Where my CMO's at??

After a week to focus on creating my own behavior plan (I will be posting that soon) I am back to talk about the newest item on the BACB task list: Conditioned Motivating Operations (CMOs).

Now lets break it down!

Conditioned vs Unconditioned Motivating Operations

Motivating Operation:an environmental variable that alters (increases or decreases) the reinforcing/punishing effectiveness of some stimulus/event AND alters (increases or decreases) the current frequency of all behavior that has been reinforced/punished by that stimulus/event. (Cooper, Heron & Heward, 2007)

Most Common Examples of MOs

• Money
• Alcohol/Drugs
• Vacation 
• Spending time with friends 
• Television/ Computer/ Phone 

Conditioned: a previous learning history (several pairings with an unconditioned reinforcer until the neutral stimulus is reinforcing)

Unconditioned: no learning history (as a living organism you are programmed to seek out these reinforcers).

Types of UMO's

• Sex
• Temperature regulation
• Food
• Water
• Sleep
• Pain 
• Being active
• Oxygen

All of these are unconditioned because there was no learning necessary for an individual to know they are reinforcing. No one taught you that you needed to eat, as a baby a human is programmed to seek food. 

Types of CMO's

• Surrogate (CMO-S): it accomplishes the same as the MO
• Reflexive (CMO-R): alters the relation the MO is under (makes the removal of itself reinforcing).
• Transitive (CMO-T): makes something else an effective reinforcer

Examples of CMO's

• CMO-S: you eat a snack when watching Netflix for a week. Now every time you go to watch Netflix you are conditioned to eat at the same time.
• CMO-R: when a friend asks you to help them move out of their apartment- the worsening stimuli (you agree to help). The friend then reinforces your behavior by thanking you. 
• CMO-T: you are leaving for work and the forecast says its going to snowing and below freezing (welcome to New England) now your winter coat is reinforcing. Its not because you love your winter coat it is because it is cold out and you need to leave the house. 

My list of CMO's 

What are some of your CMO's? How do you think they became conditioned? 

I hope you partake in some this coming long weekend!

Back to the graphing paper

On Christmas Eve I was told I did not pass the boards exam. Unfortunate timing to say the least. It was hard to tell the family when they asked, because they all have been supportive through the whole process. Although it was difficult to admit failure it made me appreciate my family more than ever. 

For awhile I blamed myself. Why didn't you study enough? Why didn't you know enough to pass? Then I had to take a step back and realize that this exam is difficult for a reason. We train to work with vulnerable individuals and to become certified should not be a walk in the park.

So I have to get my butt back to The White Book and notecards. I will await my grade report and refocus. 

2014 was the year of......

I recently found a blog that asked 50 questions to help reflect on this past year. Here are just a few that I wanted to share:

If you had to describe your 2014 in 3 words, what would they be?
     Stressful and Rewarding

What was your favorite compliment that you received this year? 
    "You helped our family so much."

What was your favorite moment spent with your friends?
     Getting together with classmates before class to discuss anything but school work. Also              getting to spend more time with friends and family after graduating.

What was your biggest break-through moment career-wise?
    The moment when I knew how passionate I was for my field- when I to stand up for a                 student knowing full well that I could have been fired. My job is not about my own                     gratification but about doing what is best for each student/client I work with. 

What purchase turned out to be the best decision ever?
     Activity and coloring books (I would allow myself some time per day to do sudoku or make      inappropriate versions of Hello Kitty). Also tons of flash cards (I like studying old school). 

What new habits did you cultivate?
     I became more aware of the balance I needed- working out, hanging out with friends,                  studying, and taking some me time regularly. I stumbled a bit with this where all I would            focus on was school and letting everything/everyone else fall through the cracks. Now I              make it a point to balance as much as possible. 

What advice would you give your early-2014 self if you could?
     I would tell myself that the stress of graduate school will be worth it, and you are so lucky to      have such supportive family and friends. That the year will be overwhelming but it was              still one of the best years you could ask for. 

What or who had the biggest positive impact on your life this year?
     This has to go to my boyfriend, he was my rock all through school. He kept reminding me to      take a step back and trust that I will do well. Letting me vent for hours, hugging me when I        was crying from stress, and helping me make flash cards. His calmness and objectivity was        the best thing for me. 

