behavior
Operant Behavior
a behavior that occurs and is maintained because of the consequences for the behavior
Operant Conditioning
the process by which consequences result in future increase or decrease in the frequency of a behavior under similar conditions
Overcorrection
a positive punishment procedure where an individual is required to engage in an effortful behavior related to the targeted problem behavior
Partial Interval Recording
a discontinuous measurement procedure in which the observer records if the targeted behavior occurred at all during the interval for each interval (typically a brief time interval of 10 seconds)
Permanent Product Measurement
a method of measuring a behavior by recording the effect the behavior had on the environment. for example, counting the number of ripped worksheets as a measure of property destruction or scoring a handwriting target by the appearance of the end-product rather than the process
Positive Practice Overcorrection
a form of overcorrection in which contingent on the occurrence of the targeted behavior, an individual is required to repeat an incompatible behavior or the correct form of the target behavior a specified number of times. for example, if an individual slammed a door he or she is required to shut the door softly 20 times
Positive Punishment
when a behavior is immediately followed by the PRESENTATION of a stimulus, and as a result, the behavior occurs MORE often in the future
Preference Assessment
a procedure to determine the stimuli that are preferred by an individual
Prompt
an additional stimulus that is presented with the instruction or SD to evoke the correct response
Punisher
a stimulus that by its presentation or removal decreases the future frequency of the behavior that proceeds it
Punishent
the presentation or removal of a stimulus immediately following a behavior that results in the future probability of the behavior decreasing
Rate
the total occurrence of a behavior per specified unit of time. for example, the rate of aggression could be shown as the total number of hits per hour or per minute
Reinforcement
the presentation or removal of a stimulus immediately following a behavior that results in the future probability of the behavior increasing
Reinforcement Schedule
a schedule for which reinforcement follows a target behavior
Repertoire
all the behaviors that are in an individual’s skill set
Respondent Behavior
a behavior that is elicited by its antecedents
Respondent Conditioning
the process by which a neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with an unconditioned stimulus and eventually elicits the same response as the unconditioned stimulus even in the same absence of the unconditioned response
Respondent Extinction
the process by which a conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus and thus loses the ability to elicit the conditioned response
Response
a single instance of a specific behavior
Response Blocking
a procedure in which a therapist physically intervenes to prevent the completion of a targeted behavior
Response Class
a group of responses which produce the same effect on the environment. for example, starting a fire, turning on the heater, and putting on a coat all have the same effect of making an individual warmer. also, saying “hi,” nodding one’s head, waving, and saying “hello” all have the same effect of greeting
Response Generalization
an individual emits a response that was not trained that belongs to the same response class as the trained response. for example, an individual say “hi” when “hello” was the only greeting that was trained
Response Latency
the time between the stimulus and the initiation of a response
Response Prompt
a prompt that is applied directly to the client’s response (e.g. full physical prompt, gesture prompt, model prompt, etc.)
Satiation
the process of abundant access to a stimulus or stimuli which results in that stimulus or stimuli having decreased effectiveness as a reinforcer
Schedule Training
changing a reinforcement contingency such that a behavior results in a lower rate of reinforcement per response, per time, or both
Self-Management
applying behavior change tactics to oneself to produce a change in behavior
Self-Monitoring
a procedure in which an individual observes and records the occurrence or non-occurrence of his or her own targeted behavior
Sensory Extinction
the process by which the sensory reinforcer of a behavior that is maintained by automatic reinforcement is masked or blocked
Shaping
reinforcing successive approximation towards a terminal goal
Spontaneous Recovery
an effect that can occur when using extinction in which a behavior that had previously decreased to pre-reinforcement level or has stopped begins to occur again suddenly
Stimulus
a change in environment that can affect behavior. stimuli can be people, places, things, sounds, colors, tastes, and textures
Stimulus Class
a group of stimuli that share common characteristics (e.g. red cars, red candy, and red dishes are all red)
Stimulus Control
when an antecedent, a particular stimulus, consistently results in a particular response behavior
Stimulus Delta
a stimulus that signals a particular response will not be reinforced
Stimulus Generalization
when a behavior is evoked by stimuli that share characteristics to the stimuli that previously controlled the response (e.g. a child that has learned to label his golden retriever as a dog also labels his neighbor’s white labrador as a dog)
Stimulus Prompt
a modification to the stimuli to encourage the correct response
Tact
a form of verbal behavior through which the individual labels objects in the environment. can be vocal, sign, PEC, ACD, etc.
Task Analysis
the process of breaking down a complex skill into smaller components or steps
Textual
a type of verbal behavior in which written, typed, or finger-spelled verbal behavior evokes the same verbal behavior but in a spoken response. for example, one individual writes “the sky is blue” and another individual says “the sky is blue”
Time-Out
a form of negative punishment in which an individual loses access to positive reinforcers for a specified amount of time contingent on the occurrence of a targeted problem behavior or the individual loses the opportunity to earn positive reinforcement for a specified amount of time contingent on the occurrence of a targeted problem behavior
Token
an object that serves as a generalized conditioned reinforcer and is awarded contingent on specific targeted behaviors
Token Board
a process for thinning reinforcement schedules in which an individual receives a token on a specified reinforcement schedule and requires a specified number of tokes before the individual can have access to another reinforcer
Token Economy
a system in which an individual receives tokens as reinforcement and then can save the tokens and exchange them for various back-up reinforcers that cost differing amounts
Topography
the shape, form, or appearance of a behavior
Total-Task Chaining
a variation of forward chaining in which an individual receives training on each step of the chain
Treatment Integrity
the extent to which all behavior change procedures are implemented as described
Unconditioned Reinforcers/Primary
a reinforcer that is biologically pre-established as reinforcing (ex: food, water, oxygen, sexual stimulation, warmth, sleep)
Variable Interval Reinforcement Schedule
reinforcement is delivered for the first response after a varying amount of time has elapsed
Variable Ratio Reinforcement Schedule
reinforcement is delivered after a varying number of responses
Verbal Behavior
behavior that is mediated by a listener
Whole-Interval Recording
a discontinuous measurement procedure in which the observer records if the targeted behavior occurred for the entire interval at the end of each interval (typically a brief time interval of 10 seconds)
