P

Question 1

An experiment designed to discover the differential effects of a range of values of an independent variable

Answer 1

Parametric Analysis

Question 2

The practice of ruling out simple, logical explanations, experimentally or conceptually, before considering more complex or abstract explanations

Answer 2

Parsimony

Question 3

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

Answer 3

Partial Interval Recording

Question 4

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

Answer 4

Partition Time Out

Question 5

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

Answer 5

Percentage

Question 6

Responding as if from the vantage point of another person, place, or time than the personal here and now

Answer 6

Perspective Shifting

Question 7

An attitude that the truthfulness and validity of all scientific theory and knowledge should be continually questioned

Answer 7

Philosophic Doubt

Question 8

The history of the natural evolution of a species

Answer 8

Phylogeny

Question 9

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

Answer 9

Pivotal Behavior

Question 10

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)

Answer 10

Placebo Control

Question 11

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”

Answer 11

Planned Activity Check (Placheck)

Question 12

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

Answer 12

Planned Ignoring

Question 13

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

Answer 13

Point to Point Correspondence

Question 14

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

Answer 14

Positive Practice Overcorrection

Question 15

A response followed immediately by the presentation of a stimulus that decreases the future frequency of the behavior

Answer 15

Positive Punishment

Question 16

A response followed immediately by the presentation of a stimulus change that results in similar responses occurring more often

Answer 16

Positive Reinforcement

Question 17

A stimulus whose presentation or onset functions as reinforcement

Answer 17

Positive Reinforcer

Question 18

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

Answer 18

Postreinforcement Pause

Question 19

Improvements in performance resulting from opportunities to perform a behavior repeatedly so that baseline measures can be obtained

Answer 19

Practice Effects

Question 20

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

Answer 20

Pragmatism

Question 21

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

Answer 21

Precision Teaching

Question 22

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

Answer 22

Prediction

Question 23

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”

Answer 23

Premack Principle

Question 24

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

Answer 24

Principle of Behavior

Question 25

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

Answer 25

Private Events

Question 26

The extent to which procedures in all phases and conditions of an experiment, including baseline, are implemented correctly

Answer 26

Procedural Fidelity

Question 27

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

Answer 27

Programming Common Stimuli

Question 28

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

Answer 28

Progressive Ratio (PR) Schedule of Reinforcement

Question 29

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

Answer 29

Progressive Schedule of Reinforcement

Question 30

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

Answer 30

Progressive Time Delay

Question 31

A stimulus change that decreases the future occurrence of behavior that immediately precedes it

Answer 31

Punisher

Question 32

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

Answer 32

Punishment