And for 2015.....

 I hope that 2015 will be a year of creating myself career wise. I want to spend more time with my family and friends. I will continue self improving (less critical of myself, better stress management, have more fun, etc.) If 2015 could be half as wonderful as 2014 I will be an exceptionally lucky gal. 

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

How did writing a blog become aversive?

As you know I haven't written in awhile. I was going to write more posts to increase my fluency in ABA terms/procedures as well as a stress management system. When time came to take the BCBA exam (yes I actually pushed myself to take a scary 4-hour test) I could not bring myself to write about it. I was asked over and over by coworkers, family and friends "How did you think you did?" 

I appreciated all of their concern and well wishes but the fact of the matter is I have no idea how I did and I have been a ball of nerves since August. Taking that test not only gets me certified in my dream field but it also changes my work into a career. Something that I was dreaming of for the longest time now all of a sudden I feel anxious and scared. Going from a Behavior Therapist to a BCBA is a huge change- becoming a supervisor, writing IEP goals, conducting FBA's, etc. All of these new components to a job that I may be horrible at are closer than I thought. What if I don't do the obvious choice first for a student? How will I handle training multiple staff? How will I react to a difficult case or parent? 

All of these "what if" questions have been running through my mind and I couldn't shake them. Now that this coming week I will most likely get my results for the test my stress has become more intense. 

Now that being said I will deal with my issues and begin writing again. 

David Bowie we have to talk

So I talk a big game about behavior analysis and why is so important but I have forgotten to discuss the most crucial part of ABA: MEASUREMENT!!!

I have not discussed how we transfer an observable behavior into a data point. When I first started working in ABA I was taken aback by the fact that a BCBA could come up with such a clear definition of a behavior that allowed us BT's to know exactly when to record data. I studied psychology in undergrad and my professors made behavior out to be this trait that only humans had where there was no explaining it. Behavior is something humans do therefore they are the far superior beings on this planet. Move over Freud's Theory of the Human Psyche- Skinner got behavior on lock down. 

So how do you measure behavior?

There are three dimensional quantities of behavior

1. Countability: behaviors that can be counted
2. Temporal extent: how long a behavior lasts 
3. Temporal locus: when a behavior occurs 

Depending on what your target behavior is you pick one of these three properties to measure. Next you pick your type of measurement.

There are two classes of measurements

1. Continuous Measurement: records every instance of behavior (no alterations to the raw data).
2. Discontinuous Measurement: records only a sample of the behavior 

Finally you pick from the two classes the measure you will use to record your data:

Types of Continuous Measurement

1. Rate: the number of responses in a given time 
2. Locus: when and where the behavior occurs
3. Latency: elapsed time between onset of a specified stimulus and the onset of a response
4. Duration: the total amount of a time a behavior occurs 
5. Inter-Response Time: elapse time between the end of a response and the onset of another
6. Magnitude: the force of the behavior
7. Topography: physical form of the behavior 

Types of Discontinuous Measurement

1. Percent Correct: the amount of responses correct divided by the total number of responses 
2. Trials to Criterion: number of trials it took to meet performance criterion
3. Time Sampling: (partial, whole, and momentary) recording whether a behavior occurred during each trial or not

Confusing? Practical example time!!!

Direct

Rate: the number of times I say "dude" in one hour 

Duration: the amount of time I spent binge watching Law and Order SVU on Netflix *dun dun* 

Latency: how long did it take for me to answer your question about the Patriots game last week (the amount of time once you finished asking your question and me speaking). 

Inter-Response Time: You ask me to list 50 colors (the amount of time between each color response- I am partial to mac and cheese yellow)

Magnitude: how hard I would punch someone in the arm for spoiling the next season of Game of Thrones. 

Topography: how my happy dance looks (huge smile, arms extended towards the ceiling in alternating fist pump motion, legs are bending and stretching, and head is moving side to side). 

Locus: my car while driving is where I sing my heart (Adele always wants me to sing back up in Lola the Corolla).

