A-B design
A two-phase experimental design consisting of a pre-treatment baseline condition followed by a treatment condition.
A-B-A design
A
... [Show More] three-phase experimental design consisting of an initial baseline phase until steady state responding (or counter-therapeutic trend) is obtained, an intervention phase in which the treatment condition is implemented until the behavior has changed and steady state responding is obtained, and a return to baseline conditions by withdrawing the independent variable to see whether responding "reverses" to levels observed in the initial baseline phase.
Reversal/Withdrawl Design (A-B-A-B design)
An experimental design consisting of an initial baseline phase until steady state responding (or counter-therapeutic trend) is obtained; an initial intervention phase in which the treatment variable is implemented until the behavior has changed and steady state responding is obtained; a return to baseline conditions by withdrawing the independent variable to see whether responding "reverses" to levels observed in the initial baseline phase; a second intervention phase to see whether initial treatment effects are replicated.
abative effect
A decrease in the current frequency of behavior that has been reinforced by the stimulus that is increased in reinforcing effectiveness by the same motivating operation.
abolishing operation (AO)
A motivating operation that decreases the reinforcing effectiveness of a stimulus, object, or event.
accuracy
The extent to which observed values, the data produced by measuring an event, match the true state, or true values, of the event as it exists in nature.
adjunctive behavior/schedule-induced behavior
Behavior that occurs as a collateral effect of a schedule of periodic reinforcement for other behavior; time-filling or interim activities that are induced by schedules of reinforcement during times when reinforcement is unlikely to be delivered.
affirmation of the consequent
A three-step form of reasoning that begins with a true antecedent-consequent (if A-then B) statement and proceeds as follows: 1. If A is true, then B is true; 2. B is found to be true; 3. therefore A is true. Although other factors could be responsible for the truthfulness of A, a sound experiment affirms several if A-then B possibilities, each one reducing the likelihood of factors other than the independent variable being responsible for the observed changes in behavior.
alternating treatments design/concurrent schedule design/multielement design
An experimental design in which two or more conditions (one of which may be a no-treatment control condition) are presented in rapidly aternating succession independent of the level of responding; differences in responding between or among conditions are attributed to the effects of the conditions.
multiple schedule design
An experimental design in which two or more conditions are compared to baseline as well as each other.
alternative schedule
Provides reinforcement whenever the requirement of either a ratio schedule or an interval schedule - the basic schedules that makeup the alternative schedule - is met, regardless of which of the component schedule's requirements is met first.
anecdotal observation/ABC recording
A form of direct, continuous observation in which the observer records a descriptive, temporally sequenced account of all behavior(s) of interest and the antecedent conditions and consequences for those behaviors as those events occur in the client's natural environment.
antecedent
An environmental condition or stimulus change existing or occurring prior to a behavior of interest.
antecedent intervention
A behavior change strategy that manipulates contingency-independent antecedent stimuli.
antecedent control
A behavior change intervention that manipulates contingency dependent consequence event to affect stimulus control.
antecedent stimulus class
A set of stimuli that share a common relationship and evoke the same operant behavior, or elicit the same respondent behavior.
applied behavior analysis (ABA)
The science in which tactics derived from the principles of behavior are applied to improve socially significant behavior and experimentation is used to identify the variables responsible for the improvement of behavior.
arbitrary stimulus class
Antecedent stimuli that evoke the same response but do not resemble each other in physical form or share a relational aspect such as a bigger or under.
artifact
An outcome or result that appears to exist because of the way it is measured but in fact does not correspond to what actually occurred.
ascending baseline
A data path that shows an increasing trend in the response measure over time.
audience
Anyone who functions as a discriminative stimulus evoking verbal behavior. Different ones may control different verbal behavior about the same topic because of a differential reinforcement history.
automatic punishment
Punishment that occurs independent of the social mediation by others. (i.e. a response product serves as a punisher independent of the social environment.)
automatic reinforcement
Reinforcement that occurs independent of the social mediation of others. (e.g. scratching an insect bite relieves the itch.)
automaticity of reinforcement
Refers to the fact that behavior is modified by its consequences irrespective of the person's awareness; a person does not have to recognize or verbalize the relation between her behavior and a reinforcing consequence, or even know that a consequence has occurred, for reinforcement to "work".
aversive stimulus
In general, an unpleasant or noxious stimulus; more technically, a stimulus change or condition that functions: (a) to evoke a behavior that has terminated it in the past; (b) as a punisher when presented following behavior, and/or (c) as a reinforcer when withdrawn following a behavior.
avoidance contingency
A contingency in which a response prevents or postpones the presentation of a stimulus.
