Terms & Definitions

This page lists every term currently included in the flashcards. Total: 89 terms.

• Antecedent intervention — A behavior change strategy that manipulates antecedent stimuli based on (a) motivating operations (evocative and abative effects), (b) stimulus control (differential availability of reinforcement), and (contingency-independent interventions (e.g., protective equipment and restraint) (See noncontingent reinforcement, high-probability request sequence, and functional communication training. Contrast with antecedent control, a behavior change intervention that manipulates contingency-dependent consequence events to affect stimulus control.)
• Behavioral momentum — Describes the resistance to change in a behavior’s rate of responding following an alteration in reinforcement conditions. The momentum metaphor has also been used to describe the effects produced by the high-probability (high-p) request sequence.
• Enriched environment — An intervention that provides noncontingent access to preferred sources of reinforcement (e.g., toys, games, social and recreation activities). This noncontingent access to preferred reinforcers arranges a competition between the enriched environment and the stimulation provided by the problem behavior.
• Fixed-time schedule (FT) — A schedule for the delivery of noncontingent stimuli in which a time interval remains the same from one delivery to the next
• Functional Communication Training (FCT) — An antecedent intervention in which an appropriate communicative behavior is taught as a replacement behavior for problem behavior usually evoked by an establishing operation (EO); involves differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA).
• High-Probability Request Sequence (high-p) — An antecedent intervention in which two to five easy tasks with a known history of learner compliance (the high-p requests) are presented in quick succession immediately before requesting the target task, the low-p request. Also called interspersed requests, pre task requests, or behavioral momentum.
• Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) — A procedure in which stimuli with known reinforcing properties are presented on fixed-time (FT) or variable-time (VT) schedules completely independent of behavior; often used as an antecedent intervention to reduce problem behavior. (See fixed-time schedule (FT), variable-time schedule (VT).)
• Variable time schedule — A schedule for the delivery of noncontingent stimuli in which the interval of time from one delivery to the next randomly varies around a given time. For example, on a VT 1-min schedule, the delivery-to-delivery interval might range from 5 seconds to 2 minutes, but the average interval would be 1 minute.
• Antecedent Exercise — An antecedent intervention, implemented independently of occurrences of the problem behavior, that usually has clients engage in some effortful form of aerobic activity (e.g., walking, jogging, dancing, calisthenics, roller skating). Applied behavior analysts have used antecedent exercise in the treatment of many maladaptive behaviors such as self-injurious behavior (SIB), aggression, and diverse behaviors such as inappropriate vocalizations, repetitive movements, talking-out, out-of-seat, and stereotypic behaviors.
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy — An evidence-based behavior therapy focusing on general well-being, defined as making reliable contact with high-priority positive reinforcers.
• Behavioral Inflexibility — An insensitivity to external stimuli occurring when private events interfere with well-being behaviors on which high-priority positive reinforcers are contingent.
• Backup reinforcer — Preferred items, activities, or privileges that participants obtain by exchanging earned tokens in a token economy.
• Contingency contract — A mutually agreed-upon document between parties (e.g., parent and child) describing a contingent relationship between the completion of specified behavior(s) and access to specified reinforcer(s). (Also called behavioral contract.)
• Delay Discounting — A phenomenon in which delayed rewards, regardless of their significance and magnitude (e.g., enough money for a secure retirement), exert decreasing influence over choice-making behavior as a function of their temporal distance from present circumstances. Both humans and nonhuman laboratory animals discount the value of delayed rewards; the greater the delay to the reward, the greater the discount (i.e., the less value or influence the reward has on current behavior). (Also called temporal discounting.)
• Dependent group contingency — A contingency in which reinforcement for all members of a group is dependent on the behavior of one member of the group or the behavior of a select group of members within the larger group.
• Good behavior game — An interdependent group contingency in which a group is divided into two or more teams that compete against each other and/or a specified criterion. The team with fewest marks at the end of the game earns a reinforcer. Each team is also told that it can earn a reinforcer if it has fewer than a specified number of marks.
• Group contingency — A contingency in which reinforcement for all members of a group is dependent on the behavior of (a) a person within the group, (b) a select group of members within the larger group, or (c) each member of the group meeting a performance criterion. (See also dependent group contingency, independent group contingency, and interdependent group contingency.)
