BCBA Exam Prep: Section B Concepts
and Principles
behavior - ANSWERS- what living organisms say or do; implies action
- how people think, feel, and what they say
- has an effect on the environment
- larger set/class of responses that share physical dimensions/functions
response - ANSWERSa single instance of behavior
- measurable unit of analysis in the science of behavior analysis
example of behavior vs. response - ANSWERSbehavior (hand flapping) vs. response (a single
hand flap)
response class - ANSWERS- a group of behaviors that comprise an operant/have the same
function
- operant = response-consequence relationship
- similar behaviors that are strengthened or weakened collectively as a result of operant
conditioning
Can responses in the same response class look different? - ANSWERSYes, they may have widely
varying forms but serve the same function
Is it a behavior? - ANSWERS- Labels (i.e., happy, sad, scared, interested) are NOT behavior
- Conditions (i.e., hungry anxious, thirsty) are NOT behavior
- Think VERBS (running, smiling, eating, pouring water, etc.)
,The Dead Man's Test - ANSWERSIf a dead man can do it, then it is NOT behavior.
If you cannot operationally define it, then it is NOT a ____________. - ANSWERSBehavior
repertoire - ANSWERSall the behaviors that you can do and a collection of skills you have
learned that are related to a specific task or a specific setting
environment - ANSWERS- an elaborate and always changing universe of events
- stimulus conditions that are internal and external to the individual
- behavior can't occur without an environment
stimulus - ANSWERS- physical events that effect the behavior of an individual
- external or internal
what are the 3 human body systems impacted by stimuli? (PIE) - ANSWERSproprioceptors,
interoceptors, and exteroceptors
proprioceptors - ANSWERSreceive stimulation from joints tendons, muscles, etc. needed for
posture, balance and movement
interoceptors - ANSWERSreceive stimulation from organs (internal events) such as headaches or
hunger pains
exteroceptors - ANSWERSthe 5 senses: smell, touch, taste, sight, and sound
when do stimuli occur? - ANSWERSbefore (antecedent), during, or after (consequence) a
behavior (temporal locus of stimuli)
,stimulus class - ANSWERS- a group of antecedent or simultaneous stimuli that have a common
effect on an operant class
- group members of a stimulus class evoke or abate the same behavior or response class, yet
vary across physical dimensions
what are the three types of stimulus classes? (FTF) - ANSWERSformal, temporal and functional
formal stimulus class - ANSWERS- stimuli that share physical features (i.e., size, color, weight,
etc.)
- can be social or non-social
temporal stimulus class - ANSWERS- refers to time
- antecedents: stimulus changes that exist or occur before a behavior of interest (important for
learning and motivation)
- consequences: stimulus changes that occur after a behavior of interest (important for future
behavior)
functional stimulus class - ANSWERS- the effect of the stimulus on behavior
- stimulus changes that are defined by a functional analysis of their effects on behavior
- a single stimulus can have multiple functions
- can have an immediate but temporary effect on behavior
feature stimulus class - ANSWERS- stimuli share common topographies and common relative
relations
- infinite number of stimuli
- stimulus generalization
- i.e., concept of a dog, of a house, a tree, bigger than, on top of, etc.
, arbitrary stimulus class - ANSWERS- stimuli comprising this class evoke the same response, but
they don't share a common stimulus feature; they do not physically look alike
- limited number of stimuli
- (50%, 1/2, .5 don't look alike but evoke the same response)
- apple, banana, pear orange, comprise a arbitrary stimulus class of fruit
what are the 2 primary types of behavior - ANSWERS1. respondent behavior
2. operant behavior
respondent behavior - ANSWERS- involuntary, elicited without prior learning
- elicited by antecedents (unconditioned stimulus)
- an eliciting stimulus (US) produced a behavior (unconditioned response, UR) which is part of
an organism's endowment
phylogenic/phylogeny - ANSWERSgenetically inherited behavior; respondent behavior, due to
phylogenic history
what is an example of respondent behavior? - ANSWERSgag reflex when you choke on food
habituation - ANSWERSwhen an unconditioned stimulus is presented repeatedly over a short
period of time, the strength of the respondent behavior diminishes (i.e., loud movie may be
jarring at first but normalizes over 2 hours)
is there a history of consequences with respondent conditioning? - ANSWERSno
respondent conditioning - ANSWERS- introduced by Pavlov
and Principles
behavior - ANSWERS- what living organisms say or do; implies action
- how people think, feel, and what they say
- has an effect on the environment
- larger set/class of responses that share physical dimensions/functions
response - ANSWERSa single instance of behavior
- measurable unit of analysis in the science of behavior analysis
example of behavior vs. response - ANSWERSbehavior (hand flapping) vs. response (a single
hand flap)
response class - ANSWERS- a group of behaviors that comprise an operant/have the same
function
- operant = response-consequence relationship
- similar behaviors that are strengthened or weakened collectively as a result of operant
conditioning
Can responses in the same response class look different? - ANSWERSYes, they may have widely
varying forms but serve the same function
Is it a behavior? - ANSWERS- Labels (i.e., happy, sad, scared, interested) are NOT behavior
- Conditions (i.e., hungry anxious, thirsty) are NOT behavior
- Think VERBS (running, smiling, eating, pouring water, etc.)
