Assessment
After determining that it is within his level of competence, a behavior analyst accepts a new case. His client is a ten-year-old child with incontinence. Which of the following is the first step the analyst should take in assessing the child's behavior?
A. Conduct a functional analysis.
B. Ask the family if the child has been evaluated by a medical professional.
C. Conduct an indirect functional assessment.
D. Increase the child's fluid consumption to observe the target behavior.
B. Ask the family if the child has been evaluated by a medical professional.
Rule out Medical!
A behavior analyst wants to measure the frequency of a client's hitting behavior during a session. Which of the following best explains how to accurately measure the frequency of hitting behavior?
A. During a 30-minute session, record whether the hitting behavior occurs, or does not occur, at the end of every five-minute interval.
B. Calculate the amount of time between each occurrence of hitting behavior by starting a timer at the onset of the first hitting occurrence and ending it at the initiation of the next hitting behavior.
C. Collect data when the client brings his hand up to make contact with an item or person with force. Exclude instances of high fives or clapping hands.
D. Collect data for each occurrence of hitting by marking a tally for each instance. At the end of the session, count the total number of tallies.
D. Collect data for each occurrence of hitting by marking a tally for each instance. At the end of the session, count the total number of tallies.
When Sarah is learning to drive, her driving instructor tells her that she will get a ticket if she speeds. Once Sarah gets her license, she observes the posted speed limit at all times. Which of the following best describes Sarah's behavior?
A. Contingency-shaped behavior
B. Three-term contingency
C. Rule-governed behavior
D. Negative reinforcement
C. Rule-governed behavior
Rule-governed behavior occurs when an individual's behavior is shaped by a consequence that they have not directly experienced. In this scenario, Sarah has not gotten a ticket, but the knowledge of that consequence directs her to follow the speed limit at all times.
A behavior that is elicited by antecedent stimuli and is "brought about" by a stimulus that precedes it is:
A. Operant
B. Learned
C. Respondent
D. New
C. Respondent
Doris is using behavior skills training (BST) to teach a new procedure to her registered technicians. During the training session, Doris provides a rationale, describes the procedure, and gives a written task analysis to her technicians. Which of the following procedural actions should Doris take next, in order to adhere to the BST model?
A. Demonstrate how to correctly implement planned ignoring.
B. Observe the technicians as they simulate a tact training procedure.
C. Provide feedback on how to correctly implement differential reinforcement.
D. Ask a technician to demonstrate negative reinforcement.
A. Demonstrate how to correctly implement planned ignoring.
Model*
Tammy completes a preference assessment by placing various items on a table and allowing the client to access items freely for five consecutive minutes. Tammy then determines the preference hierarchy by ranking them in order of time spent with each item, from longest to shortest. Which of the following best describes this preference assessment?
A. Single stimulus preference assessment
B. Brief free operant preference assessment
C. Paired stimulus preference assessment
D. Multiple stimulus without replacement
B. Brief free operant preference assessment
What is latency recording?
Latency recording is a different type of duration recording that involves measuring how long it takes for a behavior to begin after a specific verbal demand or event has occurred.
The duration between the stimulus and the onset of the behavior
A behavior analyst is working with an 11-year-old client who has complex verbal language skills. The client currently works for 10 minutes at a time to earn a 10-minute break, during which he typically chooses to play video games. The analyst would like to increase the duration of the client's work sessions. What procedure should the analyst use to ensure the client's smooth transition to a longer work interval?
A. Use schedule thinning to increase the duration of work time to 30-minute intervals.
B. Use schedule thinning to increase the duration of work time to 15-minute intervals and clearly communicate the new rule prior to implementation.
C. Decrease the client's break time from 10 minutes to 5 minutes.
D. Do not communicate the new rule, but set the timer for 15 minutes at the beginning of the next work session.
B. Use schedule thinning to increase the duration of work time to 15-minute intervals and clearly communicate the new rule prior to implementation.
Describe the three term contingency that governs a mand.
Antecedent: Presence or deprivation of a desired stimulus. OR presence of an aversive stimulus.
Behavior: Mand
Consequence: Specific reinforcer added or removed
A behavior analyst implements a functional communication program with a client in the client's home environment. Since the implementation of this program, the client has demonstrated significant improvement in the home environment as well as other novel settings, like the client's classroom. This is an example of which important characteristic of applied behavior analysis?
A. Generality B. Public
C. Conceptually systematic D. Applied
A. Generality
Jamie and Morgan have similar behavior challenges and similar daily schedules. A behavior analyst has spent extensive time and effort on developing and implementing Morgan's plan, which is proving to be very successful. How should the behavior analyst proceed with developing a treatment plan for Jamie?