• habit reversal — A multiple-component treatment package for reducing unwanted habits such as fingernail biting and muscle tics; treatment typically includes self-awareness training involving response detection and procedures for identifying events that precede and trigger the response; competing response training; and motivation techniques including self-administered consequences, social support systems, and procedures for promoting the generalization and maintenance of treatment gains.
• Hero procedure — A term sometimes used for a dependent group contingency (i.e., a reward for the group is contingent upon the behavior of an individual group member).
• Independent group contingency — A contingency in which reinforcement for each member of a group is dependent on that person’s meeting a performance criterion that is in effect for all members of the group.
• Interdependent group contingency — A contingency in which reinforcement for all members of a group is dependent on each member of the group meeting a performance criterion that is in effect for all members of the group.
• Level system — A component of some token economy systems in which participants advance up (or down) through a succession of levels contingent on their behavior at the current level. The performance criteria and sophistication or difficulty of the behaviors required at each level are higher than those of preceding levels; as participants advance to higher levels, they gain access to more desirable reinforcers, increased privileges, and greater independence.
• massed practice — A self-directed behavior change technique in which the person forces herself to perform an undesired behavior (e.g., a compulsive ritual) repeatedly, which sometimes decreases the future frequency of the behavior.
• self-control [impulse control] — [impulse analysis] A person’s ability to “delay gratification”_x009d_by emitting a response that will produce a larger (or higher quality) delayed reward over a response that produces a smaller but immediate reward. (Sometimes called impulse control.)
• self-control [Skinner’s analysis] — Skinner (1953) conceptualized self-control as a two-response phenomenon: The controlling response affects variables in such a way as to change the probability of the controlled response.The personal application of behavior change tactics that produces a desired change in behavior.
• Self-Management — The personal application of behavior change tactics that produces a desired change in behavior.
• systematic desensitization — A behavior therapy treatment for anxieties, fears, and phobias that involves substituting one response, generally muscle relaxation, for the unwanted behavior—the fear and anxiety. The client practices relaxing while imagining anxiety-producing situations in a sequence from the least fearful to the most fearful.
• Token — An object or symbol that is awarded contingent on appropriate target behavior(s) that can be traded for a wide variety of backup reinforcers; tokens function as generalized conditioned reinforcers.
• Token economy — A behavior change system consisting of a list of target behaviors, with tokens (points or small objects) participants earn for emitting the target behaviors, and a menu of backup reinforcers (i.e., preferred items, activities, or privileges) for which participants exchange earned tokens. (Also called token reinforcement system.)
• 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 behaviors in the chain, the learner emits the final two steps to complete the chain, and reinforcement is delivered. This sequence is continued until the learner completes the entire chain independently.
• 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.
• Forward chaining — A method for teaching behavior chains that begins with the learner being prompted and taught to perform the first behavior in the task analysis; the trainer completes the remaining steps in the chain. When the learner shows competence in performing the first step in the chain, he is then taught to perform the first two behaviors in the chain, with the training completing the chain. This process is continued until the learner completes the entire chain independently.
• Response differentiation — A behavior change produced by differential reinforcement: Reinforced members of the current response class occur with greater frequency, and unreinforced members occur less frequently (undergo extinction); the overall result is the emergence of a new response class.
• Shaping — Using differential reinforcement to produce a series of gradually changing response classes; each response class is a successive approximation toward a terminal behavior. Members of an existing response class are selected for differential reinforcement because they more closely resemble the terminal behavior. (See differential reinforcement, response class, response differentiation, successive approximations.)
• Successive approximations — The sequence of new response classes that emerge during the shaping process as the result of differential reinforcement; each successive response class is closer in form to the terminal behavior than the response class it replaces.
• Task analysis — The process of breaking a complex skill or series of behaviors into smaller, teachable units; also refers to the results of this process.
• Total-task chaining — A variation of forward chaining in which the learner receives training on each behavior in the chain during each session.
• Behavior chain interruption strategy — An intervention that relies on the participant’s skill to initially perform all the critical elements of a chain independently, but the chain is then interrupted, or a link in the chain is made unavailable at a predetermined time, so that another behavior can be prompted or emitted.
• Behavior chain with limited hold — A contingency that specifies a time interval by which a behavior chain must be completed for reinforcement to be delivered.
