4/19 Friedman Article Presentation

Behavior Fundamentals: Filling the Behavior-Change Toolbox

Friedman, 2009

​Kerrie Mulvaney

​ABA for Veterinarians

• Science-Based Strategies

• Not Enough or Too Much

• Increase or Decrease

• Never independent of conditions

• We control the conditions

• Pros/Cons

Open Ended

What are the cons?

• Cues

• Setting Events

• Motivating Operations

Three Types of Antecedents

Changing Behavior with Antecedent Strategies

preventative, positive, and least intrusive compared to other strategies

What Cues the Behavior?

​Any stimulus repeatedly present during reinforcement

Phone rings > dog barks > petting

The strength of the reinforcer determines the strength of the cue

Open Ended

What are some real-life examples that could "cue" a behavior in pets and/or human clients?

Setting Events

• Setting events influence behavior

• Change setting to change behavior

Open Ended

Is it as simple as it sounds (change setting to change the behavior)? why or why not?

​MOs temporarily alter effectiveness of consequence

Certain conditions make a pet more motivated to work for

Example: Sunflower seeds increases effectiveness if bird never has access to them

What’s the Motivation? i.e., What Consequence does the Behavior Produce?

Problem behavior continues because of reinforcement

Decreasing Behavior With Consequences

Open Ended

Share a scenerio (like phone ringing/dog barks/owner pets) that demonstrates a pet/human being reinforced for exhibiting the wrong behavior that you've encountered?

Punishment; Extinction;

Time Out From Reinforcement

• Causes sharp increase in behavior

• Very few problem behaviors well suited for extinction

• Fewer detriments than positive punishment

• Only a few seconds for parrot

• let procedure handle response

• increased aggression

• generalized fear

• apathy

• escape–avoidance behaviors

​Positive Punishment

​Extinction

​Time Out/Negative Punishment

Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior/ Differential Reinforcement of Successive Approximations (Shaping)

• Find function of behavior

• Put target behavior on extinction

• Reinforce a more appropriate behavior

• Teach a new behavior by differentially reinforcing each successive approximation

• Previous approximation goes on extinction

Open Ended

How likely do you think the average pet owner will be committed to implementing these strategies? Do you think the owners of some types of pets would be more willing than others?

A Final Word about Gamblers

• Undesirable behavior should not be treated casually

• Risk of creating gambler if undesirable behavior is being intermittently reinforced

• "A gambler is willing to behave again and again and again, without reinforcement, for that one jackpot that inevitably arrives"

Open Ended

How can you apply this to your work with children or adults with ASD or DD? Was there anything in this article that you found surprising or noteworthy?

Multiple Choice

I recently taught my dog Jake to "go to his bed". At first I gave him a treat for just going near his bed. Then, he received a treat for putting one paw on his bed. Then he was required to put two paws on his bed. After that, he was expected to put all four feet on his bed. Next, he was required to be completely on his bed and sitting before receiving a treat. Finally, I started to fade my distance. What ABA strategy did I use?

• chaining

• shaping

• fading

• reinforcers

Multiple Choice

Jared is a BCBA looking to make some extra money on the weekends. He decided to walk some dogs in his complex. In an effort to be able to raise his rate, he advertised that he is a board certified behavior analyst and can correct inappropriate walking behavior with behavior analytic interventions. Jared has had dogs his whole life, but has no formal training with dogs. What is the issue here? ( https://youtu.be/tfd82akXbJA)

• Jared is practicing outside his scope of practice.

• Dog walking is not behavior analytic in nature.

• Behavior analysts can't be dog walkers.

• There is no issue since BCBAs are allowed to focus on more than one area of concentration.