Earlier this month, I took the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) exam and became a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA). I had already been practicing applied behavior analysis (ABA) for more than a decade and doing case management. Due to a series of life events and fear, I just never sat for the exam. After spending months in my house…
What is a behavior? A behavior refers to any interaction between an organism and its environment that changes the environment in some way. For example: Clapping your hands, walking, making dinner, ordering a pizza, sleeping, sneezing. Anything that a dead person could not do is a behavior. An inanimate object cannot engage in a behavior. For example, a paper blowing…
Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is not the only science of behavior. Therefore, behavior analysts had to set specific criteria for what makes something ABA. Therefore, in order for something to be considered ABA, it must meet all seven of the following criteria. If any are missing, a treatment would not be considered ABA. Applied Any behavior being changed in ABA…
Why Conduct Baseline Probes The purpose for conducting baseline probes is to establish a control in an experiment. In order to know whether or not an intervention (independent variable) changed a behavior (dependent variable) you would need a reference as to how often the behavior occurs prior to starting an intervention. You can learn some other very important things when…
Experimental control is the degree to which the same intervention can be shown to have a predictable effect on behavior. The point of experimental control is to demonstrate a functional relationship between a behavior (dependent variable) and intervention (independent variable). In applied behavior analysis, (ABA) behaviorists are constantly validating that interventions work by analysis and experimentation. If a behavior change…
When a person thinks about punishment, they often think about one person doing something “bad” or “aversive” to another person as a negative consequence for what they did. That is not how punishment is defined in applied behavior analysis (ABA). Punishment is when a behavior results in a consequence that makes it less likely to occur again. For example, if…
In this brief blog article, we will define a contingency contract and provide examples. A contingency contract is a written agreement between two people that specifies a behavior that one person agrees to engage in and a reward that another person agrees to give as a result. When Should You Use a Contingency Contact? You should use a contingency contract…
In this brief blog article, we will explore and define what a data artifact is. A data artifact is something that, “appears to exist because of the way that it is measured” (Cooper, Heron and Heward, 2007). A Data artifact refers to a behavior that looks like it occurs more or less often than it actually occurred as a result…
A superstitious behavior is developed when a behavior is inadvertently reinforced by a behavior that precedes it. In Skinner’s example, pigeons were provided with non-contingent reinforcement in the form of bird seed every fifteen seconds and they developed idiosyncratic behaviors because they the bird seed inadvertently reinforced whatever behavior the pigeon was engaging in prior to getting the food. Most…
In this brief blog article, we will examine the difference between accuracy, reliability and validity. This article is useful for registered behavior technicians (RBT) or students who are studying to become board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs). Understanding (Applied Behavior Analysis) ABA terms is critical for both being an effective ABA therapist and passing your BCBA exam. In an effort to…