AU Journey of Vocabulary Mastery Tracking Progress & Growth Discussion “

Module 1
1. Explanatory Fiction – A fictitious or hypothetical variable that other takes the form of another name
for the observed phenomenon it claims to explain and contributes nothing to a functional account
or understand of the phenomenon, such as “intelligence” or “cognitive awareness” as explanations
for why an organism pushes the level when the light is on and food is available but does not push
the level when the light is off and no food is available.
2. Parsimony – The practice of ruling out simple, logical explanations, experimentally or conceptually,
before considering more complex or abstract explanations.
3. Antecedent – An environmental condition or stimulus change existing or curing prior to a behavior of
interest.
4. Automaticity of Reinforcement – Refers to the fact that behavior is modified by its consequence
irrespective of the person’s awareness; a person does not have to recognize or verbalize the relation
between her behavior and a reinforcing consequence, or even know that a consequence has
occurred, for reinforcement to “work.” (Contrast with automatic reinforcement).
5. Discriminative Stimulus (SD) – A stimulus in the presence of which responses of some type have been
reinforced and in the absence of which the same type of responses have occurred and not been
reinforced; this history of differential reinforcement is the reason as sd increases the momentary
frequency of the behavior (See differential reinforcement, stimulus control, stimulus discrimination
training, and stimulus delta)
6. Positive Reinforcement – Occurs when a behavior is followed immediately by the presentation of a
stimulus that increases the future frequency of the behavior in similar conditions (Contrast to
negative reinforcement).
7. Punishment – Occurs when a stimulus change immediately follows a response and decreases the
future frequency of that type of behavior in similar conditions. (See negative punishment, positive
punishment)
8. Reinforcement – Occurs when a stimulus change immediately follows a response and increases the
future frequency of that type of behavior in similar conditions. (See negative reinforcement, positive
reinforcement)
9. Response – A single instance or occurrence of a specific class or type of behavior. Technical
definition: an “action of an organism effector. An effector is an organ at the end of an efferent nerve
fiber that is specialized for altering its environment mechanically, chemically, or in terms of other
energy changes”
10. Three -Term Contingency – The basic unit of analysis in the analysis of operant behavior;
encompasses the temporal and possible dependent relations among an antecedent stimulus,
behavior, and consequence.
Module 2
1. ABC Recording – A form of direct, continuous observation in which the observer records a
descriptive, temporal sequenced account of all behavior(s) of interest and the antecedent
conditions and consequence for those behaviors as those events occur in the client’s natural
environment (also called ABC recording).
2. Social Validity – Refers to the extent to which target behaviors are appropriate, intervention
procedures are acceptable, and important and significant changes in target and collateral behaviors
are produced.
3. Target Behavior – The response class selected for intervention; can be defined either functionally or
topographically.
4. Duration – A measure of the total extent of time in which a behavior occurs.
5. Frequency – A ration of count per observation time; often expressed as count per standard unit of
time (e.g., per minute, per hour, per day) and calculated by dividing the number of responses
recorded by the number of standard units of time in which observations were conducted; used
interchangeably with rate.
6. Momentary Time Sampling – A measurement method in which the presence or absence of behaviors
are recorded at precisely specified time intervals. (Contrast with interval recording.)
7. Partial-Interval Recording – A time sampling method for measuring behavior in which the
observation period is divided into a series of brief time intervals (typically from 5 to 10 seconds). The
observer records whether the target behavior occurred at any time during the interval. Partialinterval recording is not concerned with how many times the behavior occurred during the interval
or how long the behavior was present, just that it occurred at some point during the interval; tends
to overestimate the proportion of the observation period that the behavior actually occurred.
8. Response Latency – A measure of temporal locus; the elapsed time from the onset of a stimulus
(e.g., task direction, cue) to the initiation of a response.
9. Time Sampling – A measurement of the presence or absence of behavior within specific time
intervals. It is most useful with continuous and high rate behaviors. (See momentary time sample,
partial-interval recording, and whole-interval recording).
10. Whole Interval Recording – A time sampling method for measuring behavior in which the
observation period is divided into a series of brief time intervals (typically from 5 to 15 seconds). At
the end of each interval, the observer records whether the target behavior occurred throughout the
entire interval; tends to underestimate the proportion of the observation period that many
behaviors actually occurred.