• Constant time delay — A procedure for transferring stimulus control from contrived response prompts to naturally existing stimuli. After the student has responded correctly to several 0-sec delay trials, after which presentation of the response prompt follows the instructional stimulus by a predetermined and fixed delay (usually 3 or 4 seconds) for all subsequent trials. A procedure for transferring stimulus control from contrived response prompts to naturally existing stimuli that starts with simultaneous presentation of the natural stimulus and the response prompt (i.e., 0-sec delay). The number of 0-sec trials depends on the task difficulty and the functioning level of the participant. Following the simultaneous presentations, the time delay is gradually and systematically extended.).
• Progressive time delay — A procedure for transferring stimulus control from contrived response prompts to naturally existing stimuli that starts with simultaneous presentation of the natural stimulus and the response prompt (i.e., 0-sec delay). The number of 0-sec trials depends on the task difficulty and the functioning level of the participant. Following the simultaneous presentations, the time delay is gradually and systematically extended.
• Interrupted chain procedure — A procedural variation of the behavior chain interruption strategy, entails arranging the environment such that the learner is unable to continue the chain at a predetermined point until responding to a prompt (e.g., "What do you want?").
• Unchaining — Occurs when, in the case of a two-step chain, the second behavior in the chain (R2) produces reinforcement in the presence of the prior (SD or S2), but (R2) also produces reinforcement when that is not present. Unchaining may weaken a chain.
• Conditional probability — The likelihood that a target behavior will occur in a given circumstance; computed by calculating (a) the proportion of occurrences of behavior that were preceded by a specific antecedent variable and (b) the proportion of occurrences of problem behavior that were followed by a specific consequence. Conditional probabilities range from 0.0 to 1.0; the closer the conditional probability is to 1.0, the stronger the relationship is between the target behavior and the antecedent/consequence variables.
• Contingency space analysis — A graphic display of the probability of one event (e.g., a particular consequence) given the occurrence (or not) of another event (e.g., the presence or absence of a particular behavior). Contingencies are considered positive (i.e., a specific consequence is more likely to occur), negative (i.e., a specific consequence is less likely to occur), or neutral (i.e., a specific consequence is neither more or less likely to occur).
• Descriptive functional behavior assessment — Direct observation of problem behavior and the antecedent and consequent events under naturally occurring conditions.
• Functional behavior assessment (FBA) — A systematic method of assessment for obtaining information about the purposes (functions) a problem behavior serves for a person; results are used to guide the design of an intervention for decreasing the problem behavior and increasing appropriate behavior.
• Functionally equivalent — Serving the same function or purpose; different topographies of behavior are functionally equivalent if they produce the same consequences.
• Indirect functional assessment — Structured interviews, checklists, rating scales, or questionnaires used to obtain information from people who are familiar with the person exhibiting the problem behavior (e.g., teachers, parents, caregivers, and/or the individual him- or herself); used to identify conditions or events in the natural environment that correlate with the problem behavior.
• Scatterplot recording — A two-dimensional graph that shows the relative distribution of individual measures in a data set with respect to the variables depicted by the x and y axes. Data points on a scatter plot are not connected.
• Brief functional analysis — An analysis in which only one or two 5- to 10-min sessions are conducted for each condition. A convincing demonstration of function may be achieved by either alternating a. condition that produces problem behavior with one that does not or conducting a contingency reversal. Brief functional analysis may reveal a functional relation in fewer sessions than a full functional analysis.
• Contingency reversal — Exchanging the reinforcement contingencies for two topographically different responses. For example, if Behavior A results in reinforcement on an FR 1 schedule of reinforcement and Behavior B results in reinforcement being withheld (extinction), a contingency reversal consists of changing the contingencies such that Behavior A now results in extinction and Behavior B results in reinforcement on an FR 1 schedule.
• Functional analysis (as part of an FBA) — Experimentally arranging antecedents and consequences representing those in the person's natural routines so that their separate effects on problem behavior can be observed and measured
• Interview-informed synthesized contingency analysis — A variation of functional analysis designed to increase efficiency. In the test condition, multiple contingencies are implemented simultaneously (e.g. attention and escape) when the problem behavior is demonstrated. In the control condition, those same contingencies are presented non contingently and continuously.
• Latency-based functional analysis — An analysis in which each session is terminated as soon as a problem behavior occurs. The index of problem behavior is the latency from onset of the establishing operation to the first occurrence of the problem behavior.
