Key Concepts in Applied Behavior Analysis for RBTs

Posted on Jan 24, 2025 in Psychology and Sociology

Key Concepts in Applied Behavior Analysis

Motivating Operations (MO)

A Motivating Operation (MO) alters the reinforcing or punishing effectiveness of a stimulus and alters the current frequency of behavior that has been reinforced or punished by that stimulus.

  • Establishing Operation (EO): Makes a reinforcer more effective or valuable.
  • Deprivation: Not having a reinforcer for some time increases its effectiveness.
  • Abolishing Operation (AO): Makes a reinforcer less effective or valuable.
  • Satiation: Having a reinforcer recently decreases its effectiveness.

Teaching Methods

  • Errorless Teaching: Prompted to make the correct response immediately.
  • Error Correction: Increases motivation by preventing errors and creating more opportunities for reinforcement.
  • Incidental/Naturalistic Teaching: Client-directed; occurs in a natural environment in the form of indirect learning.

Task Analysis and Chaining

  • Task Analysis: Breaking down complex skills into smaller, teachable units.
  • Forward Chaining: Teaching the first step first until mastered, then teaching the second step, and so on.
  • Backward Chaining: Teaching all the steps except the final step; once the last step is mastered, then teaching the second-to-last step, and so on.
  • Total Task Chaining: Teaching and prompting every step in the chain.

Discrimination and Stimulus Control

  • Discrimination Training: The ability to understand the difference between two or more things (e.g., discriminate between red and blue).
  • Stimulus Control: A response is repeatedly reinforced in the presence of a discriminative stimulus (SD) and not in its absence or the presence of a stimulus delta (SΔ).
    • SD (Discriminative Stimulus): A stimulus in the presence of which a particular response will be reinforced.
    • SΔ (Stimulus Delta): A stimulus in the presence of which a particular response will not be reinforced.
  • Stimulus Control Transfer: Occurs when a behavior initially controlled by one SD comes under the control of a different SD.
  • Stimulus Generalization: When stimuli that share physical characteristics with the controlling stimulus evoke the same behavior.
  • Stimulus Discrimination: Reinforcement is provided for a correct response in the presence of the SD and extinction in the presence of the SΔ.

Shaping and Token Economy

  • Shaping: Differentially reinforcing successive approximations toward a terminal behavior. For example, a therapist differentially reinforces Jack by only rolling him the ball when he produces the correct sound (“ball”) and not rolling the ball if Jack gives another sound.
  • Token Economy: Conditioned reinforcers (tokens) that strengthen behavior; tokens are resistant to satiation.

Functions of Behavior (SEAT)

SEAT is an acronym for the four functions of behavior:

  • Sensory/Automatic
  • Escape
  • Attention
  • Tangible

Extinction

  • Extinction: Occurs when previous reinforcement is discontinued.
  • Extinction Burst: A temporary increase in the target behavior immediately after the implementation of extinction.
  • Spontaneous Recovery (Spt. Rvr): The reappearance of a conditioned response (CR) after a rest period. For example, as seen in Pavlov’s experiments.

Differential Reinforcement (DR)

Differential Reinforcement (DR) involves reinforcing a behavior other than the target behavior while placing the target behavior on extinction.

  • DRA (Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior): Reinforce an alternative behavior and place the target behavior on extinction. For example, reinforce sitting down and ignore escape.
  • DRI (Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior): Reinforce a behavior that is physically incompatible with the target behavior. For example, reinforce keeping hands on the head to prevent poking others.
  • DRO (Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior): Reinforce when the target behavior does not occur for a specific amount of time. For example, reinforce if Jenny does not run down the hall or kick others.
  • DRL (Differential Reinforcement of Low Rates): Reinforce the target behavior if it occurs at a lower rate; decrease the overall rate, but do not eliminate it entirely. For example, if the mean inter-response time (IRT) is 12 responses, the initial criterion should be no more than 11 responses.
  • DRH (Differential Reinforcement of High Rates): Reinforce the target behavior if it occurs at a higher rate; increase the overall rate. For example, reinforce participating more frequently.