Principles Of Learning Ch.2

Front 1

appetitive stimulus

Back 1

An event that an organism will seek out.

Front 2

aversive stimulus

Back 2

An event that an organism will avoid.

Front 3

baseline

Back 3

The normal frequency of a behavior prior to some intervention.

Front 4

case study approach

Back 4

A descriptive research approach that involves intensive examination of one or a few individuals.

Front 5

changing-criterion design

Back 5

A type of single-subject design in which the effect of the treatment is demonstrated by the extent to which the behavior matches a criterion that is systematically altered.

Front 6

contingency

Back 6

A predictive relationship between two events such that the occurrence of one event predicts the probable occurrence of the other.

Front 7

control group design

Back 7

A type of experiment in which, at its simplest, subjects are randomly assigned to either an experimental (or treatment) group and a control group; subjects assigned to the experimental group are exposed to a certain manipulation or treatment while those assigned to the control group are not.

Front 8

covert behavior

Back 8

Behavior that can be subjectively perceived only by the person performing the behavior. Thoughts and feelings are covert behaviors.

Front 9

cumulative recorder

Back 9

A device that measures total number of responses over time and provides a graphic depiction of the rate of behavior.

Front 10

dependent variable

Back 10

That aspect of an experiment that is allowed to freely vary to determine if it is affected by changes in the independent variable.

Front 11

deprivation

Back 11

The prolonged absence of an event that tends to increase the appetitiveness of that event.

Front 12

descriptive research

Back 12

Research that focuses on describing the behavior and the situation within which it occurs.

Front 13

duration

Back 13

The length of time that an individual repeatedly or continuously performs a certain behavior.

Front 14

establishing operation

Back 14

A procedure that affects the appetitiveness or aversiveness of a stimulus.

Front 15

functional relationship

Back 15

The relationship between changes in an independent variable and changes in a dependent variable; a cause-and-effect relationship.

Front 16

independent variable

Back 16

That aspect of an experiment that is made to systematically vary across the different conditions in an experiment.

Front 17

intensity.

Back 17

The force or magnitude of a behavior.

Front 18

interval recording

Back 18

The measurement of whether or not a behavior occurs within a series of continuous intervals. (The number of times that it occurs within each interval is irrelevant.)

Front 19

latency

Back 19

The length of time required for a behavior to begin.

Front 20

multiple-baseline design

Back 20

A type of single-subject design in which a treatment is instituted at successive points in time for two or more persons, settings, or behaviors.

Front 21

naturalistic observation

Back 21

A descriptive research approach that involves the systematic observation and recording of behavior in its natural environment.

Front 22

overt behavior

Back 22

Behavior that has the potential for being directly observed by an individual other than the one performing the behavior.

Front 23

rate of response

Back 23

The frequency with which a response occurs in a certain period of time.

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response

Back 24

A particular instance of a behavior.

Front 25

reversal design

Back 25

A type of single-subject design that involves repeated alternations between a baseline period and a treatment period.

Front 26

satiation

Back 26

The prolonged exposure to (or consumption of ) an event that tends to decrease the appetitiveness of that event.

Front 27

simple-comparison design

Back 27

A type of single-subject design in which behavior in a baseline condition is compared to behavior in a treatment condition.

Front 28

single-subject design

Back 28

A research design that requires only one or a few subjects in order to conduct an entire experiment.

Front 29

spatial contiguity

Back 29

The extent to which events are situated close to each other in space.

Front 30

speed

Back 30

The amount of time required to perform a complete episode of a behavior from start to finish.

Front 31

stimulus

Back 31

Any event that can potentially influence behavior. (The plural for stimulus is stimuli.)

Front 32

temporal contiguity

Back 32

The extent to which events occur close together in time.

Front 33

time sample recording

Back 33

The measurement of whether or not a behavior occurs within a series of discontinuous intervals. (The number of times that it occurs within each interval is irrelevant.)

Front 34

topography

Back 34

The physical form of a behavior.

Front 35

variable

Back 35

A characteristic of a person, place, or thing that can change (vary) over time or from one situation to another.