Behavioral basics

Thinking about behavior... Why do people behave as they do? Why do we care about behavior? – If we know how people may behave under certain conditions, we may be able to provide or avoid these conditions. – A teacher’s job is to change behavior. To understand, predict, and change behavior, we must first understand how it works. Alberto & Troutman, 2013

Behavioral explanations The behavioral explanation states that human behavior, both adaptive and maladaptive, is learned. Learning occurs as a result of the consequences of behavior. Who is primarily responsible for the science of behaviorism? Alberto & Troutman, 2013

Behaviorism, simplified Behavior followed by pleasant consequences tends to be repeated (thus learned). Behavior followed by unpleasant consequences tends not to be repeated (thus not learned). Alberto & Troutman, 2013 Likely to water plants in the future Unlikely to lick flagpoles in the future

Predicting behavior We use the three-term contingency as a way to explain, predict, and change behavior. If we can identify what precedes a behavior and what follows a behavior, we have a good chance of being able to predict future occurrences of that behavior. – And we may be able to influence the occurrence of that behavior!

The three-term contingency Alberto & Troutman, 2013 Antecedent : Any stimulus that precedes a behavior Behavior : Any observable and measurable act of an individual (response) Consequence : Any stimulus presented contingent on a particular response

Positive reinforcement Positive reinforcement describes a functional relation between two environmental events: – A behavior (any observable action) and – A consequence (a result of that action) When a behavior is followed by a consequence that increases the behavior’s future rate of occurrence, that’s positive reinforcement. It’s positive reinforcement because something is added to the environment. What are some examples? Alberto & Troutman, 2013

Negative reinforcement Negative reinforcement describes a relationship among events occurring when a behavior’s frequency increases after an aversive or unpleasant environmental condition is removed or reduced. Examples? – Opening a window to reduce unpleasant odor – Turning off the alarm clock Alberto & Troutman, 2013

Punishment Punishment describes the relationship between a behavior and a consequence when the consequence decreases the future rate of a behavior. – Remember: A stimulus is a punisher only if it reduces the future occurrences of a behavior. Like reinforcement, punishment can be either positive or negative. – Positive: Something is added to the environment. – Negative: Something is taken away from the environment. Alberto & Troutman, 2013

What’s going on here? Rafael is often late to class. When he arrives, his peers often clap and make statements like, “Glad you finally showed up, Rafa.” Rafael smiles and sits down but not until he has high-fived a few friends. – What, behaviorally, is going on here? Roger doesn’t care for his math teacher. During class, he often swears and tears up his work, which results in him getting sent to the principal’s office, where he chats with the secretary and other rule breakers. – What, behaviorally, is going on here?

Reinforcement and punishment Behavior: Observable and measurable act Positive reinforcement Negative reinforcement Positive punishment Negative punishment Add Take away Increase Decrease

Why do we care? What do the concepts of reinforcement and punishment have to do with classroom management? A few things: – Knowing the mechanisms behind how behavior works can help you shape behavior: Tricks can fail you, but the science never will. – Understanding that reinforcement and punishment are scientific phenomena that affect rates of behavior will help you select consequences based on your observations (rather than on what you think will work). – If we know certain consequences increase the likelihood of behaviors we want to see, we can plan to have those consequences follow the behaviors we want to see.

Other behavioral concepts: Extinction Extinction occurs when a previously reinforced behavior is no longer reinforced. For example, after a month of reacting when Rafael shows up late, his peers stop giving him attention when he arrives. Eventually, he starts to come to school on time. – His behavior was no longer reinforced by his peers’ attention, so it was extinguished. Alberto & Troutman, 2013

A little more about extinction What happens when... – You go into a room, flip the light switch, and the light doesn’t come on? – You go to a store that you frequent regularly, only to find that it went out of business? – You put money into a vending machine, make your selection, and nothing comes out? Alberto & Troutman, 2013

Why do we care? What does the concept of extinction have to do with classroom management? A few things: – If you plan to ignore a challenging behavior in the hope that it will go away, you must be committed: No attention at all (No looks! No comments!) contingent on the problem behavior Be prepared to withstand the extinction burst. Give ample attention contingent on appropriate behavior.

