1 BEHAVIOR BASICS BOOTCAMP: MAKING YOUR CLASSROOM MORE MANAGEABLE Meagan Gregory, Ph.D., BCBA Outline A. Applied Behavior Analysis: The Basics B. Tokens, Contracts, & Group Contingencies C. Other Strategies to Influence Behavior in Your Classroom BEHAVIOR BASICS BOOTCAMP: MAKING YOUR CLASSROOM MORE MANAGEABLE Applied Behavior Analysis: The Basics Objective • Basic assumptions a. Define determinism b. Define behavior and response c. Explain what behavior is based on d. Understand the distinction between form and function Basic Assumptions • Determinism – Behavior is orderly and occurs for reasons • Behavior is based on – Genes – History – Current environment Key • Assess environmental variables that affect behavior – This is what we can influence to alter behavior patterns
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BEHAVIOR BASICS BOOTCAMP: MAKING YOUR CLASSROOM
MORE MANAGEABLE
Meagan Gregory, Ph.D., BCBA
Outline
A. Applied Behavior Analysis: The Basics
B. Tokens, Contracts, & Group Contingencies
C. Other Strategies to Influence Behavior in Your Classroom
BEHAVIOR BASICS BOOTCAMP: MAKING YOUR CLASSROOM MORE MANAGEABLE
Applied Behavior Analysis:
The Basics
Objective
• Basic assumptions
a. Define determinism
b. Define behavior and response
c. Explain what behavior is based on
d. Understand the distinction between form and function
Basic Assumptions
• Determinism
– Behavior is orderly and occurs for reasons
• Behavior is based on
– Genes
– History
– Current environment
Key
• Assess environmental variables that affect behavior
– This is what we can influence to alter behavior patterns
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• Behavior
– Any measurable change of an organism in its environment
• Response
– A single instance of behavior
Form vs. Function
• Form – What a behavior looks like
– How the results are produced
– Some behaviors look the same but produce different results
• Function – What results the behavior produces
– Some Responses serve similar functions but do not need to have the same topography
Examples
• Pushing a door open with your foot
• Using hip to open door
• Using hand to push door open
• Putting arm to gain attention
• Putting arm up to disrupt classroom
• Putting arm up to relieve pain
Objective
• Reinforcement and reinforcers
a. Define
b. Understand what this means for why a behavior is or is not occurring
c. Note the factors that affect reinforcement
d. Describe the different types of reinforcers
Reinforcement
• Originally, “reinforcement” was considered general strengthening of a behavior
– as in reinforcing concrete as a way to strengthen the overall structure
Reinforcement
• Reinforcement
– A consequence
– Presented contingent on a response
– That increases the future likelihood of that response
• Reinforcer
– Stimulus that when presented contingent on a response
– Increases the future likelihood of that response
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Outcome
• Under similar circumstances in the future, the behavior will occur again
• What this means for us
– If a behavior continues to occur, it IS being reinforced
– If the behavior was not being reinforced, it would occur less often (and eventually stop occurring)
What to Consider
• When a behavior does not continue to occur – Several potential reasons
• It is not being reinforced (the consequence is not reinforcing)
• It is not being reinforced enough
• Other reinforcers for other responses are more powerful – think competition between reinforcers
• Changes in current motivation
• Punishment or threat of punishment may be overpowering
• So how do you know if something is a reinforcer?
• How does this apply to students in classrooms
– What sorts of conclusions can we draw about students appropriate and inappropriate behavior
Factors Affecting Reinforcement
• Immediacy of reinforcement
– Reinforcers are most effective if they immediately follow the behavior to be reinforced
– Why?
• ‘Schedule’ of reinforcement
– How often a response is reinforced
• Every time it occurs . . . Every other time . . . Almost never . . .
