ABA Concepts & Principles of Behavior Analysis 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which term refers to the process by which a previously conditioned stimulus loses its ability to elicit a conditioned response?
- Habituation
- Extinction (respondent) (Correct answer)
- Stimulus generalization
- Counter-conditioning
Correct answer: Extinction (respondent)
Respondent extinction occurs when a conditioned stimulus is repeatedly presented without the unconditioned stimulus, eventually eliminating the conditioned response.
Question 2: Satiation with a reinforcer best exemplifies which type of motivating operation?
- Unconditioned establishing operation
- Conditioned establishing operation
- Unconditioned abolishing operation (Correct answer)
- Conditioned abolishing operation
Correct answer: Unconditioned abolishing operation
Satiation is an unconditioned abolishing operation (UAO) that decreases the reinforcing value of a stimulus through biological mechanisms without a learning history.
Question 3: A pigeon trained to peck a red key also pecks orange and yellow keys without additional training. This demonstrates:
- Stimulus discrimination
- Behavioral contrast
- Stimulus generalization (Correct answer)
- Errorless learning
Correct answer: Stimulus generalization
Stimulus generalization occurs when responses trained to one stimulus transfer to similar, untrained stimuli based on their physical properties.
Question 4: The three-term contingency (A-B-C) in operant conditioning consists of:
- Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence (Correct answer)
- Assessment, Baseline, Condition
- Abolishing, Building, Counting
- Analysis, Behavior, Conditioning
Correct answer: Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence
The three-term contingency describes the functional relationship between the antecedent stimulus, the behavior, and the consequence that follows.
Question 5: Shaping involves reinforcing successive approximations toward a terminal behavior. Which principle underlies the effectiveness of shaping?
- Continuous reinforcement of the final behavior
- Differential reinforcement of closer approximations (Correct answer)
- Extinction of all competing behaviors simultaneously
- Fixed-ratio schedules applied to the target response
Correct answer: Differential reinforcement of closer approximations
Shaping works by differentially reinforcing behaviors that progressively more closely resemble the target behavior while withholding reinforcement from earlier approximations.
Question 6: Which concept describes the phenomenon where punishment of a behavior in one setting leads to an increase of that behavior in another setting where punishment is absent?
- Generalization
- Behavioral contrast (Correct answer)
- Extinction burst
- Response induction
Correct answer: Behavioral contrast
Behavioral contrast is the increase in response rate in one condition when reinforcement is decreased or punishment is introduced in an alternative condition.
Question 7: A behavior analyst defines a target behavior in terms of observable actions that can be measured. This approach reflects which core dimension of ABA?
- Technological
- Behavioral (Correct answer)
- Analytic
- Conceptually systematic
Correct answer: Behavioral
The 'behavioral' dimension of ABA requires that target behaviors be overt, observable, and measurable rather than defined by inferred internal states.
ABA Concepts & Principles of Behavior Analysis 3
Which term refers to the process by which a previously conditioned stimulus loses its ability to elicit a conditioned response?