RBT Practice Scenarios
During session, you remove a preferred item after grabbing behavior. Behavior decreases. What procedure is this?
Negative punishment (response cost).
What does “negative” refer to in negative punishment?
Removing a stimulus.
What does “positive” mean in positive punishment?
In behavioral terms, this occurs when you add a stimulus after a behavior.
A child throws a toy, and the toy is removed for 30 seconds. Is this punishment?
Only if throwing decreases over time.
Who creates or approves any punishment procedure in ABA?
The BCBA.
You block a child’s hand each time they attempt to hit another child. Behavior decreases. What is this?
Positive punishment (response blocking).
Timeout is a type of which punishment?
Negative punishment.
What must positive punishment do to qualify as punishment?
Decrease the future frequency of the behavior.
A child hits their sibling and is told, “No hitting!” but hitting increases. Is this positive punishment?
No; the behavior increased.
What must RBTs do before implementing punishment?
Follow the written behavior plan and receive training.
After throwing puzzle pieces, a child must pick them up and reset the area. Behavior decreases. What is this?
Positive punishment (restitution).
What must occur for a timeout to function as "true" punishment?
The behavior must decrease afterward.
True or False: Positive punishment must be physically aversive.
False; it only must reduce behavior.
A student is required to rewrite messy work neatly. What type of consequence could this be?
Positive punishment (if behavior decreases).
True or False: RBTs may create punishment procedures based on clinical intuition.
False.
A student is moved to a calm area for 2 minutes after screaming. Screaming decreases. What is this procedure?
Timeout from reinforcement (negative punishment).
Taking away tokens is an example of what?
Response cost (negative punishment).
What is the term for giving a student an extra chore following a behavior?
Overcorrection (a type of positive punishment).
You ignore whining, and it decreases. What is this?
Extinction, not punishment.
What ethical guideline requires selecting the least intrusive procedure?
The principle of Least Restrictive Alternative.
A BCBA instructs you to implement response cost, but the child becomes extremely distressed. What should you do?
Follow reporting procedures: stop, document, and notify the BCBA immediately.
What distinguishes timeout from extinction?
Timeout removes access to reinforcement; extinction stops reinforcement for the behavior.
What is the main difference between reprimands and response blocking as positive punishment procedures?
Reprimands are verbal additions; blocking prevents the response by physically interrupting it.
A teen loses video game minutes after yelling. Yelling decreases. What is this?
Negative punishment via response cost.
What ongoing data process must be used to continue any punishment procedure?
Regular monitoring of effectiveness and side effects.