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Write your own parsimonious explanation for Terrance's behavior below Terrance drinks tea every day. the component that consist the tea helps smooth the muscles

A parsimonious explanation for the behavior of drinking tea may be something like: Terrance drinks tea every morning because he likes the flavor (taste) of the tea.

Write your own environmental explanation for Nathan's behavior below Nathan interrupts people when they are speaking. Natha interupt people because in the past people have paid him attention this lead him to be rude

An environmental explanation for Nathan's interrupting behavior may be something like: Nathan interrupts people because in the past when he interrupted, the conversation shifted to a topic he preferred and wanted to talk about

Borja keeps baking French bread from scratch because, in the past, he received compliments on his baking skills. This is an example of a(n) ________ explanation of behavior. a. environmental b. mentalistic c. teleological

Environmental explanations for behavior are observable and measurable explanations for behavior that are based on the current environment and past experience with environmental contingencies. Borja baking French bread from scratch because he received compliments on his baking skills in the past is an example of Borja's past experience with an environmental contingency—when he bakes fresh bread (behavior), he receives compliments (consequence). The environmental consequence caused behavior to continue to occur.

List the two major types of explanatory fictions:

Mentalistic and teleological explanations

Oksana sleeps all day because she is depressed. This is an example of a(n) ________ explanation of behavior. a. environmental b. mentalistic c. teleological

Mentalistic explanations for behavior rely on fictitious and hypothetical variables that cannot be directly observed or measured and are only inferred to exist within an individual. Oksana sleeping all day because she is depressed is a mentalistic explanation for her behavior because being depressed is a state of being and/or a diagnosis. Being depressed is not directly observable or measurable, but is only inferred to exist within Oksana, and fails to include environmental factors as to WHY she sleeps all day.

List the three types of contingencies:

S-S, RS, SRS Two stimuli (S-S contingency) A response and a consequence (R-S contingency) A response and its antecedents and consequences (S-R-S contingency)

Don completes household chores because he is trying to get more stickers on his sticker board. This is an example of a(n) ________ explanation of behavior. a. environmental b. mentalistic c. teleological

Teleological explanations for behavior are explanations of future events being the cause of current behavior. Don completing household chores because he is trying to get stickers on his sticker board is an example of a future event that has not yet occurred (getting stickers he does not have) as the cause for Don's current behavior of completing chores. Remember, causality does not run backwards, meaning that the future (what has not happened yet) cannot determine behavior in the present.

Phil goes to the gym for an hour every day so he can lose 20 pounds by summertime. This is an example of a(n) ________ explanation of behavior a. environmental b. mentalistic c. teleological

Teleological explanations for behavior are explanations of future events being the cause of current behavior. Phil going to the gym so he can lose 20 pounds is an example of a future event that has not yet occurred (losing 20 pounds) as the cause for Phil's current behavior of going to the gym. Remember, causality does not run backwards, meaning that the future (what has not happened yet) cannot determine behavior in the present

Which of the following is an example of an environmental explanation for behavior? a. ana tells others their astrological sign because in the past, she received attention for doing so b. emeralda recommends a restaurants in order to sway her friends' decision c. gia yells at others because he is not feeling well d. herman doesn't do much work because he is lazy and unwilling to recieve feeback

a. ana tells others their astrological sign because in the past, she received attention for doing so In the example with Anaïs, there is a contingency that describes why the behavior may continue, specifically attention for the behavior of discussing astrological signs. Historically, Anais has gotten attention for discussing astrological signs. In the other examples, we see there are not clear descriptions of environmental events that may contribute to behavior. Yelling because one does not feel well or attempting to sway a decision do not explain observable and measurable phenomena that influence behavior. Describing someone as "lazy" is describing a trait, which also does not provide a clear explanation for the behavior or absence of behavior in this case.

