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BCBA Exam Terms
BCBA Terms to know
Question | Answer |
---|---|
An approach to changing socially useful behaviors that employs scientifically established principles of learning to bring about these changes. | Applied Behavior Analysis |
a three-part concept: “( 1) an occasion upon which behavior occurs, (2) the behavior itself, and (3) the consequences of the behavior” (Skinner 1968, p. 4). | Contingency of Reinforcement |
Any external or internal observable and measurable act of an organism. | Behavior |
Old saying by Ogden Lindsley that refers to behavior. | Dead Man Rule |
The type of behaviorism associated with Skinner and is the basis of ABA. In this field of behavior, thoughts and feelings are behaviors too, just like the kinds of behaviors that can be more easily seen by others. | Radical Behaviorism |
Counting of behavior | Frequency |
What a behavior looks like. | Topography |
Behaviors that are similar to each other because of their effects, regardless of their appearance, are said to belong to the same. | Response Class |
The real world | Natural Enviornment |
An environment that helps an individual to behave more like his or her typical peers. | Prosthetic Enviornment |
An environment that is intended to help the student to eventually become more independent of it and to be able to behave more like typical peers when in the natural environment. | Therapeutic Enviornment |
Behaviors that we are particularly interested in paying close attention to. Those behaviors targeted for change are often called | Target Behaviors |
In ABA usually refers to a behavior that immediately and predictably follows something in the environment. | Response |
The term for one try, attempt, repetition, or instance of a behavior, often in a situation set up to teach the behavior. | Trial |
Useful socially acceptable behaviors that are effective or functional in serving their purpose. | Adaptive Behavior |
Behaviors that are not effective in achieving their goal and/ or have other unwanted consequences. | Maladaptive Behavior |
Refer not just to spoken language, but to other forms of communication as well, such as reading and writing. Sign language is a type of verbal behavior. | Verbal Behavior |
Behavior such as thinking, imaging, and feeling that is not directly observable to the public. | Covert Behavior |
Behaviors that typically go together. The smiling and laughing of children while eating candy or ice cream would be an example. | Collateral Behavior |
Anything that a person can experience through their senses, anything that can be seen, heard, smelled, felt, or tasted. | Stimulus |
This is the demand/question or directive given, to obtain a specific response. This is a technical term that basically means to make it clear that reinforcement is available if the correct response is given. | Discriminative stimulus (SD) |
To assist someone in correctly answering a question or otherwise behaving appropriately for the situation at hand. | Prompt |
When a behavior is clearly influenced so that it consistently occurs when its SD is there, but doesn’t happen or at least doesn’t happen the same way without the SD. | Stimulus Control |
Refers to other kinds of antecedents, including our bodily states and the presence of inanimate objects that influence behavior as well. | Setting Event |
Events that can make a particular consequence more or less reinforcing at some times than at other times. Alters the value of the reinforcer. types of this operation includes establishing and abolishing. | Motivating Operation |
Type of operation that makes a reinforcer more potent. Increases the effectiveness of the reinforcer. Example would be needing water after running. | Establishing Operation |
A type of MO. An event that DECREASES the potency of a particular reinforcer at a particular reinforcer at a particular time and makes the behavior the behavior that produces that reinforcer less likely to occur. Satiation is an example. | Abolishing Operation |
Something that comes before something else. | Precursor |
The most common of the various ways in which learning takes place. The frequency with which a certain behavior occurs depends on what happens right after it occurs, that is, the behavior’s immediate consequences. | Operant Conditioning |
Giving something the person finds desirable (reinforcer) after the behavior occurs and INCREASES the occurrence of the same behavior under the same conditions in the future. | Positive Reinforcement |
Removing something the individual finds aversive that INCREASES the occurrence of the same behavior in the future. | Negative Reinforcement |
Reinforcers that are generally things that help keep us alive. | Primary Reinforcers |
When a neutral stimulus, perhaps a token or even certain words, is presented together with a reinforcer so that the neutral stimulus eventually becomes a conditioned, secondary, or generalized reinforcer itself. | Pairing |
