Question about the definition of “program.”
Answer: The simplest definition of a “program” is: a sequence of contingencies with changing criteria that lead to a specified outcome. History is a sequence of contingencies with changing criteria that lead to an observed outcome.
A program is not simply a collection of activities or protocols to be followed.
A program is a sequence of contingencies with changing criteria that lead to a replicable outcome. The key element of the program are the changes in contingency requirements over time. Different programs can produce different outcomes given the same entry repertoire even where the terminal perfomance looks identical. A discrimination may be abolished by a drug if established with a trial and error program but not if established with an errorless program. The terminal discrimination performance is identical for each, the IV that accounts for the difference in response to the drug is the program.
Critical is the step-by-step elements of the program. Notice, in Sean’s description he said of the dog failed to meet criteria, reinforcement was delivered, and the “program,” the contingency requirement, was changed. The dog’s success was a function of the criterial steps of the program, not of reinforcement.