ABA Research, Analysis, and Intervention 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A researcher wants to determine if a functional relationship exists between a reinforcement schedule and response rate. Which design best demonstrates experimental control?
- Case study with narrative description
- Reversal (ABA) design with repeated measurement (Correct answer)
- Pre-post group comparison without control group
- Anecdotal observation across multiple settings
Correct answer: Reversal (ABA) design with repeated measurement
Reversal designs demonstrate experimental control by showing behavior changes predictably with introduction and withdrawal of the independent variable.
Question 2: When graphing data in ABA, the convention for representing a change in the independent variable between phases is:
- A data point circled in red
- A vertical dashed or solid phase change line (Correct answer)
- A horizontal dotted trend line
- An asterisk placed above the relevant data point
Correct answer: A vertical dashed or solid phase change line
Phase change lines (vertical lines between data paths) are the standard convention for indicating a change in conditions on ABA graphs.
Question 3: In a multiple-baseline design across behaviors, the researcher delays introducing the intervention to each new behavior primarily to:
- Reduce the total number of sessions required
- Rule out maturation as an alternative explanation
- Demonstrate that change occurs only when and where the intervention is applied (Correct answer)
- Counterbalance the order of behavior targets
Correct answer: Demonstrate that change occurs only when and where the intervention is applied
Staggered introduction controls for confounds by showing behavior changes only upon intervention, ruling out coincidental events.
Question 4: Which measure of variability in a data set is most useful when the analyst suspects outliers are distorting the picture of typical performance?
- Standard deviation
- Range
- Median absolute deviation (Correct answer)
- Variance
Correct answer: Median absolute deviation
Median absolute deviation is robust to outliers because it is based on the median rather than the mean, making it less sensitive to extreme values.
Question 5: A behavior analyst conducting a functional analysis observes that self-injurious behavior is highest during the alone condition. This pattern suggests the behavior is maintained by:
- Positive reinforcement (attention)
- Negative reinforcement (escape)
- Automatic (sensory) reinforcement (Correct answer)
- Positive reinforcement (tangible access)
Correct answer: Automatic (sensory) reinforcement
Elevated responding in the alone condition indicates the behavior produces its own reinforcing consequences independent of social mediation.
Question 6: Parsimony in behavior analysis means the analyst should:
- Select the most expensive evidence-based treatment
- Prefer the simplest sufficient explanation before invoking complex ones (Correct answer)
- Apply multiple interventions simultaneously to ensure success
- Prioritize mentalistic explanations when observable data are unclear
Correct answer: Prefer the simplest sufficient explanation before invoking complex ones
Parsimony directs scientists to accept the simplest explanation that adequately accounts for the observed data before adopting more complex alternatives.
Question 7: A practitioner graphs cumulative records rather than standard frequency graphs when they want to:
- Display day-to-day variability most clearly
- Show the total number of responses accumulated over time (Correct answer)
- Compare two independent behaviors on the same scale
- Illustrate the latency between the SD and response
Correct answer: Show the total number of responses accumulated over time
Cumulative records add each new data point to the running total, making it easy to see overall response output and acceleration or deceleration trends.
ABA Research, Analysis, and Intervention 2
A researcher wants to determine if a functional relationship exists between a reinforcement schedule and response rate.
Which design best demonstrates experimental control?