• Trial-based functional analysis — An analysis in which a series of trials is interspersed among classroom activities. Each trial consists of two, 1-minute components: (a) the establishing operation and contingency for problem behavior (test condition), and (b) continuous access to the reinforcer (control condition).
• Functional relation — A verbal statement summarizing the results of an experiment (or group of related experiments) that describes the occurrence of the phenomena under study as a function of the operation of one or more specified and controlled variables in the experiment in which a specific change in one event (the dependent variable) can be produced by manipulating another event (the independent variable), and that the change in the dependent variable was unlikely the result of other factors (confounding variables); in behavior analysis expressed as where b is the behavior and x1, x2, etc., are environmental variables of which the behavior is a function.
• Differential reinforcement — Reinforcing only those responses within a response class that meet a specific criterion along some dimension(s) (i.e., frequency, topography, duration, latency, or magnitude) and placing all other responses in the class on extinction. (See differential reinforcement of alternative behavior, differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior, differential reinforcement of other behavior, discrimination training, shaping.)
• Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) — A procedure for decreasing problem behavior in which reinforcement is delivered for a behavior that serves as a desirable alternative to the behavior targeted for reduction and withheld following instances of the problem behavior (e.g., reinforcing completion of academic worksheet items when the behavior targeted for reduction is talk-outs).
• Differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior (DRI) — A procedure for decreasing problem behavior in which reinforcement is delivered for a behavior that is topographically incompatible with the behavior targeted for reduction and withheld following instances of the problem behavior (e.g., sitting in seat is incompatible with walking around the room).
• Differential reinforcement of low rates (DRL) — A schedule of reinforcement in which reinforcement (a) follows each occurrence of the target behavior that is separated from the previous response by a minimum interresponse time (IRT), or (b) is contingent on the number of responses within a period of time not exceeding a predetermined criterion. Practitioners use DRL schedules to decrease the rate of behaviors that occur too frequently but should be maintained in the learner’s repertoire. (See full-session DRL, interval DRL, and spaced-responding DRL.)
• Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) — A procedure for decreasing problem behavior in which reinforcement is contingent on the absence of the problem behavior during or at specific times (i.e., momentary DRO); sometimes called differential reinforcement of zero rates of responding or omission training). (See fixed-interval DRO, fixed-momentary DRO, variable-interval DRO, and variable-momentary DRO.) DRO, fixed-momentary DRO, variable-interval DRO, and variable-momentary DRO.)
• Fixed-interval DRO (FI-DRO) — A DRO procedure in which reinforcement is available at the end of intervals of fixed duration and delivered contingent on the absence of the problem behavior during each interval (DRO) A procedure for decreasing problem behavior in which reinforcement is contingent on the absence of the problem behavior during or at specific times (i.e., momentary DRO; sometimes called differential reinforcement of zero rates of responding or omission training.
• Fixed-momentary DRO (FM-DRO) — A DRO procedure in which reinforcement is available at specific moments in time, which are separated by a fixed amount of time, and delivered contingent on the problem not occurring at those moments. (DRO) A procedure for decreasing problem behavior in which reinforcement is contingent on the absence of the problem behavior during or at specific times (i.e., momentary DRO; sometimes called differential reinforcement of zero rates of responding or omission training.
• Full-session DRL — A procedure for implementing DRL in which reinforcement is delivered at the end of the session if the total number of responses emitted during the session does not exceed a criterion limit. A schedule of reinforcement in which reinforcement (a) follows each occurrence of the target behavior that is separated from the previous response by a minimum interresponse time (IRT), or (b) is contingent on the number of responses within a period of time not exceeding a predetermined criterion. Practitioners use DRL schedules to decrease the rate of behaviors that occur too frequently but should be maintained in the learner’s repertoire.
• Interval DRL — A procedure for implementing DRL in which the total session is divided into equal intervals and reinforcement is provided at the end of each interval in which the number of responses during the interval is equal to or below a criterion limit. A schedule of reinforcement in which reinforcement (a) follows each occurrence of the target behavior that is separated from the previous response by a minimum interresponse time (IRT), or (b) is contingent on the number of responses within a period of time not exceeding a predetermined criterion. Practitioners use DRL schedules to decrease the rate of behaviors that occur too frequently but should be maintained in the learner’s repertoire.
