Measurement
Counting the number of occurrences of a behavior
What is Frequency ?
A therapist presents one toy car to a child. If the child plays with it or shows interest in it, the toy car is considered a preferred item.
What is Single Stimulus Preference Assessment?
Liam is coloring at the table while the RBT is providing support. The RBT says, “Liam, it’s time to put the crayons away and start writing your name.” Liam drops the crayon, crosses his arms, and says, “I don’t want to!” The RBT removes the worksheet and says, “Okay, let’s color for two more minutes,” allowing Liam to delay the task.
Antecedent (A):
The RBT instructs Liam to stop coloring and begin a writing task.
Behavior (B):
Liam drops the crayon, crosses his arms, and says, “I don’t want to!”
Consequence (C):
The RBT removes the worksheet and says, “Okay, let’s color for two more minutes,” allowing Liam to delay the task.
A 4-year-old child, Tim, completes his puzzle correctly. Afterward, the RBT praises him by saying, “Great job, Tim! You did an excellent job!” Tim smiles and begins to work on another puzzle.
What type of reinforcement or punishment is occurring in this scenario?
What is Positive Reinforcement?
A 6-year-old named Sophie often engages in hand-flapping behavior during group activities. To reduce this behavior, the RBT implements a plan to reinforce any behavior except hand-flapping during group sessions, such as sitting quietly or raising her hand to speak. Sophie is given a token for every 5-minute interval in which she does not engage in hand-flapping.
What is DRO (Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior) ?
The time between the presentation of a stimulus and the start of a behavior.
What is Latency?
A therapist presents a toy car and a puzzle to a child. The child chooses the toy car. In the next trial, the therapist presents a toy car and a ball, and the child chooses the ball. This process continues with different pairings to determine preferences.
What is Paired Stimulus Preference Assessment (Forced-Choice) ?
During a therapy session, 9-year-old Ava is playing with blocks on the floor. The RBT says, “Ava, it’s time to clean up and start working on your math activity.” Upon hearing this, Ava frowns, throws a block across the room, and loudly says, “I don’t want to!” In response, the RBT says, “Okay, we can play with blocks for two more minutes,” and sets a timer before moving on to the task. Ava calms down and continues playing with the blocks.
Antecedent (A):
The RBT says, “Ava, it’s time to clean up and start working on your math activity.”
Behavior (B):
Ava frowns, throws a block across the room, and loudly says, “I don’t want to!”
Consequence (C):
The RBT allows Ava to play with the blocks for two more minutes by setting a timer before transitioning to the math activity.
A 7-year-old named Sarah is asked to clean up her toys which she dislikes. After Sarah starts cleaning up, the RBT tells her, “You don’t have to do any more chores for the rest of the day.” Sarah immediately begins cleaning faster and does a great job.
What is Negative Reinforcement?
8-year-old Ben frequently asks to leave the table without permission during work tasks. To reduce this behavior, the RBT reinforces Ben for raising his hand to request a break instead of leaving the table. Each time Ben raises his hand to request a break appropriately, he is given a short break and praise.
What is DRA (Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior) ?
The amount of time between the end of one response and the start of the next.
What is IRT Inter-Response Time ?
A set of multiple items is presented to the client, who selects one item. The chosen item is then removed, and the remaining items are presented in subsequent trials until all items have been chosen
What is Multiple Stimulus Without Replacement (MSWO) ?
During a community outing, 12-year-old Jake is at a grocery store with his RBT. Jake has a history of engaging in loud vocalizations and elopement when denied access to preferred items. While walking through the snack aisle, Jake spots a bag of chips and says, “I want that!” The RBT responds, “Not right now, Jake. Let’s finish shopping first.” Jake immediately begins screaming, drops to the floor, and attempts to crawl toward the chips. The RBT physically blocks Jake from reaching the chips and says, “Let’s take a break and sit quietly for a minute.” Jake stops screaming after about 30 seconds but remains on the floor.
Antecedent (A):
Jake and the RBT are walking through the snack aisle. Jake requests a bag of chips, and the RBT denies his request, saying, “Not right now. Let’s finish shopping first.”
Behavior (B):
Jake screams, drops to the floor, and attempts to crawl toward the chips.
Consequence (C):
The RBT physically blocks access to the chips and instructs Jake to take a break and sit quietly, leading to Jake stopping the screaming after 30 seconds.
Johnny, a 6-year-old, is talking out of turn during circle time. The RBT gives him a five-minute timeout. After the timeout, Johnny is quieter during the next circle time but is still occasionally disruptive.
What is Positive Punishment?