Which of the following is an example of an explanatory fiction? a. due to his increasing frustration, adolfo turns in his resignation b. having been heavily praised in the past for his volunteer work, leo continues to volunteer at a local homeless shelter c. in the past aria has been able to leave work early by asking for permission at least 24 hours in advance int he future she continues to ask for permission to leave early ahead of time

a. due to his increasing frustration, adolfo turns in his resignation This example uses frustration (a hypothetical construct) to describe observable behavioral events. In the other examples in this question, we can see clear environmental variables that contribute to behavior. Receiving permission to leave work early, being scolded for jumping on visitors, and receiving praise are all examples of observable events occurring within an environment. If this had been a teleological explanation, we might say something to the effect of, "Adolfo turns in his resignation in order to avoid further frustration" or, "In order to relieve his frustration, Aldolfo resigned from his job.

Select the environmental explanation for Hassan's behavior Hassan shouts out in class without being called on because: a. each time he shouts out the teacher send him out to the hallway for the rest of class b. he has autism and cannot control his outburst

a. each time he shouts out the teacher send him out to the hallway for the rest of class Hassan shouting out in class because he gets to go out into the hallway every time he does this explains how Hassan's past and current experience with the environment influences his current behavior. Hassan shouting out in class because he has autism and cannot control himself is not an environmental explanation for his behavior of shouting out behavior because autism is a label and poor self-control is a characteristic that someone "has" so it cannot also be the consequence stimulus that maintains behavior. Having autism and poor self-control fail to actually include environmental factors as to WHY he engaged in shouting out.

After Ricardo implements a forward chaining procedure for handwashing, the client improved her handwashing from 60% to 100% accuracy. What is the DV in this scenario? a. handwashing b. the forward chaining procedure c. the backward chaining procedure d. 100% accuracy

a. handwashing The dependent variable (DV) is the change in behavior as a result of the change in the environment (IV). The client's behavior of handwashing (DV) increased to 100% accuracy as a result of the introduction of the forward chaining procedure to her environment (IV).

In behavior analysis, our environmental manipulation (intervention, treatment, assessment procedure, etc.) is known as the: a. independent (IV) b. dependent (DV)

a. independent (IV) The independent variable (IV) is the change in the environment that produces a change in behavior. In behavior analysis, we change or manipulate the environment by introducing assessment and treatment procedures to measure changes in an individual's behavior

Kyle finished his assignment early because he is smarter than his classmates. This is not an environmental explanation for Kyle's behavior because which variable is missing? a. independent variable b. dependent variable c. both IV and DV d. Neither IV or the DV

a. independent variable Environmental or behavioral explanations for behavior require both a DV and IV that can each be observed and measured. Being smarter than his classmates as the cause of his finishing an assignment early (DV) is a just a description of that behavior, without referencing any environmental events (the IV) that surround the behaver.

Select all that are explanatory fictions: (check all that apply) a. leony howls at the moon because he is a lunatic b. sue hitting herself because she is angry c. ally drink a glass of wine so she can get a good night sleep d. charles shouted at the dog because in the past, the dog went away when he shouted

a. leony howls at the b. sue hitting herself because she is angry c. ally drink a glass of Mentalistic and teleological explanations for behavior are types of explanatory fictions that rely on fictitious or hypothetical variables and future events to explain behavior. Lonny howling at the moon because he is lunatic is a mentalistic explanation for his behavior because being a lunatic is a state of being, which cannot be observed or measured, and is only inferred to exist within Lonny. Sue hitting herself because she is angry is a mentalistic explanation for her behavior because being angry is also a state of being that cannot be observed or measured. Ally drinking a glass of wine so she can get a good night's sleep is an example of a teleological explanation for behavior because getting a good night's sleep is a future event that has not yet occurred as the cause for Ally's current behavior of drinking wine. Charles shouting because the dog goes away from him and Anwar seeing his girlfriend every time he sneaks out both involve interaction with the environment that causes both behaviors to continue to occur.

Bianca's grandfather sometimes gives her $20 when she comes to his house and talks to him. What are the different stimuli and response in this example? (check all that apply) a. bianca b. talks to her grandfather c. recieve $20 from her grandfather

b. talks to her grandfather c. recieve $20 from her grandfather Bianca is not a stimulus or response because she herself is the behaver. The behavior is talking to her grandfather and the stimulus is her grandfather giving her $20.