Tangible or otherwise observable consequences. | Extrinsic reinforcers |
The act of doing something may be reinforcing by itself | Intrinsic reinforcer |
Reinforcement that doesn’t include any social interaction with others. | Automatic Reinforcement |
A type of secondary reinforcement that involves getting attention from others. | Social Reinforcement |
These are reinforcers that can be exchanged for other reinforcers. These reinforcers are particularly powerful in that they can be traded in for a variety of reinforcers. | Generalized Reinforcer |
Type of reinforcer. An activity, item or privilege that the child likes and enjoys. The token economy is an example. | Backup Reinforcer |
The time from when an instance of the behavior starts until it stops (ex.-Rita jogged for 25 minutes) | Duration |
The physical force involved in the behavior (ex-Garth bench pressed 220 pounds) | Intensity |
The elapsed time from the onset of a stimulus to the time that the response started. (Example: The teacher said touch dog, and 4 seconds later, the client touched the dog. The elapsed time is 4 seconds in this scenario.) | Latency |
Lapsed time between two successive responses. (Example: 13 seconds passed in between the two instances of screaming.) | Interresponse time (IRT) |
Ratio of count per observation time. (Example: The client engages in an average of 16 instances of screaming per hour. ) | Rate |
Extent to which the experiment shows the changes in the behavior are due to the independent variable and not the result of uncontrolled or confounding variables. | Internal Validity |
The degree to which a study's findings have generality to other subjects, settings, and/or behaviors. | External Validity |
USED FOR BX TO DECREASE; a discontinuous response measure in which a recording session is broken into short intervals of time (10-20s). A response is recorded as occurring if it occurs at any time during the interval. | Partial Interval Recording |
Refers to the real or concrete objects or outcomes that result from a behavior and are used by teachers on an ongoing basis in many different ways | Permanent Product Measurement |
A "toll" or "fine" imposed in response to the student's display of undesirable behavior | Response Cost |
An interval recording method that can help discover patterns related to a problem behavior and specific time periods | Scatter Plot |
A self-management strategy that involves defining a target behavior, observing one's own behavior and recording the occurrence of one's own behavior. | Self-Monitoring |
Affects how a student will respond to situations by temporarily increasing or decreasing reinforcers in the environment. | Setting Events |
Clues within the text that assist the reader; e.g. boldfaced words, headings for sections, etc | Textual Cues |
A positive system for reinforcing a student for compliance with pre-set rules. The student earns "tokens" (examples: tickets, bracelets, stickers etc.) Once the student has earned a pre-determined amount they can trade them in for a reward. | Token Economy |
An accurate measurement, fair, reliable | Validity |
A symbol, usually a letter that represents an unknown quantity. | Variable |
Provides a student with information regarding the sequence of events or routines he will be engaging in throughout the day. | Visual Schedule |
USED FOR BX TO INCREASE; a discontinuous response measure in which a recording session is broken into short intervals of time (10-20s); a response is recorded as occurring if it occurs during the entire interval | Whole Interval Recording |
Behavior that can be observed by someone other than the person performing it (i.e. singing, screaming, laughing, smoking, eating, etc.). | Overt Behavior |
Private Events that cannot be observed by others. An example is thinking, | Covert Behavior |
An ABA principle which states that the more deprived of a particular reinforcer, the more powerful that reinforcer will be. Think about how when you are on a diet suddenly cakes, brownies, and cookies seem MUCH more appetizing :-) | Deprivation |
A comprehensive assessment and curriculum planning tool created by Drs. Sundberg & Partington. This tool allows you to assess across 25 varied domains to get a complete snapshot of a child’s functioning level, strengths, and deficits. | ABLLS |
Also known as the Three Term Contingency. This is a behavior tool used to determine the function of any behavior. | ABC |
A target that is in the process of being taught. This behavior is not yet a known skill. | Acquisition Task |
Used to teach multi-step skills in which the steps involved are defined through task analysis, and each separate step is taught to link together the skills. | Chaining |
This means having multiple diagnoses as the same time, such as being diagnosed with Autism, OCD, and an Anxiety Disorder. | Co-Morbidity |
