Ontogeny
A branch of biology that deals with learned behaviors resulting from interaction with one’s environment.
B. Concepts and Principles
Operant behavior
A voluntary and learned behavior determined and maintained by its history of consequences and defined by its function (not its topography).
Operant conditioning
A process that involves an occasion for a behavior (SD), the behavior itself, and the consequence that follows; a process that determines the future of that behavior’s occurrence or nonoccurrence.
Operant extinction
A process where a maintaining reinforcer is no longer provided, and the behavior that has been maintained by that reinforcer decreases and eventually ceases.
Overselective stimulus control
When focusing on a minor feature of a stimulus interferes with stimulus control and prevents the acquisition of new skills.
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6th Edition TCO
Overshadowing
When the presence of a competing or distracting stimulus interferes with the acquisition of a skill/stimulus control of another stimulus.
6th Edition TCO
Planned model
In imitation training, this is the model established in advance for the purpose of helping a person develop certain skills by observing others perform a behavior.
Point-to-point correspondence
A concept in verbal behavior wherein the beginning, middle, and end of the controlling stimulus (verbal SD) content match the beginning, middle, and end of the verbal behavior content.
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6th Edition TCO
Positive punishment
A process that occurs when the addition of a stimulus immediately following a behavior results in a decrease in the future frequency of that behavior.
Positive reinforcement
A process that occurs when a behavior is followed immediately by the presentation of a stimulus that increases the future frequency of that and similar behaviors under similar conditions.
Positive reinforcement extinction
A process where the maintaining positive reinforcer no longer follows a specific behavior, resulting in that behavior decreasing and eventually ceasing.