Research Methods in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

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Research Methods in Applied Behavior Analysis
(ABA)

• Ps534
• Dr. Ken Reeve
• Caldwell College
• Post-Bac Program in ABA

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It All Begins with Knowledge

• Knowledge is information about how things work
• Information is only useful if it is accurate
  (valid)
• Unfortunately, lots of knowledge sources have
  errors and subjective biases
• How do we know what knowledge (information) is
  accurate?

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Science

• Is nothing more than a certain way to gather
  knowledge
• Strives to minimize subjective bias and maximize
  accuracy
• Uses objective, systematic, and direct
  observation of phenomena being studied
• Likely to be most accurate source of knowledge
  for how things work in the world

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Science and Assessing Effective Intervention

• Science provides certain criteria to decide what
  information is (and is not) valid (accurate)
• Actually, validity of information is along a
  continuum (from baloney all the way to fact)
• Ultimate goal for interventionists (educators)
  to identify what maximizes learning (and what
  doesnt work or may even harm the child!)

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Some Terms

• MEASUREMENT to quantify and identify the
  characteristics of what (or whom) youre looking
  at
• number of hand raises made by a child in an
  hour is a measurement involving quantification
• yes, he said please is a measurement
  involving identifying
• DATA the collected measurements of what youre
  examining
• These provide evidence about how good our
  information is

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Some Terms

• VARIABLE anything that can be measured and that
  can change in value (what you are investigating)
  DEPENDENT VARIABLE the part of the childs
  behavior you are measuring (outcome or TARGET
  BEHAVIOR)
• INDEPENDENT VARIABLE how you are teaching the
  child usually this is the TREATMENT or
  intervention

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Some Terms

• HYPOTHESIS a statement predicting how one
  variable will be related to, or affect, another
  variable
• It is not really an educated guess but a well
  informed prediction based on past evidence
• THEORY a statement explaining why a
  relationship exists between two variables
• What makes a theory a good one or a bad one?
  EVIDENCE!!
• Refrigerator Mother Theory?

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Some Terms

• OPERATIONAL DEFINITION an objective definition
  of a variable (everyone can measure what you are
  measuring)
• INTEROBSERVER AGREEMENT (IOA) extent to which
  observers agree on what they are observing
• IOA will be high ONLY when the variables have
  been defined so that everyone understands what is
  being studied

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Some Terms

• FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIP degree to which the
  independent variable affects the dependent
  variable (and can you isolate this effect!!)
• Main focus in research is to determine functional
  relationship between intervention X and learning
  outcome Y

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What is Research the Search for Answers!

• How can we possibly answer the question Does the
  teaching practice benefit the child? AND Can we
  conclude that it was NOT something else that
  benefited the child?)
• Need to investigate functional relationships
  using particular, agreed upon investigation
  techniques called RESEARCH

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Research Techniques

• POOR RESEARCH TECHNIQUES COMMON SENSE,
  INTUITION, HUNCHES too many people use these as
  the final answer about how the world works (are
  MOST susceptible to errors and biases) also
  called street smarts
• Although its perfectly fine to use these to come
  up with hypotheses and theories to test out!
• Hmm, it seems that some kids learn better in
  group activities, so maybe

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Research Techniques

• BETTER GET INFORMATION FROM AUTHORITIES a
  better way to gain information
• but is only as good as the authoritys
  credentials, expertise, and objectivity also
  called book smarts
• Make sure to see what other experts of equal
  credentials also say about the topic youre
  investigating
• we should always check the credentials of anyone
  claiming to be an expert on a topic
• Does a BCBA or PhD make you an automatic expert?

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Research Techniques

• BEST EXPERIMENTATION best way to gain
  information about functional relationships
  because you can isolate effects of particular
  variables under objective conditions

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Causation vs. Correlation

• CORRELATION two variables seem to change in a
  regular fashion with one another
• Big Problem WAY too many people infer CAUSALITY
  from this kind of relationship when we dont
  really know, and they then act on it
• Children seem to begin to develop ASD soon after
  they receive the MMR vaccine. Can we infer
  causation?

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Causation vs. Correlation

• CAUSATION when evidence collected shows us that
  when one variable alone changes, the second
  variable also changes as a result of the first
  variable!
• Using an EXPERIMENT is what allows us to make
  such inferences of CAUSALITY
• If we withhold the MMR vaccine, does the same
  incidence of ASD develop in these other children?

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Experimental Designs

• To reiterate, goal is to determine functional
  relationships (for this class how does a
  particular teaching practice or intervention
  affect a childs behavior?)
• To do this, need to rule out effects of other
  variables you are not studying (called extraneous
  variables or CONFOUNDS)
• you need to CONTROL FOR the other extraneous
  variables by holding them as CONSTANTS while
  varying the treatment (independent variable)

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Experimental GROUP Designs

• One way to do this is to observe a group of
  persons under one condition (treatment) and
  then under a different condition (control
  condition) WITHOUT LETTING ANY OTHER VARIABLES
  CHANGE! Why?
• Another way to do this is to get two or more
  groups of people who ARE THE SAME, and then apply
  the treatment to one group (treatment group)
  but not the other (control group) WITHOUT
  LETTING ANY OTHER VARIABLES CHANGE! Why?

