ABC Detective
During a session, an RBT presents a math worksheet. The learner pushes the worksheet away. The RBT removes the worksheet and gives the learner a 2-minute break.
What is the behavior, and what consequence immediately followed it?
The behavior is pushing the worksheet away. The consequence was removal of the worksheet/giving a break.
A learner engages in four episodes of crying during a 2-hour session. Each episode lasts a different amount of time.
Which measurement would be most useful if the treatment team wants to know how long each episode lasts?
Duration.
A learner completes a task and earns access to a favorite video. Task completion subsequently increases.
What process is demonstrated?
Positive reinforcement
An RBT says, “Touch red.” The learner does not respond. The RBT immediately points to the red card, and the learner touches it.
What is the point to the red card?
A prompt
A caregiver asks an RBT, “Why does my child behave this way?”
What is the BEST response?
The RBT should avoid making unsupported clinical interpretations and direct the caregiver to the supervising BCBA or appropriate professional.
A learner is asked to transition from an iPad to a table activity. The learner begins yelling. The RBT says, “You can have 2 more minutes,” and allows continued iPad access.
What consequence could potentially be reinforcing the yelling?
Continued access to the iPad.
A learner independently responds to 8 out of 10 instructions.
What percentage of opportunities were completed independently?
80%
A learner begins wearing headphones during a loud activity. The headphones reduce the unpleasant noise, and the learner becomes more likely to put them on independently.
What type of reinforcement is involved?
Negative reinforcement
An RBT initially provides a verbal prompt every time a learner practices requesting. The RBT gradually reduces the prompt until the learner requests independently.
What procedure is being demonstrated?
Prompt fading
An RBT arrives for a session and notices that the client's environment is significantly different from usual, which may affect treatment.
What should the RBT do?
Document objective observations and communicate relevant changes to the supervisor.
During a session, the RBT tells a learner, “It’s time to clean up.” The learner throws the toys across the room. The RBT then says, “Okay, you can have another minute,” and allows the learner to continue playing.
What are the antecedent, behavior, and consequence in this ABC sequence?
A: RBT says, “It’s time to clean up.”
B: Learner throws the toys across the room.
C: The RBT allows another minute of play instead of requiring cleanup.
You're driving in the car and come to a red light, so you look at your phone while you are waiting. The light turns green, signaling it is time for you to go. It takes you 5 seconds to press on the gas after the light turned green. What is being measured in this scenario.
Latency
A learner engages in whining, and the RBT immediately provides attention. The whining subsequently increases.
Attention may be functioning as a positive reinforcer for whining.
A learner is learning to brush their teeth. The skill is divided into individual steps, and the learner is taught each step in sequence.
What teaching strategy is being used?
Task analysis/ chaining
During a session, a caregiver asks the RBT to stop collecting data because they believe the behavior has improved.
What should the RBT do?
Follow the established treatment and data-collection procedures and consult the supervisor rather than independently stopping data collection.
An RBT records the following:
Why would it be inappropriate to automatically conclude that the screaming is maintained by escape?
The ABC data show an antecedent involving a demand, but the consequence did not provide escape. A functional hypothesis requires sufficient data, not simply identifying a common antecedent.
A behavior occurred 24 times during a 6-hour observation.
Another observation shows 18 occurrences during 3 hours.
Which observation had the higher rate of behavior?
The second observation.
24 ÷ 6 = 4 per hour
18 ÷ 3 = 6 per hour
A learner loses 5 minutes of tablet time after hitting. Hitting subsequently decreases.
What procedure is this?
Negative punishment
A learner can identify animals when shown pictures but struggles to identify them when seeing actual animals at the zoo.
What important programming issue might this suggest?
Answer:
A learner can identify animals when shown pictures but struggles to identify them when seeing actual animals at the zoo.
What important programming issue might this suggest?
A generalization problem. The skill may not have generalized across stimuli/settings.
An RBT is working with a client in the community. A stranger asks, “What's wrong with that child?”
What should the RBT do?
Protect the client's privacy and avoid disclosing confidential information. The RBT should respond professionally without discussing the client's diagnosis or treatment.
A learner engages in aggression when denied a preferred item. Sometimes the RBT gives the item following aggression; other times the RBT withholds it and prompts an appropriate request.
Why might the aggression become particularly resistant to change?
Intermittent reinforcement may have strengthened the behavior, making it more resistant to extinction.
An RBT reports: “The learner was very disruptive today and seemed frustrated.”
Why is this poor behavioral documentation, and how could it be improved?
“Disruptive” and “frustrated” are subjective or vague. The RBT should document observable, measurable behaviors, such as “The learner yelled, pushed materials onto the floor, and left the table three times.”
An RBT provides a token every time a learner completes 3 math problems. After several sessions, the learner consistently completes 3 problems before receiving the token. What schedule of reinforcement is being used?
Fixed-ratio (FR) 3 — reinforcement is delivered after a set number of responses.
An RBT consistently provides a prompt immediately after presenting an instruction. The learner begins waiting for the prompt instead of responding independently.
What potential problem has developed, and what should the RBT consider?
Prompt dependency. The RBT should follow the established prompting/fading procedure and consult the supervisor about appropriate prompt fading.
An RBT notices that a behavior intervention appears to be producing unexpected results. The RBT believes they have a better intervention that might work.
What should the RBT do?
Continue implementing the authorized treatment plan as trained, document objective observations, and bring the concern and proposed idea to the supervisor. The RBT should not independently modify the intervention.