Measurement & Data
During a 2-hour session, a client engages in aggression 12 times. What measurement would allow the team to compare this session to a 3-hour session?
What is rate?
A client completes a worksheet and receives 5 minutes with an iPad. Worksheet completion increases. What principle is demonstrated?
What is positive reinforcement?
A client screams when the RBT talks to another staff member. The RBT turns toward the client and says, “What's wrong?” Screaming continues to occur in similar situations.
What is attention-maintained behavior?
An RBT says, “Touch red,” immediately points to the red card, and then reinforces the client's correct response. What did the RBT provide?
Bonus (100): What kind of teaching method is an immediate gesture prompt?
What is a prompt?
Bonus: What is errorless teaching?
A parent asks the RBT, “Do you think my child has ADHD too?” What should the RBT do?
Avoid diagnosing or offering a clinical opinion and refer the question to the appropriate supervisor/provider.
An RBT records the amount of time between giving the instruction “Put your shoes on” and the client beginning to put them on. What is being measured?
What is latency?
A client puts on their seatbelt, the car’s warning sound stops, and seatbelt use increases in the future.
What is negative reinforcement?
A client throws instructional materials when difficult demands are presented. Staff remove the demands, and throwing becomes more frequent.
What is escape-maintained behavior?
A client learns to request water with one RBT but does not request water with their parent. What important behavioral outcome has not yet occurred?
What is generalization?
An RBT realizes they accidentally recorded incorrect data earlier in the session. What should they do?
Correct the error according to organizational procedures and notify the supervisor as appropriate, rather than hiding or falsifying the data.
A client engages in stereotypy for 6 minutes, stops for 2 minutes, then engages in stereotypy for another 4 minutes. What measurement system would best capture this behavior?
What is duration?
An RBT provides reinforcement for requesting “break” but does not provide reinforcement when the client screams to escape a task. What two procedures may be occurring?
What are differential reinforcement and extinction?
A client repeatedly hums while alone, while playing, during instruction, and when attention and preferred items are freely available.
What is automatic reinforcement?
An RBT initially uses a full physical prompt to teach handwashing and gradually moves to partial physical, modeling, gestural, and eventually independent responding. What process is occurring?
What is prompt fading?
A caregiver gives an RBT a $75 gift card and says, “You deserve it—please don't tell your supervisor.” What should the RBT do?
Follow BACB and organizational requirements regarding gifts and inform their supervisor rather than secretly accepting it.
An RBT wants to measure whether a client engages in vocal stereotypy at any point during each 30-second interval. What measurement procedure is being used?
What is partial-interval recording?
A token has little value by itself but can be exchanged for snacks, toys, breaks, or activities. What type of reinforcer is the token?
What is a generalized conditioned reinforcer?
Every time access to an iPad is denied, a client engages in aggression. When aggression occurs, caregivers frequently give the iPad back. What is the likely function, and what consequence may be maintaining the behavior?
What is access to tangibles, maintained by receiving the iPad following aggression?
A learner can independently complete every step of brushing their teeth except putting toothpaste on the toothbrush. The RBT teaches that specific step while allowing the learner to independently complete the others. What type of chaining procedure could be appropriate?
What is total-task chaining?
An RBT believes a client's treatment plan is ineffective and decides to modify the reinforcement schedule without consulting the BCBA. What is the primary problem?
The RBT is practicing outside their scope and modifying a treatment protocol without appropriate supervisor direction.
A BCBA wants an RBT to collect data on a behavior that occurs at extremely high rates and has no clear beginning or end. Name one discontinuous measurement procedure that may be appropriate.
What is momentary time sampling, partial interval, or whole interval recording?
A client previously received reinforcement after every correct response. The BCBA changes the schedule so reinforcement occurs after an unpredictable number of correct responses averaging five. Identify the new schedule.
What is a variable-ratio 5 (VR-5) schedule?
An RBT notices that aggression typically occurs following demands, but sometimes it also occurs when preferred items are removed. Can the RBT independently conclude that aggression has two functions?
No. The RBT should collect objective ABC/data and report the pattern to the supervisor rather than independently determining behavioral function.
During discrimination training, a client consistently selects the item closest to the RBT rather than responding based on the instruction. What problem may have developed?
What is faulty stimulus control, specifically a position bias?
A client's parent tells the RBT that they stopped implementing part of the behavior plan because it causes severe behavior at home. The RBT believes the parent “just needs to be consistent.” What should the RBT do?
Document/report the caregiver's concern to the supervisor and continue working within the authorized treatment plan rather than independently giving clinical recommendations or changing treatment.