Basic Topics
What does ABA stand for and what is ABA?
Applied behaviour analysis
A scientific approach to understanding behavior. ABA refers to a set of principles that focus on how behaviours change, or are affected by the environment.
What is negative reinforcement? Give an example
Negative reinforcement is when a stimulus is removed immediately following a behavior and then that behavior happens more often in the future.
What does SD stand for and what is it?
discriminative stimulus
An SD, or discriminative stimulus, is the instruction or other antecedent evoking a response. When an instructor says “touch your nose”, that instruction is the SD for the child to touch his nose.
Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR): a procedure in which a reinforcer is presented after a specified amount of time has passed, regardless of the behavior occurring. NCR is often used to reduce a problem behaviour
What are the ABC's and why do we use them?
Antecedent - An antecedent is an environmental stimulus change that occurs before the behavior of interest
Behaviour - Behavior is everything observable and measurable
Consequence - A consequence is an environmental condition or stimulus change that occurs after the behavior of interest.
Recording ABC data is critical in applied behavior analysis (ABA) because it helps determine what leads to a child’s behavior. ABC Data collection allows us to recognize what the behavior can look like and whether it is positive or negative. we can also get an idea of how long the behavior may last, a certain time of day the behavior is more likely to occur, and it can help us be more in-tuned to environmental triggers that may cause the behavior at hand. Helps hypothesis function
What does DTT stand for and what is it? Give one example
Discrete Trial Training
A method of teaching a skill in simplified and structured steps. Instead of teaching an entire skill at once, the skill is broken down teaching discrete trials that teach one step at a time.
What is positive punishment? Give an example
something is ADDED immediately after the behaviour resulting in the behaviour occurring less often in the future
What is a token economy? and what is response cost in relation to a token economy
a system of operant conditioning used for behavior therapy that involves rewarding desirable behaviors with tokens which can be exchanged for items or privileges (as food or free time)
response cost - punishing undesirable behaviors (as destruction or aggression) by taking away tokens.
What does MO stand for and explain what is it?
Motivating operations (MO) are environmental variables that alter the effectiveness of some stimulus, object, or event as a reinforcer. They alter the current frequency of all behavior that has been reinforced by that stimulus, object, or event.
What are the four functions of behaviour? Explain and give an example for each
Attention: The individual engages in behaviour in order to receive attention from those in the environment (parents, teacher, siblings, peers). Attention functions as a reinforcer because it increases the individual’s behaviour that has, in the past, resulted in attention
Escape: The individual engages in behaviour in order to get out of doing something he/she does not want to do. In the past, the individual has engaged in this behaviour and it has resulted in the removal of the task, therefore the removal of the task functions as a negative reinforcer, and increases the likelihood that the individual will engage in this behaviour to escape/avoid work.
Access to Tangible: The individual engages in the behaviour in order to get a preferred item or activity. In the past, when the individual has engaged in this behaviour, it resulted in receiving an item or activity. The item or activity is a reinforcer because it increases the likelihood that the individual will engage in the behaviour to have access to it.
Automatic/Sensory: The individual engages in the behaviour in order to get a preferred item or activity. In the past, when the individual has engaged in this behaviour, it resulted in receiving an item or activity. The item or activity is a reinforcer because it increases the likelihood that the individual will engage in the behaviour to have access to it.
What is another name for naturalistic teaching and provide an example of how you would use it
Incidental teaching
Incidental teaching is a strategy that uses the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) to provide structured learning opportunities in the natural environment by using the child's interests and natural motivation.
What is negative punishment? Give an example
something is REMOVED immediately after the behaviour resulting in the behaviour occurring more often in the future.
the process of reinforcing a target response only when the Target or SD is present. The child is learning to tell the difference between two or more SDs
What is extinction? Give an example of how you would use it
Discontinuing reinforcement of previously reinforced behaviour. The primary effect is a decrease in the frequency of behaviour until it reaches prereinforcered level or ultimately ceases to occur.
Name five antecedent (proactive) strategies for managing challenging behaviour. Explain how you would use them
Modifying the environment
Providing choices
Contriving motivation
Priming
First/then
What is an alternative/replacement behaviour? Give an example
Teaching a behaviour that serves the same purpose, or function, a problem behaviour.
Alternative behaviours allow the student to receive, maintain, or escape something in a socially appropriate and functional way. The socially appropriate behaviour serves the same purpose as the problem behaviour and replaces the problem behaviour when the individual is taught to engage in the replacement behavior rather than the problem behavior under similar conditions
Name the continuous and discontinuous measurements of data collection. Provide one example from each
Continuous - frequency, duration, latency, IRT
Discontinuous - partial and whole interval, momentary time sampling
What is differential reinforcement? Name four types of differential reinforcement
Differential reinforcement consists of two components:
Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior (DRI)
Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior (DRA)
Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior (DRO)
Differential Reinforcement of Low Rates (DRL)
Name four preference assessments and explain them
1. Free operant
2. Multiple stimulus without replacement
3. Multiple stimulus with replacement
4. Forced choice
What are three response strategies for managing challenging behaviour? Explain how you would use them
Extinction
Reinforcement
Punishment
What is positive reinforcement? Give an example
Positive reinforcement is when a stimulus occurs immediately after a behavior and then that behavior happens more often in the future.
1. Verbal Speech
2. Sign Language
3. Picture exchange
4. Speech generated devices
What is stimulus control transfer? Provide an example
Stimulus control transfer procedures are techniques in which prompts are discontinued once the target behavior is being displayed in the presence of the discriminative stimulus (Sd). Prompt fading and prompt delay are used in stimulus control transfer procedures.
What are the seven dimensions of ABA?
1) Generality, 2) Effective, 3) Technological, 4) Applied, 5) Conceptually Systematic, 6) Analytic, 7) Behavioral.
What does FA stand for and what is it?
functional analysis
A functional analysis (FA) is a specific type of functional assessment that involves the direct manipulation of antecedents and/or consequences to identify why problem behavior occurs, determine the functions of behaviour