Practice Test Geeks(ABA) Applied Behavior Analyst Certification Practice Test
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Concepts & Principles of Behavior Analysis Flashcards

7 cards from real ABA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Concepts & Principles of Behavior Analysis flashcards as text

  1. Which schedule of reinforcement produces the highest and most consistent rate of responding?

    Answer: Variable ratio

    Variable ratio schedules produce the highest, most persistent rates of responding because reinforcement is unpredictable, preventing extinction.

  2. A child cries every time a parent leaves the room, and crying increases over time. This best illustrates:

    Answer: Positive reinforcement

    If the behavior (crying) increases because it produces a consequence (parent returns/attends), that consequence is a positive reinforcer.

  3. What term describes the degree to which behaviors are controlled by stimuli that were present during previous reinforcement?

    Answer: Stimulus control

    Stimulus control exists when a specific antecedent stimulus reliably evokes a behavior because that behavior was previously reinforced in its presence.

  4. Deprivation of a reinforcer is classified as which type of motivating operation?

    Answer: Unconditioned establishing operation

    Deprivation is an unconditioned establishing operation (UEO) because it is biologically based and increases the value of the deprived stimulus without prior learning.

  5. An individual continues to respond during extinction because intermittent reinforcement was used previously. This phenomenon is called:

    Answer: Resistance to extinction

    Resistance to extinction is the persistence of responding during extinction, which is greater when the behavior was previously maintained on intermittent reinforcement.

  6. Which concept explains why a neutral stimulus paired repeatedly with an unconditioned stimulus eventually elicits the same response as the unconditioned stimulus?

    Answer: Respondent conditioning

    Respondent (Pavlovian) conditioning pairs a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus until the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus eliciting the conditioned response.

  7. A teacher provides praise immediately after a student raises their hand, and hand-raising increases. After a week, the teacher delays praise by 30 seconds and hand-raising decreases. This illustrates the importance of:

    Answer: Contiguity

    Contiguity refers to the temporal closeness between a behavior and its consequence; delays weaken the reinforcing effect of consequences.