Introduction to Behavior Analysis

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Introduction to Behavior Analysis The
Reinforcer

• CH 1

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Questions

• Why should we do behavior analysis?
• How should be do behavior analysis?
• How should we evaluate behavior analysis?

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Why do behavior analysis?

• Practical side of behavior analysis
• Improve life in the universe
• Quality of Life
• Theoretical side
• Scientific understanding of people, the world,
  the universe is of value, just like art and music
• Scientific knowledge for knowledges sake

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Why do behavior analysis?

• Two major goals
• Understand the world
• Functional relationships
• Save the world

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Similarity

• Goal of humanity
• Well being of life in the universe
• Goal of behavior analysis
• Well being of life in the universe
• (Goal of any profession)
• Well being of life in the universe

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How can we build a better world?

• Design systems that make people
• Maximize human potential for growth
• Happy
• Healthy
• Productive

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Behavior Analysts

• Behavior-change professionals
• Deal with problems that might affect
• An individual
• Groups
• Communities
• Ecosystems
• Future generations

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Technology of Change

• Behavior analysts have developed and tested a
  technology of behavior change

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Brief Quiz (thought question)

• Where would you like to see behavior analysts
  make a difference? List several situations.
• When answering this question, think about your
  parents, boss, teachers, friends, yourself, your
  environment, etc.

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What variables play a part in what we are doing?

1. Evolutionary past genes
2. History of interaction with environment
   contingencies
3. Current conditions SDs

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Behavior Analysts

• Concerned primarily with contingencies and how
  they affect behavior
• Knowledge of contingencies help us predict what
  will happen in the presence of discriminative
  stimuli and conditional stimuli

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Chapter 1

• The Reinforcer

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Family Life

• An example from Journal of Abnormal Social
  Psychology

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Concept Reinforcer
Behavior Rod cries
Before Rod has no attention from Dawn
After Rod has attention from Dawn
Behavior Rod whimpers
Before Rod is alone
After Rod is not alone
Behavior Sid whines
Before Sid has no hug
After Sid has hug
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Concept Reinforcer
Behavior Cat sits
Before Cat has no treat
After Cat has treat
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What is a positive reinforcer?

• A stimulus that increases the frequency of a
  response it follows

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Stimulus used inclusively

• Stimuli sunset, taste of a smoothie, smile
• Event race or concert
• Activities playing guitar, shooting hoops
• Conditions hot or cold, tired

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How immediate is immediate?

• 60 second rule
• Never push the 60 sec limit

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What is a reinforcer?

• Silver star on forehead for each answer?
• Sticker for each instance of raising hand?
• Praise after instances of sharing materials?
• How do you know a stimulus is a reinforcer?

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Examples of reinforcers?

• Pin a token to the back of your shirt?
• Handing a visually impaired person a magnifying
  glass?
• Attention from a group?
• Watching someone tantrum?

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Can problems be maintained by positive
reinforcement?

• Unfortunately, this is often the case..
• Reinforcement is effective regardless of whether
  it is explicitly arranged
• E.g., watching paper towels fly..
• Sometimes you reinforce one behavior even when
  you think you are reinforcing something else
  (Drennans belt requests)

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Dead-man test

• If a dead man can do it, it aint behavior.
• And, if a dead man cant do it, then it is
  behavior.
• How about thinking?

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Behavior

• Anything a dead man cant do
• What about imagining?
• Behavior is anything an animal (including the
  human animal) does.
• A muscle, glandular, or electrical activity.

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BehaviorResponse

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Behavior Analysis

• The study of the principles of behavior

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Behavior Analysts

• Experimental Behavior Analyst
• Theoretical Behavior Analyst
• Applied Behavior Analyst
• Behavior analysts often work as performance
  managersbehavior manager.behavior modifier.
• Clinical Behavior Analyst

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REPERTOIRE
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What is the difference between a repertoire and a
response?

• You are what you do you are your repertoire.
• A repertoire is a set of skills, what a person or
  animal can do.
• Can you pronounce it correctly?

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Behavioral Interventions

• The use of a behavioral procedure
• We intervene, we do not treat
• Before intervening, there is a baseline phase
  during which the behavior of interest is measured
  in the absence of the intervention.

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Assess reinforcers

• Behavior that is reinforced is strengthened
• Praise is a potential reinforcer
• Does a behavior that is followed by praise occur
  more frequently in the future?

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Reinforcer assessment

• Before spending much time trying to reinforce
  behavior, make sure you have a true reinforcer.

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Reinforcer Assessment Procedures

• Ask
• Observe
• Direct assessment
• E.g., Forced choice

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Harmful reinforcers?

• How can this be possible?

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Behavioral Event
Before Your distant relative had no reinforcing
taste of food.
Behavior Your distant ancestor found and ate food
After Your distant ancestor had the reinforcing
taste of food

Biological Results Distant ancestor nourished
more likely to survive and was more likely to
reproduce and continue the lineage that produced
YOU!
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Be aware

• If it feels too good, be careful.
• Itll likely sneak up from behind and bite you on
  your rear end

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Preparation

• Interpret and predict complex human behavior
• To be successful, must develop a repertoire that
  includes correct use of basic terms and an
  understanding of the basic principles

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