B-A-B design
A three-phase experimental design that begins with the treatment condition. After steady state responding has been obtained during the initial treatment phase, the treatment variable is withdrawn to see whether responding changes in the absence of the independent variable. The treatment variable is then reintroduced in an attempt to recapture the level of responding obtained during the first treatment phase.
backup reinforcers
Tangible objects, activities, or privileges that serve as reinforcers and that can be purchased with tokens.
backward chaining
A teaching procedure in which a trainer completes all but the last behavior in a chain, which is performed by the learner, who then receives reinforcement for completing the chain. When the learner shows competence in performing the final step in the chain, the trainer performs all but the last two steps to complete the chain, and reinforcement is delivered. This sequence is continued until the learner completes the entire chain independently.
backward chaining with leaps ahead
A backward chaining procedure in which some steps in the task analysis are skipped; used to increase the efficiency of teaching long behavior chains when there is evidence that the skipped steps are in the learners repertoire.
bar graph/histogram
A simple and versatile graphic format for summarizing behavioral data; shares most of the line graphs's features except that it does not have distinct data points representing successive response measures through time.
baseline
A condition of an experiment in which the independent variable is not present; data obtained during baseline are the basis for determining the effects of the independent variable; a control condition that does not necessarily mean the absence of instruction or treatment, only the absence of a specific independent variable of experimental interest.
baseline logic
A term sometimes used to refer to the experimental reasoning inherent in single-subject experimental designs; entails three elements: prediction, verification, and replication.
behavior
The activity of living organisms; includes everything that people do. A technical definition: "that portion of an organism's interaction with its environment that is 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.
behavior-altering effect
An alteration in the current frequency of behavior that has been reinforced by the stimulus that is altered in effectiveness by the same motivating operation.
behavior chain
A sequence of responses in which each response produces a stimulus change that functions as conditioned reinforcement for that response and as a discriminative stimulus for the next response in the chain; reinforcement for the last response in a chain maintains the reinforcing effectiveness of the stimulus changes produced by all previous responses in the chain.
behavior chain interruption strategy
An intervention that relies on the participant's skill in performing the critical elements of a chain independently; the chain is interrupted occasionally so that another behavior can be emitted.
behavior chain with a limited hold
A contingency that specifies a time interval by which a behavior chain must be completed for reinforcement to be delivered.
behavior change tactic
A technologically consistent method for changing behavior derived from one or more principles of behavior; possesses sufficient generality across subjects, settings, and/or behaviors to warrent its codification and dissemination.
behavior checklist
A checklist that provides descriptions of specific skills (usually in hierarchical order) and the condtions under which each skill should be observed. Some are designed to address on particular behavior or skill area. Others address multiple behaviors or skill areas. Most use a Likert scale to rate responses.
behavior trap
An interrelated community of contingencies of reinforcement that can be especially powerful. producing substantial and long-lasting behavior changes. Effective ones share four essential features: 1. They are "baited" with virtually irresistible reinforcers that "lure" the student to the trap; 2. only a low-effort response already in the student's repertoire is necessary to enter the trap; 3. once inside the trap, interrelated contingencies of reinforcement motivate the student to acquire, extend, and maintain targeted academic and/or social skills; and 4. they can remain effective for a long time because students shows few, if any, satiation effects.
behavioral assessment
A form of assessment that involves a full range of inquiry methods (observation, interview, testing, and the systematic manipulation of antecedent or consequence variables) to identify probable antecedent and consequent controlling variables. It is designed to discover resources, assest, significant others, competing contingencies, maintenance, and generality factors, and possible reinforcer and/or punishers that surround the potential target behavior.
behavioral contrast
The phenomenon in which a change in one component of a multiple schedule that increases or decreases the rate of responding on that component is accompanied by a change in the response rate in the opposite direction on the other, unaltered component of the schedule.
behavioral cusp
A behavior that has sudden and dramatic consequences that extend well beyond the idiosyncratic change itself because it exposes the person to new environments, reinforcers, contingencies, responses, and stimulus controls.
behavioral momentum
A metaphor to describe a rate of responding and its resistance to change following as alteration in reinforcement conditions.
behaviorism
The philosophy of a science of behavior.
believability
The extent to which the researcher convinces herself and others that the data are trustworthy and deserve interpretation. Measures of interobserver agreement (IOA) are the most often used index of believability in applied behavior analysis.
bonus response cost
A procedure for implementing response cost in which the person is provided a reservoir of reinforcers that are removed in predetermined amounts contingent on the occurrence of the target behavior.
calibration
Any procedure used to evaluate the accuracy of a measurement system and, when sources of error are found, to use that information to correct or improve the measurement system.
celeration
The change in rate of responding over time; based on count per unit of time (rate); expressed as a factor by which responding is accelerating or decelerating (multiplying or dividing); displayed with a trend line on a Standard Celeration Chart.
celeration time period
A unit of time in which celeration is plotted on a Standard Celeration Chart.
celeration trend line
Measured as a factor by which rate multiplies or divides across the celeration time periods.
chained schedule
A schedule of reinforcement in which the response requirements of two or more basic schedules must be met in a specific sequence before reinforcement is delivered; a discriminative stimulus is correlated with each component of the schedule.
chaining
Various procedures for teaching behavior chains.
changing criterion design
An experimental design in which an initial baseline phase is followed by a series of treatment phases consisting of successive and gradually changing criteria for reinforcement or punishment. Experimental control is evidenced by the extent the level of responding changes to conform to each new criterion.
clicker training
A term popularized by Pryor (1999) for shaping behavior using conditioned reinforcement in the form of an auditory stimulus. A handheld device produces a click sound when presented. The trainer pairs other forms of reinforcement with the click sound so that the sound becomes a conditioned reinforcer. [Show Less]