Applied Behavior Analysis Basic Concepts

antecedent- behavior- consequence

environmental conditions or stimulus changes that exist or occur prior to the behavior of interesta

behavior is modified by its consequences regardless of whether the individual is aware s/he is being reinforced.

an unpleasant or noxious stimulus;

a stimulus condition that functions

1) to evoke a behavior that has terminated the aversive stimulus in the past
2) as a punisher
3) as a reinforcer when terminated

Portion of the organism’s interaction with the environment

Characterized by displacements in space through time:
Temporal locus (when)
Temporal extent (duration)
Repeatability (frequency)

Results in a measurable change in some aspect of the environment

stimulus events or conditions that are presented or that occur just before or simultaneously with the occurrence of other punishers may acquire the ability to punish on their own consequence

stimulus events or conditions that are presented or that occur just before or simulations with the occurrence of other reinforcers may acquire the ability to reinforce behavior when they later occur on their own consequences.

stimulus created after stim-stim pairing creates a condiitioned reflex

Stimulus change that follows a behavior of interest, especially those that are immediate

Relevant to current motivational states

Some influence future behavior, others have little effect

Can be social or nonsocial

various types of temporal of functional relations between behavior and antecedent and consequent variables.

dependency of a particular consequences on the occurrence of behavior.

the state of an organism with respect to how much time has elapsed since it has consumed or contacted a particular type of reinforcer.
(e.g. procedure of increasing the effectiveness of a reinforcer.

a behavior that occurs more frequently under some antecedent conditions than it does under others

a stimulus that the presence of which responses of some type have been reinforced and in the absence of which the same type of responses have occurred and not been reinforced. (e.g. reinforced is available)

everything except the moving parts of an organism involved in the behavior; only real physical events included

All behavior occurs within an environmental context;
Behavior cannot be emitted in an environmental void or vacuum

Stimulus

when reinforcement is withheld, the frequency of behavior will gradually decrease to pre-reinforcement levels or cease occur altogether

process of gradually diminishing response strength

stimulus-stimulus pairing of an NS with a CS

repertoire of behaviors each person brings to any situation has been selected, shaped and maintained by…

an environmental variable that-alters (increases or decreases) the reinforcing or punishing effectiveness of some stimulus
-alters the current frequency of all behavior that has been reinforced or punished by that stimulus, object or event.

frequency of behavior increases because past responses resulted in the removal or termination of a stimulus.

stimulus that dies not elicit a reflex response

individual organism

any behavior whose future frequency is determined primarily by its history of consequences.

process and selective effects of consequences on behavior.

history of species

a behavior is followed immediately by the presentation of a stimulus and results in the behavior occurring more often in the future

decrease of response frequency

when a behavior is followed by a stimulus change that decreases the future frequency of that type of behavior in similar situations

stimulus- response relation, part of organism genetic endowment

if a bx is followed closely in time by a stimulus event and as a result the future frequency of that type of BX increases in similar conditions.

increase of response frequency

all behaviors a person can do set or collection of knowledge and skills

BX that is elicited by antecedent stimuli. induced or brought out by a stimulus that precedes the behavior, nothing else is required for the response to occur.

new stimuli can acquire that ability to elicit respondents. NS+US=UR NS+US=UR US=UR CS=CR

procedure of repeatedly presented a CS without the US until the CS is no longer elicits the conditioned response

Specific instance of behavior

action of an organisms effector (organ at the end of an efferent nerve fiber that is specialised for altering its environment)

A group of responses with the same function

Each response in the group produces the same effect on the environment

a decrease in the frequency of operant behavior presumed as the result of a reinforcer that has followed the behavior (e.g. procedure for reducing the effectiveness of a reinforcer.

all forms of life evolve as a result of selection with respect to function

an energy change that affects an organism through its receptor cells

described:
Formally (Physical features)
Temporally (When they occur with respect to a behavior of interest)
Functionally (Effects on behavior)

any group of stimuli sharing a predetermined set of common elements in one or more of the following dimensions:

Formal (physical features) dimensions of stimuli

Temporal locus (when) of stimuli

Behavioral functions (effect) of stimulus changes

when a discriminated operant occurs at a higher frequency in the presence of a given stimulus than it does in the absence of that stimulus

pairing a neutral stimuli with an unconditioned stimuli

stimulus change that can decrease the future frequency of any behavior that precedes it without prior pairing with any other form of punishment

a stimulus change that can increase the future frequency of behavior without prior pairing with any form of reinforcement.

reflex=response

the form, or physical characteristics of a behavior

Physical characteristics

Descriptions, measurements, manipulations based on:
Size, color, intensity, weight, etc.

Can be
Social
Nonsocial

When stimulus changes that
occur

prior to (Antecedent)

Immediately after (Consequence)

Environmental conditions or stimulus changes that exist or occur prior to the behavior play a critical part in learning and motivation

Learners do not need to be aware of antecedents for antecedents to effect behavior

best understood through a functional analysis of their effects on behavior

Immediate control
Delayed, or no apparent effect

Stimulus changes
An immediate but temporary effect of increasing or decreasing the current frequency of the behavior
A delayed but relatively permanent effect in terms of the frequency of that type of behavior in the future

Describes a functional relation between behavior and one or more of its controlling variables (b = fx)

Thorough generality across individual organisms, species, settings, behaviors

Empirical generalization inferred from many experiments

Describe how behavior works
Reinforcement, punishment, extinction

Research-based, technologically consistent method for changing behavior that has been derived from one or more basic principles of behavior

Sufficient generality across subjects, settings, and or behaviors to warrant its codification & dissemination

Technological aspect of ABA