Part 3

Question 0

Why do behavior analysts use graphs?

Answer 0

graphs are the device BAs use to organize, store, interpret, and communicate results of their work

Question 1

What is the medium with which behavior analysts work?

Answer 1

data

Question 2

What do graphs show about a behavior?

Answer 2

behavior change properties: level, trend and variability

Question 3

What are the parts of a line graph/frequency polygon?

Answer 3

x-axis/abscissa, y-axis/ordinate, intersection/origin

Question 4

What questions do graphs attempt to answer?

Answer 4

Did a socially-meaningful change in behavior occur? Can it be attributed to the independent variable?

Question 5

What is considered in a visual analysis?

Answer 5

number of data points, variability and level of performance, direction and degree of any trend (mean and median level lines)

Question 6

What is internal validity?

Answer 6

when experiments convincingly show that changes in behavior are a function of the independent variable and not the result of unknown/uncontrolled factors (i.e., confounding variables)

Question 7

What are the experimental methods of behavior analysis guided by?

Answer 7

behavior being an individual phenomenon as well as behavior being determined and behavioral variability being extrinsic to the organism

Question 8

What are the components of any experiment?

Answer 8

1+ subjects, 1+ behaviors/dependent variables, 1+ settings, system to measure behavior, ongoing visual analysis of data, 1+ treatments/interventions/independent variable conditions, manipulations of independent variable/s (experimental design), experimental question

Question 9

What is experimental control?

Answer 9

predictable change in behavior (dependent variable) can be reliably/repeatedly produced by the systematic manipulation of the individual’s environment (independent variable)

Question 10

What are extraneous variables?

Answer 10

all environmental variables outside the independent variable

Question 11

What is the difference between nonparametric and parametric experiments?

Answer 11

nonparametric studies have independent variables either present or absent while parametric analysis explores a range of independent variable values

Question 12

What is steady/stable state responding?

Answer 12

little variability in data

Question 13

What is steady state strategy?

Answer 13

elimination or control of extraneous influences on behavior of interest (requires stable responding)

Question 14

What are practice effects?

Answer 14

improved performance from repeated opportunities to emit behavior

Question 15

What is affirmation of the consequent?

Answer 15

behavior will not change from baseline rates if the independent variable isn’t introduced

Question 16

What are sequence effects?

Answer 16

effects on subject’s behavior resulting from experience from a prior condition

Question 17

What is DRO reversal technique?

Answer 17

reversal to reinforcement for any non-target behavior (DRA and DRI reversals are similar)

Question 18

What is irreversibility?

Answer 18

level of behavior in an earlier phase can’t be reproduced despite a return to those earlier conditions

Question 19

What are alternating treatments variations?

Answer 19

single-phase: alternating treatment with or without no-treatment control condition
2-phase: alternating treatments with initial baseline
3-phase: alternating treatments with initial baseline and final best treatment phase

Question 20

What are advantages of alternating treatments designs?

Answer 20

treatment withdrawal is not required, speed of comparison, minimizes irreversibility problem, minimizes sequence effects, can be used with unstable data, can be used to assess generalization of effects, intervention can begin immediately

Question 21

What are alternating treatments designs disadvantages?

Answer 21

multiple treatment interference (confounding effects of treatments), unnatural nature of rapid alternation of treatments, limited capacity for conditions, selection of treatments

Question 22

Which design is the most straight-forward and generally the most powerful design for demonstrating functional relations?

Answer 22

A-B-A-B design

Question 23

When should multiple baseline designs be used?

Answer 23

target behavior is likely irreversible, it’s undesirable/unethical/impractical to reverse conditions

Question 24

What are the three most common variations for multiple baseline designs?

Answer 24

subjects, settings, behaviors

Question 25

What is a multiple probe design?

Answer 25

method of analyzing the relation between the acquisition of a successive approximation or task sequence [and the application of a treatment(?)]
-intermittent measures to determine whether a behavior change has occurred prior to the intervention

Question 26

What are the 3 key features of a multiple probe design?

Answer 26

initial probe to determine performance level on each behavior in the sequence, series of baseline measures on each step before training, probe for all steps after current criterion is met

Question 27

What is a delayed MBL design?

Answer 27

initial baseline and intervention are begun with subsequent baselines added in a staggered/delayed fashion

Question 28

When are delayed MBLs used?

Answer 28

reversal design is no longer desirable/possible; limited resources, ethical concerns, or practical difficulties preclude a full-scale MBL design; a “new” behavior/setting/participant becomes available

Question 29

What are guidelines for designing/conducting MBL designs?

Answer 29

select independent, yet functionally similar baselines; select concurrent and plausibly related multiple baselines; do not apply the IV to the next behavior too soon; vary significantly the lengths of the multiple baselines; intervene on the most stable baseline first

Question 30

What are the advantages of MBL designs?

Answer 30

treatment withdrawal is not required; suited for evaluation of progressive multiple baseline changes, assessing generalization, relatively easy to conceptualize

Question 31

What are limitations of MBL designs?

Answer 31

may not allow demonstration of experimental control; weaker design for showing experimental control than reversal; provides more information regarding the effectiveness of treatment variable than it does regarding the function of any particular target behavior; requires treatment to be delayed; can be costly

Question 32

What are guidelines for changing criterion designs?

Answer 32

phase lengths, change magnitudes, number of changes

Question 33

What are limitations of changing criterion designs?

Answer 33

target behavior must already be in individual’s repertoire and lend itself to stepwise modification; may impede optimal learning rates

Question 34

What are issues with group data?

Answer 34

may not represent that performance of individual subjects; masks variability of data; intrasubject replication is absent from group designs

Question 35

Which experiments have a high degree of internal validity?

Answer 35

those demonstrating a functional relation

Question 36

What is experimental control?

Answer 36

extent to which researcher controls all relevant variables in a given experiment

Question 37

What are confounding variables?

Answer 37

uncontrolled factors known/suspected to have exerted influence on DV (subjects, setting, measurement of DV or IV)

Question 38

What is maturation?

Answer 38

subject changes over course the course of an experiment

Question 39

What are control procedures?

Answer 39

placebo control, double-blind control

Question 40

In which 4 dimensions should treatment operational definitions be described?

Answer 40

verbal, physical, spatial, and temporal

Question 41

What is social validity?

Answer 41

importance of behavior change goals, social acceptance of interventions, social importance of behavior changes (normative sample, consumer opinion, expert evaluation, real-world test, standardized tests)

Question 42

What is systematic replication necessary for?

Answer 42

to determine external validity

Question 43

How is ABA research evaluated?

Answer 43

• internal validity - definition and measurement of DV, graphic display, meaningfulness of baseline conditions, experimental design, visual analysis, interpretation
• social validity - maintenance and generality of behavior change
• external validity
• theoretical significance and conceptual sense