Introduction
There a several methods within ABA that guide professionals in helping their clients acquire new skills, overcome personal conflicts and behaviors. Both desirable and undesirable behaviors can be altered with different techniques under ABA. For the cases of Brenda and Mrs. Riley I will answer questions related to Behavior chaining and the use of the token economy.
Case of Brenda
Provide the rationale for the behaviorist 's selection of behavior chaining to help Brenda.
To teach a behavior chain of behaviors is broken down into smaller units that may be easier to learn before proceeding to learn the entire chain. Behavioral chaining is a multifaceted behavior that consists of numerous behaviors collaborating with one another.
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.Primary reinforcers have a basis of evolution because they aid in species survival; through the process of evolution, we have inherited certain biological characteristics that contribute to our survival (Miltenberger). Some examples would be food, air, sleep, and water (Miltenberger, 71).
Primary reinforcement would work in behavior chaining because certain things come naturally to some individuals. Since Brenda already plays tennis she may already have one aspect of tennis that comes naturally to her the behaviorist can use that area to improve upon other areas in whole.
Conditioned reinforcement or Secondary reinforcement is a stimulus that was once neutral (a neutral stimulus does not currently function as a reinforcer; i.e., it does not influence the behavior that it follows) but became established as a reinforcer by being paired with an unconditioned reinforcer or an already established conditioned reinforcer (Miltenberger,
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The behaviorist can help Brenda master the components of behavioral chaining by providing her with different strategies that would help her learn on her own. Brenda should be taught the task analysis that will provide her with the proper sequence and eventually encourage independent skills. If, Brenda is still having difficulties with improving her serve I would suggest using backward chaining which is when the sequence proceeds backward through the chain until all the steps in the task analysis have been introduced in reverse order and practiced cumulatively until the behavior is practiced independently (Cooper).
Discuss the two ways that mastery of a unit of behavior may be asses.
Mastery level is assessed to determine which components of the task analysis a person can perform independently (Cooper).
Two ways mastery of a unit of behavior are:
Single opportunity method is designed to assess a learner’s ability to perform each behavior in the task analysis in correct sequence (Cooper).
The behaviorist using the single opportunity method can record Brenda performing each of her assigned tasks of the behavior chain. If she misses a step she will be stopped at that step. If she gets all steps correct over a set amount of days she has gained
If a behavior is desirable, consequences called reinforcers are used to encourage the behavior in the future, via the process of reinforcement. Reinforcement can be positive (presenting reinforcing stimulus) or negative (removing a negative stimulus). However, if a behavior is undesired, a negative consequence can be used to discourage the behavior, through the process of either positive or negative punishment. In positive punishment, a negative consequence is presented after the undesired behavior occurs. When negative punishment it used the idea is the same “to discourage future display of undesired behavior,” but instead of presenting a negative stimulus, a desired stimulus is removed following the behavior.
This could be done in a variety of ways, such as complimenting the other individual or the willingness to getting to know them a bit more. Will might not desire to do this at first due to fear, but it could be beneficial to him in finding a solution to his problems. This training is a way to modify his negative behavior and help decrease his anger and outbursts. One major and distinct feature of Behavioral therapy is self-monitoring. It is Will’s responsibility to monitor his behavior and to tell Maguire how he is doing during every session. Ideally, Maguire and Will would continue to work out a program in order for Will to change in his overall attitude and behavior towards
The most typical component of ABA used is positive reinforcement, which studies have shown to be an effective technique within a variety of settings and circumstances. Ferguson and Rosales-Ruiz (2001) conducted a study in which they utilized positive reinforcement in order to modify the behavior of horses. Prior to the study, the five horses observed were demonstrating inappropriate behaviors while loading into a trailer, which can be dangerous for both caregivers and the animals (p. 409). In order to deter these behaviors, the researchers provided the mares with preferred foods as positive reinforcement as the behavior was gradually shaped. They began by reinforcing approximate behaviors until the desirable behavior was achieved. At first, the horses were reinforced with food for several trials if they simply stepped near the entryway and touched their noses to a towel (the distance marker) without maladaptive behaviors. Over the series of eight steps, the target was pushed farther back into the trailer and the horses were reinforced for each successive approximation (p. 412). After all of the trials, each horse ended up completing the tasks and the inappropriate behaviors thereafter fell to zero. This was completed simply through the use of shaping and positively reinforcing the successive approximations of the behavior without the use of punishment or negative reinforcement (p. 421).
Another behavioral technique used in ABA is known as shaping. Shaping is the process of modifying behavior by reinforcing approximations of the behavior that is desired. Gradually, closer approximations are reinforced until the target behavior is acquired (Brams, 7). T...