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Soof course everyone uses scientifically
validated interventions, right? Not if

• ITS EXPENSIVE

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Soof course everyone uses scientifically
validated interventions, right? Not if

• IT REQUIRES A GREAT DEAL OF TRAINING
• Easier to just use what you already know (even if
  it doesnt work well!)

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Soof course everyone uses scientifically
validated interventions, right? Not if

• IT DISAGREES WITH A WORLD VIEW
• Many folks are anti-science and feel that we
  must trust our gut, connect with our inner child,
  get back to a simpler mind-set, become noble
  savages, relate to one another, see reward use
  as manipulation, etc.
• This is a good example of how SUBJECTIVE BIASES
  may affect policy!!

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What is Applied Behavior Analysis?

• Applied Behavior Analysis scientific application
  of behavioral principles (such as positive
  reinforcement, etc.) to socially relevant
  behavior.
• Applied behavior, stimuli, and/or organism under
  study are chosen because of their importance to
  humans and society.
• Behavioral Involves precise measurement of
  behavior (not reports of behavior).
• Analytic Involves believable demonstration of
  factors responsible for occurrence or
  non-occurrence of behavior change (i.e., a
  functional relationship).

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Historical development of applied behavior
analysis

• Pavlov classical or respondent conditioning.
  Study of behavior as a science
• Watson Little Albert experiment. Extension of
  behaviorism to humans.
• Skinner Experimental analysis of behavior
  Radical Behaviorism includes complex human
  behavior including emotions, thought, verbal
  behavior

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Historical development of applied behavior
analysis

• Baer, Wolf, Risley (1968) (Applied Behavior
  Analysis)
• Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA)
• Iwata el al. (1982/1994) Focused on analysis
  not only to modify or change behavior, but also
  to understand why behavior occurs

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Areas studied in applied behavior analysis

• Education
• Developmental Disabilities
• Business and industry
• Drug and alcohol abuse
• Classroom management
• Behavioral Medicine
• Behavioral Gerontology
• Community
• Others

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Definitions (terms that will be used throughout
the course)

• Behavior Anything an organism does
• Response An instance of behavior
• Environment ambient surroundings, including
  ones own body
• Stimulus Any physical event that can be measured
• Stimuli plural of stimulus
• Consequence Events that occur as a result of
  behavior
• Antecedent Events that occur prior to behavior

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The study of behavior as science

• Experimental analysis of behavior (EAB) a
  science of behavior
• Applied behavior analysis applications of the
  principles derived from EAB
• The basic characteristics of science are used to
  study behavior as the subject matter

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Baer, Wolf, Risley (1968)7 Dimensions of ABA

• Applied social significance of the study
• Behavioral Direct measure of behavior to be
  changed. Changes in behavior must be observable.
• Analytical Demonstration of a functional
  relation. Changes in behavior must be a function
  of manipulation being tested.
• Technological All procedures are completely
  identified and precisely described.

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Baer, Wolf, Risley (1968)7 Dimensions of ABA

• Conceptually Systematic Procedures described in
  terms of the relevant learning principles from
  which they are derived (see basic research).
• Effective Procedures must improve behavior to a
  practical (clinically significant) degree.
• Generality behavior change is lasting, occurs in
  other environments, spreads to other behaviors,
  and can be demonstrated again under the same
  situations (REPLICATION).

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Single-Subject Experimental Research Designs

• Group Designs
• Average differences between groups of individuals
  - usually samples
• One measure of each DV per individual
• Assessed with t-tests, ANOVAs, or correlations
• Single-Subject Design
• Provides info about specific individuals rather
  than the average performance of a group
• Repeated measures of the DV per individual
• Each subject is compared to himself though the
  intervention may be replicated across several
  individuals using the same design

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Single-Subject Research

• Single subject research emphasizes clinical
  significance for an individual rather than
  statistical significance among groups.
• If an intervention results in an observable,
  measurable improvement in functioning, often
  referred to an enhanced functioning, the results
  of the experiment are considered to have clinical
  significance

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Generality of Results

• When a functional relationship is established
  between an IV (treatment) and DV (behavior) for
  one individual, repeated studies of the same
  intervention are conducted using different
  individuals and different dependent variables.
• E.g., praise increases students rate of doing
  math problems this finding replicated across
  other academic and social behavior with numerous
  students is more convincing

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Baseline Measures

• Measures of the behavior (DV) as it occurs
  naturally or before intervention
• Collect at least five data points AND
• Data taken until the baseline behavior is stable
  (stays about the same) or gets worse

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Symbolic notation

• A baseline phase (LACK of intervention)
• B treatment phase (APPLYING intervention)
• C applying a DIFFERENT intervention than B)
• D, E, F, etc applying MANY DIFFERENT
  interventions (rarely used in most research)

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More notation

• Y axis depicts measurement of TARGET BEHAVIOR
  (dependent variable)
• X axis depicts passage of time (seconds,
  minutes, sessions, days, etc.

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