A. Because the behaviors are topographically similar, implementing the plan designed for Morgan would be appropriate as it is the least restrictive option.
B. Complete a separate functional assessment and plan for Jamie.
C. Use the same plan for both, just ensure the ecological variables correspond to the student.
D. Do a separate functional analysis, but the same behavior supports can be applied to both students.
B. Complete a separate functional assessment and plan for Jamie.
A researcher conducts a study with three participants. Baseline data is collected intermittently. The treatment variable is first applied to Participant A, then to Participant B, and later still, it is applied to Participant C. Which of the following explains how internal validity is demonstrated in this study?
A. Behavior rates are differentiated between two interventions.
B. Behavior returns to baseline levels upon removal of the intervention.
C. Behavior returns to baseline levels upon completion of the study.
D. Behavior change occurs only when the intervention is introduced.
D. Behavior change occurs only when the intervention is introduced.
A behavior analyst develops an intervention to increase a child's ability to wait for desired items. The child successfully learns to wait for five minutes before gaining access to preferred items and activities and does not display problematic behavior during the waiting period. After witnessing the child's success, the analyst discontinues the waiting program. A month later, however, the child's parents report that the child is unable to wait for more than five minutes whenever there is a long line at the drive-through. What should the analyst have done to improve the outcome of this intervention?
A. Taught behavior levels required by natural contingencies
B. Considered the different functions related to waiting
C. Taught the child to ask for a break
D. Taught the child how to communicate frustration
A. Taught behavior levels required by natural contingencies
What tool it most commonly used when utilizing a chaining procedure to teach a new skill?
A. Cumulative Graph B. iPad
C. Task Analysis D. Token Board
C. Task Analysis
Chaining is a fundamental teaching procedure for teaching multi-step behaviors. It is important to task analyze complex, multi-step behaviors and to effectively teach those skills using various chaining procedures. Most commonly, task analyses are used in teaching daily living skills, vocational skills, life skills, and play/leisure skills.
Which behavior analysis philosophy focuses on discovering and clarifying basic principles of behavior?
A. Experimental analysis of behavior (EAB)
B. Applied behavior analysis (ABA)
C. Methodological behaviorism
D. Radical behaviorism
A. Experimental analysis of behavior (EAB)
The primary purpose of EAB is to conduct research to determine the basic principles of behavior, that is, the functional relationship between behavior and environmental variables.
A technician instructs his client to walk towards the bathroom. The client begins walking in the direction of the bathroom, stops, and then slowly walks toward a large box of new toys instead. The technician verbally prompts the client to walk to the bathroom and also stands between the client and the box. The client resumes walking towards the bathroom and the technician follows along. Moments later, while walking, the client yells and bites the technician's arm. The technician then physically prompts the client to walk to the bathroom. The technician records ABC data: A) The technician verbally instructed the client to go the bathroom, B) The client yelled and bit the technician's arm, and C) The technician physically prompted the client to continue walking to the bathroom. Which of the following limitations of ABC narrative recording is evident in this scenario?
A. The technician failed to include important antecedent details.
B. The technician did not describe the target behavior correctly.
C. The technician used subjective phrasing.
D. The technician did not follow a least-to-most prompting procedure.
A. The technician failed to include important antecedent details.
The technician verbally redirected the client when the client moved toward the box of toys, standing between the client and the box. Although this occurred before the yelling and biting behavior occurred, it was left out of the ABC data, which is not a correct application of this assessment technique.
A community engagement provider is working with an individual to develop work-related skills for becoming a greeter in a store. When greeting a customer, the individual will smile, say hello, and offer the customer a cart. The provider will count the number of practice trials it takes for the individual to successfully learn to greet customers. Which of the following measurement methods would most effectively assess progress towards this skill?
A. Frequency B. Trials-to-criterion
C. Latency D. Rate
B. Trials-to-criterion
Trials-to-criterion is the number of responses, instructional trials, or practice opportunities needed to reach a predetermined performance standard. Trials-to-criterion can be used for assessing progress toward acquiring skills within a response class, for example, brushing teeth, tying shoes, or in this case, greeting a customer.
The “Good Behavior Game” involves dividing a group into teams, and offering a reward contingent upon good behavior exhibited by everyone on the team. Instead of earning rewards for good behavior, each team receives “strikes” against it for any problematic behaviors exhibited by any one of the team’s members. The team with the fewest strikes earns the reward. What type of group contingency is this?
A. Independent
B. Dependent
C. Interdependent
D. Punishment
C. Interdependent
This is an example of an interdependent group contingency. An interdependent group contingency provides rewards to the entire group if, and only if, each member of the group meets the criterion.
