things that effect the preformance of a beh chain

1. completeness of the task analysis

2. length or complexity of the chain

3. schedule of reinforcement

4. stimulus variation

5. response variation

Behavior Chain Interuption Strategy (BCIS)

 -intervention that relies on the participants skill in perfoming the critical elements of a chain independently but the chain is interupted at a predetermined step so that another beh can be emitted

-initially used to increase speech

-select chain for training that is moderately distressing when interrupted

-ex. directed to start doing something like make toast but when the student goes to press down the lever the therapist steps in between and says what do you want

-an organisms interaction with the env.that results in a measurable change in some aspect of the env.

-displacements in space through time

(temporal locus-when, temporal extent-duration, repeatability-frequency)

-a specific, discrete instance or unit of behavior (movement that can be measured)

-no two responses can be exactly the same

-structure: response typography- form of physical characteristics of a behavior

ex. the hand and finger movements used to open a bag of peanuts can be described by their topographical elements

-functions: (functional anyalsis) effects of beh on env.

ex. saying fire is way different than saying FIRE!

-group of responses with the same function

ex. you can skip, walk, run, jump and all will get you from one place to another

-each response in the group produces the same effect on the env.

-all of the beh's a person can already do

-set or collection of knowledge and skills a person has learned relevant to a particular setting or tasks

ex. repertoire of skills used in informal vs. formal settings

the env. is the "constellation of stimuli" that is all around us

-what we see, hear, feel, smell, and taste

-any physical event, combo of events or relation among events that affects an organism

"an energy change that affects an organism through its receptor cells"

we see, hear, smell, taste, and feel them, they are also internal like feeling of a stomach ache or feeling off balance

-formally (physical change or features)

-temporally (when they occur with respect to a beh. of interest)

-functionally (by their effects on the beh. ex. students stop talking when the teacher walks in)

-any group of stimuli sharing predetermined set of common elements in one or more of these dimensions(formal dimensions, temporal locus, or behavioral functions)

-descriptions, measurements, manipulations based on size, color, intenstiy, etc

-stimuli can be social (involve interaction), nonsocial (the door in the back of the room)

-beh is affected by stim. changes that either occur prior to (antecedent-wasn't given attention or loud noise) or immeiately after the beh. (consequence-get attention for acting out)

-big idea: consequences combine with the antecedent conditions to determine what is learned

-true wheter or not individual is aware or systematically plans the consequences

-its happening all around us!!

-env. conditions or stimulus changes that exist or occur prior to the beh.

-play a critical part in learning and motivation

-learners do not need to be aware of antecedents for antecedents to effect beh.

-stimulus change that follows a beh. of interest

-especially those that are immediate (great notes! you get extra credit)

-relevant to current motivational states

-influence of future beh. - other consequences have little effect

-stimulus changes are best understood through a functional analysis of their effects on beh.

-immediate control -> teacher walks in and kids stop talking

-delayed or no apparant effect -> dont notice noise of fan

-stimulus change (an immediate but temporary effect of increasing or decreasing the current freq. of the beh. or

a delayed but relatively perm. effect in terms of the frequency of that type of beh. in the future

-beh. that is elicited by antecedent stim.

ex. something in eye elicits an eye blink (reflex) ->ready-made behs protect against harmful stim.

-stimulus response relations (called a reflex like jumping when you hear a loud sound)

-habituation (gradually diminshing response strength due to repeated exposure over a short period of time - response may stop occuring all together)

-Pavlov!

-unconditioned stimulus (US) is like a dog salivating to food

-is paired with the sound of a metronome which is a neutral stimulus (NS)

-after they are paired together several times, the dog begins to salivate with only the sound so now it is a conditioned stimulus (CS) and a conditioned reflex was established (salivating to sound)

-respondent extinction occurs if they keep doing the sound but the food is never given so the sound stop making the dog salivate and the sound become an NS again

-any beh. whose future freq. is determined primarily by its history of conequences

-selected, shaped and maintained by the consequences that have followed it in the past

-defined functionally by its effect

-process and selective effects of consequences of beh.

-"functional consequence" is a stimulus change that follows a given beh. in a relatively immediate temporal sequence and alters the freq. of that type of beh in the future

-reinforcement has taken place when operant conditioning consists of an increase in a response freq.

-punishment has taken place if beh. decreases in the future

important qualifications about consequences

-consequences can only effect future beh.

