Unit 1 Flashcards
Natural science that studies functional relations between behavior and environmental events
Behavior analysis
Behavior according to Skinner
Behavior is the movement of an organism or its parts in a frame of reference provided by the organism or by various external objects or fields
Behavior according to Pennypacker
Portion of the organism’s interaction with the environment characterized by detectable displacement in space through time of some part of the organism and that results in a measurable change in at least one aspect of the environment
Critical attributes of behavior
- Bx is a biological phenomenon
- Bx involves movement
- Can only be done by a living organism
- Observable
- Measurable
- Involves interaction with the environment
Bx that can be observed by others eve though special instrumentation may be required at times
Public Bx
Bx that cannot be observed by others and only accessible to the organism who is engaging in the private event
Private Bx/ private events
Note: Private events is broader as it includes private bx and private environmental events
Technical term in our discipline that refers to the specific instance of bx
Response
Refers to the beginning, middle, and end of a response
Response cycle
Bx is a collective term
Bx refers to more than one occurrence of a specific bx (multiple responses)
Fundamental quality of a natural phenomenon
Property
Fundamental properties
Temporal Locus
Temporal Extent
Repeatability
A single response occurs in time
Temporal locus
A response occupies time
Temporal extent
A response can reoccur
Repeatability
A quantifiable aspect of a property
Dimensional quantities
Dimensional Quantities of BX
Latency Duration Countability IRT Rate Celeration
The amount of time between a stimulus and a response
Latency
The amount of time between the beginning and the end of the response cycle
Duration
The number of responses or the number of cycles of the response class
Countability
Time between two successive responses
IRT
The ratio of number of responses over some period time
Rate
Change in one of the other dimensional quantities of behavior over time
Celeration
Fundamental datum in the study of operant bx
Rate
Configuration, form, or shape of a response; the exact form, configuration, or shape of the response, the appearance of the response, the force involved, and the actual movements involved
Topography
The effects or results of a response on the environment
Function
Topographical properties of a response class
Magnitude and intensity
A grouping of individual actions or responses that share those commonalities included in the class definition
Response class
Types of Response Class
Topographical Response Class
Functional Response Class
A collection of two or more responses which share a common form
Topographical Response Class
A collection of two or more topographically different responses that all have the same effect on the environment, usually producing a specific class of reinforcers
Functional Response Class
The total constellation of stimuli and conditions which can affect bx; any physical events that is not part of a bx and may include other parts of the organism
Environment
Consists of the situation (set of circumstances) in which behavior occurs at any given time.
Environmental Context
A change in the environment which can affect behavior; an environmental event
Stimuli
An energy change that affects an organism through its receptors
Stimulus according to Jack Michael
Classifying Stimuli
Physical characteristics
Temporal relation to responses
Effect on bx
Effects on other stimuli
Two type of stimuli based on temporal relation to responses
Antecedent
Consequence
A stimulus which precedes or occurs before a response
Antecedent
A stimulus which follows or occurs after a response
Consequence
A group of stimuli that share specified common elements along formal, temporal, and or functional dimensions
Stimulus Class
Changes in an antecedent or consequent stimulus class consistently alter a dimension of a response class
Functional Relations
Critical Attributes of Functional Relations
- Orderly relations exist between two classes of events
- Changes in IV result in changes in DV.
- Value of behavioral dimensions change in an orderly fashion.
- Fx relations must be demonstrated through systematic manipulations.
