BCB cheat sheet

Three-term contingency: motivating operation (or SD) → behavior → consequence; reinforcement is defined by its effect on future frequency, not by the consequence's form.

Positive/negative = stimulus added/removed; reinforcement/punishment = future frequency increases/decreases. Negative reinforcement removes or reduces a stimulus (escape/avoidance), never adds one.

Unconditioned reinforcers/punishers are effective without learning history (e.g., food, pain); conditioned ones acquire function through pairing with established reinforcers.

Extinction: withholding the maintaining reinforcer produces a gradual decrease plus extinction burst, response variability, and spontaneous recovery; it is not the same as punishment.

Operant vs. respondent: operants are selected by consequences (emitted, strengthened by reinforcement); respondents are elicited by antecedent stimuli and altered by pairing (CS-CR).

Motivating operations alter reinforcer effectiveness AND momentarily alter the frequency of behavior that has produced that reinforcer; abolishing operations do the reverse.

Discrimination (SD present → reinforced; S-delta → not reinforced) contrasts with stimulus generalization (similar stimuli evoke the response) and response generalization.

Schedules: FR/VR ratio and FI/VI interval; variable schedules produce steadier, more extinction-resistant responding than fixed; ratio schedules typically yield higher rates than interval.

Verbal behavior taxonomy by controlling variable: mand (MO), tact (nonsocial SD), echoic (verbal SD, point-to-point), intraverbal (verbal SD, no point-to-point), textual/transcription.

Continuous measures: frequency/rate (count ÷ time), duration, latency (onset of SD to onset of response), IRT (time between successive responses), percentage, trials-to-criterion.

Discontinuous measures: whole-interval (underestimates), partial-interval (overestimates), momentary time sampling (least biased, best for continuous behaviors); PLACHECK for groups.

Rate = total count / observation time; report the time unit (e.g., responses per minute). Percentage is only valid when the denominator is known and fixed.

IOA types: total count, mean count-per-interval, exact count-per-interval, trial-by-trial, total duration, and interval-by-interval (occurrence and nonoccurrence agreement).

IOA convention: interval-by-interval agreement = agreements ÷ (agreements + disagreements) × 100; 80% is the conventional minimum, 90% preferred for discrete responses.

Graph reading: level (mean value), trend (ascending/descending/flat), variability (spread); celeration is the slope on a standard celeration chart (multiply-divide).

Behavior is judged by the trend in the data, not by the last data point; three consecutive data points in the predicted direction support a change.

Measurement validity requires the dimension measured to match the behavior of interest (e.g., latency for compliance, duration for on-task); reactivity and observer drift threaten accuracy.

Baseline logic: prediction (baseline continues), verification (return to baseline or repeated baseline), replication (effect shown again in another phase or tier).

Reversal designs (A-B-A-B, B-A-B) demonstrate control only if behavior reverses; withdrawal is contraindicated for dangerous or irreversible behavior.

Multiple baseline across behaviors, settings, or participants: staggered introduction; control is shown when only the treated tier changes.

Alternating-treatments (multielement) design compares conditions rapidly, controls for sequence/order effects, and suits irreversible behavior; requires discrimination between conditions.

Changing-criterion design: stepwise criterion shifts; effect is shown when behavior tracks each criterion change; useful for shaping.

Internal validity threats: maturation, history, testing, instrumentation, regression to the mean, attrition; control by design (baseline, reversal, replication).

External validity = generality across settings, subjects, behaviors, and time; single-subject designs establish it through systematic replication.

Social validity evaluates goals, procedures, and outcomes; assessed by stakeholders' judgments, not by the experimenter.

Four core principles: benefit others, treat others with compassion, dignity, and respect, behave with integrity, and ensure your own competence.

Least-restrictive, most-effective treatment: choose the least intrusive procedure that is likely to be effective; reinforcement-based procedures precede restrictive or punishment-based ones.

Informed consent requires capacity, voluntariness, disclosure of procedure/risks/benefits/alternatives, and the right to withdraw; assent is obtained from minors or non-capable clients.

Risk-benefit analysis: document assessment of risks, benefits, and less restrictive alternatives before implementing behavior-reduction or aversive procedures.

Confidentiality: disclose only with consent or as legally required; protect records, and use client identifiers minimally in data and reports.

Multiple relationships and conflicts of interest must be avoided or managed; bartering and gifts follow organizational policy and must not exploit the client.