Module 3
1. Reliability – Refers to the consistency of measurement, specifically, the extent to which repeated
measurement of the same event yields the same values.
2. Validity – The extent to which data obtained from measurement are directly relevant to the target
behavior of interest and to the reason(s) for measuring it.
3. Changing Criterion Design – An experimental design in which an initial baseline phase is followed by
a series of treatment phases consisting of successive and gradually changing criteria for
reinforcement or punishment. Experimental control is evidenced by the extent the level of
responding changes to conform to each new criterion.
4. Multiple Baseline Design – An experimental design that begins with the concurrent measurement of
two or more behaviors in a baseline condition, followed by the application of the treatment variable
to one of the behaviors while baseline conditions remain in effect for the other behavior(s). After
maximum charge has been noted in the first behavior, the treatment variable is applied in
sequential fashion to each of the other behaviors in the design. Experimental control is
demonstrated if each behavior shows similar changes when, and only when, the treatment variable
is introduced.
5. A-B-A Design – A three-phase experimental design consisting of an initial baseline phase (a) until
steady state responding (or countertherapeutic trend) is obtained, an intervention phase in which
the treatment condition (B) is implemented until the behavior has changed and steady state
responding is obtained, and a return to baseline conditions (A) by withdrawing the independent
variables to see whether responding “reverses” to levels observed in the initial baseline phase. (See
A-B-A-B design, reversal design, withdrawal design.)
6. Alternating Treatment Design – An experimental design in which two or more conditions (one of
which may be a no-treatment control condition) are presented in rapidly alternating succession
(e.g., on alternating sessions or days) independent of the level of responding ; differences in
responding between or among conditions are attributed to the effects of the conditions (also called
concurrent schedule design, multielement design, multiple schedule design.)
7. Baseline – A condition of an experiment in which the independent variable is not present; data
obtained during baseline are the basis for determining the effects of the independent variable; a
control condition that does not necessarily mean the absence of instruction or treatment, only the
absence of a specific independent variable of experimental interest.
8. Dependent Variable – The variable in an experiment measured to determine if it changes as a result
of manipulations of the independent variable; in applied behavior analysis, it represents some
measure of a socially significant behavior. (See target behavior; compare with independent
variable.)
9. Extraneous Variable – Any aspect of the experimental setting (e.g., lighting, temperature) that must
be held constant to prevent unplanned environmental variation.
10. Independent Variable – The variable that is systematically manipulated by the researcher in an
experiment to see whether changes in the independent variable produce reliable changes in the
dependent variable. In applied behavior analysis, it is usually an environmental event or condition
antecedent or consequent to the dependent variable. Sometimes called the intervention or
treatment variable. (Compare with dependent variable).
Module 4
1. Continuous Reinforcement (CRF) – A schedule of reinforcement that provides reinforcement for each
occurrence of the target behavior.
2. Fixed Interval (FI) – A schedule of reinforcement in which reinforcement is delivered for the first
response emitted following the passage of a fixed duration of time since the last response was
reinforced (e.g., on a FI 3-minute schedule, the first response following the passage of 3 minutes is
reinforced).
3. Fixed Ration (FR) – A schedule of reinforcement requiring a fixed number of responses for
reinforcement (e.g., an FR 4 schedule reinforcement follows every fourth response).
4. Schedule of Reinforcement – A rule specifying the environmental arrangements and response
requirements for reinforcement; a description of a contingency of reinforcement.
5. Variable Interval (VI) – A schedule of reinforcement that provides reinforcement for the first correct
response following the elapse of variable durations of time occurring in a random or unpredictable
order. The mean duration of the intervals is used to describe the schedule (e.g., on a VI 10-minute
schedule, reinforcement is delivered for the first response following an average of 10 minutes since
the last reinforced response, but the time that elapses following the last reinforced response might
range from 30 seconds or less to 25 minutes or more).
6. Variable Ration (VR) – A schedule of reinforcement requiring a varying number of responses for
reinforcement. The number of responses required varies around a random number; the mean
number of responses required for reinforcement is used to describe the schedule (e.g., on a VR 10
schedule an average of 10 responses must be emitted for reinforcement, but the number of
responses required following the last reinforced response might range from 1 to 30 or more).
7. Negative Reinforcement – Occurs when a behavior is followed immediately by the removal of a
stimulus that increases the future frequency of the behavior in similar conditions (contrast to
positive reinforcement.)
