Saturday, June 4, 2016

notes: Analysis of Everdyay Bx

Studying, controlling, predicting behavior

Focus on observations

Teachers use interventions

Parents use for children to gain skills, how to act

Pavlov - Respondent (Classic) conditioning

Thorndike - Law of Effect - rewards +, punishment- 

Watson - Stimulus-Response, Psychology + Beahviorism. 
    Positive or negative reinforce behaviors

Skinner - Operant Conditioning

Behavior is multidimensional
       Frequency, duration, intensity, magnitude

Behavior can be observed, described, recorded
    Focus on overt behavior

Behaviors directly impact the environment, they have consequences

Behavior is lawful- systematically influenced by principles of behavior. Motivated to behave in certain ways.

A muscular, gladular, or neuro-electrical activity
tHE Dead-Man Test, can a dead-man do it?

What about thinking? -covert behavior (e.g. sub-vocal speech). Unable to be studied empirically -yet.

Behavior Modification

Two Primary emphasis'

Analysis, Modification

Analysis - identify functional relationship between the environment and the behavior

The ABC's of behavior

A= Antecedent - a cue point, situation, certain stimulus

B= Behavior - the action that is prompted by the antecedent

C= Consequence - a change, reinforcer, or punisher that follows the behavior

Target Behavior

Increase (for behavioral deficits)
Decrease ( for behavioral excesses)
Extinguish completely
Maintain during other changes

Contingency - dependent/ causal relationship between behavior and outcome or consequence

The outcome depends on the behavior. 
______________________________________________
Specific environment cue, is it known? Control for other variables in a lab.

Try to identify situational cues

If they work in a lab, try it again in the real world.

Observing and recording behavior

Behavioral assesment 
Determines: if treatment is necessary, best treatment, helps determine success of treatment

Frequency: at bassline and after intervention.
 
Indirect assesment: Second hand information relies on memory and recall, person may not notice all instances of behavior

Direct observation done by researcher of the client 
    Must have precise definition of target behavior (smoking)
    Preferred method, more accurate

Defining the Target Behavior
    -What constitutes the behavioral excess/deficit targeted for change?
    (try to limit knuckle cracking to seven times or one time per day)

Need for precision. Should be objective and unambiguous. 
No inferences of intentions, no internal states, no labels

Two observers should agree in thier measurement
A good test of the operational definition
Inter-observer agreement (IOA)
 
Structured observation arranges for specific events to occur

Where we want to focus depends on what questions we want to ask.

Methodologies

1) Continous recording -
    Constant, record every instance of Bx, identify onset and offset of Bx
        Watching them and counting how many times they behave (frequency)
     Duration: total amount of time occupied by Bx.

Intensity (magnitude)
    Amount of force, energy, or exertion involved in Bx
    Often need additional measurement scale
    (amount of blood, force of blow, flailing feet, amount of marshmellow eaten)

Latency
    Time between stimulus/ event and onset of Bx

Often good to measure multiple dimensions
    Compare to baseline (or pre-intervention)
        (grinding teeth in stressful vs non-stressful situations)

2) Percentage of Opportunities
    Number of times compared to other Bx's
        (got five questions correct, but out of how many?)

3) Product Recording
    Record the outcome or product of a Bx
        (measuring pounds lost as a proxy for exercise)
     
    Don't have to be present when Bx occurs
    However, causal link not as strong because you're not directly observing the environment (proxy measurements)

4) Interval Recording
    Divide into small equal time periods
        (for short Bx's : In a five minute period did a student disrupt the class?)

    Whole-interval recording - did the Bx occur for the whole five minutes?

    Combination - frequency within interval recording

5) Time Sample Recording
    Small, equal periods
    Observe for small time period, good for self monitoring

    Momentary time sample recording (MTS)
        only record Bx if it occurs when interval ends.

Research Design
Focus on comparing conditions
    A control group vs an experimental group
    Baseline condition vs treatment condition

Single Subject Designs - commited to find the functional relationship between antecedent, Bx's, and consequences

Identify situational variable (stress) and eliminate it.

Baseline: logical first step - collect before intervention
    Help define target Bx.

Replication
    Key to determining a functional relationship between procedure and Bx.
    Key to demonstrating experimental control
    Make sure its the treatment contributing and not something else.

A-B Design
    Two phases: baseline and treatment
    hOW ever, treatement is not replicated
    No functional relationship so it does not rule out extraneous variables

A-B-A-B Reversal Design
    Extension of A-B design: treatment is replicated
    Bx should change after removing treatment
    Sometimes unethical to remove treatment

Multiple Baseline Design
    multiple baselines/treatments, the 2nd is different in some way
    -across subjects design    -across Bx's design     -across settings design

    Baselines/treatements can be different lenghts
        Staggered treatements - implemented at different times
        Can rule out extraneous variables due to timing

Alternating treatments Design
    Baseline/treatment conducted in rapid succession
    e.g. Treatement one day, baseline the next
    deals with time-sensitive extraneous variables
    goal is to have seperation of data.

Changing criterion design
    multiple treatment phases
    each with a specific goal (or criteria) for Bx change
    can demonstrate a functional relationship

Research Designs need to demonstrate a functional relationship
    Need for replication
    Need to eliminate extraneous variables

Functional assessment and Analysis
    Bx Assessment
        To understand problem Bx's (situational cues, reinforcers)
        To increase/decrease existing Bx's
        Understand why person engages in the Bx
        Identify antecedents, target Bx's, reinforcing consequences

Functional Assessment
    Identify alternate Bx's that could substitute for the target Bx
    Motivational variables that influence the presence of the target Bx
    Potential reinforcers that could be used in a treatment program
    Previous interventions and their effectiveness

Functions of problem Bx's
    Social positive reinforcement
         reinforcing consequences is delivered by a person
          eg, attention, access to activities, tangibles
    Social negative reinforcements
           aversive task/activity is terminated by a person
            eg, not having to do a chore or HW (if you stop, you dont have to do HW)
    Automatic Positive Reinforcement
            Reinforcing consequence is delivered automatically
            Eg, sensory stimulations, quenching thirst
    Automatic Negative Reinforcement
            Aversive task/activity is terminated automatically
            Eg, closing the window to block a cold draft.
 

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