Gaston thought about going for a run but stayed at home and watched a movie on the couch instead. Is this an example of an environmental explanation for Gaston's behavior of watching a movie on the couch? a. yes b no

b no This is not an environmental explanation for Gaston's behavior because "thinking" IS behavior, so it cannot also be the antecedent stimulus that causes another behavior. Gaston's thinking about running fails to actually explain WHY he stayed at home and watched a movie. An example of an environmental explanation for Gaston watching movie may be that, in the past when he watched a movie instead of going running, he avoided getting sick from dehydration.

What is the most parsimonious explanation for the behavior of organisms? a. behavior comes from inside the individual b. behavior is a product of the environment

b. behavior is a product of the environment In behavior analysis, we look at the immediate environment and the environmental history of an organism as an explanation for why behavior occurs—not to explain it as a result of what is inside the organism.

A contingency is a____________ relation between events. a. indepedent b. dependent

b. dependent A contingency is said to be a dependent relation between events, which emphasizes the likelihood or probability that one event is a result of another event. The strongest contingency being: if X occurs and only if X occurs, then Y occurs.

In behavior analysis, the behavior of interest is known as the: a. independent (IV) b. dependent (DV)

b. dependent (DV) The dependent variable (DV) is the change in behavior as a result of the change in the environment (IV). In behavior analysis, we identify a behavior of interest and measure changes in that behavior following our environmental manipulations.

Select the environmental explanation for Petra's behavior Petra went to the mall and picked out a new outfit for school because: a. she imagine what she would look like on her first day of high school b. in the past, she received compliments from friends when she wore a new outfit

b. in the past, she received compliments Petra going to the mall and picking out a new outfit because in the past she received compliments from friends explains how Petra's past experience with the environment influences her current behavior. Petra imagining an image of herself is not an environmental explanation for her behavior of going to the mall and picking out an outfit behavior because "imagining" IS behavior, so it cannot also be the antecedent stimulus that causes another behavior. Petra's imagining fails to actually explain WHY she went to the mall and picked out a new outfit.

Eugene calls his mom because he is homesick. This is an example of which explanation for behavior? a. environmental b. mentalistic

b. mentalistic Eugene calling his mom because he is homesick is a mentalistic explanation for his behavior because being homesick is a state of being. Being homesick is not directly observable or measurable, but is only inferred to exist within Eugene, and fails to include environmental factors as to WHY he engaged in calling his mom.

Moti plays the guitar well because he is talented. This is an example of which explanation for behavior? a. environmental b. mentalistic

b. mentalistic Moti playing the guitar well because he is talented is a mentalistic explanation for his behavior because being talented is a trait of a person. Being talented is something someone "has" that cannot be directly observed or measured. It is only inferred to exist within Moti and fails to include environmental factors as to WHY he plays the guitar well.

Explanatory fictions are explanations for behavior that: a. identify causal factors as to why behavior occurs b. often leads to circular reasoning and give a false sense of why behavior occurs

b. often leads to circular reasoning As with environmental explanations, "explanatory fictions" are also explanations for behavior because they attempt to answer the question, "Why is this behavior happening right now?" However, explanatory fictions differ from environmental explanations in that explanatory fictions rely on fictitious and/or hypothetical variables that exist within the individual, and/or future events that have not yet occurred to explain the causes of behavior rather than looking at environmental variables surrounding behavior. E.g., He hits because he is "angry." How do you know he is angry? Because he hits.

