​ABA for Veterinarians

• Science-Based Strategies

• Not Enough or Too Much

• Increase or Decrease

• Never independent of conditions

• We control the conditions

• Pros/Cons

• Cues

• Setting Events

• Motivating Operations

Three Types of Antecedents

Changing Behavior with Antecedent Strategies

preventative, positive, and least intrusive compared to other strategies

What Cues the Behavior?

​Any stimulus repeatedly present during reinforcement

Phone rings > dog barks > petting

The strength of the reinforcer determines the strength of the cue

Setting Events

• Setting events influence behavior

• Change setting to change behavior

​MOs temporarily alter effectiveness of consequence

Certain conditions make a pet more motivated to work for

Example: Sunflower seeds increases effectiveness if bird never has access to them

What’s the Motivation? i.e., What Consequence does the Behavior Produce?

Problem behavior continues because of reinforcement

Decreasing Behavior With Consequences

Punishment; Extinction;

Time Out From Reinforcement

• Causes sharp increase in behavior

• Very few problem behaviors well suited for extinction

• Fewer detriments than positive punishment

• Only a few seconds for parrot

• let procedure handle response

• increased aggression

• generalized fear

• apathy

• escape–avoidance behaviors

​Positive Punishment

​Extinction

​Time Out/Negative Punishment

Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior/ Differential Reinforcement of Successive Approximations (Shaping)

• Find function of behavior

• Put target behavior on extinction

• Reinforce a more appropriate behavior

• Teach a new behavior by differentially reinforcing each successive approximation

• Previous approximation goes on extinction

A Final Word about Gamblers

• Undesirable behavior should not be treated casually

• Risk of creating gambler if undesirable behavior is being intermittently reinforced

• "A gambler is willing to behave again and again and again, without reinforcement, for that one jackpot that inevitably arrives"