BCB flashcards
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32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Reinforcement
- A consequence that follows a behavior and increases its future frequency; defined by effect, not by whether the stimulus is pleasant or unpleasant.
- Negative reinforcement
- Removal or reduction of a stimulus contingent on a response that increases the future frequency of that response; underlies escape and avoidance behavior.
- Motivating operation
- An antecedent event that alters the current value of a reinforcer and momentarily changes the frequency of behavior that has produced that reinforcer.
- Discriminative stimulus
- An antecedent stimulus in the presence of which a response has been reinforced; its presence signals that reinforcement is currently available for the response.
- Extinction burst
- A temporary increase in response frequency, magnitude, or variability, sometimes with aggression, shortly after reinforcement is withheld; it typically precedes response decrease.
- Variable ratio schedule
- A reinforcement schedule in which an average number of responses is required, with the exact requirement varying unpredictably; produces high, steady rates resistant to extinction.
- Rate
- A count of responses divided by the observation time, expressed as responses per unit time; the standard measure for free-operant behavior.
- Partial-interval recording
- A discontinuous measure scoring an interval if the behavior occurs at any time within it; tends to overestimate occurrence and is used for high-rate behaviors.
- Momentary time sampling
- A discontinuous measure scoring whether the behavior is occurring at the instant the interval ends; generally the least biased time-sampling method.
- Interobserver agreement
- The degree to which two independent observers record the same values for the same behavior; calculated as agreements divided by total observations, times 100.
- Latency
- The elapsed time between the onset of a stimulus and the onset of the response; a temporal measure used when speed of responding matters.
- Trend
- The overall direction of a data path (ascending, descending, or flat) across successive observations; judged from multiple points, not a single value.
- Reversal design
- An A-B-A-B arrangement in which baseline and treatment alternate; experimental control is demonstrated when behavior changes with each phase change.
- Multiple baseline design
- A design introducing treatment sequentially across behaviors, settings, or participants; control is shown when only the treated tier changes at each introduction.
- Alternating treatments design
- A design rapidly alternating two or more conditions to compare their effects while controlling for sequence and order effects; suited to irreversible behavior.
- Changing criterion design
- A design in which the reinforcement criterion shifts in steps; the effect is demonstrated when behavior tracks each successive criterion change.
- Internal validity
- The extent to which changes in the dependent variable are attributable to the independent variable rather than to confounding variables such as history or maturation.
- Informed consent
- Voluntary agreement to participate after disclosure of procedures, risks, benefits, and alternatives, given by a person with capacity or a legally authorized representative.
- Least restrictive procedure
- The least intrusive intervention likely to be effective; reinforcement-based procedures are preferred before restrictive or punishment-based ones.
- Assent
- Agreement to participate from a person who lacks legal capacity to consent, obtained in developmentally appropriate terms alongside consent from a guardian.
- Functional behavior assessment
- A process identifying the antecedents and consequences that maintain problem behavior, using indirect, descriptive, and experimental methods to guide intervention selection.
- Functional analysis
- An experimental arrangement manipulating antecedent and consequence conditions (attention, escape, tangible, alone, control) to identify the function of problem behavior.
- Paired-stimulus preference assessment
- A method presenting stimuli in pairs and recording choices to rank preference; considered the most accurate preference assessment but requires many trials.
- ABC recording
- A descriptive assessment recording antecedent, behavior, and consequence events in the natural setting to generate hypotheses about behavioral function.
- Shaping
- Reinforcing successive approximations to a terminal response while withholding reinforcement for earlier approximations, used to build novel or complex behavior.
- Task analysis
- The process of breaking a complex skill into smaller, teachable component steps; the basis for chaining procedures.
- Prompt fading
- The gradual removal of a prompt so that the natural discriminative stimulus gains control of the response; prevents prompt dependence.
- Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior
- Reinforcing a specified alternative response while withholding reinforcement for the problem behavior; often paired with functional communication training.
- Token economy
- A system in which tokens function as conditioned reinforcers exchangeable for backup reinforcers; exchange rate and rules are specified in advance.
- Functional communication training
- Teaching a socially acceptable communicative response that produces the same reinforcer maintaining problem behavior, thereby replacing the problem behavior.
- Treatment integrity
- The extent to which an intervention is implemented as designed; measured by direct observation and reported alongside outcomes.
- Behavioral skills training
- A supervision and teaching package of instruction, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback, repeated until the trainee meets a mastery criterion.