Generalization and Maintenance Flashcards

Maintenance of a skill refers to:

Answer: The behavior continuing at the desired level after intervention is removed or thinned

Maintenance is the durability of a behavior change after systematic intervention is reduced or withdrawn, reflecting long-term learning.

Thinning reinforcement schedules over time supports maintenance by:

Answer: Transitioning from dense to lean schedules to make behavior resistant to extinction

Gradually thinning reinforcement schedules mirrors the intermittent reinforcement found in natural environments and increases resistance to extinction.

Indiscriminable contingencies promote maintenance by making it difficult for the learner to determine:

Answer: Whether the current moment is a reinforcement opportunity or not

When the learner cannot discriminate reinforcement trials from non-reinforcement trials, behavior is maintained because the reinforcer could arrive at any time.

Using natural reinforcers during training supports both generalization and maintenance because:

Answer: They already exist in the natural environment and will continue to be available after training ends

Natural reinforcers are embedded in everyday environments, so behaviors reinforced by them will continue to contact reinforcement after formal training concludes.

Generalization probes are conducted to:

Answer: Assess whether trained skills have transferred to untrained stimuli, settings, or responses

Generalization probes are assessment sessions conducted in untrained contexts to determine whether and to what degree generalization has occurred.

The strategy of 'teaching loosely' refers to:

Answer: Intentionally varying non-essential aspects of training to prevent overly narrow stimulus control

Teaching loosely involves systematically varying irrelevant stimulus dimensions (e.g., materials, settings, instructors) to prevent the behavior from coming under narrow, restrictive stimulus control.