RBT Flashcards
Four Functions of Behavior
Escape, Attention, Tangible, Sensory
Attention
Gain attention from a preferred individual
Sensory
Meet a sensory need or feel “inherently good”
Escape
Get away from something negative/unpleasant
Tangible
Gain access to a physical object or activity
SD (discriminative stimulus)
signal that reinforcement is available (could be a direction like “Point to red” or a question “What is this?”)
Operant Conditioning
Changing behavior based on consequences (reinforcement and punishment)
Reinforcement Positive
Giving a desired object (e.g. giving food)
Reinforcement
consequence that makes the behavior more likely to occur again
Reinforcement Negative
Removing an unwanted object (e.g. removing work)
Punishment
consequence that makes the behavior less likely to occur again
Punishment Positive
Adding something unwanted (e.g. playing a loud noise/buzzer)
Punishment Negative
Removing something that is desired (e.g. taking away electronics
Positive consequences _________
ADD things
Negative consequences _________
REMOVE things
Primary Reinforcer
reinforcers that don’t need to be taught and are naturally occurring
(also called “unconditioned reinforcers”)
ex: Sex, Food, Water, Sleep
Secondary Reinforcer
a reinforcer that is learned to be reinforcing after being paired with a primary reinforcer
(Also called “conditioned reinforcers”)
Reinforcement Schedule
HOW OFTEN you give reinforcement for desired behavior
Ratios
giving reinforcement after a certain NUMBER of correct responses
Fixed Ratio (FR)
he number always stays the same (e.g. every 2 times)
Variable Ratio (VR)
the number changes but AVERAGES the same number (e.g. average of 3 times)
Fixed Interval (FI)
the time stays the same (e.g. every 1 minute)
Interval
giving reinforcement after a certain TIME of correct responses
Variable Interval (VI)
the time changes but AVERAGES the same time (e.g. on average, every 3 minutes)
FR-1?
FR-1 is the simplest reinforcement schedule. Fixed Ratio schedule of 1, meaning for every 1 correct response, client is rewarded. It is FIXED because the target number (1) stays the same. It is a RATIO because it is based on a number
Shaping
changing behavior by slowly reinforcing closer approximations of desired behavior (baby steps)
Task Analysis
breaking a complex task into sequential steps that can be taught through chaining (e.g. washing hands)
Forward Chaining
teaching the steps starting with first step and moving forward (client does beginning by themselves)
Backwards Chaining
teaching the steps starting with the last step and moving backwards (client does end by themselves)
Verbal Operant
kinds of verbal behavior defined by function
Mand
request for something (wanting cookie and saying “cookie”)
Tact
label for something (looking at a dog and saying “dog”)
Echoic
repeats a verbal word or phrase (RBT says “say boat” and client says “boat”)
Intraverbal
response based on someone else’s verbal phrase (RBT says “How was school?” and client says “Good.”)
ABC data
framework for describing a behavior and what comes before and after
Antecedent
comes before a behavior
Behavior
description of what you observe
Consequence
comes after a behavior
Prompting
providing assistance or help to guide the client in giving the correct response
Most to Least Prompting
starting with the most intrusive prompt
Least to Most Prompting
starting with the the least intrusive prompt
Prompt Fading
progressively decreasing the prompts you give to promote independence
Data Collection
different ways to record what you observe
Frequency
how many times something occurs (e.g. 12 instances of SIB)
Rate
how often something occurs over a given time period (e.g. 2 instances of SIB per hour)
Duration
how long something lasts
Latency
time between a stimulus and response (how long after given a direction do they do it?”)
Inter-Response Time
time between behaviors (measuring times between eloping)
Permanent Product
measuring a countable and lasting result created during a time period (counting scratches left on skin during a session)
FBA = Functional Behavior Analysis
a formal method for determining why a behavior occurs
7 Dimensions of ABA
Applied, Behavioral, Analytic, Technological, Conceptually Systematic, Effective, Generality
Motivating Operation (MO)
an antecedent that affects the value of a reinforcer
Extinction
procedure by which reinforcement is removed from a behavior that was previously reinforced
Extinction Burst
a phenomenon in which behavior gets worse before it goes away
Abolishing Operation (AO)
decreases the value of the reinforcer (e.g. eating a big meal decreases the reinforcement value of food because you aren’t hungry)
Differential Reinforcement (DR)
changing behavior by varying reinforcement when the behavior is not present
Establishing Operation (EO)
increases the value of the reinforcer (e.g. being cold increases the reinforcement value of a fleece blanket)
DRO - Differential Reinforcement of Other
reinforcing when they are not engaging in the target behavior
DRA - Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behaviors
reinforcing a replacement behavior that can achieve the same function for the individual (asking for a break vs eloping. Reinforce asking for a break)
DRI - Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior
reinforcing a behavior that cannot possibly done at the same time as the target behavior (standing vs sitting. You can’t do these at the same time)
DRL - Differential Reinforcement of Lower Rates of Behavior
einforcing the individual when they engage in behavior less often
Functional Communication Training
teaching communication skills as a replacement for problem behavior
DRI and DRA are very similar. The test-makers like to split hairs about this for some reason. If the target behavior and replacement behavior CANNOT be done at the same time, it is DRI. If the target behavior and replacement behavior CAN be done at the same time, it is DRA.
Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)
An assessment to determine the function of a behavior, using a combination of survey methods, direct observation, and Functional Analysis
Functional Analysis (FA)
A formal, experimental method in which problem behavior is evoked in a controlled environment to determine the function of a behavior
Objective
Facts, things that you can see/hear
Subjective
Opinions, how you perceive something
As an RBT, you never write or modify a behavior plan.
Supervision Requirements: 5% of hours must be supervised by a BCBA. RBT does not count!
Only share identifying information of a client with people who need to know (parents, BCBA). No one else. Data and identifying information needs to be locked up in between sessions. Similarly, never do anything that will reveal the names or identifying information of clients to others.
Be prepared for a session with materials and knowledge about the treatment plan.
Line graphs are the most common form of graphs used in ABA because they show change over time.
X - axis: independent variable (things that you change/time)
Y - axis: dependent variable (whatever you’re measuring)
Being truthful and honest is part of the ethical code
You cannot accept gifts as an RBT. (unless homemade and less than $10 in value)
If you feel unable to fulfill a behavior plan or are being asked to do something out of your competence level, seek support from your BCBA or supervisor.
Conditioned reinforcers gain their reinforcing properties through pairing with other conditioned or unconditioned reinforcers.
