ABA Principles and Concepts Flashcards

Which schedule of reinforcement delivers reinforcement after a fixed number of responses?

Answer: Fixed ratio

A fixed ratio (FR) schedule delivers reinforcement after a set, unchanging number of responses, producing high and steady rates of responding.

What is the term for the decrease in responding that occurs during the interval following reinforcement on a fixed interval schedule?

Answer: Post-reinforcement pause

The post-reinforcement pause is the period of little or no responding that occurs immediately after reinforcement delivery on fixed interval and fixed ratio schedules.

Which concept best describes responding maintained by a history of reinforcement continuing briefly into extinction before stopping?

Answer: Resistance to extinction

Resistance to extinction refers to how long or how much behavior continues after reinforcement is discontinued, often greater after variable than fixed schedules.

Stimulus control is said to be present when a behavior occurs more frequently in the presence of a specific stimulus than in its absence. What is that stimulus called?

Answer: Discriminative stimulus (SD)

A discriminative stimulus (SD) is a stimulus in the presence of which a particular behavior has been reinforced and therefore occurs at a higher rate.

Which process involves the gradual increase in response requirements or decrease in reinforcement frequency to maintain behavior?

Answer: Schedule thinning

Schedule thinning is the gradual reduction in the frequency of reinforcement or increase in response requirements to maintain behavior under leaner schedules.

What term describes the phenomenon in which increasing behavior in one situation is accompanied by a decrease in another situation due to differential reinforcement?

Answer: Behavioral contrast

Behavioral contrast occurs when a change in reinforcement conditions in one component of a multiple schedule produces an opposite change in responding in the other component.