Test One Flashcards
Behavior
an individual living organisms activity, public or private, which may be influenced by external or internal stimulation
Response
a single instance of behavior (ex: a thought)
Public behavior
everyone can observe it is happening
Private Behavior
you are the only one who can observe it
Two goals of Behavior Analysis
- to accurately predict behavior
- to discover functional variables that may be used to positively influence behavior
Stimulus Events
things you hear, smell, taste, or feel
Functional Variable
A variable that, if/when changed, reliably and systematically influences behavior
The Assumptions of Behavior Science
- Behavior is determined (has one/multiple causes)
- Scientific Method is a valid way to reveal the determinants of behavior
Quantitative
behavior is specific enough that occurence can be counted
Systematic
design the intervention to be implemented exactly as it is supposed to be (effectiveness)
Empirical
evidence must be observable
Falsifiable Predictions
when predictions are falsified, theory is abandoned
experimentation
most powerful scientific method extensively used in behavior science. At the end, we are confident if nothing changes -> behavior wont change
Independent variable
publicly, observable change, controlled by the experimenter, which is anticipated to influence behavior in a specific way
Determinants of Behavior
nature vs nurture
Behavioral epigenetics
examine how nurture shapes nature
Dependent Variable
objectively measured target behavior
Three components of Independent Variable
- dependent variable is behavior
- falsifiable hypothesis
- manipulation of the independent variable
Self-Report
asks the individual to recall if they have engaged in the behavior; may not be truthful
Direct observation
behavior is recorded as it occurs, or a lasting product of the behavior occurs
Behavioral definitions
precise specification of the topography of the target behavior, allowing observers to reliably identify instances and non-instances
Social Validity
the consumer of the intervention or an expert in the field indicates that the behavioral definition accurately reflects the behavior of interest
Inter observer Agreement
the extent to which two independent observers data are the same after having directly observed the same behavior at the same time (not accuracy)
Frequency
response count divided by time of opportunity to respond
Latency
the interval of time between the oppurtunity to respond and the response itself
Duration
the interval of time between the start and the end of the behavior
Magnitude
the force or intensity of a behavior
Four Direct Observation Methods
outcome recording, Event recording, Interval recording, Duration recording
Outcome Recording
record the distinct, observable, and lasting products of behavior instead of the behavior itself
Event recording
each instance of behavior is recorded at the moment it occurs
Partial-interval recording
a direct-observation method used to estimate how frequently behavior occurs. recorded whether or not the behavior occurs during any portion of each in a series of contagious intervals
Whole-interval recording
observers record whether or not the behavior occurs throughout each in a series of contiguous intervals
Duration Recording
when measuring the latency or the duration of a target behavior
Group Experimental Designs
evaluate if the bahvior of a treatment group is statistically significantly different from that of a control group -> if so the difference is attributed to the control group
Weaknesses of experimental designs
- no one wants to be in control group
- not studying behavior as an individual
- behavior of two groups will be different-> difficult to detect IV effect
- reliance on inferential statistics
Single-Subject experimental designs
expose individuals to. baseline and experimental phases to determine if IV systematically and reliably changes behavior
Internal validity
the experiment provides clear evidence that a functional relation exists between the IV and behavior change (not other causes)
Confounds
variables that influence behavior within an experiment but are not controlled by the researcher
Comparison (A-B) Design
arranges baseline (A) phase and an experimental (B) phase
Stable
over repeated observations, there is little bounce and no systematic trend
Reversal (A-B-A) Design
the individuals behavior is evaluated in repededly alternating baseline (A) and experimental (B) phases
Alternating-Treatments Design
the IV is turned on and off rapidly to evaluate if this systematically and repeatedly changes behavior
Multiple Baseline Designs
evaluates the functional relation between an independent variable and behavior by conducting a series of time stagged A-B comparisons either across behaviors, across situations, or across individuals
Visual analysis
involves looking at a graph of a time series single-subject behavior to evaluate if a convincing change occurred when the independent variable was turned off