14-year-old Sarah frequently blurts out answers during group discussions. To encourage less frequent interruptions, the RBT reinforces Sarah for waiting at least 30 seconds before responding during group activities. If Sarah waits for 30 seconds between responses, she is reinforced with praise and a token.
What is DRL (Differential Reinforcement of Low Rates of Behavior) ?
The observer records the behavior as occurring only if it happens throughout the entire interval.
What is Whole Interval Recording ?
A therapist presents five toys to a child. The child selects a toy car. The therapist places the toy car back into the set and presents the remaining four toys. This continues until all items have been selected or tested multiple times.
What is Multiple Stimulus With Replacement (MSW) ?
During a group social skills session at a therapy center, 14-year-old Ella is seated with her peers, working on a collaborative task to build a structure with blocks. Ella has difficulty sharing materials and frequently interrupts others when they don’t respond to her requests immediately.
As the group works, Ella says, “I need the blue block now!” Another peer responds, “I’m using it. You can have it next.” Ella immediately stands up, flips the table, and yells, “This is stupid! I’m not doing this anymore!” Other peers gasp and move away from Ella. The therapist calmly approaches, directs the peers to a safe area, and says, “Ella, let’s take a break together and talk about it.” Ella walks to the break area with the therapist, but she refuses to engage in further discussion.
Antecedent (A):
Ella is participating in a group activity where she is required to share materials. She requests the blue block, and a peer says, “I’m using it. You can have it next.”
Behavior (B):
Ella stands up, flips the table, and yells, “This is stupid! I’m not doing this anymore!”
Consequence (C):
The therapist directs the peers to a safe area, removes Ella from the group, and offers a break. Ella walks to the break area but refuses further discussion.
After being told to practice math problems, 8-year-old Mark is visibly frustrated and fidgets in his seat. The RBT says, “If you complete this page, we can have a break afterward.” Mark finishes the task quickly to earn the break.
What is Negative Reinforcement?
8-year-old Noah tends to engage in aggressive behavior (e.g., hitting or pushing) when he gets upset during structured playtime with peers. To reduce these aggressive behaviors, the RBT reinforces Noah for keeping his hands in his lap or holding a stress ball when he feels frustrated. Since holding a stress ball or keeping his hands in his lap is incompatible with hitting or pushing, Noah cannot do both at the same time. Whenever Noah keeps his hands in his lap or uses the stress ball instead of engaging in aggressive behavior, he is given praise and a token.
What is DRI (Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior) ?
The observer records whether the behavior occurs at specific moments in time, often at the end of each interval
What is Momentary Time Sampling (MTS) ?
A therapist places several toys around a child and observes which toys the child engages with the most. If the child plays with the toy car for 5 minutes and a puzzle for only 1 minute, the toy car is considered a preferred item.
What is Free Operant Preference Assessment ?
During a community outing at a busy park, 16-year-old Daniel, who has a history of engaging in self-injurious behavior (SIB) during stressful situations, is walking with his RBT. Daniel is non-verbal and uses a communication device. While waiting in line at a food stand, a loud group of children runs past, screaming and laughing. Daniel starts covering his ears, rocking back and forth, and vocalizing loudly. The RBT calmly says, “It’s okay, Daniel. We’re almost done.” Suddenly, Daniel drops to the ground, begins hitting his head with his fists, and kicks at the RBT when they try to intervene.
The RBT quickly guides Daniel to a quieter area away from the line and uses a visual calm-down card. After several minutes, Daniel stops hitting himself but continues rocking and refuses to use his communication device. The outing is paused, and Daniel is guided back to the van to return home.
Antecedent (A):
Daniel is waiting in line at a food stand in a noisy, crowded park. A loud group of children runs by, adding to the noise.
Behavior (B):
Daniel covers his ears, rocks back and forth, vocalizes loudly, drops to the ground, engages in head-hitting, and kicks the RBT.
Consequence (C):
The RBT removes Daniel from the line and guides him to a quieter area, using a calm-down card. When Daniel doesn’t engage further, the outing is paused, and he is taken back to the van to return home.
14-year-old Jake is in a math session working on solving problems. He begins to exhibit avoidance behaviors, such as tapping his pencil and looking around the room, signaling he is becoming frustrated with the task. The RBT notices this and offers Jake a break if he completes five problems correctly. Jake focuses and completes the five problems correctly within the time limit, and the RBT allows him to take a break from the task.
What is Negative Reinforcement ?
6-year-old Jack is working on improving his physical activity skills during recess. The RBT sets a goal for Jack to run around the playground at least 10 times within a 15-minute period. Each time Jack meets the goal of running 10 laps in the time frame, he receives a high-five and a sticker.
What is DRH (Differential Reinforcement of High Rates of Behavior) ?