Behavior Modification strategizes to reduce varieties of unwanted or unexpected behavior by utilizing reinforcement and punishment. In hopes to changing a specific behavior, the individual will learn that good behavior will result in good consequences. In a 1:1 setting, Discrete Teaching or DTT is a method part of ABA that involves the use of “three-term contingency” or simply known as antecedent, behavior and consequence. For example, in a 1:1 setting, a teacher asks a student to clap hands (antecedent), the student claps hands (behavior) the teacher gives student a piece of candy (consequence).
The core principles of Applied Behavior Analysis were seen in several of this weeks required readings, appearing in all or multiple sources. Their definitions varied in each reading, all providing more clarification upon the previous. The first term, applied, refers to the "commitment to affecting improvements" in the field. (Cooper 16) Baer, Wolf and Risley said that whether or not something is applied is determined "by the interest which society shows in the problems being studied." (Baer 92) Both sets of authors emphasize that importance of the practitioner taking ownership in dictating how important it is to change the designated behavior. Also, the importance the behavior holds in society, because many of them represent the clients
During this stage a stimulus which produces no response (i.e. neutral) is associated with the unconditioned stimulus at which point it now becomes known as the conditioned stimulus (CS). Often during this stage the US must be associated with the CS on a number of occasions, or trials, for learning to take place.
Operant conditioning is a kind of conditioning, which examines how often a behavior will or occur depending on the effects of the behavior (King, 2016, pg. ). The words positive and negative are used to apply more significance to the words reinforcement or punishment. Positive is adding to the stimulus, while negative is removing from the stimulus (King, 2016). For instance, with positive reinforcement, there is the addition of a factor to increase the number of times that the behavior occurs (King, 2016). An example of positive reinforcement is when a child is given an allowance for completing their household chores. The positive reinforcement is the allowance which helps to increase the behavior of doing chores at home. In contrast with negative
Springer Publishing Company, New York, NY. Martin, G., & Pear, J. (1999) The 'Secondary' of the 'Second Behavior Modification: What it is and how to do it. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Meichenbaum, D., & Cameron, R. (1974).
The article thoroughly explained how the behavior system worked in their school and gave examples of how the program was implemented and showed improvements. In reading this article, it only provided little information behind the data that was involved in using the program. Overall, the article provided sufficient information has to how the technology can help improve classroom
We will begin with me completing all the steps in the task analysis except for the last one, which Jeff will perform. While doing so, I will be teaching him receptively by telling him what I am doing and will also show him. When it is his turn, I will provide the least intrusive level of assistance as outlined in Table 1. Hierarchy of Assistance. As Jeff becomes more proficient at this step, the level of assistance will be decreased along with the reinforcer.
First behaviorism is used to identify what is going on in the environment to cause a particular behavior. If Bob punches Joe in the face the teacher needs to find out why and how this behavior can be conditioned which is when the teacher is teaching Bob an appropriate response (behavior) to a particular event (stimuli) into a positive outcome. Using behaviorism methods the teacher can do this. The instructor must look into Bob’s back ground first. (He is a 10 year old boy that was raised in a foster home of all different ages of boys. It has been reported that physical violence was present in this foster home). “Learning involves forming associations among stimuli and responses” (Ormrod, 2011, p. 286) so the teacher must quickly look at wha...
Classical conditioning, also referred to as, "Pavlovian conditioning," is a type of learning in which an organism learns to associate two stimuli: the conditioned (an initially neutral stimulus) and the unconditioned (a stimulus that routinely triggers an unconditioned response). If the conditioned stimulus accompanies the unconditioned stimulus, one will eventually learn to elicit an anticipatory and preparatory conditioned response in the presence of the conditioned stimulus alone (p 228).
“Behavior theory consists of ideas about how human actions and emotions develop, are sustained, and are extinguished through principles of learning” (Walsh, 2010). Positive and negative reinforcement is used to help manipulate the behaviors of the individual. The theory has been used to help eliminate unwanted behaviors. In addition, behavior theory has been use primarily with children, and persons with developmental disabilities. According to Walsh (2010) behavior theory evolved in the 1960s from a field of philosophy to the field of science. Ivan Pavlov discovered classical conditioning, which plays a major role in behavioral theory. Classical conditioning is the process of learning through ones surroundings, conditioned, and unconditioned stimuli and response. B. F. Skinner discovered operant conditioning the process of learning to influence the future responses to the environment (Clark, 2004). The two concepts has been used throughout the behavior theory to help assist clients with unacceptable behaviors that is occurring. The combination of the two concepts has been a very helpful aspect to the behavior theory. Both concepts offer a different approach or solution to the behavior of the client.
Willis (1996) provided a pedagogic classification of tasks which is different from Gardner and Miller’s. Willis made the classification based on a careful examination of different tasks which are frequently found in textbooks. In this classification, the actions which learners are needed to perform in fulfilling tasks are sorted as: