Advanced ABA for Teachers

ED 556

Today…

Go over SyllabusGo over PsycInfo project

Review: Technical language and basic concepts Analyzing Behavior Change Reinforcement

Why Use Technical Terms?

Effective communication Demonstrates professionalism in your field

CH & H - Mastering the technical vocabulary of ABA is an important first step in becoming a behavior analyst

recommend students “study the field’s technical terminology with diligence” (p. xv)

ABA is a science Using precise terminology facilitates goal of thorough

understanding of socially important behaviors Note: It takes practice to learn new terminology!

Especially when there are similar words already in your repertoire

Basic Concepts

What is ABA? Technical definition: The science in which

tactics derived from the principles of behavior are applied to improve socially significant behavior and experimentation is used to identify the variables responsible for the improvement in behavior

What you might say to your Aunt Sally: a scientific approach to understanding why people

do what they do and helping them make meaningful changes in their behavior

Behavior

The activity of living organisms – everything a person does, including how he moves, what he says, thinks, and feels

A well-known technical definition: “That portion of an organism’s interaction with its

environment that is characterized by detectable displacement in space through time of some part of the organism and that results in a measurable change in at least one aspect of the environment” (Johnston and Pennypacker, 1993, p. 23)

Response

An instance of behavior Response topography refers to the physical

shape or form of the response Response class: A group of responses with

the same function (each response in the group is maintained by the same reinforcer or produces the same effect on the environment) Examples

Saying “thank you” Opening a bag of chips

Environment

Conglomerate of circumstances in which the organism exists Includes not only the organism’s external

features but physical events inside its skin Example: itching

Stimulus: an energy change that affects an organism through its receptor cells

Respondent Behavior

The response component of a reflexIt’s elicited by a stimulus that precedes it

Does not require a history of learning – examples?

Respondent Conditioning New stimuli can acquire the ability to elicit

respondent behavior How did Pavlov do this?

1. Unconditioned Stimulus (US) Unconditioned Response (UR)2. Neutral Stimulus + US UR3. Conditioned Stimulus (CS) Conditioned Response (CR)

Pavlov's dog1. Food (US) Salivation (UR)2. Bell (NS) + Food (US) Salivation (UR)3. Bell (CS) Salivation (CR)

The Process…

Respondent Behavior

The response component of a reflexIt’s elicited by a stimulus that precedes it

Does not require a history of learning – examples?

Respondent Conditioning New stimuli can acquire the ability to elicit

respondent behavior How did Pavlov do this? How did Little Albert come to fear animals?

“Little Albert” (Watson & Rayner, 1920)1. Loud noise (US) startle/crying (UR)2. White rat (NS) + Loud noise (US)

startle/crying (UR)3. White rat (CS) startle/crying (CR)

Respondent Behavior

The response component of a reflex It’s elicited by a stimulus that precedes it

Does not require a history of learning – examples? Respondent Conditioning

New stimuli can acquire the ability to elicit respondent behavior

How did Pavlov do this? How did Little Albert come to fear animals? Example: Teaching nighttime continence

Enuresis can occur because the sensation of a full bladder does not elicit waking

1. Alarm Waking2. Full bladder + Alarm Waking3. Full bladder Waking

Nocturnal Enuresis Therapy(“Bell & Pad”)

Respondent Behavior

The response component of a reflex It’s elicited by a stimulus that precedes it

Does not require a history of learning – examples? Respondent Conditioning

New stimuli can acquire the ability to elicit respondent behavior

How did Pavlov do this? How did Little Albert come to fear animals? Example: Teaching nighttime continence Example: Taste aversion

Chemotherapy-related nausea can produce taste aversion 1. Chemical Nausea 2. Food + Chemical Nausea 3. Food Nausea

Broberg & Bernstein (1987) treated this problem by transferring taste aversion to a specific food

1. Chemical Nausea 2. Lozenge + Chemical Nausea 3. Lozenge Nausea

Taste Aversion Conditioning

Respondent Behavior

The response component of a reflex It’s elicited by a stimulus that precedes it

Does not require a history of learning – examples? Respondent Conditioning

New stimuli can acquire the ability to elicit respondent behavior

How did Pavlov do this? How did Little Albert come to fear animals? Example: Teaching nighttime continence Example: Taste aversion Example: Why does Katie scream when she sees a

vacuum cleaner?

One day, Katie’s mom got out the vacuum and turned it on – it was a very loud and sudden sound

1. Loud sound startle/crying2. Sight of vacuum cleaner + Loud sound

startle/crying3. Sight of vacuum cleaner startle/crying

Vacuum Cleaner Phobia

Operant Behavior

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

It’s not elicited like respondent behavior – it’s maintained by consequences that have followed it in the past

Examples Saying “hi”

Teacher walks in the

room

Bobby says, “hi”

Teacher smiles and says, “hi!”

Operant Behavior

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

It’s not elicited like respondent behavior – it’s maintained by consequences that have followed it in the past

Examples Saying “hi” Kicking a ball

Teacher walks in the

room

Bobby says, “hi”

Teacher smiles and says, “hi!”

Ball rolls to Jimmy’s foot

Jimmy kicksBall goes

flying!

Operant Behavior

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

It’s not elicited like respondent behavior – it’s maintained by consequences that have followed it in the past

Examples Saying “hi” Kicking a ball Katie screaming when her mom gets out the vacuum

cleaner – how could this be both respondent AND operant behavior?

Teacher walks in the

room

Bobby says, “hi”

Teacher smiles and says, “hi!”

Ball rolls to Jimmy’s foot

Jimmy kicksBall goes

flying!

Mom brings out vaccuum

Katie screams and

cries

Mom puts the vacuum

away

Consequence Everyday usage? Technical definition: stimulus that follows a given

behavior in a relatively immediate temporal sequence and alters the probability of future occurrences of that type of behavior Note that awareness of the consequence, intent, and trying to

“get” the consequence are not part of the definition 2 forms

A stimulus is increased or added to the environment An already present stimulus is reduced or removed from the

environment 2 behavioral outcomes

The future frequency of the behavior increases The future frequency of the behavior decreases

Three-Term Contingency

Operant Conditioning: establishment of a functional relationship between behavior and its consequences and between behavior and certain antecedent conditions

Antecedent - Behavior - ConsequenceContingency refers to the dependency of a

particular consequence on the occurrence of behavior