8. Automatic Reinforcement – Reinforcement that occurs independent of the social mediation of
others (e.g., scratching an insect bite relieves the itch.)
9. Positive Reinforcement – Occurs when a behavior is followed immediately by the presentation of a
stimulus that increases the future frequency of the behavior in similar conditions (contrast to
negative reinforcement.)
10. Stimulus Preference Assessment – A variety of procedures used to determine the stimuli that a
person prefers, the relative preference values (high versus low) of those stimuli, the conditions
under which those preference values remain in effect, and their presumed value as reinforcers.
Module 5
1. Contingent Observation – A procedure for implementing timeout in which the person is repositioned
within an existing setting such that observation of ongoing activities remains, but access to
reinforcement is lost.
2. Planned Ignoring – A procedure for implementing time-out in which social reinforcers – usually
attention, physical contact, and verbal interaction – are withheld for a brief period contingent on the
occurrence of the target behavior.
3. Response Cost – The contingent loss of reinforcers (e.g., a fine), producing a decrease of the
frequency of behavior; a form of negative punishment.
4. Time-Out From Positive Reinforcement – The contingent withdrawl of the opportunity to earn
positive reinforcement or the loss of access to positive reinforcement or the loss of access to
positive reinforcers for a specified time; a form of negative punishment (also called time-out).
5. Behavioral Contrast – The phenomenon in which a change in one component of a multiple schedule
that increases or decreases the rate of responding on that component is accompanied by change in
the response rate in the opposite direction on the other, unaltered component of the schedule.
6. Negative Punishment – A response behavior is followed immediately by the removal of a stimulus (or
a decrease in the intensity of the stimulus) that decreases the future frequency of similar responses
under similar conditions; sometimes called Type II punishment. (Contrast with positive punishment).
7. Overcorrection – A behavior change tactic based on positive punishment in which, contingent on the
problem behavior, the learner is required to engage in effortful behavior directly or logically related
to fixing the damage caused by the behavior. Forms of overcorrection are restitutional
overcorrection and positive practice overcorrection. (See positive practice overcorrection,
restitutional overcorrection.)
8. Positive Punishment – A behavior is followed immediately by the presentation of a stimulus that
decreases the future frequency of the behavior; sometimes called Type I punishment. (Contrast with
negative punishment)
9. Response Blocking – A procedure in which the therapist physically intervenes as soon as the learner
begins to emit a problem behavior to prevent completion of the targeted behavior.
10. Unconditioned Punisher – A stimulus change that decreases the frequency of any behavior that
immediately precedes it irrespective of the organisms learning history with the stimulus.
Unconditioned punishers are products of the evolutionary development of the species (phylogeny),
meaning that all members of a species are more or less susceptible to punishment by the
presentation of unconditioned punishers (also called primary or unlearned punishers). (Compare
with conditioned punishers)
Module 6
1. Antecedent Stimulus Class – A set of stimuli that share a common relationship. All stimuli in an
antecedent stimulus class evoke the same operant behavior, or elicit the same respondent behavior.
(See arbitrary stimulus class, feature stimulus class.)
2. Discriminative Stimulus (SD) – A stimulus in the presence of which responses of some type have been
reinforced and in the absence of which the same type of responses have occurred and not been
reinforced; this history of differential reinforcement is the reason an Sd increases the momentary
frequency of the behavior. (See differential reinforcement, stimulus control, stimulus discrimination
training, and stimulus delta (S delta).
3. Feature Stimulus Class – Stimuli that share common physical forms or structures (e.g., made from
wood, four legs, round blue) or common relative relationships (e.g., bigger than, hotter than, higher
than, next to). (Compare to arbitrary stimulus class.)
4. Stimulus Control – A situation in which the frequency, latency, duration, or amplitude of a behavior
is altered by the presence of absence of an antecedent stimulus. (See discrimination, discriminative
stimulus)
5. Stimulus Delta (S delta) – A stimulus in the presence of which a given behavior as not produced
reinforcement in the past. (Contrast with discriminative stimulus (SD).)
6. Stimulus Discrimination Training – The conventional procedure requires one behavior and two
antecedent stimulus conditions. Responses are reinforced in the presence of one stimulus condition,
the SD, but not in the presence of the other stimulus, the SD.
