FarSide Meets ABA

Over my recent vacation, I found myself reading comics to my 6 year old. Much to his dismay, I found myself pausing frequently after each comic to frantically write down notes about how each panel was an example of one or more behavior analytic principles. Eventually, I put the pencil and post-its down and enjoyed the rest of the vacation but the permanent products of my temporary failure to separate work and life remain!
For those of you looking for additional practice in identifying some of the more challenging concepts in ABA or who are looking for additional examples of the principles in practice, I present you: ABA and Farside- making complex concepts hilarious. Enjoy!

First up: SDs, MOs, and more:


Is the sight of the convertible an SD or an MO for the lions' eating behavior?
What behavioral law explains why the lions might allocate their efforts to eating the two people in the convertible rather than the lone rhino at a distance?


What type of competing contingencies are controlling the white dog's behavior?
What is it called when there are two simultaneous schedules of reinforcement available for different responses in an environment?
Are the alligators SDeltas or AOs for duck-fetching? Why? Can you identify the behavior and/or value altering effects of the antecedent stimuli in the cartoon?


If this were a SSD, what type would it be?
What would be a stronger design to choose to test the functional relation?
If Zooky's coming over is consistently followed by bones going missing and therefore the dog begins telling her he has fleas so that she leaves immediately upon arrival, what type of CMO has Zooky's presence become?



The sign on the village is what type of antecedent stimulus (assuming it is true and controls behavior)?
How might it alter the Vikings behavior?
In general, open and closed signs are what type of antecedent stimulus? Are they conditioned or unconditioned?