Supervision ethics: supervise only within your competence, define roles and expectations in writing, and ensure the supervisee's clients are informed of the supervisory arrangement.

Data-based decision making: continue, modify, or discontinue intervention based on objective data; document all changes and the rationale.

Indirect methods (interviews, rating scales, questionnaires) are efficient but rely on memory and are less accurate; direct observation measures behavior in real time.

Functional behavior assessment (FBA): indirect (interviews, FAST, MAS), descriptive (ABC recording, scatterplot), and experimental (functional analysis) methods.

Functional analysis conditions: alone (automatic), attention (social positive), demand (escape), tangible (access), plus a play/control condition.

Preference assessments: paired-stimulus (most valid, more trials), multiple-stimulus with/without replacement, and free-operant (MSWO is a common compromise).

Indirect assessment tools include the Functional Assessment Interview, Motivation Assessment Scale, and Questions About Behavioral Function; they generate hypotheses, not conclusions.

Ecological assessment examines the person-environment fit across settings; it informs target selection and intervention context.

Target behavior selection criteria: social significance, likelihood of success, and relation to the referral concern; define in observable, measurable, and complete terms.

Reinforcer assessment: present a stimulus contingent on a response and measure rate; preference does not guarantee reinforcer function.

Reinforcement: deliver the reinforcer immediately after the target response, at a schedule that maintains the response; thin gradually to avoid ratio strain.

Shaping: reinforce successive approximations to the terminal response; requires a clear terminal criterion and a starting behavior already in the repertoire.

Chaining: forward (teach first link), backward (teach last link first), and total-task presentation; task analysis must be validated before teaching.

Prompting hierarchy: least-to-most (errorless learning support) vs. most-to-least; prompt fading and prompt delay transfer stimulus control to the natural SD.

Discrete-trial teaching (DTT) uses massed trials with structured antecedents and consequences; natural environment teaching (NET) uses MO-based, child-initiated learning.

Extinction, response cost, time-out, and overcorrection are behavior-reduction procedures; time-out requires a reinforcing time-in environment and is not seclusion.

Differential reinforcement: DRA (alternative behavior), DRI (incompatible), DRO (other behavior, interval-based), DRL (low rates); DRO reinforces absence of the target.

Token economies: conditioned reinforcers exchanged for backup reinforcers; specify token value, exchange rate, and response cost rules in advance.

Self-management: self-monitoring, self-instruction, and self-reinforcement; the behavior analyst arranges contingencies that the client controls.

Match the intervention to the FBA result: attention-maintained → DRA/functional communication training; escape-maintained → demand fading and escape extinction; automatic → competing stimulation.

Function-based interventions outperform non-function-based ones; if the function is unknown, conduct an assessment before selecting a procedure.

Prioritize reinforcement-based, least-restrictive procedures; reserve punishment for cases where less intrusive procedures have failed and risk is documented.

Treatment integrity: implement as written, measure fidelity, and retrain when integrity falls; low integrity invalidates outcome conclusions.

Generalization and maintenance: program common stimuli, train loosely, use indiscriminable contingencies, and teach to fluency to promote durability.

Intervention selection considers client values, caregiver resources, setting constraints, and social validity; the most effective procedure may not be the best fit.

Data-based decisions: continue if progress is documented; modify if flat or worsening after sufficient time; discontinue if ineffective or harmful.

Collaboration with caregivers and other professionals supports treatment adherence; coordinate goals and avoid contradictory contingencies across settings.

Supervision is a behavior-change relationship: define supervisee goals in observable terms, measure progress, and give feedback on specific behaviors.

Behavioral skills training (BST): instruction, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback; mastery criterion and repeated practice are required for skill acquisition.

Performance feedback: immediate, specific, and contingent on observed behavior; feedback alone is often insufficient without practice opportunities.

Supervision contract: specify roles, responsibilities, frequency, duration, evaluation methods, and confidentiality before supervision begins.

Competency-based supervision uses direct observation (in vivo or recorded) rather than self-report alone; document the observation method.

Supervisor development: assess supervisee skills, set goals, monitor progress, and adjust the supervision plan based on data.

Ethical supervision requires competence in the area supervised, avoidance of multiple relationships, and referral when the supervisee's needs exceed the supervisor's scope.

Documentation: maintain supervision records, feedback given, and progress toward competency; records support accountability and continuity.