7. Abolishing Operation (AO) – A motivating operation that decreases the reinforcing effectiveness of a
stimulus, object, or event. For example, the reinforcing effectiveness of food is abolished as a result
of food ingestion.
8. Establishing Operation (EO) – A motivating operation that establishes (increases) the effectiveness of
some stimulus, object, or event as a reinforce. For example, food deprivation establishes food as an
effective reinforcer.
9. Motivating Operation (MO) – An environmental variable that (a) alters (increases or decreases) the
reinforcing or punishing effectiveness of some stimulus, object, or event; and (b) alters (increases or
decreases)the current frequency of all behavior that has been reinforced or punished by that
stimulus, object or event. (See abative effect, abolishing operation (AO), behavior-altering effect,
evocative effect, establishing operation (EO), value altering effect.)
10. Value-Altering Effect – An alteration in the reinforcing effectiveness of a stimulus, object, or event as
a result of a motivating operation. For example, the reinforcing effectiveness of food is altered as a
result of food deprivation and food ingestion.
Module 7
1. Backward Chaining – A teaching procedure in which a trainer completes all but the last behavior in a
chain, which is preformed by the learner, who then receives reinforcement for completing the chain.
When the learner shows competence in performing the final step in the chain, the trainer performs
all but the last two behaviors in the chain, the learner emits the final two steps to complete the
chain, and reinforcement is delivered. This sequence is continued until the learner completes the
entire chain independently.
2. Behavior Chain – A sequence of responses in which each response produces a stimulus change that
functions as conditioned reinforcement for that response and as a discriminative stimulus for the
next response in the chain; reinforcement for the last response in a chain maintains the reinforcing
effectiveness of the stimulus changes produced by all previous responses in the chain.
3. Forward Chaining – A method for teaching behavior chains that begins with the learner being
prompted and taught to perform the first behavior in the task analysis; the trainer completes the
remaining steps in the chain. When the learner shows competence in preforming the first step in the
chain, he is then taught to perform the first two behaviors in the chain, with the training completing
the chain. This process is continued until the learner completes the entire chain independently.
4. Task Analysis – The process of breaking a complex skill or series of behaviors into smaller, teachable
units; also refers to the results of this process.
5. Total-Task Chaining – A variation of forward chaining in which the learner receives training on each
behavior in the chain during each session.
6. Differential Reinforcement – Reinforcing only those responses within a response class that meet a
specific criterion along some dimension(s) (i.e., frequency , topography, duration, latency, or
magnitude) and placing all other responses in the class on extinction. See differential reinforcement
of alternative behavior, differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior, differential
reinforcement of other behavior, discrimination training, shaping.)
7. Response Differentiation – A behavior change produced by differential reinforcement: reinforced
members of the current response class occur with greater frequency, and unreinforced members
occur less frequently (undergo extinction); the overall result is the emergence of a new response
class.
8. Shaping – Using differential reinforcement to produce a series of gradual changing response classes;
each response class is a successive approximation toward a terminal behavior. Members of an
existing response class are selected for differential reinforcement because they more closely
resemble the terminal behavior. (See differential reinforcement, response class, response
differentiation, and successive approximations)
9. Imitation – A behavior controlled by any physical movement that serves as a novel model excluding
vocal-verbal behavior, has formal similarity with the model, and immediately follows the occurrence
of the model (e.g., within seconds of the model presentation). An imitative behavior is a new
behavior emitted following a novel antecedent event (i.e., the model). (See formal similarity;
contrast with echoic.)
10. Fading – decreasing the level of assistance needed to complete a task or activity
Module 8
1. Antecedent Intervention – A behavior change strategy that manipulates contingency-independent
antecedent stimuli (motivating operations). See noncontingency reinforcement, high-probability
request sequence, and functional communication training. Contrast with antecedent control, a
behavior change intervention that manipulates contingency-dependent consequence events to
affect stimulus control.)
2. Behavioral Momentum – A methaphor to describe a rate or responding and its resistance to change
following an alteration in reinforcement conditions. The momentum methaphor has also been used
to describe the effects produced by the high-probability (high-p) request sequence.