Which of the following is an example of a contingency? a. Peter being his worksheet one minute after hearing the teacher tell him to begin b. sora's computer makes a ding sound every time a new email appears in her inbox c. when carmen wears a specific pair of blue socks, she often wins her tennis matches

b. sora's computer makes a ding sound every time a new email A contingency is said to be a dependent relation between events. A new email appearing in Sora's inbox is a stimulus and her computer making a "ding" sound is also a stimulus. There's a contingency that IF a new email occurs THEN a "ding" sound will also occur. Here, a stimulus is dependent upon another stimulus, which is an S-S contingency. The teacher telling Peter to begin his worksheet is a stimulus that evokes his response of answering questions. This is an S-R relation between an antecedent stimulus and a response, which is NOT a contingency. Carmen winning a tennis match when she wears a specific pair of socks may be correlated but they are not contingent or dependent upon one another.

After Ricardo implements a forward chaining procedure for handwashing, the client improved her handwashing from 60% to 100% accuracy. What is the IV in this scenario? a. handwashing b. the forward chaining procedure c. the backward chaining procedure d. 100% accuracy

b. the forward chaining procedure The independent variable (IV) is the change in the environment that produces a change in behavior. In this example, after the introduction of a forward chaining procedure (change in the environment), the client's behavior of handwashing increased to 100% accuracy.

Joel acts obnoxious during class because he is an obnoxious person. Is there a variable missing in this explanation of Joel's behavior? a. independent variable b. dependent variable c. both IV and DV d. Neither IV or the DV

c. both IV and DV Environmental or behavioral explanations for behavior require both a DV and IV that can each be observed and measured. Acting obnoxious is a general label, not behavior. How do you observe and measure with accuracy that someone is acting obnoxious? Two observers may disagree on that. Being an obnoxious person as the cause for acting obnoxious is just a trait that fails to reference any environmental events (the IV).

Parsimony in ABA states that all simple and logical explanations are ruled out before more_____________ explanations are considered a. complex b. simple c. mix

complex In ABA, we look to the determinants of behavior to explain why behavior occurs. Any explanations that require many assumptions, introduce unnecessary causal factors, or are difficult to falsify despite lack of supporting evidence are eliminated.

Lara performs a card trick at a party because, in the past, she would receive a lot of positive attention for performing the trick. This is an example of which type of explanation for behavior? a. environmental b. mentalistic c. teleological d. behavioral

environmental events that have occurred. A card trick occurs within a group of people, and positive attention is immediately provided for the behavior. This does not describe behavior as occurring due to a future event (teleological), nor does it explain the behavior occurring due to a mentalistic explanation. If this had been an example of a teleological explanation for behavior, it may have said something like, "Lara performs a card trick at a party in order to get attention from her friends." This type of explanation uses a future event (getting attention) as an explanation for her current behavior and is therefore teleological. If this explanation had been mentalistic and included a hypothetical construct, it may have said something like, "Lara performs a card trick at a party because she is a narcissist and craves attention." This type of explanation uses a trait (narcissism) and a state of being (craving attention) as an explanation for her behavior and is therefore mentalistic and includes a hypothetical construct.

Sal continues to work extra hours at his job because his boss always praises him and gives him extra money. This is an example of which explanation for behavior? a. environmental b. mentalistic

environmental Sal working extra hours at his job because he receives praise and extra money is an environmental explanation for his behavior because the delivery of praise and money (IV) and working extra hours (DV) are both observable and measurable. There was an environmental change that occurred following his response of working extra hours (the consequence of praise and money), which caused this behavior to continue to occur

Functional relations lead to the development of contingencies. a. true b. false

false Contingencies lead to the development of functional relations, not the other way around. The stronger the contingent relation between a stimulus class and a response class, the more probable that a functional relation is found between the two.

Functional relations have an effect on behavior a. true b. false

false Functional relations are between environmental events and behavior, which are established and observed. It incorrect to say that a functional relation has an effect on behavior because a contingency is what has an effect on behavior, not the functional relation.

Benjy directs and guides his employees well because of his superior sense of leadership. This is an example of which type of explanation for behavior? a. environmental b. mentalistic c. teleological d. behavioral

mentalistic When describing hypothetical constructs as a cause for behavior, we are beginning to veer into mentalistic territory. For Benjy, his "sense of leadership" is a construct that cannot be observed or measured. By using this as an explanation of behavior, we are explaining observable behavior using mentalistic terms. In order to turn this into an environmental explanation of behavior, we might say something like, "Benjy directs and guides his employees by providing specific feedback on their performance. In the past, his staff have told him they enjoy his feedback and would like more of it."