Other Aspects of Reinforcement
• Quality
– How ‘good’ the reinforcer is
• e.g., enthusiastic verbal praise versus a neutral “good job”, Ghirardelli® chocolate versus Nestle® chocolate
• Quantity
– How much of the reinforcement is delivered
– How long it is delivered
Thinking Ahead
• As we move further into things, learning to identify sources of reinforcement and when there is a lack of reinforcement is one of the two most important things we need to do
– Important to remember that we cannot assume that a student is reinforced by the ‘typical’ reinforcers
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Distinctions
• Can be helpful to think about different types of reinforcement
– Positive reinforcement – think “gain access”
– Negative reinforcement – think “escape” or “avoid”
Categories of Reinforcers
• Social
• Tangible
• Activity
• Edible
• Sensory
• Important to remember that reinforcement for behavior can come in any of these forms
Positive Reinforcement
• Presentation of a stimulus following a behavior and increases the likelihood of the behavior occurring in the future
• Can look very different from instance to instance
– Social or physical attention, toys, food, eye contact could all be positive reinforcers
EXERCISE
• Let’s make a list of some POSITIVE REINFORCERS that we may use or see in our classrooms…
EXERCISE
• Let’s make a list of some POSITIVE REINFORCERS that we may use or see in our classrooms…
• Praise from the teacher
• Stickers
• Access to fun toys or activities
Negative Reinforcement
• The removal (or delay) of a stimulus contingent on a behavior that increases the future likelihood of the behavior
• Can be difficult to notice and identify in many situations
• Has to do with escaping or avoiding situations or items that are currently non-preferred
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Negative Reinforcer
• The stimulus, activity, or situation that when removed (or delayed) after a behavior, increases the likelihood of that behavior
• Homework pass
• Getting a break
• Recess (removing work time)
Keep in Mind…
• A stimulus that can be a reinforcer can also function as a negative reinforcer…
– Cake and ice cream
– Social attention (recognition for a job well done)
– Physical interaction (high fives or pat on the back)
– Loud video games
Important Consideration
• A person does not need to be aware of reinforcement for it to work
– Students do not need to “understand”
– We do not need to point out that we are reinforcing them
• Sometimes this helps, sometimes it doesn’t
Other Considerations
• Reinforcers can be
– Unconditioned (primary) or conditioned
– Social or nonsocial
– Natural or contrived
Unconditioned / Conditioned
• Unconditioned or primary reinforcers are those reinforcers that everyone needs
– Warmth, food, water, shelter, etc.
• Conditioned or secondary reinforcers are things that have been paired with primary or other conditioned reinforcers
– Toys, games, tokens, many activities
Social / Non-social
• Social reinforcement involves some sort of interaction with other people
– Any form of physical attention or gaining access to avoiding contact
• Nonsocial reinforcement has nothing to do with other people
• Natural reinforcers are those that happen in unplanned, usually social situations, without someone planning for the reinforcement
• Contrived reinforcers are added to a setting or situation where that specific reinforcer would not usually be found or would naturally occur less often or with less quality
Keys
• Reinforcement (positive and negative) increase the likelihood or strength of a behavior
– Reinforcement does not directly decrease a behavior
• 2 ways to decrease the strength of a behavior
– Extinction
– Punishment
Objective
• Extinction and punishment
a. Define
b. Explain the effects of each on behavior
Extinction and Punishment
• Extinction
– Withholding reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior
• Punishment
– Presenting or removing stimuli, activities, or situations
– That reduces the likelihood of that response
Looking back
• So what do we know if a student engages in disruptive behavior at the beginning of the school year and is still doing so the last week of school?
• How do you know what the reinforcement is for a given behavior?
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Review
• Behavior happens for a reason (and is not random)
• Any behavior that continues to occur is being reinforced
• If a behavior does not occur
– Changes in preference
– Competing contingencies
Objective
• Describe some ways to use positive reinforcement
Ways to Use Positive Reinforcement
• Directly reinforce the behaviors you want your students to repeat in the future
• Immediately provide social praise
– Be specific; state the behavior you are reinforcing
• When using tangibles (edibles or toys), always pair the delivery of the tangible with praise
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA96Fba-WHk
Ways to Use Positive Reinforcement
• Differential Reinforcement
– Reinforcing a response of set of responses while withholding reinforcement for another response or set of responses
– Example:
• Praising and acknowledging a student when he raises his hand before speaking in class while withholding any form of attention (not acknowledging the response) when he shouts out without be called upon
Ways to use positive reinforcement
• Pivotal Praise –
– Praising others for behaviors you want to see more of across all students
– Example: Johnny is out of his seat and off task during an independent work activity
• Pivotal praise – praise Sallie for sitting at her desk and working hard
Pivotal Praise
• When using pivotal praise
– Specify behavior you want to reinforce
– Specify the name of the student(s) whose behaviors you are reinforcing
– When targeting a specific child, make sure they are within a hearing/seeing distance of the child whose behavior you are praising