ABAT - Applied Behavior Analysis Antecedent-Based Interventions Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An ABAT is working with a client who often becomes agitated and throws materials when presented with difficult academic tasks. To prevent this, the supervisor suggests offering the client a choice between two different tasks (e.g., 'Would you like to do the math worksheet or the spelling list first?'). This strategy is an example of which antecedent-based intervention?
- Response Cost
- Providing Choice (Correct answer)
- Extinction
- Positive Punishment
Correct answer: Providing Choice
Providing choice is an antecedent-based intervention that gives the individual some control over their environment, which can reduce the motivation to engage in problem behavior. [13] By offering a choice before the task begins, the ABAT is proactively modifying the situation to prevent the agitation from occurring.
Question 2: A client has difficulty transitioning from a preferred activity (playing on a tablet) to a non-preferred activity (cleaning up). The ABAT creates a visual schedule with pictures showing 'Tablet Time' followed by 'Clean Up Toys.' What is the primary purpose of this antecedent-based intervention?
- To punish the client for not transitioning quickly.
- To physically guide the client through the clean-up routine.
- To increase predictability and clarify expectations about the upcoming transition. (Correct answer)
- To reinforce the client only after clean-up is fully completed.
Correct answer: To increase predictability and clarify expectations about the upcoming transition.
Visual schedules are antecedent-based interventions that increase predictability and reduce anxiety around transitions. [10, 19] They visually show what is happening now and what will happen next, making the transition less surprising and helping the client understand expectations.
Question 3: Which of the following is the BEST example of a High-Probability (High-P) Request Sequence?
- Giving a client a token for every five minutes they stay on task.
- Asking a client to perform three easy, known tasks (e.g., 'Clap hands,' 'Touch your nose,' 'Stomp feet') in rapid succession before delivering a more difficult instruction (e.g., 'Put your coat on'). (Correct answer)
- Ignoring a client's minor off-task behavior while praising on-task behavior.
- Teaching a client to ask for a break instead of crying.
Correct answer: Asking a client to perform three easy, known tasks (e.g., 'Clap hands,' 'Touch your nose,' 'Stomp feet') in rapid succession before delivering a more difficult instruction (e.g., 'Put your coat on').
A High-Probability (High-P) Request Sequence, also known as behavioral momentum, involves presenting a series of easy-to-follow requests (high-p) to build momentum before presenting a request that the individual is less likely to follow (low-p). [17, 20, 25]
Question 4: Noncontingent Reinforcement (NCR) is an antecedent-based intervention that aims to reduce problem behavior by:
- Teaching a new skill to replace the problem behavior.
- Removing a preferred item every time the problem behavior occurs.
- Providing access to a known reinforcer on a time-based schedule, regardless of the client's behavior. (Correct answer)
- Only providing reinforcement when the client goes a full interval without the problem behavior.
Correct answer: Providing access to a known reinforcer on a time-based schedule, regardless of the client's behavior.
Noncontingent Reinforcement (NCR) involves delivering reinforcement on a set time schedule (e.g., every 5 minutes) that is not dependent on the client's actions. [1, 2] This enriches the environment with the reinforcer, reducing the motivation for the client to engage in problem behavior to obtain it.
Question 5: A client frequently screams to get attention from the ABAT. A functional behavior assessment (FBA) confirms the function is attention. The supervising BCBA implements an intervention where the ABAT teaches the client to tap a picture of a person on their communication board to request attention. This antecedent-based intervention is known as:
- Functional Communication Training (FCT) (Correct answer)
- Shaping
- Response Interruption and Redirection (RIRD)
- Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior (DRI)
Correct answer: Functional Communication Training (FCT)
Functional Communication Training (FCT) is an antecedent intervention where an individual is taught a new, more appropriate way to communicate their needs (the replacement behavior) to get the same reinforcement that the problem behavior previously provided. [7, 9, 15] In this case, using the communication board replaces screaming to get attention.
Question 6: The fundamental goal of all antecedent-based interventions is to:
- Increase the effectiveness of punishment procedures.
- Measure the frequency and duration of target behaviors.
- Modify the environment or context *before* a behavior occurs to prevent it from happening. (Correct answer)
- Apply a consequence *after* a behavior occurs to change its future likelihood.
Correct answer: Modify the environment or context *before* a behavior occurs to prevent it from happening.
Antecedent-based interventions are proactive strategies that involve altering the environment or conditions that precede a behavior to reduce the likelihood that the problem behavior will occur. [5, 8, 14] They focus on prevention rather than reaction.