The withholding of reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior, resulting in reduction of that behavior. | Extinction |
Means speaker behavior, and refers to tasks that require a vocal response such as singing or talking. | Expressive |
The increase in frequency and/or intensity of behavior in the early stages of extinction. | Extinction burst |
These are the activities we do using our larger muscle groups; like sitting, walking & jumping. | Gross Motor |
his is a Verbal Behavior term. Building blocks to conversation skills as its the ability to discuss, describe, or answer a question about something that isn't physically present. If someone asks you "What did you do on your vacation last summer?" | Intraverbal |
This is a Verbal Behavior term. A mand is basically a "demand". This is being able to request something that one wants or needs. | Mand |
A type of ABA where learning occurs incidentally and often playfully in natural environments, such as at the bus stop, in the tub, or during dinner. | Natural Environment Training (NET) |
A term used by some individuals with Autism to describe people who do not have Autism. It basically refers to someone who does not have neurological difficulties or differences. | Neuro-Typical |
Displaying excessively repetitive and stereotypical behaviors, such as asking for a pretzel 18 times in 5 minutes or repeating a line from a commercial over and over again. | Perseverative Behavior |
When an individual has become reliant on being assisted with a task, and stops attempting to do the task independently. | Prompt Dependent |
A form of assistance or cue given to help the learner compete a task. There are several types of prompts: physical prompt, gestural prompt, position prompt, model prompt, verbal prompt, symbolic prompt, and visual prompt, and many more. | Prompt |
Listener behavior, and refers to tasks that require a nonvocal action or motor response such as touch, give, or point. | Receptive |
This is when a learner engages in a verbal stim where they repeat, phrases or entire sections of a TV show, movie, commercial, etc. Can also be called “self-talk”. | Scripting |
This is when a learner responds to a demand by either receptively or expressively linking several responses together. For example, if shown a photo of a firefighter and asked "Who is this?" the learner responds by saying "Doctor/Teacher/Firefighter". | Scrolling |
This is a Verbal Behavior term. This is being able to label or describe an item with stimuli being present. For example, a learner can tact if they can label the color of a ball if the ball is present. | Tact |
An assessment and curriculum tool created by Dr. Sundberg. This tool focuses on verbal assessment to get a complete snapshot of verbal abilities, strengths, and deficits. Domains include manding, intraverbals, echoics, etc. | VB-MAPP Assessment |
A discontinuous (indirect) response measure which measures the number of consecutive opportunities to respond, required to achieve a performance standard. | Trials to criterion |
Each instance of behavior occurs at a specific point in time—ie when the behavior occurs. | Temporal locus |
Response classes occur repeatedly throughout time—ie how many times the behavior occurs | Repeatability |
This dimension indicates that each instance of behavior occupies some amount of time—ie how long the behavior occurs. | Temporal extent |
A cue or assistance to encourage the desired response from an individual | Prompt |
Utilizing a vocalization to indicate the desired response | Verbal Prompt |
A visual cue or picture. | Visual Prompt |
Utilizing a physical gesture to indicate the desired response. | Gestural prompts |
The target item is placed closer to the individual. | Positional prompt |
Showing the desired response for the student. This type of prompt is best suited for individuals who learn through imitation. | Modeling |
Physically manipulating the individual to produce the desired response. | Physical prompt |
Another dimensional quantity of a response class, refers to change in behavior over time, usually increase (acceleration) or decreases (deceleration) | Celeration |
Latency, duration, countability, IRT, rate, celeration | Dimensional quantities |
Temporal Locus, temporal extent, repeatability | Fundamental properties |
Number of responses or number of cycles of the response class | Countability |
A discontinous response measure in which a response is recorded as occurring only if it occurs at the point in time in which an interval ends; it is recorded as a non occurrence if it is not occurring at that precise moment in time | Momentary Time Sampling |
a group of individuals is observed at the end of an interval; count how many of individuals are engaging in the target bx; compare with total # individuals; percent | PLACHECK |
The coefficient of agreement between 2 or more independent observers; usually calculated as a % by dividing the # of agreements by the total number of agreements plus disagreements then multiply by 100; 80% minimum accepted | Interobserver agreement |
