Skill Aquisition

Question 1

Skill Aquisition

Answer 1

help an individual learn and master a valuable life skill.
Include descriptions of:
● skill being taught,
● strategies for teaching it,
● materials necessary,
● mastery criteria,
● reinforcement stimuli

C-1. Identify the essential components of a written skill acquisition plan.
1. Identify skill deficit
2. Create a goal to address the deficit
3. Identify measurement procedures.
4. Access current skill level (baseline).
5. Select and implement skill acquisition procedure(s).
6. Take data of target behaviors to determine effectiveness.
7. Modify if necessary to maintain/increase effectiveness.

Question 2

Skill Acquisition plan components
RBT responsible for implementing
* See supplemental “skills acquisition plan details” doc.

Answer 2

Essential components of a skills acquisition plan:
● Skill definition
● Baseline measurement
● Clear goals
● Description of the procedures
● Reactive strategies
● Data collection and graphing
● Plan review
● Maintenance and termination

Question 3

Session Prep

Answer 3

Prepare for the sessions as required by the skill acquisition plan

When a new plan is created it is recommended that you:
● Read Through the plan before seeing the client
●Practice the interventions listed in the plan
● Make note of any areas in which you have questions
● Set an appointment with your supervision/BCBA to review the plan and obtain clarification on the questions you have about the plan
● Discuss with the supervisor who/how/when the plan is reviewed with the caregivers and/or client
● Make any job aids that may help you run the session
● Obtain all the materials that are needed to run the plan
● Include data sheets or devices for data collection
● Implement the plan during client sessions

Question 4

Contingencies of reinforcement

Answer 4

●Unconditioned reinforcement
●Conditioned reinforcement
●Unconditioned punishment
●Conditioned punishment
●Continuous vs. intermittent reinforcement
●Schedules of reinforcement and punishment

Question 5

Contingencies of reinforcement

Answer 5

● Unconditioned reinforcement
● Conditioned reinforcement
● Unconditioned punishment
● Conditioned punishment
● Continuous vs. intermittent reinforcement
● Schedules of reinforcement and punishment

Question 6

Unconditioned reinforcement

Answer 6

Primary reinforcer:
● Reinforcement that is not learned.
- A motivating stimulus that does not need to be learned, such as food, water, warmth, oxygen, shelter, etc.

Question 7

Conditioned reinforcement

Answer 7

Secondary Reinforcer
● Reinforcement that is learned.

Neutral stimulus paired with a reinforcer that changes the value of the previously neutral stimulus

Requires stimulus-stimulus pairing

● Use of a clicker in dog training

Question 8

Unconditioned punishment

Answer 8

Punishment that is not learned

a consequence that decreases the future probability of behavior without prior learning experience

● Pain

Question 9

Conditioned punishment

Answer 9

Punishment that must be learned The item does not possess punishing qualities until the item is paired with something that is punishing.

Requires stimulus-stimulus pairing

● Fines, reprimands, being grounded

Question 10

Stimulus-stimulus pairing

Answer 10

The process of presenting two stimuli at the same time repeatedly until either stimulus elicits the response regardless of whether both or one are present.

● Clicker training in dogs

Question 11

Continuous vs Intermittent

Answer 11

Continuous - Reinforcement is delivered for every occurrence of the behavior

Intermittent - Reinforcement that is not given for each instance of the behavior.

Intermittent can be delivered on schedules of reinforcement.

Question 12

Schedules of Reinforcement and Punishment

Answer 12

Describes how often the occurrence of a behavior will receive a reinforcement/punishment.

● Fixed - Set
● Variable - Changing

● Ratio - Responses
● Interval - Time

Question 13

Fixed vs. Variable

Set vs changing

Answer 13

How often the reinforcement or punishment is delivered.

● Fixed schedule - a set number of responses to occur before reinforcement or punishment is delivered.

● Variable - a varied number of responses required before reinforcement or punishment is delivered.