A behavior analyst is working with Susan, who interrupts other students in her classroom. The analyst completes a functional behavior assessment to identify possible reinforcers. The analyst then initiates a behavior-change program in which Susan is given a token each time she raises her hand and waits to be called on. Which of the following schedules of reinforcement is demonstrated in this intervention?
A. Extinction
B. Multiple schedules of reinforcement
C. Intermittent schedule of reinforcement
D. Continuous reinforcement
D. Continuous reinforcement
Continuous reinforcement requires that the desired behavior is reinforced every time it occurs. This schedule is best used during the initial stages of learning to create a strong association between the behavior and response.
A behavior analyst needs to identify which component is interfering with the effectiveness of a treatment package. The analyst begins to systematically remove components of the treatment package to investigate the impact of each element on his client's behavior change. Which of the following best describes the type of experimental analysis used by the behavior analyst?
A. Drop-out component analysis
B. Parametric analysis
C. Add-in component analysis
D. Comparative analysis
A. Drop-out component analysis
In a drop-out component analysis, the behavior analyst implements the entire treatment package and then systematically removes the different components. The behavior analyst records and analyzes the effects of the systematic removal of components on behavior change. The results of this analysis can be used to identify which component of a treatment package may be interfering with the overall effectiveness of the package.
Name the conditions manipulated in a functional analysis and briefly describe the design in which they are assessed.
There are four conditions used: three test conditions- social positive (attention), social negative (escape), and alone- and a control condition play. Test conditions are presented one at a time and in alternating sequence to identify which conditions predictably result in problem behaviors.
A behavior analyst notices that her client, Sally, consumes food at an elevated rate. After measuring her food intake, the behavior analyst observes that Sally takes 15 bites of food/minute. What is the estimated average interresponse time (IRT)?
A. 15 bites/minute
B. 4 seconds
C. 1 bite/4 seconds
D. 15 bites
B. 4 seconds
Sally's eating behavior occurs at a rate of 15 bites/minute, which is equal to 15 bites/60 seconds. IRT is the opposite (reciprocal) of the rate. In other words, to calculate IRT, you will need to find the reciprocal of the given rate. Divide the denominator (60) by the numerator (15), or 60 seconds/15 bites = 4.
A client is taught to match the written word "Florida" to a map of the state. The client is then taught to match Florida's capital, the written word "Tallahassee," to a map of the state. Which of the following actions provides evidence that the client understands the transitive relationship inherent in this example?
A. Matching the written word "Tallahassee" to the written word "Florida."
B. Matching the written word "Tallahassee" to the map of Florida.
C. Matching the map of Florida to the written word "Florida."
D. Matching the map of Florida with another identical map of Florida.
A. Matching the written word "Tallahassee" to the written word "Florida."
Transitivity is a derived relation that results from two other stimulus-stimulus relations (if A=B and B=C, then A=C). Transitivity is not explicitly taught, but can be inferred through an understanding of the other stimulus relationships.
A behavior analyst wants to use shaping to teach John to use the American Sign Language (ASL) sign to mand for food. Which of the following best describes the procedure the analyst should use?
Select one:
A. The analyst models the sign for food. When John makes the correct sign, the analyst gives him food. Over the course of multiple trials, the analyst stops modeling the sign and provides John with food only when he independently uses the correct sign.
B. The analyst points to a photo of food. When John uses a modified sign, the analyst gives him food. Over the course of multiple trials, the analyst provides John with food only after fading the picture from the environment.
C. The analyst begins by giving food to John when he uses a modified sign for food. Over multiple trials, the analyst provides food only as each sign attempt becomes more similar to the ASL sign for food.
D. The analyst uses hand-over-hand prompts to physically help John make the sign for food. Over time, the analyst provides prompts only if they are needed.
C. The analyst provides differential reinforcement for successive approximations of the ASL sign for food. Reinforcement is contingent on attempts that are members of a response class that share a specified dimension or quality.
Seeing a fast-food restaurant when hungry can result in going into the restaurant and eating, resulting in the reinforcer of decreased hunger. This may lead to feelings of hunger when seeing a fast-food restaurant in the future, even if one has recently eaten and shouldn't necessarily feel hungry at that time. This is an example of:
A. Reflexive motivating operations
B. Surrogate motivating operations
C. Transitive motivating operations
D. Classical conditioning
B. Surrogate motivating operations
A neutral stimulus that is paired with an unconditioned motivating operation or a conditioned motivating operation and acquires the same value-altering and behavior-altering effects as the unconditioned motivating operation or conditioned motivating operation with which it was paired.