• Spaced-responding DRL — A procedure for implementing DRL in which reinforcement follows each occurrence of the target behavior that is separated from the previous response by a minimum interresponse time (IRT).A schedule of reinforcement in which reinforcement (a) follows each occurrence of the target behavior that is separated from the previous response by a minimum interresponse time (IRT), or (b) is contingent on the number of responses within a period of time not exceeding a predetermined criterion. Practitioners use DRL schedules to decrease the rate of behaviors that occur too frequently but should be maintained in the learner’s repertoire. (See also full-session DRL, interval DRL, and spaced-responding DRL.)
• Variable-interval DRO (VI-DRO) — A DRO procedure in which reinforcement is available at the end of intervals of variable duration and delivered contingent on the absence of the problem behavior during the interval. A procedure for decreasing problem behavior in which reinforcement is contingent on the absence of the problem behavior during or at specific times (i.e., momentary DRO; sometimes called differential reinforcement of zero rates of responding or omission training; see also fixed interval DRO, fixed-momentary DRO, variable-interval DRO, and variable-momentary DRO.)
• Variable-momentary DRO (VM-DRO) — A DRO procedure in which reinforcement is available at specific moments of time, which are separated by variable amounts of time in random sequence, and delivered if the problem is not occurring at those times. (DRO) A procedure for decreasing problem behavior in which reinforcement is contingent on the absence of the problem behavior during or at specific times (i.e., momentary DRO; sometimes called differential reinforcement of zero rates of responding or omission training.
• Response-Deprivation — A model for predicting whether contingent access to one behavior will function as reinforcement for engaging in another behavior based on whether access to the contingent behavior represents a restriction of the activity compared to the baseline level of engagement. A model for predicting whether contingent access to one behavior will function as reinforcement for engaging in another behavior based on whether access to the contingent behavior represents a restriction of the activity compared to the baseline level of engagement. A principle that states that making the opportunity to engage in a high-probability behavior contingent on the occurrence of a low-frequency behavior will function as reinforcement for the low-frequency behavior. Sometimes called “Grandma’s Law.” (See also response-deprivation hypothesis.)
• Continuous reinforcement (CRF) — A schedule of reinforcement that provides reinforcement for each occurrence of the target behavior.
• Schedule thinning — Changing a contingency of reinforcement by gradually increasing the response ratio or the extent of the time interval; it results in a lower rate of reinforcement per responses, time, or both.
• Automatic Negative Reinforcement — Negative reinforcement that does not depend on the action of others to provide an outcome; the behavior itself produces the negative reinforcement
• Automatic Positive Reinforcement — Positive reinforcement that does not depend on the action of others to provide an outcome; the behavior itself produces the positive reinforcement
• Function — The purposes a behavior serves for a person or the reason it continues
• Functional Behavior Intervention — An intervention designed around the function of challenging behavior that aims to prevent through antecedent alterations, teach alternative functional replacements, and reinforce, redirect, and reduce by altering consequences.
• Social Negative Reinforcement (Escape) — Negative reinforcement in the form of escaping or avoiding tasks, activities, or interactions
• Social Positive Reinforcement (Attention) — Positive reinforcement in the form of interactions with others
• Tangible Positive Reinforcement — Positive reinforcement in the form of reinforcing materials or other stimuli
• Behavior Change Tactic — A technologically consistent method for changing behavior derived from one or more principles of behavior (e.g., response cost is derived from the principle of negative punishment); possesses sufficient generality across subjects, settings, and/or behaviors to warrant its codification and dissemination.
• Analytic — A believable demonstration of the events that can be responsible for the occurrence or non-occurrence of that behavior. An experimenter has achieved an analysis of a behavior when he can exercise control over it.
• Applied — The behavior, stimuli, and/or organism under study are chosen because of their importance to man and society, rather than their importance to theory.
• Behavioral — The precise measure of the behavior of an individuals physical events
• Conceptually Systematic — Published descriptions of procedures are relevant to the principles of the science.
• Effective — The application of behavioral techniques produces large enough effects for practical value.
• Generality — Behavior change that proves durable over time.
• Procedural Fidelity — The extent to which procedures in all phases and conditions of an experiment, including baseline, are implemented correctly.
• Social validity — (a) The social significance of the goals, (b) the social desirability of the procedures, and (c) the social importance of the outcomes
• Technological — The techniques making up a particular behavioral application are completely identified and described.