Question 14

Ratio vs. Interval

Responses vs Time

Answer 14

What type of schedule is the reinforcement delivered

● Ratio - the number of responses needed before reinforcement or punishment is delivered.

● Interval - the amount of time that must pass before reinforcement or punishment is delivered.

Question 15

Fixed Ratio (FR)

Set number of responses

Answer 15

● Reinforcement or punishment is delivered on a fixed number of responses
- Completion of a constant number of responses

● Provides a high steady rate of responding with a post-reinforcement pause

Question 16

Fixed Interval (FI)

Set amount of time

Answer 16

● Reinforcement is delivered for the first response after the duration of time has passed since the last correct response
- Reinforces the first response after a constant amount of time

● Provides an increasing rate of responding at the end of the interval with a post-reinforcement pause

Question 17

Variable Ratio (VR)

Changing number of responses

Answer 17

● A variable number of responses are required before reinforcement is provided
- Completion of a changing number of responses

● The required number of responses varies between responses
● Provides a high, steady rate of responding

Question 18

Variable Interval (VI)

Changing amount of time

Answer 18

● Variable length of time is required before reinforcement is provided
- Reinforces the first response after a changing amount of time

● The required length of time varies between responses
● Provides a high, steady rate of responding

Question 19

Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT)

Answer 19

Breaking skills down into smaller components and teaching those smaller sub-skills individually.

Comprised of three components:
1.Instruction
2.Response (or lack of response)
3.Consequence

Question 20

Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT)

Mass Trial
Distractor Trial
Random Rotation
Expanded Trial

Answer 20

Breaking skills down into smaller components and teaching those smaller sub-skills individually.

*Teaching early learning skills

Three components:
1. Instruction
2. Response (or lack of response)
3. Consequence

Five parts:
1. Present a stimulus to invoke a response
2. Wait a predetermined length of time for response.
* Prompting may be needed for the correct response
3. Provide reinforcement for the correct response
4. Correct or extinguish incorrect responses.
5. Provide a break between the end of one trial and the beginning of the next trial.

● Mass trial - Asking the target multiple times in a repetitive manner.

That would look like this:
Trial 1: “Touch dog”… Trial 2: “Touch dog”… Trial 3: “Touch dog”.
* Typically used to teach very young children, children new to ABA, or lower functioning children

● Distractor trial - Asking the same target each trial, but including two ‘unknown’ choices as answer options. For example, having a dog card and two cards with objects that are unknown to the learner and saying “touch dog.”

● Random Rotation - This is a trial that includes one mastered choice and one trail choice. You would rotate prompts during each trial.

● Expanded Trial - Similar to the random rotation, but you include several mastered choices and only one trial choice.
* Rotate prompts with each trial.

Maintenance/Generalization - Once a trial choice has been mastered, you would include it in the rotation of mastered choices during random rotation and expanded trials.

Question 21

Naturalistic teaching (NET)

natural environment training

Answer 21

Uses the natural environment to facilitate learning.
* The child’s interests are used to guide the session

May also contrive opportunities for the client to engage in various skills within an enriched natural environment

• Be aware of satiation and deprivation.

Question 22

Satiation

Answer 22

●Being satisfied and reaching full gratification
●Value of reinforcers is reduced

Question 23

Deprivation

Answer 23

●The reduced access to an item ●Value of reinforcer is increased

Question 24

Task analysis training

Answer 24

Break down complex skills into smaller steps

• learn the small steps of the task, and chain the steps together to complete the overall task.

Forward Chaining
Backward Chaining
Total Task Chaining

To determine the steps, you can:
● Observe someone completing the task and document the steps
● Employ the assistance of an expert to determine the steps in the task
● Complete the task by yourself and document the steps

Question 25

Forward chaining

Answer 25

Taught from the first step to the last step.
● The first step serves as reinforcement for the next step. ● The first step is taught until mastery. Then the next step is taught;

• Best used when the beginning steps are easier to complete than the later steps.