3. Functional Communication Training (FCT) – An antecedent intervention in which as appropriate
communicative behavior is taught as a replacement behavior for problem behavior usually evoked
by an establishing operation (EO); involves differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA)
4. High-Probability (high-p) Request Sequence – An antecedent intervention in which two to five easy
tasks with a known history of learner compliance (the high-p requests) are presented in quick
succession immediately before requesting the target task, the low-q request. Also called
interspersed request, pretask request, or behavioral momentum.
5. Noncontingent Reinforcement (NCR) – A procedure in which stimuli with known reinforcing
properties are presented on fixed-time (FT) or variable-time (VT) schedules completely independent
of behavior often used as an antecedent intervention to reduce problem behavior. (See fixed-time
schedule (FT), variable-time schedule (VT).)
6. Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior (DRA) – A procedure for decreasing problem in
which reinforcement is delivered for a behavior that serves as a desirable alternative to the behavior
targeted for reduction and withheld following instances of the problem behavior (e.g., reinforcing
completion of academic workshop items when the behavior targeted for reduction is talk-outs).
7. Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior (DRI) – A procedure for decreasing problem
behavior in which reinforcement is delivered for a behavior that is a topographically incompatible
with the behavior targeted for reduction and withheld following instances of the problem behavior
(e.g., sitting the seat is incompatible with walking around the room).
8. Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior (DRO) – A procedure for decreasing problem behavior
in which reinforcement is contingent on the absence of the problem behavior during or at specific
times (i.e., momentary DRO); sometimes called differential reinforcement of zero rates of
responding or omission training). (See fixed-interval DRO, fixed-momentary DRO, variable-interval
DRO, and variable-momentary DRO.)
9. Extinction – A procedure in which reinforcement of a previously reinforce behavior is discontinued;
as a result, occurrences of that behavior decrease in the future.
10. Extinction Burst – An immediate increase in the frequency of the response after the removal of the
positive, negative, or automatic reinforcement.
Module 9
1. Descriptive Functional Behavior Assessment – Direct observation of problem behavior and the
antecedent and consequent events under naturally occurring conditions.
2. Functional Analysis – An analysis of the purposes (functions) of problem behavior, wherein
antecedents and consequences representing those in the person’s natural routines are arranged
within an experimental design so that their separate effects on problem behavior can be observed
and measured; typically consists of four conditions: three test conditions – contingent attention,
contingent escape, and alone – and a control condition in which problem behaviors is expected to be
low because reinforcement is freely available and no demands are placed on the person.
3. Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) – A systematic method of assessment for obtaining
information about the purposes (functions) a problem behavior serves for a person; results are used
to guide the design of an investigation for decreasing the problem behavior and increasing
appropriate behavior.
4. Functionally Equivalent – Serving the same function or purpose; different topographies of behavior
are functionally equivalent if they produce the same consequences.
5. Indirect Functional Assessment – Structured interviews, checklists, rating scales, or questionnaires
used to obtain information from people who are familiar with the person exhibiting the problem
behavior (e.g., teachers, parents, caregivers, and/or the individual him-or herself); used to identify
conditions or events in the natural environment that correlate with the problem behavior.
Module 10
1. Contrived Mediating Stimulus – Any stimulus made functional for the target behavior in the
instructional setting that later prompts or aids the learner in performing the target behavior in a
generalization setting.
2. Multiple Exemplar Training – Instruction that provided the learner with practice with a variety of
stimulus conditions, response variations, and response topographies to ensure the acquisition of
desired stimulus controls response forms; used to promote both setting/situation generalization and
response generalization. (See teaching sufficient examples.)
3. Programming Common Stimuli – A tactic for promoting setting/situation generalization by making
the instructional setting similar to the generalization setting; the two-step process involves (1)
identifying salient stimuli that characterize the generalization setting and (2) incorporating those
stimuli into the instructional setting.
4. Response Generalization – The extent to which a learner emits untrained responses that are
functionally equivalent to the trained target behavior. (Compare to response maintenance and
setting/situation generalization.)
5. Response Maintenance – The extent to which a learner continues to perform the target behavior
after a portion or all of the intervention responsible for the behavior’s initial appearance in the
learner’s repertoire has been terminated. Often called maintenance, durability, behavioral
persistence, and (incorrectly) resistance to extinction. (Compare to response generalization and
setting/situation generalization.)
6. Setting/Situation Generalization – The extent to which a learner emits the target behavior in a
setting or stimulus situation that is different from the instructional sett

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