P Flashcards
An experiment designed to discover the differential effects of a range of values of an independent variable
Parametric Analysis
The practice of ruling out simple, logical explanations, experimentally or conceptually, before considering more complex or abstract explanations
Parsimony
A time sampling method for measuring behavior in which the observation period is divided into a series of brief time intervals (typically from 5 to 10 seconds)
- The observer records whether the target behavior occurred at any time during the interval
- This is not concerned with how many times the behavior occurred during the interval or how long the behavior was present, just that it occurred at some point during the interval; tends to overestimate the proportion of the observation period that the behavior actually occurred
Partial Interval Recording
A variation of time out from positive reinforcement in which contingent on the occurrence of the target behavior, the participant remains in the time in setting, but his view of the setting is restricted by a panel or cubicle, or a select space is arranged to serve as the time out area (ie; a carpet, a corner)
- Sometimes called select space time out
Partition Time Out
A ratio (ie; a proportion) formed by combining the same dimensional quantities, such as count (number divided by number) or time (duration divided by duration; latency divided by latency); expressed as a number of parts per 100; typically expressed as a ratio of the number of responses of a certain type per total number of responses (or opportunities or intervals in which such a response could have occurred)
- A percentage presents a proportional quantity per 100
Percentage
Responding as if from the vantage point of another person, place, or time than the personal here and now
Perspective Shifting
An attitude that the truthfulness and validity of all scientific theory and knowledge should be continually questioned
Philosophic Doubt
The history of the natural evolution of a species
Phylogeny
A behavior that, when learned, produces corresponding modifications or covariation in other untrained behaviors
Pivotal Behavior
A procedure that prevents a subject from detecting the presence or absence of the treatment variable
- To the subject, the placebo condition appears the same as the treatment condition (eg; a placebo pill contains an inert substance but looks, feels, and tastes exactly like a pill that contains the treatment drug)
Placebo Control
A variation of momentary time sampling in which the observer records whether each person in a group is engaged in the target behavior at specific points in time; provides a measure of “group behavior”
Planned Activity Check (Placheck)
A procedure for implementing time out in which social reinforcers - usually attention, physical contact, and verbal interaction - are withheld for a brief period contingent on the occurrence of the target behavior
Planned Ignoring
A relation between the stimulus and response or response product that occurs when the beginning, middle, and end of the verbal stimulus matches the beginning, middle, and end of the verbal response
- The verbal relations with point to point correspondence are echoic, copying text, imitation as it relates to sign language, textual, and transcription
Point to Point Correspondence
A form of overcorrection in which, contingent on an occurrence of the target behavior, the learner is required to repeat a correct form of the behavior, or a behavior incompatible with the problem behavior, a specified number of times; entails an educative component
Positive Practice Overcorrection
A response followed immediately by the presentation of a stimulus that decreases the future frequency of the behavior
Positive Punishment
A response followed immediately by the presentation of a stimulus change that results in similar responses occurring more often
Positive Reinforcement
A stimulus whose presentation or onset functions as reinforcement
Positive Reinforcer
The absence of responding for a period of time following reinforcement; an effect commonly produced by fixed interval (FI) and fixed ratio (FR) schedules of reinforcement
Postreinforcement Pause
Improvements in performance resulting from opportunities to perform a behavior repeatedly so that baseline measures can be obtained
Practice Effects
A philosophical position asserting that the truth value of a statement is determined by how well it promotes effective action; this is a primary criterion by which behavior analysts judge the value of their findings
Pragmatism
An instructional approach that involves (a) pinpointing the skills to be learned; (b) measuring the initial frequency or rate per minute at which the student can perform those skills; (c) setting an aim, or goal, for the child’s improvement; (d) using direct, daily measurement to monitor progress made under an instructional program; (e) charting the results of those measurements or a standard celeration chart; and (f) changing the program if progress is not adequate
Precision Teaching
A statement of the anticipated outcome of a presently unknown or future measurement; one of three components of the experimental reasoning, or baseline logic, used in single subject research designs
Prediction
A principle that states that making the opportunity to engage in a high probability behavior contingent on the occurrence of a low frequency behavior will function as reinforcement for the low frequency behavior
- Sometimes called “grandma’s law”
Premack Principle
A statement describing a functional relation between behavior and one or more of its controlling variables with generality across organisms, species, settings, behaviors, and time (eg; extinction, positive reinforcement); an empirical generalization inferred from many experiments demonstrating the same functional relation
Principle of Behavior
Covert events typically accessible only to the person experiencing them
- Skinner’s radical behaviorism holds three major assumptions about private events: (a) private events are behavior; (b) behavior that takes place within the skill is distinguished from other (“public”) behavior only by its inaccessibility; and (c) private behavior is influenced by (ie; is a function of) the same kinds of variables as publicly accessible behavior
Private Events
The extent to which procedures in all phases and conditions of an experiment, including baseline, are implemented correctly
Procedural Fidelity
A tactic for promoting setting/ situation generalization by making the instructional setting similar to the generalization setting; the two step process involves (1) identifying salient stimuli that characterize the generalization setting and (2) incorporating those stimuli into the instructional setting
Programming Common Stimuli
A variation of the fixed ratio (FR) schedule of reinforcement that increases the ratio requirements incrementally within the session; PR schedule requirements are changed using (a) arithmetic progressions to add a constant number to each successive ratio, or (b) geometric progressions to add successively a constant proportion of the preceding ratio
Progressive Ratio (PR) Schedule of Reinforcement
A schedule that systematically thins each successive reinforcement opportunity independent of the individual’s behavior; progressive ratio (PR) and progressive interval (PI) schedules are thinned using arithmetic or geometric progressions
Progressive Schedule of Reinforcement
A procedure for transferring stimulus control from contrived response prompts to naturally existing stimuli that starts with simultaneous presentation of the natural stimulus and the response prompt (ie; 0 second delay)
- The number of 0 second trials depends on the task difficulty and the functioning level of the participant
- Following the simultaneous presentations, the time delay is gradually and systematically extended
Progressive Time Delay
A stimulus change that decreases the future occurrence of behavior that immediately precedes it
Punisher
A basic principle of behavior describing a response consequence functional relation in which a response is followed immediately by a stimulus change that decreases future occurrences of that type of behavior
Punishment