Question 26

Backward chaining

Answer 26

steps are taught in backward order from the last step to the first step.

When the last step has been mastered, the client is given the last two steps to complete independently.

Question 27

Total Task Chaining

Answer 27

Uses prompting to complete all steps of the chain.

Prompts the client as needed to complete all the steps of the task

*This procedure is a prompt fading procedure.

Question 28

Discrimination =
Stimulus Discrimination

Answer 28

choosing between different Stimuli or objects.
● Reinforcing behavior in the presence of correct stimulus, but not in the presence of incorrect stimuli.
* Correct stimuli
e.g. picks container with green dot vs with no green dot.

Question 29

Differentiation =
Response differentiation

Answer 29

Reinforce correct response and putting incorrect responses on extinction.
e.g. Reinforce mand for attention and ignore hitting for attention.
*Directly related to shaping
* Correct response

Question 31

discrimination training procedure

Simultaneous
Successive

Answer 31

Teaching a client how to tell the difference between two or more stimuli. Reinforcing occurrences of a behavior in the presence of one stimulus condition and not in the presence of another stimulus condition.

Reinforcing behavior in the presence of one stimulus but not others.

Teaches learners to differentiate between stimuli. Discrimination is essential to learning skills

Simultaneous - Both stimuli are presented at once.

Successive - Only one stimulus condition is present.

Question 32

Differential reinforcement

Answer 32

reinforcing a specific type of behavior while withholding reinforcement for other types of behavior.

Question 33

What does differential reinforcement lead to?

Answer 33

● Discrimination
● Differentiation

Differential reinforcement = reinforcing one thing while putting another thing on extinction.

Question 34

stimulus control transfer

Answer 34

techniques in which prompts are discontinued once the target behavior is being displayed in the presence of the discriminative stimulus (Sd).

fading prompts
* Prompt Fading
* Prompt Delay

Question 35

Stimulus control

Answer 35

The “control” a stimulus has over the occurrence or non-occurrence of a behavior.

To transfer control over a response from one SD (discriminative stimuli) to another.

Prompting a response = response is under control of that prompt.
* Transition the response to the control of the SD or the naturally occurring SD.

Question 36

Differential Reinforcement

Answer 36

Reinforcing a target behavior while withholding reinforcement from an unwanted behavior.

The goal is to replace unwanted behaviors with desirable behaviors.

Question 37

DRO
(differential reinforcement of other behavior)

Answer 37

• reinforce behavior when it is not occurring (absence of behavior)
• Reinforcing all other behavior
• Does not teach replacement behavior

Goal is to eliminate a behavior

• Best for:
• dangerous behavior
• behavior that requires immediate decrease

Question 38

DRI
(differential reinforcement of incompatible behaviors)

Answer 38

• Reinforce behaviors that cannot occur with target behavior
• Topographically incompatible
• Teaches replacement behavior
• Goal is to substitute a behavior for the target behavior

Question 39

DRA
(differential reinforcement of alternative behaviors)

Answer 39

The target behavior is not reinforced, while the alternate replacement behavior is reinforced

• Reinforce the alternative behavior only
• Teaches alternative behavior

Goal is to eliminate a behavior

Question 40

DRH
(differential reinforcement of higher rates)

Answer 40

• Reinforce behavior that occurs more frequently
• Increases a known behavior
• Does not teach replacement behavior

Question 41

DRD
(differential reinforcement of diminishing rates)

Answer 41

• reinforce behavior when it occurs less frequently
• Gradually decrease the amount
• Opposite of DRH
• Does not teach replacement behavior

Question 42

DRL
(differential reinforcement of lower rates)
*Rate = frequency/ time (duration)

Answer 42

• Reinforce the behavior if it happens less than a set amount within the timeframe (less often than the predetermined IRT)
• Decrease but not eliminate a behavior
• Does not teach a replacement behavior

Question 43

Stimulus prompt

Answer 43

A type of prompt in which we change the materials in a way to help the learner give the correct response.
● Any time we change the way the materials look, how we put them out on the table
● Anything that makes the stimulus stand out more in order to evoke the correct response.

