Need help with my Psychology question – I’m studying for my class.

• Watch the Unit 9 Lecture. (click here for transcripts)
• Read the following scenario.

A parent has reached out to you for help regarding her 4-year-old. Mom is going back to work after being home with her only child for 4-years. She is trying to find a nice daycare center for him – one that is very much like the home environment that he is used to. She is anxious about the separation. Each of the daycare centers that she has called has a policy regarding toilet training. Children 2-years old and over must be toilet trained. Mom has tried to toilet train little Noah, but without any success. She has invested in “pull ups,” thinking that Noah will be proud to wear “big boy” underwear instead of diapers, but success has been very limited.

• Design a toilet training program for Noah.
• Specify the process and the schedule of reinforcement to be used.
• Program for generalization and maintenance.

Respond to a minimum of two peers based upon the following:

• Critique two classmates’ skill acquisition programs for toileting.
• Assess the toilet training program for ease and effectiveness of implementation. Is this a program that parents and significant others will be able to implement consistently? If not, how could you tweak the program to make it more likely that it will be implemented correctly and consistently?
• Discuss the methods you would use to increase the probability of generalization and maintenance.

Reading and Resources

Read the following:

Chapter 13 in Applied Behavior Analysis (3rd ed.): “Schedules of Reinforcement”

Chapter 13 introduces schedules of reinforcement and the effects continuous and intermittent schedules have on behavior. The four variations of basic intermittent schedules are explained and the characteristic effects of each on behavior are discussed.

Chapter 30 in Applied Behavior Analysis (3rd ed.): “Generalization and Maintenance of Behavior Change”

Chapter 30 presents the concept of generalization of behavior change, as well as maintenance of the behavior change over time. The authors focus on the three main types of generalization, i.e., generalized behavior change (response maintenance); setting/situation generalization; and response generalization. The rationale for programming for generalization and maintenance is presented and processes for programming are explained.

Chapter 8 in How to Think Like a Behavior Analyst: Understanding the Science that Can Change Your Life: “Getting Started in a Career in Behavior Analysis”

Students of applied behavior analysis (ABA) often have many questions regarding what a career in ABA actually entails; what types of jobs are “out there,” how to get started in the field, and many questions about Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) certification. Chapter 8 addresses each of these questions and much more!

TEXTBOOKS

Reference: Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., Heward, W. L. (2019). Applied Behavior Analysis.