-consequences select responses classes, not individual responses

-immediate consequences have the greatest effect

-consequences select any beh. (reinforcment and punishment are equal opportunity selectors, depends on temporal relation between beh. and consequence)

-operant conditioning occurs automatically (person doesnt have to be aware this is happening)

-most important principle of behaviorism and a key element

-if beh if followed closely in time by a stim event that increases the freq. of that type of beh in the future in similar situations then reinforcement has taken place

-pos. reinforcement (adding) -> a new stimulus is added to the env. (or increased in intensity)

ex. give candy for raising hand, if it increases hand raising then its a pos reinforcer

-neg. reinforcement (withdrawing) -> an already present stim. is removed from the env. (or reduced in intensity)

ex. child getting up earlier to avoid waiting for bathroom, if this beh takes away the negativeness of having to wait and increases the behavior of them getting up early then it is a neg. reinforcer

-pos. punishment (adding) - an new unpleasant stim (yelling) is added to the env after an undesired beh, so that beh decreases in the future (Type I)

-neg. punishment (withdrawing) - a pleasurable stimulus (playing video games) is removed from the env after an undesired beh, so that beh decerases in the future (Type II)

unconditioned reinforcement and punishment

-function irrespetive of prior learning history

-reinforcers would be stimul such as food, water, and sexual stimulation so we act on those stimuli and our beh is reinforced

-punisher would be stimuli such as pain that decreases our beh.

-based on natural evolution and essential for survival

conditioned reinforcement and punishment

-function as such based on prev. pairings with other reinforcers and punishers -> good grades paired with praise

-alters the current value of stimulus changes as reinforcement or punishment

-satiation -> dont want candy if they already have access to it

-deprivation -> very thirsty and dont have access to water                                 4++

-occures more freq. under some antecedent conditions than it does under other -> see teacher in classroom and you stop talking, but this doesnt happen in the hallway

-stim control -> differentiated rates of operant responding observed in the presence or absence of antecedent stim

-due to pairings (antecedent/consequence) in the past, antecedents acquire the ability to control operant beh.

-3 term contingency

Three-term contingency

-antecedent (A) -> Behavior (B) -> Consequence (C)

-Basic unit of analysis in the analysis of operant beh.

-all ABA procedures involve the manipulation of one or more components of the three term contingency

- highly complex variables governing human beh.

-human capabilities (large repertoires of response chains, verbal beh)

- analysis of control complicated by: individual differences in histories of reinforcement and practical, ethical, logistical, etc issues)

4 part model to be imitation

-a model stimulus is presented in an effort to evoke the imitative beh

-the imitative beh follows immediately

-the model and the beh must have formal similarity

-model must serve as a controlling variable for the imitative beh (S^D)

-planned models -> spots on floor to stand on for children (pre arranged antecedent stimulus that help learners acquire new skills)

-unplanned models -> dont go in urinal betweeen two guys (occur in everyday social interactions)

-the temporal relation between the model and the occurance of the imitative beh is very important

-imitation may also occur at later times and in the context of everyday life situations

-however, when this occurs in the absense of a model is IS NOT imitation (the first time you watch how to pay for bus and then you do the same is imitation, but the next time you pay for the bus it is not imitation)

-the discriminative features of the env. are diff in this context: the model is not controlling the beh.

1. assess and teach any prereq skills for imitation training

2. select models of training

3. retest

4. sequence models for training

5. perform imitation training

-prereq skilss needed:

-attending (staying seated, keeping hands in lap, looking at the teacher when name is called, looking at objects when prompted by teacher)

-problem beh's that may interfer with training may need to be decreased

selecting models for training

- begin with selecting about 25

-includig gross and fine motor examples (movement of body parts, manipulation of physical objects)

-use only one at a time (don't sequence them - save sequences for later)

-purpose: to determine if individual already imitastes some models

-procedures: get learner in "ready" position (if object is to be used then place it in front of them), say their name, then "do this", present the model, immediately priase all responses with formal similiarity to the model, record learners responses as correct or incorrect or as an approximation, continue pretesting with the remaining models

-arrange from easiest to most difficult

-first models for training are ones the individual imitated correcty of some, but not all, pretest items

-next, teach ones the learner approximated but did incorrectly on pretest

-finally, teach items the learner did not perform or preformed incorrectly on pretest