a baseline phase followed by a treatment phase, an effect is demonstrated by showing that bx changes from one phase to next, form the basis of all common single case designs, not highly recommended. | A-B design |
Tyoes of assessments that involve: Talking to me, record reviews, interview, paper and pencil questionnaires, may be done in an office, used mostly during the prelim stages of assessment | Indirect method |
Observation of permanent products, measuring dimensional and dimensionless quantities of bx, show me, narrative recording, abc data, measurement of bx, scatterplots, observation, if direct methods are not utilized then one is not doing bx assessment | Direct method |
A research design consisting of a baseline and treatment phase followed by withdrawal of treatment (the second baseline) and a second implementation of the treatment. | A-B-A-B Reversal Design |
The horizontal axis (x-axis) on a graph. Shows unit of time. | abscissa |
The development of a new behavior through reinforcement | Aquisition |
A research design in which baseline and treatment conditions are conducted in rapid succession, typically on alternating days or sessions. Baseline and treatment phases can be compared with each other within the same time period. | Alternating Treatment Designs (ATD) |
An observation setting that is not part of the client's normal daily routine. Typically involves a setting such as a separate room where all stimuli and activities are controlled by the experimenter. | Analogue Setting |
A procedure in which antecedents are manipulated to influence the target behavior. May involve manipulating an SD or cues, establishing operations, or response effort for the target behavior or alternative behaviors. | Antecedent Control Procedure |
This term refers to gradually removing any extra PROMPTS one has introduced into a teaching situation. | Fading |
Behavior whose function is to allow the individual to get away from undesired settings or tasks (i.e., aversive stimuli or situations). technically refers to getting away from situations or tasks that are already present. | Escape |
Behavior whose function is to allow the individual to get away prior to the undesired setting or task. | Avoidance |
This term refers to behavior that occurs freely in a given setting, without any specific CUE. | Free Operant |
An event or stimulus a person will usually avoid or escape from. This suppresses behavior it follows (punishment) and increases behavior which allows a person to escape or avoid it (negative reinforcement). | Aversive Stimulus |
A type of chaining procedure in which the last component of the chain is taught first. | Backward Chaining |
Also known as backward pairing) is a behavior conditioning method in which the unconditioned stimulus (US) is presented before a neutral stimulus (NS). | Backward Conditioning |
The treatment or phase where no treatment is implemented. | Baseline |
A written document that specifies a particular behavior for a client and the consequences that will be contingent on the occurrence or non-occurrence of the behavior in a stated period. | Behavior Contract |
A DESIRABLE target behavior that person seeks to improve in frequency, duration, or intensity. | Behavioral Deficit |
An UNDESIRABLE target behavior that a person seeks to decrease in frequency, duration, or intensity. | Behavioral Excess |
A procedure consisting of instructions, modeling, behavioral rehearsal, and feedback that is used to teach new behaviors or skills. | Behavioral Skills Training Procedure (BST) |
Used to evaluate effects of a treatment that is applied in a graduated fashion to a single target behavior. Baseline is followed by Treatment phase. Once stabilized, the treatment serves as a baseline for increased criterion of the next phase. | Changing Criterion Design |
Covert or imaginal behavior | Cognitive Behavior |
Two or more schedules of reinforcement (e.g., FR, VR, Fl, VI) are simultaneously available. | Concurrent schedules of reinforcement |
A type of conditioned response in which an emotional response such as fear, anger, or happiness is elicited by a conditioned stimulus in the process of respondent conditioning. | Conditioned Emotional Response (CER) |
A previously neutral stimulus that has been paired a number of times with an established punisher and consequently functions as a punisher itself. | Conditioned Punisher |
A previously neutral stimulus that has been paired a number of times with an established punisher and consequently functions as a reinforcer itself. | Conditioned Reinforcer |
Highly preferred behaviors. Example-A child wants to play video games versus doing homework. | High-probability behavior (High-P) |
Lowly preferred behaviors. Example-A parent wants child to do homework versus playing video games. | Low-probability behavior (Low-P) |