Examples:
- Drawing attention to a discriminative stimulus by making it larger than the other stimuli
- Placing the correct stimulus closer to a learner than incorrect stimuli.

There are three major forms:
● Position
● Redundancy
● Movement.

Question 44

Prompt

Answer 44

cue or assistance to encourage a desired response

Question 45

Prompt fading

Answer 45

Moving down the prompt hierarchy

Ex. Going from physical prompt to a gestural prompt

Question 46

Prompt dependency

Answer 46

Requiring a prompt to perform a task

Ex. Johnny can’t remove his pants without a prompt

Question 47

Inadvertent prompt

Answer 47

Accidental prompt, such as looking at correct target

Question 48

Response prompts

Answer 48

prompts are presented in addition to the instruction or cue to evoke correct responding.

● Operate directly on the response”
- no additional physical object needs to be manipulated during the prompt.

Example:
- Verbal instructions

• Modeling
• Physical guidance (hand over hand)

Question 49

Most-to-Least Prompting

Answer 49

Starting with the most intrusive prompt first (physical guidance) and gradually reducing prompts until a behavior is independent

Question 50

Least-to-Most Prompting

Answer 50

Starting with the least intrusive prompt first (independence) and gradually increasing prompts as needed until the behavior occurs

Question 51

Prompt Delay (Time delay)

Answer 51

When using time delay with prompts, gradually and systematically extend the delay between presenting a stimulus and presenting the prompt

Question 52

Stimulus Fading

Answer 52

Decreasing the intensity of a physical stimulus that controls a response.
- reducing a prompt until control transfers to the SD

Question 53

Generalization

Answer 53

learned skills carry over to new situations.

Question 54

Stimulus generalization

Answer 54

The same response from a stimulus that shares similar features to the original stimulus.

Example: Molly is taught that her pet, a great dane, is a dog. When she is on a walk with her mother,she sees a dachshund and says “dog”.

Question 55

Response generalization

Answer 55

A different, yet similar, response in the presence of a similar stimuli.

When you greet your mom you may say “hi” or “hello”. When you greet your friends you may say “What’s up” or “Hey”.

Question 56

Maintenance

Answer 56

The last step for a target behavior in an intervention.

Maintenance is the continued reinforcement of a behavior
- Should be considered from the beginning.

• If continued reinforcement for behavior is not maintained, there is a potential for the behavior to return.

Support in the natural environment is necessary for the individual to maintain replacement behaviors.

Question 57

Shaping

Answer 57

Shaping is the process of teaching a new behavior gradually by rewarding behaviors that progressively come close to the target behavior.

reinforcement for successive close approximations

An example of shaping could be:
Target behavior: Jane to complete a full 10-question homework assignment.
After probing, she has not been successful in completing the task independently.

1. Require Jane to turn in a paper with just her name on it. Reward with reinforcement.
2. Require Jane to turn in a paper with one question completed. Provide reinforcement.
3. Require Jane to turn in a paper with two questions completed. Provide reinforcement.

You would continue this process until the child has met the target behavior.

limitations of shaping:
● Time-consuming if the individual requires many approximations of the target behavior
- each instance of the behavior is reinforced.
The results from shaping procedures can vary over the implementation of the procedure.
● The therapist must monitor the individual closely to notice slight changes in their behavior in order to reinforce the next approximation.
● The therapist can reinforce unwanted behaviors if the shaping procedure is not implemented correctly.

Question 58

Errorless vs Error correction training

Answer 58

Errorless Format = prompt trial – transfer trial – distractor trial – check

Prompted Trial – give target Sd with prompt (no delay) = mild reinforcement of correct response

Transfer Trial – Give target Sd without prompt = Strong reinforcement of correct response

Distractor Trial – give distractor Sd (mastered target) = mild reinforcement of correct response

Check – give target Sd without prompt = strong reinforcement of correct response