Behavior Basics
Which one of these is a behavior?
a. Throwing a ball
b. Laying on the floor
a. Throwing a ball
True or false. Reinforcement increases behavior.
True
*Punishment decreases behavior.
True or False. Operational definitions should include labels and internal states so that we can understand how the student if feeling.
False
Operational definitions should be objective (clear, measurable, observable, complete).
When collecting data, there are continuous measures and _____________ measures.
Discontinuous
True or False. When analyzing a graph, we should look for changes in variability, level, and trend to observe progress.
True
Behavior is ____________.
Lawful
Name two types of reinforcement.
Positive and Negative
Which one is the best example of an operational definition of "noncompliance?"
1. Puts head down on desk, crawls under desk, says, “no,” and/or throws pencils within 3 seconds of being told to work
2. Defiant, stubborn, manipulative, tries to control work time, won't do work
#1: It's clear, observable, and measurable
Which method is time-intensive, but gives the best representation of the behavior?
Continuous
Does level, trend, or variability tell us "how much" a behavior occurs?
Level
Changes in level can answer:
Is the behavior getting better?
When did the behavior improve?
How much did the behavior improve overall?
Behavior is anything an organism does that can be observed and _________.
Measured
*Remember the Statue or Dead Man Test
With positive reinforcement, a stimulus is _______. With negative reinforcement, a stimulus is ______.
Added
Removed
Reduction behaviors should be defined, along with __________ behaviors.
Replacement
Name two types of discontinuous data collection methods?
• Momentary Time Sampling (Is the behavior occurring at the end of the interval - yes or no?)
• Partial Interval Recording (Did the behavior occur at all during the interval - yes or no?)
• Whole Interval Recording (Did the behavior occur for the entire interval - yes or no?)
• Permanent Product Recording (If the behavior results in an observable product, how many of these are there?)
• % of Observed Opportunities (Out of ___ observed chances to use the replacement behavior, how many times was it used?)
Name three of the basic characteristics a graph should have?
X axis (Horizontal- typically used for dates or sessions)
Y Axis (Vertical- usually used for the rate/count/percent)
Scale (describes the intervals depicted on the graph)
Axis Labels (to indicate what each access measures)
Title (tells you what the graph is about)
Key (tells you which data path goes with which behavior)
Behavior can be changed by altering _________ and __________.
Antecedents and Consequences
How is punishment different than negative reinforcement?
Negative reinforcement = stimulus is removed, but increases behavior
Punishment = stimulus can be added or removed, but decreases behavior
How do we ensure that anyone collecting data -- even a stranger -- would know exactly what to observe and what should be scored as “data?”
By using operational definitions
Name four types of continuous data collection methods.
• Count (tally the total # of occurrences)
• Frequency (total # of occurrences per set amount of time)
• Rate (total # of occurrences observed divided by specific units of time, such as hours or minutes)
• Duration (How long did it last from start to stop)
• Latency (time between instruction and the start of the behavior)
• Interresponse Time (IRT: Time between instances/episodes of the same behavior)
If you analyze a graph of problem behavior, and the data path is moving up from left to right, it means the behavior is ___________. If the data path is moving down from left to right, it means the behavior is __________.
Increasing, Decreasing
The direction of the data path is called the trend. The trend shows improvement, regression, or stasis in the data.
What are two kinds of learning that can result in behavior change?
Respondent Conditioning and Operant Conditioning
Respondent = Reflexive
Operant = Under Voluntary Control
What type of reinforcement is this an example of?
Teacher reprimands a student when they throw their pencil after receiving a math worksheet. The student laughs and throws more pencils during math the next day.
Positive = added stimulus (reprimand/attention); behavior maintains/increases
Name one reason why data collection is important.
1. Make informed decisions regarding student performance, services, assessment/intervention and outcomes
2. Track/assess student progress
3. Can tell us if we need to make changes to a student's plan
Name two advantages and two disadvantages of discontinuous data collection methods.
Pros: Easier to implement in group settings, takes less time to collect, easier to train other people to use, can help identify time-based patterns in behavior more easily
Cons: Generally less accurate, requires estimation and rounding to analyze, may be more difficult to explain results to others, cannot be used to determine actual rates of behavior
Variability is the range between data points. What does it tell us what about the data?
How stable and predictable the data are.