Nathan interrupts people when they are speaking because he is rude. Is this an environmental explanation for Nathan's behavior? a. yes b no

no Nathan interrupting people because he is rude is a mentalistic explanation for his behavior because being a rude is a trait, which cannot be observed or measured, is only inferred to exist within Nathan, and fails to include environmental factors as to WHY he interrupts people

Terrance drinks tea every morning because it cleanses his aura and calms his mind. Is this a parsimonious explanation for the behavior of drinking tea? a. yes b. no

no This is not an example of a parsimonious explanation for behavior because it attributes the cause of his drinking tea behavior as something within Terrance's mind and soul rather than his environment.

The "walking" signal appears at the crosswalk and Kelli walks across the street. Is this an example of a contingency? a. yes b. no

no When a stimulus occurs (the walking signal appears), a response occurs (walking across the street). This is an S-R relation between an antecedent stimulus and a response, which is NOT a contingency, but a functional relation.

Every time I walk into the testing center, I get my blood drawn. Is walking into the testing center a response or stimulus in this example? a. response b. stimulus

response If I am the behaver and I am walking, then this is an instance of behavior, so this is a response.

Every time I walk into the testing center, I get my blood drawn. Is blood being drawn a response or stimulus in this example? a. response b. stimulus

stimulus I am not the one drawing the blood, it is something happening to me, so this is a stimulus occurring after my behavior of walking in the testing center.

The $20 would be considered: a. response b. stimulus

stimulus Receiving $20 is not a behavior or action, it is an object that is a stimulus in Bianca's environment.

In behavior analysis, functional relations are between____________ classes (IV) and ______________classes (DV)

stimulus (IV) response (DV) In behavior analysis, the functional relation we are most interested in is between a response or a set of responses and a stimulus or a set of stimuli in the environment in which the response occurs (our independent variable).

Every time I walk into the testing center, I get my blood drawn. Do you think this is a strong or weak contingency? a. strong b. weak

strong The words "every time" help give us a hint that this is a strong contingency if it occurs every single time.

Behavior analysts attempt to identify functional relations between environmental events and behavior through: a. inferential statistic b. simple observation c. systematic manipulation

systematic manipulation In behavior analysis, our focus is on environmental determinants of behavior—not because we don't believe in biological determinants, but because we have more access to interacting with the environment. By systematically manipulating environmental variables, we can figure out (with some degree of certainty) environmental determinants of behavior by identifying functional relations.

Jamil tipped over the bookshelf because he was trying to get something from the top shelf. This is an example of which type of explanation for behavior? a. environmental b. mentalistic c. teleological d. behavioral

teleological explanations is that they refer to future events. In this example, "trying to get" suggests that the behavior is based on a future outcome and not based on historical events. Were this a mentalism, you might see a description like, "Jamil tipped over his bookshelf because he desired something from the top shelf." In order to make this a more environmental explanation, we might say something like, "When Jamil reached for the item on the shelf, the shelf tipped over."

Each time Bart completes an assignment, he gets 5 minutes of "free time." Is this an example of a contingency? a. yes b. no

yes When Bart engages in a response (completing an assignment), the consequence stimulus follows (5 minutes of free time). Access to "free time" is dependent upon the response of completing an assignment. This is an R-S contingency.

Every time Cori asks to go to the bathroom when the teacher is present, he is given the bathroom pass. Is this an example of a contingency? a. yes b. no

yes When Cori engages in a response (asking to go to the bathroom) in the presence of a specific antecedent condition (teacher present), the consequence stimulus follows (bathroom pass). Access to the bathroom pass is dependent upon the response of asking to go to that bathroom in the presence of the antecedent stimulus of the teacher being present. This is an S-R-S contingency.