Other behavioral concepts: Antecedent control An antecedent that occurs immediately before a behavior is said to “occasion” (i.e., set the occasion for) the behavior. – The functional relation between the antecedent stimulus and the behavior is called stimulus control. – The antecedent that occasions a behavior is called the discriminative stimulus, or S D. While the relation developed, consequences were present, but the antecedent condition now serves as a signal for the behavior. Alberto & Troutman, 2013

Antecedent control We use caller ID to see who is calling us. If it is someone we want to talk to, we answer the phone. The caller ID info of someone we like is an S D for answering the phone. (We have been reinforced for answering the phone in the presence of that S D before.) We are under stimulus control of the caller ID. As children, we learn that if we convert text on a page into words, people get very excited (i.e., they reinforce us). We continue to turn text into words (i.e., we “read”) and earn reinforcement (which eventually transitions to natural reinforcement). We are under stimulus control of text. What does it look like?

Why do we care? What does the concept of stimulus control have to do with classroom management? A few things: – We want our classroom to be the S D for appropriate behavior. – In order for that to happen, we have to establish the relation (i.e., manipulate consequences until it develops and maintains over time). – We want to make sure our students are not under inappropriate stimulus control.

Other behavioral concepts: Setting events A setting event is a condition or event that occurs simultaneously with a discriminative stimulus, or even hours or days before. – Setting events temporarily alter the value of a consequence. – Setting events are usually based on satiation or deprivation. – Setting events can be social, environmental, or physiological. Alberto & Troutman, 2013, p. 14

Setting events What’s a setting event? Setting event AntecedentBehaviorConsequence A SETTING EVENT is a condition or event that temporarily alters the reinforcing value of the consequence of a behavior.

Examples of setting events A student who has just come in from playing kickball in 90-degree heat is more likely to respond to a cold soda as a reinforcer than a student who has just been sipping soda in the cool school cafeteria. A student is less likely to worry about receiving a failing grade on a test (potential aversive consequence) when the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) removed his sister from the home over the weekend.

Why do we care? What does the concept of setting events have to do with classroom management? A few things: – What are some setting events that our students might encounter? – Knowing about setting events can help us prevent inappropriate behaviors. – Parents and guardians can provide valuable information about setting events.

Putting it all together

The three-term contingency AntecedentBehaviorConsequence What do these terms mean?

Let’s practice! Oscar is a student in your third-grade classroom. Often when you ask him to partner with his neighbor to review an assignment, he says, “I don’t want to,” and puts his head down on his desk. When he does this, you let him work alone. He is particularly grouchy and likely to engage in this behavior on days when he hasn’t been able to get enough sleep.

Breakdown of Antecedent (S D ): Behavior(s): Consequence: – Adding or taking away (+ or –): – Effect: So the consequence functions as: Was there a setting event? Asking Oscar to work with his neighbor Oscar says, “I don’t want to,” and puts head down. Teacher removes demand (he works alone). Demand is TAKEN AWAY. Oscar continues to display this behavior in the future. Negative reinforcement (S R- ) Lack of sleep the night before makes grouchiness more likely.

“Come on, Eileen” During transitions, Eileen will make inappropriate comments, make noises, and touch others. When she engages in these behaviors, her peers scream at her (i.e., they give her attention). She is more likely to engage in these behaviors following periods of time with limited attention (e.g., following independent seat work).

Breakdown of example: Eileen Antecedent (S D ): Behavior(s): Consequence: – Adding or taking away (+ or –): – Effect: So the consequence functions as: Was there a setting event? Transition Inappropriate comments, noises, and touching Peers scream at her. Eileen is GIVEN attention. The behaviors continue in the future. Positive reinforcement (S R+ ) Yes: Periods of time with limited attention

More practice You have asked your 11th-graders to write poems based on recent dreams. Dorothy writes a beautiful poem, and you ask her to share it with the class. She says, “No, thanks.” She does not complete the next several assignments. When you call home, you find out that Dorothy has been working long hours on the farm, fighting with Auntie Em, and is embarrassed because she doesn’t have nice clothes like the other kids. Clue: That’s the behavior!

Breakdown of Antecedent (S D ): Behavior(s): Consequence: – Adding or taking away (+ or –): – Effect: So the consequence functions as: Was there a setting event? Poetry assignment She writes a beautiful poem. Teacher asks her to read poem. Attention is GIVEN for behavior. The behavior (poem writing) decreases in the future. Positive punishment (S P+ ) Yes: Farm, family dispute, embarrassment about gingham dress

Why do we care? What do these scenarios have to do with classroom management? A few things: – Behavior is predictable. If we understand how it works, it’s more likely that we can manipulate the environment to increase the likelihood of the behaviors we want to see and decrease the likelihood of the behaviors we don’t want to see. – If we are thinking about what is occasioning the behavior and maintaining the behavior, we are more likely to be proactive and less likely to take behavior personally.

