APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS

Applied Behavior Analysis



Applied Behavior Analysis

Introduction

In this assignment, a research article related to applied behavior analysis. The article is “Effects of mixed reinforcement contingencies on adults' control of children's behavior” by William H. Redd from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Rationale

This research article analyzed the particular effects of different and mixed reinforcement contingencies on human behavior. The relevance studies are socio cultural aspects of human nature. The logic of justification is based on an analysis of the evolution of mixed reinforcement contingencies and some specific features adults' control over children behavior. In this paper author give not only the justification of the need and timeliness of the study of socio cultural aspects of human nature, but also outlined the methodological guidelines, opening the possibility of such research.

The aim of the William H. Redd study was to determine whether an adult who does not follow one particular schedule of reinforcement acquires stimulus control of the children's behavior.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The dependent variable was children behavior. This was measured in IQ level of the respondent. The children behavior was analyzed by several observation sections.

Independent Variable (IV)

The independent variable of the study was reinforcement contingencies. There are two types of reinforcement contingent and non-contingent and the mixture of both is mixed reinforcement contingencies. This independent variable was tested on children to find out the effect of mixed reinforcement contingencies on children's behavior.

The procedures in general terms

For the purpose of hypothesis testing, statistical test has to be performed. By applying the simple linear regression on the two study variables, we will be able to find and interpret the significant effect of independent variable on dependent variable under the 95% level of confidence.

Results

Hypothesis test has been performed on 95% level of confidence and the hypothesis is rejected on 5% level of significance. The results show that mixed reinforcement has increasing significant effect on stimulus control criterion. It can be further explained as, on the basis observatory sessions from 1 to 14 the effect of both contingencies (i.e. mixed reinforcement contingency) has significantly increased over the behavioral stimulus.

Interpretation of Relationship between IV and DV

The relationship between the dependent and independent variables is explained by the correlation coefficient (also called correlation value) is a dimensionless measure of the degree of linear correlation (measures of association) between at least interval-scaled features. It can take values ??between -1 and +1. A value of +1 (or -1) is a completely positive (or negative) linear relationship between the observed characteristics. If the correlation coefficient has the value 0, the two characteristics depend not at all linear from one another. However, these in the nonlinear way depend on each other regardless. Thus, the correlation coefficient is not an appropriate measure of the (pure) stochastic dependence of characteristics.

If the relationship is statistically significant, we can say that there is a relationship between two attributes, variables. Strength of the association is defined as a value ranging from -1 to 1. The further away from 0 (both plus and ...