7 Dimensions of ABA

G-E-T A C-A-B

Generality is that the behavior carries over into other contexts other than just the training environment.

Behavior change proves durable over time, appears in a wide variety of environments, or spreads to a wide variety of related behaviors.  Focuses on lasting effects over time.  Has the intervention been tested over time?

Effective is clinically significant effects make a meaningful difference.  Refers to practical results – has the intervention shown to be effective or not.

Its practical application should change the behavior it seeks to change.

Technological is replicable or described in precise terms for replication.

Procedures are completely and precisely identified and described.

Analytic is that a functional relation exists.

Identification of functional relations between behavior and the environmental variables.

Conceptually Systematic is describing in the language of ABA.

Description of procedures are precisely technological and explained in terms of basic principles of behavior.  This means that the practitioner in using basic behavior change principles of ABA, as opposed to other methods from other philosophies or disciplines.

Applied is socially significant

Focus on behaviors significant to the participant and those who are close to the participant.

Behavioral is observable and measurable.

The behavior is the target of modification in itself.  Refers to precise measurement of behavior through objective observation.  Data is taken and evaluated.

 

 

Reassuring Children about School Safety

It is difficult to shield our children from incessant media coverage increasing their risk of experiencing secondary trauma. Our data-streaming world assures that our kids are well-aware of the most recent school shooting incident. So, how can parents help their kids feel safe at school?

Discussion Tips

Choose a setting to have a discussion where your child will feel comfortable. Perhaps this will be in the family room or at the kitchen table.  While talking, allow the child to guide the discussion. Be honest and don’t make promises that you can’t keep, such as promising you will never allow this to happen to them. Instead, reassure them that you are taking steps to keep them safe. Be sure to stick to the facts. It is important to give them enough age-appropriate details to understand the situation. Discuss with them how low the actual probability is that these incidents occur. Explain that it is normal to feel scared or worried and even share your feelings with them. Help them devise a plan that will help them feel safe. Whether that is sharing your understanding of their school’s safety procedures or preparing them for safety drills at school. Last, it is important to limit their exposure to graphic media coverage as much as possible.

School Safety Resources

There are many resources available to plan your discussion in addition to advocating for changes in policy. The National Association of  School Psychologists (NASP) has a list of tips for parents and teachers to help discuss violence with children. Also, NPR recently posted a discussion with one of NASP’s former presidents about tips for discussing terrible things with children. Lastly, Safe and Sound Schools offers many resources to empower parents, including toolkits that explain how they can impact policies to increase school safety. Monitor their mental health status and if their fears do not subside after a few weeks, consider seeking therapy to address their underlying anxiety.

 

Motivating Operations

An establishing operation (EO) is a motivating operation that increases the value of a reinforcer and increase the frequency in behavior that provides access to the reinforcer (Cooper, Heron & Heward, 207, p. 695).  An example of  an EO is skipping lunch and having an empty stomach. By being hungry it increases the value of food and increases the behaviors that gain access to food.

An abolishing operation (AO) is a motivating operation that decreases the value of a reinforcer (Cooper et al., 2007, p. 263). For example, after having juice, the value of juice as a reinforcer could potentially decrease. Another example of an AO, could be after running a marathon the value of running has decreased for the athlete.  

A conditioned motivating operation is when an item or an event has been trained to have a reinforcing value due to previously learning the association (Cooper, et.al, 2007, p. 384). An example of a CMO would be needing a car key to turn on a car. The relationship between a car key and car is a function of learning in the past.

A unconditioned motivating operation is when an item or situation has a reinforcement value that does not depend on previously learning about it (Cooper, et.al, 2007, p.707). A clear example, if you are stranded on an island without food the need to satisfied the hunger would be reinforcing. This association would not have to have been previously learned.

A value altering effect is when the effectiveness of a reinforcing stimulus, event or tangible object is changed to either be more or less effective based on the surrounding situations, or the result of a motivating operation. (Cooper, et.al, 2007, p. 707). An example of this is access to the internet. The reinforcing effectiveness of access to the internet changed based on overindulgence or complete restriction of access to the internet.

A behavior altering effect occurs when the effectiveness of a reinforcer on the frequency of a behavior is changed by the same motivating operation that maintained the current frequency of behavior (Cooper, et.al, 2007, p. 375). For example, if someone baths everyday this would be their current frequency of bathing behavior. However, if they hurt their back and realize that bathing reduces their back pain a behavior altering effect would then be that the bathing behavior increases because of the reinforcement of pain relief. Similarly, if the person hurt their back and realized that climbing down into the bathtub caused more pain, a behavior altering effect might be that their bathing behavior decreases because of the positive punishment of additional back pain.

A surrogate CMO (CMO-S) has the same effect as the MO it was paired with has (Cooper, et.al, 2007, p. 384).   An example of this visually you often see snow when it is cold, and then it starts to snow when it is warm.  In this case, the visual of the snow may cause a person to put more clothes on even though the temperature has not significantly changed.

A reflexive CMO (CMO-R) makes the removal of itself a reinforcement in itself.  This can happen when a stimulus has come before either a worsening or improvement of a situation (Cooper, et.al, 2007, p. 384).  CMO-Rs can be thought of as warning signals.  An example would be if a student had experience in a classroom when a teacher said, “Let’s get to work,” it would serve as a warning signal and could evoke escape behavior due to the threat of difficult work to follow.

A transitive CMO (CMO-T) makes something else into a reinforcement but does not change itself (Cooper, et.al, 2007, p. 384). An example of this is that the value of having a pen is greater when someone gives you a piece of paper and tells you to fill it out.  The paper has not changed in this example, but serves to increase the value of something else, in this case, a writing utensil.

Group Contingency

A group contingency is a behavior management protocol where a single consequence (it can be a reward or aversive) is given based on either the behavior of an individual in a group, the behavior of a particular set of people within the group or the group as a whole.  The entire group receives the consequence.  This type of behavior management leverages peer pressure and peer monitoring.

TYPES:

Independent group contingency:  The contingency is presented to all but earned by only those who meet the criterion.

Dependent group contingency:  The reward for the whole group is based on the performance of either an individual or collection of individuals within the group.  Can be called the hero procedure when an individual earns a reward for the whole group.

Interdependent group contingency: All members of the group must meet criterion before any member receives the consequence.  This is the “all or none” procedure. The consequence can be delivered based on one of several ways:

  1. Total group meets criterion: This can be done by setting a 100% compliance – the whole group must successfully accomplish the contracted event.
  2. Group averaging: Base success on a mean group score
  3. Good behavior game:  Barrish, Saunders, and Wolf (1969) came up with this strategy for classroom management.  They divided the class into 2 groups and monitored disruptive behaviors.  The team with least infraction wins the reward.
  4. Good student game: Combines Good Behavior Game with self-monitoring.  Teacher decides a) what are the target behaviors to change b) what are the goals and what are the rewards for hitting the goals c) whether it will be group or individual monitoring (or both)

PLACHECK (planned activity check) is a recording method on a group behavior and the observer headcounts the number of people engaging in a target behavior at the end of each interval.  For example, a teacher can count the number of children actively reading a book during “quiet” time.