Indirect

Percent Correct: I got 95% correct on a Buzzfeed quiz about Harry Potter trivia (Hufflepuff for Life)

Trials-to-Criterion: It took my boyfriend 4 games of Mario Party to beat me at 1st prize (no one beats Luigi- no one). 

Time Sampling: During an episode of Girls I rolled my eyes 26 out of the 30 1min intervals (too much hipster language for me). 

So remember we are never under pressure- we are under measure!!!

The Clowder of Cats Contingencies

Weird title, yes? I have heard over and over in schools that maintaining order in a classroom is like herding cats. Just imagine that for a minute: cats going every which direction and one poor individual to try to group them all together. How do you get them to comply AND learn?

Teachers I get where you are coming from! It is extremely hard to see 100+ students a day who you are responsible to teach and keep engaged in the material. You are expected to follow a lesson plan, remember every accommodation for students who need them, grade all of their work, stay in contact with the families, attend staff trainings....etc etc etc.

The last thing a teacher would want to do is to have a BCBA come in a say "Hey we are going to start to take data on the classes behavior." Now before you flip the table let me explain why and how simple it can be done.

GROUP CONTINGENCIES Y'ALL

What is a group contingency?
When reinforcement is provided for a group based on one or more of the groups responding.

Are there different types of group contingencies?
There are three types all have different protocol for the group to receive reinforcement:

• Independent Group Contingency: reinforcement is available for the whole group but is provided only to those who respond. 
• Interdependent Group Contingency: reinforcement is provided based on responding of the entire class (if everyone does it we all get a prize). 
• Dependent Group Contingency: reinforcement is provided based on the responding of one member of the group or a select group within the class.

Cool Meghan you just gave me a bunch of jargon, how does this apply to running a classroom?

Its time for a practical example

Target Behavior: you want to increase weekly test scores. 

Reinforcement: the class will not be given homework over the weekend (negative reinforcement)

Here's how each group contingency would provide reinforcement:

Independent: for each student who gets an 80% or above on the weeks test, they will not be given homework. Any student who has 79% or below will be assigned homework. 

Dependent: After the tests are scored the teacher will pick a test at random and if it has a score of 80% or above the class will not receive homework over the weekend. 

Interdependent: if everyone in the class scores 80% or above the whole class will not have homework over the weekend. Although if one member of the class receives a grade of 79% or below the entire class will be assigned homework. 

What else should I consider if I want to run a group contingency?

If using a dependent or interdependent group contingency make sure to put in safe guards for the student. Remember the entire class is counting on one person or a small group of people to get their reinforcement. If that student does not meet the criteria and the class losses out on reinforcement (no homework on the weekend) they could be socially punished by their peers. 

Here are some of the ways to ensure that this isn't punishing:

- Have a TA grade the tests and select one at random and put the grade on your desk (no name provided)

- Write down all of the grades on post-its, fold them up and put them in a hat. Have a student pick a piece of paper and reveal the grade. 

Also make sure that your target behavior is reasonable for the entire class. Your data will reflect if any student is repeatedly losing the opportunity for reinforcement. 

Lastly, make this fun for your students! With the right group contingency, clearly written protocol, and ethical considerations this is an easier/effective way to effect group responding. 

Now, who is excited about group contingencies?

Crunch Time

I officially have 17 days until I take the BACB exam. Which means I have turned into huge ball of stress. I have given up on meeting mastery criteria for the BDS Modules and strictly been working on SAFMEDS (Say All Fast a Minute Each Day Shuffled) and The White Book (Cooper, Howard, and Hewitt- you know whats up).  The last few weeks are going to focus on:

Ethics: one of the hardest parts of the exam due to the scenario questions and all of the components to the right to effective treatment.
Single Subject Research Designs: baseline logic, advantages/disadvantages, and when appropriate to use a design.
Teaching Procedures: history and criteria for each procedure (Personalized System of Instruction, Direct Instruction, Incidental Teaching, and Discrete Trial Training).
Motivating Operations: value and behavior altering, examples

Let's hope this is the only time I have to take this exam.

In other news here is my bucket list for November:

• Take the BACB exam
• Increase motivation for exercising 
• Reinforcement contingency for healthy eating 
• Make a bunch of Christmas presents (pictures coming soon)
• Plan fun autumn activities

Posts coming soon to help me review!