,The Dead Man's Test - ANSWERSIf a dead man can do it, then it is NOT behavior.
If you cannot operationally define it, then it is NOT a ____________. - ANSWERSBehavior
repertoire - ANSWERSall the behaviors that you can do and a collection of skills you have
learned that are related to a specific task or a specific setting
environment - ANSWERS- an elaborate and always changing universe of events
- stimulus conditions that are internal and external to the individual
- behavior can't occur without an environment
stimulus - ANSWERS- physical events that effect the behavior of an individual
- external or internal
what are the 3 human body systems impacted by stimuli? (PIE) - ANSWERSproprioceptors,
interoceptors, and exteroceptors
proprioceptors - ANSWERSreceive stimulation from joints tendons, muscles, etc. needed for
posture, balance and movement
interoceptors - ANSWERSreceive stimulation from organs (internal events) such as headaches or
hunger pains
exteroceptors - ANSWERSthe 5 senses: smell, touch, taste, sight, and sound
when do stimuli occur? - ANSWERSbefore (antecedent), during, or after (consequence) a
behavior (temporal locus of stimuli)
,stimulus class - ANSWERS- a group of antecedent or simultaneous stimuli that have a common
effect on an operant class
- group members of a stimulus class evoke or abate the same behavior or response class, yet
vary across physical dimensions
what are the three types of stimulus classes? (FTF) - ANSWERSformal, temporal and functional
formal stimulus class - ANSWERS- stimuli that share physical features (i.e., size, color, weight,
etc.)
- can be social or non-social
temporal stimulus class - ANSWERS- refers to time
- antecedents: stimulus changes that exist or occur before a behavior of interest (important for
learning and motivation)
- consequences: stimulus changes that occur after a behavior of interest (important for future
behavior)
functional stimulus class - ANSWERS- the effect of the stimulus on behavior
- stimulus changes that are defined by a functional analysis of their effects on behavior
- a single stimulus can have multiple functions
- can have an immediate but temporary effect on behavior
feature stimulus class - ANSWERS- stimuli share common topographies and common relative
relations
- infinite number of stimuli
- stimulus generalization
- i.e., concept of a dog, of a house, a tree, bigger than, on top of, etc.
, arbitrary stimulus class - ANSWERS- stimuli comprising this class evoke the same response, but
they don't share a common stimulus feature; they do not physically look alike
- limited number of stimuli
- (50%, 1/2, .5 don't look alike but evoke the same response)
- apple, banana, pear orange, comprise a arbitrary stimulus class of fruit
what are the 2 primary types of behavior - ANSWERS1. respondent behavior
2. operant behavior
respondent behavior - ANSWERS- involuntary, elicited without prior learning
- elicited by antecedents (unconditioned stimulus)
- an eliciting stimulus (US) produced a behavior (unconditioned response, UR) which is part of
an organism's endowment
phylogenic/phylogeny - ANSWERSgenetically inherited behavior; respondent behavior, due to
phylogenic history
what is an example of respondent behavior? - ANSWERSgag reflex when you choke on food
habituation - ANSWERSwhen an unconditioned stimulus is presented repeatedly over a short
period of time, the strength of the respondent behavior diminishes (i.e., loud movie may be
jarring at first but normalizes over 2 hours)
is there a history of consequences with respondent conditioning? - ANSWERSno
respondent conditioning - ANSWERS- introduced by Pavlov