(also known as Primary Reinforcer) Reinforcement that is inherent, that you do not have to experience in your past for it to be reinforcing (increase behavior). Examples include food, clothing, shelter, and sex. | Unconditioned Reinforcer |
A definition in terms of the operations used to produce and measure a phenomenon. | Operational Definition |
A class of responses defined by a functional relation with a class of common environmental effects. | Operant |
Continuation of the conditions that generated a performance | Maintenance |
Any variable that is different from the dependent variable in that it can change independently of it. This is your intervention/treatment. | Independent Variable |
A speculation, prediction, or guess about the outcome of an experiment. | Hypothesis |
A relationship in which one variable changes systematically according to the value of another. Often events tend to co-vary, or change at the same time and seemingly be related in ways that they are not. | Functional Relationship |
Often referred to as Lovaas teaching. The concept behind this is that for some individuals larger, more complex skills need to be broken into smaller steps. | Discrete Trial Training (DTT) |
The measure of the subject’s behavior. The dependent variable is the one that you are trying to change, like behavior. | Dependent Variable |
Behavior that a particular person has emitted in the past. | Behavioral Repertoire |
Change in one component of a multiple schedule that increases or decreases rate of responding of one behavior which is accompanied by a change in response rate of the other unaltered component. | Behavior Contrast |
Involves adding a stimulus to help a person make correct discrimination. | Extrastimulus prompt |
A period elapses between the presentation of the Sd and the delivery of the response prompt. | Prompt Delay |
Most commonly used method of transferring stimulus control. A response prompt is removed gradually across learning trials until the prompt is no longer provided. | Prompt Fading |
Occurs when the learner's behavior is evoked by the behavior of another person. These include verbal, gestural, physical and modeling prompts. | Response Prompt |
Involves gradually removing the additional stimulus as the response began occurring reliably in the presence of the Sd. | Stimulus Fading |
Involves a change in some aspect of the Sd or some other stimulus change that makes a correct discrimination more likely. | Stimulus Prompt |
Elimination of the prompt to get the behavior under stimulus control of the relevant Sd. Involves fading and prompt delay. | Transfer of Stimulus Control |
A type of stimulus prompt in which some aspect of the discriminative stimulus or S is changed to help a person make a correct discrimination. | Within-Stimulus Prompt |
A procedure in which a specific desirable behavior is followed by a reinforcer but other behaviors are not. The result is an increase in the desirable behavior and the extinction of other behaviors. | Differential Reinforcement |
A behavioral procedure in which successive approximations of a target behavior are deferentially reinforced until the person engages in the target behavior. | Shaping |
Also know as shaping steps, are behaviors that are increasingly more similar to the target behavior. | Successive Approximations |
Assessment of skills in the natural environment without the person's knowledge that assessment is taking place. | in situ assessment |
Training that occurs in the natural environment after an in situ assessment in which the child fails to use the skills. | in situ training |
A procedure for teaching a chain of behaviors. The 1st component is taught through prompting and fading, and once the 1st component is learned, the 2nd component is added. This continues until all components of the chain are learned. | Forward Chaining |
Also referred to as stimulus response chain. A complex behavior consisting of two or more component behaviors that occur together in a sequence. For each component behavior, there is a discriminative stimulus and response. | Behavioral Chain |
Procedures used to teach a person to engage in a chain of behaviors. Includes backwards chaining, forward chaining, total task presentation, written task analysis, picture prompts, and self-instructions. | Chaining Procedures |
A prompting strategy used with total task presentation in which you provide full hand-over-hand assistance as a prompt for the learner to complete a behavior. Once the learner starts to engage independently, you gradually fade your assistance. | Graduated Guidance |
Identification of the discrimininative stimulus and response for each component of a behavior chain. | Task Analysis |
A procedure for teaching a chain of behavior in which the trainer physically prompts the learner through all steps in the chain. Eventually, the trainer fades physical prompts and shadows the learner's movements as they complete the chain of behaviors. | Total Task Presentation |