ABA Basics
What is behavior?
An observable and measurable action of an organism
Two observers record 18 and 15 instances of a behavior during the same session. Using total-count IOA, what is the agreement percentage?
15 ÷ 18 × 100 = 83.3%.
A learner engages in aggression, and staff frequently remove difficult tasks afterward. What hypothesis might you consider, and what additional evidence is needed?
Escape from demands may be a maintaining reinforcer. Review antecedent-consequence patterns and relevant history, and use appropriate assessment procedures to evaluate the hypothesis. Correlation alone does not establish function.
A supervisor discovers that a technician implemented a procedure differently from the written protocol. What should happen before interpreting the outcome data?
Assess treatment integrity, clarify what was implemented, address immediate safety concerns, retrain as needed, and interpret outcome data in light of implementation differences.
A BCBA introduces an intervention at different times across three classrooms. Behavior changes only after intervention begins in each classroom. What design is this, and what strengthens the causal inference?
A multiple-baseline design across settings. Staggered intervention introduction and replicated changes in behavior strengthen the demonstration of experimental control.
What is the difference between behavior and a stimulus?
A behavior is an action or activity; a stimulus is an event or condition that can influence behavior.
A behavior occurs in 8 of 10 intervals using partial-interval recording. Can you conclude the behavior occupied 80% of the observation time?
No. It occurred at least once in 80% of intervals. Partial-interval recording does not estimate the percentage of time occupied by the behavior and can overestimate duration.
An indirect assessment suggests attention-maintained behavior, but descriptive observations show behavior is more common during difficult tasks. What should the BCBA do?
Treat the results as competing hypotheses, gather additional information, and select a safe, appropriate assessment method to clarify function rather than accepting one result as definitive.
A caregiver requests an intervention that conflicts with the client's documented preferences and dignity. What should guide the BCBA's response?
Individualized assessment, client rights and assent where applicable, informed consent, evidence-based practice, relevant ethics requirements, and collaborative discussion of safe alternatives.
A reversal design shows behavior decreasing during treatment, increasing when treatment is withdrawn, and decreasing again when treatment returns. What does this pattern demonstrate?
A replicated functional relation between the intervention and behavior, assuming other relevant variables are controlled. Withdrawal may not be appropriate when treatment is essential for safety or cannot ethically be removed.
What are the seven dimensions of ABA?
Applied, Behavioral, Analytic, Technological, Conceptually Systematic, Effective, and Generality.
Baseline data are 12, 11, 13, 12, and 12 responses. After intervention, data are 6, 12, 5, 11, and 4. Why is the mean alone insufficient to evaluate treatment effects?
The mean can obscure variability, overlap, trend, and immediacy of change. Visual analysis should examine level, trend, variability, overlap, and consistency across phases or tiers.
During a functional analysis, problem behavior occurs in both the attention and demand conditions at similar levels, but is low in the control condition. What interpretation is warranted?
Both test conditions may be establishing relevant contingencies, or the results may reflect overlapping or unclear variables. Replication, procedural review, and further analysis may be needed before concluding there are multiple functions.
A practicum student is asked to independently conduct a complex assessment beyond their demonstrated competence. What is the appropriate response?
Disclose the limits of competence and seek appropriate supervision, training, and oversight. Responsibilities should match demonstrated competence and applicable requirements.
A researcher alternates two interventions rapidly, but each intervention may have lingering effects that influence the next condition. What threat does this create?
Carryover effects or sequence-related confounding. Consider sufficient washout periods when appropriate, counterbalancing, or a design better suited to the intervention.
A learner correctly labels a picture of a dog but cannot select the dog when hearing 'Find the dog.' What does this tell you about the learner's repertoire?
Tacting is demonstrated, but receptive selection under the spoken instruction is not established. The responses are different operants and should be assessed and taught as needed.
A behavior's rate drops from 10 per hour to 6 per hour, but sessions also decrease from 3 hours to 1 hour. Why is comparing raw counts misleading?
The observation periods differ. Rates standardize counts by time: baseline 30 responses over 3 hours is 10 per hour, while 6 responses over 1 hour is 6 per hour.
A synthesized contingency assessment produces improvement, but the team wants to know which component of the contingency is responsible. What assessment limitation exists?
The effects of individual components cannot be isolated from the combined package. A carefully designed component analysis may be needed if clinically justified and safe.
A team reports a large reduction in challenging behavior after introducing a restrictive procedure, but communication and engagement also decrease. Is the intervention necessarily successful?
No. Evaluate broader outcomes, adverse effects, quality of life, skill acquisition, client assent where applicable, and the full treatment goals. Reduced target behavior alone does not establish overall effectiveness.
A multiple-baseline design shows improvement in all tiers before the intervention is introduced to the final tier. Why is this a problem?
The pattern weakens the demonstration of experimental control because behavior changed without the intervention in that tier. A shared environmental variable or other confound may explain the changes.
A learner answers 'What do you drink?' with 'water' after extensive intraverbal teaching, but never requests water when thirsty. Why might this distinction matter clinically?
Correct intraverbal responding does not establish functional manding. The team should assess motivation, communication opportunities, response effort, and access to effective reinforcement, then teach and measure spontaneous functional requests.
A treatment graph shows a large level change, but baseline already had a strong decreasing trend. What question should guide your interpretation?
Would the observed change be meaningfully different from the trajectory expected if baseline trends had continued? Consider trend, variability, immediacy, overlap, replication, and the overall design before attributing the change to treatment.
A functional analysis evokes severe self-injury, and the team has not established effective protective procedures. What is the most defensible next step?
Do not proceed unsafely. Reassess risk, obtain qualified clinical oversight, and consider safer assessment formats or indirect and descriptive methods while recognizing their limitations. Follow applicable consent, supervision, and safety requirements.
A supervisor wants to publish de-identified client data from routine treatment to demonstrate program effectiveness. Is removing names sufficient to ensure ethical use?
No. Re-identification risk, authorization, consent where required, privacy law and policy, organizational review, and whether the activity constitutes research must be considered. De-identification alone does not resolve every ethical or legal requirement.
A single-case graph shows a dramatic decrease in problem behavior after treatment. There is no baseline, replication, or comparison condition. Can you conclude the treatment caused the decrease?
No. The change is consistent with a treatment effect, but causal inference is limited without adequate experimental control. History, maturation, measurement changes, and other variables remain possible explanations.