Thinking about the function of behavior All behavior serves a purpose. – We call this the “function” of behavior. There are only two possible functions of any given behavior: 1.To get something (obtain) 2.To get away from something (escape/avoid) What might someone be trying to obtain or avoid?

Why is function important? All behavior exhibited by students serves one of these two functions. Even inappropriate behavior serves a function. If we can identify the function of the inappropriate behavior, we can teach an appropriate replacement behavior that serves the same function.

Summary thus far So far, we have learned about: – The three-term contingency Antecedents Behavior Consequences – Reinforcement and punishment – Setting events – Extinction – Function Do you have any questions?

And now a word from our sponsor: DATA SYSTEMS PRACTICES DATA OUTCOMES Supporting Decision Making

Data is not a four-letter word. For every element of CWPBIS that you implement, you should have an outcome. – What do you want to achieve? How will you know if you’ve reached this outcome? Data collection is a vital part of any CWPBIS system.

Data collection in the classroom Teachers already collect some data. Collecting data on student behavior can be a challenge, but you need data to guide your decision-making process. The first step is operationally defining the behavior on which you wish to take data. Simonsen & Myers, 2015

Data collection in the classroom The kind of data we collect depends on the specific behavior of interest and the relevant dimension of that behavior. Possible dimensions of interest include: – How often the behavior occurs (frequency) – How long the behavior lasts (duration) You can also collect data on the antecedents and consequences that occur with behaviors of interest, which can give you information about predictors and the possible function of an inappropriate behavior. Simonsen & Myers, 2015

Data collection tools There are several data collection tools available, and you can always create your own. You can go low-tech or high-tech. What matters is that the data you collect are helpful to you for making decisions about your classroom management practices. Simonsen & Myers, 2015

Using data to make decisions Before implementing any intervention or practice, you should collect baseline data. You should collect data regularly to ensure that your practices are having the desired effect and to see if you need to adjust any aspects of your classroom management system. You can also take data on your own behaviors. Simonsen & Myers, 2015

What does data collection look like? Let’s look at page 10 of the activity handout.

Sample data collection plan (adapted from Simonsen & Myers, 2015, p. 88) Outcome: (must list condition [antecedent], behavior, and criterion for success) When finished with independent seat work (condition), students will take out a book or another approved quiet activity (behavior) during eight out of 10 sampled opportunities across the first marking period (criterion). Data: Operational definition of behavior (include examples and non-examples) After completing his or her independent seatwork assignment, a student will put the assignment on the corner of his or her desk, take out a book or another approved quiet activity (e.g., crossword puzzle, word search) from his or her desk or bag, and engage in the activity until the rest of the class is finished with the task. Examples of this behavior: Student puts his assignment on the corner of his desk, reaches into his bag quietly, removes a book, and reads until his peers are finished. Student puts her assignment on the corner of her desk, quietly opens her desk to take a word search out of her folder, quietly closes her desk, and works on the word search until her peers are finished. Non-examples of this behavior: Student raises his hand and says, “I’m done. What do you want me to do?” Student rustles loudly in bag and then in his desk, looking for an activity. Student gets out of seat to turn in assignment and asks teacher if he can use the computer. Relevant dimensions of the behavior Frequency (how often the behavior occurs); convert into percentage by dividing the number of times the behavior occurs by the total number of opportunities for the behavior. (For example, students take out a book or quiet activity 12 times across 17 observed opportunities: 12/17 = 0.706, or 71%) Measurement system Tally marks on a sticky note, app, or other data sheet (keep track of total opportunities observed and opportunities with desired behavior). Summary and graph Teacher enters data into Excel spreadsheet that graphs the frequency of the behavior Using data to make decisions If data are below desired goal of 80%, reteach the expectation and increase reinforcement for desired behavior. If students meet goal, continue the current approach and collect data periodically to ensure maintenance of behavior. Outcome that includes condition, behavior, and criterion for success Operational definition of the behavior Examples and non-examples of the behavior Relevant dimension(s) of the behavior Measurement system & graphing Using data to make decisions