PSY7709 Week 2 ABA Terminology

Question 1

A motivating operation that decreases the reinforcing effectiveness of a stimulus, object, or event.

Answer 1

Abolishing Operation

Question 2

A stimulus or event that precedes the target behavior.

Answer 2

Antecedent

Question 3

A stimulus or event that precedes the target behavior.

Answer 3

Consequence

Question 4

Antecedent stimuli that evoke the same response but do not resemble each other in physical form or share a relational aspect such as bigger or under.

Answer 4

Arbitrary Stumulus Class

Question 5

Punishment that occurs independent of the social mediation by others (that is, a response product that serves as a punisher independent of the social environment).

Answer 5

Automatic Punishment

Question 6

Reinforcement that occurs independent of the social mediation of others (for example, scratching an insect bite relieves the itch).

Answer 6

Automatic Reinforcement

Question 7

A complex example of stimulus control that requires stimulus generalization within a class of stimuli and discrimination between classes of stimuli.

Answer 7

Concept Formation

Question 8

The conglomerate of real circumstances in which the organism or referred part of an organism exists.

Answer 8

Environment

Question 9

Variables that are relevant to describing the stimulus environment. These can include people and items present.

Answer 9

Environmental Variables

Question 10

A motivating operation that increases the effectiveness of some stimulus, object, or event as a reinforcer.

Answer 10

Establishing Operation

Question 11

Stimuli that share common physical forms or structures or common relative relationships.

Answer 11

Feature Stimulus Class

Question 12

An environmental variable that (a) alters (increases or decreases) the reinforcing or punishing effectiveness of some stimulus, object, or event; and (b) alters (increases or decreases) the current frequency of all behavior that has been reinforced or punished by that stimulus, object, or event.

Answer 12

Motivating Operation

Question 13

A neutral change that does not elicit respondent behavior.

Answer 13

Neutral Stimulus

Question 14

Behavior that acts on the environment to produce an immediate consequence and, in turn, is strengthened by that consequence.

Answer 14

Operant Behavior

Question 15

Occurs when a behavior in a particular situation is followed by a reinforcing consequence, thus making the behavior more likely to occur in similar circumstances in the future.

Answer 15

Operant Conditioning

Question 16

An action that, when learned, produces corresponding modifications or covariation in other untrained behavior.

Answer 16

Piviotal Behavior

Question 17

A stimulus that will increase the future probability of a behavior when the stimulus is delivered contingent on the occurrence of the behavior.

Answer 17

Positive Reinforcer

Question 18

A stimulus or event that, when presented contingent on the occurrence of a behavior, decreases the future probability of the behavior.

Answer 18

Punisher

Question 19

The process in which a behavior is followed by a consequence that results in a decrease in the future probability of the behavior.

Answer 19

Punishment

Question 20

All of the behaviors that a person can do, or a set of behaviors relevant to a particular setting or task.

Answer 20

Repertoire

Question 21

Behavior that is elicited, or induced, by antecedent stimuli.

Answer 21

Respondent Bx

Question 22

A single instance of an occurrence of a specific class or type of behavior.

Answer 22

Response

Question 23

A group of responses of varying typography, all of which produce the same effect on the environment.

Answer 23

Response Class

Question 24

A behavior change produced by differential reinforcement, resulting in the emergence of a new response class.

Answer 24

Response Differentiation

Question 25

The fundamental principle underlying operant conditioning. The basic tenet is that all forms of behavior, from simple to complex, are shaped, selected, and maintained by their consequences during an individual’s lifetime.

Answer 25

Selection By consequence

Question 26

An environmental event that can be detected by one of the senses.

Answer 26

Stimulus

Question 27

A group of stimuli that all have the same functional effect on a particular behavior. For example, each stimulus in a stimulus class may function as a discriminative stimulus for a particular behavior.

Answer 27

Stimulus Class

Question 28

The antecedent that is present when the behavior occurs, the behavior, and the reinforcing consequence.

Answer 28

Three-Term Contingency

Question 29

The response that is elicited by an unconditioned stimulus.

Answer 29

Unconditioned Response

Question 30

The stimulus component of an unconditioned reflex; a stimulus change that elicits respondent behavior without any prior learning.

Answer 30

Unconditioned Stimulus

Question 31

A set of stimuli that share a common relationship. All stimuli in an antecedent stimulus class evoke the same operant behavior, or elicit the same respondent behavior.

Answer 31

Antecedent Stimulus Class