FREE Foundational Knowledge Questions and Answers Flashcards
6 cards from real ABAT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 FREE Foundational Knowledge Questions and Answers flashcards as text
Applied behavior analysis is best distinguished from other behavioral approaches by its emphasis on:
Answer: Socially significant behavior change produced through empirically validated behavioral principles
ABA is defined by its focus on socially significant behaviors, empirically validated principles, and measurable behavioral outcomes.
B.F. Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior categorizes verbal behavior into classes called:
Answer: Verbal operants (mand, tact, echoic, intraverbal, textual, transcriptive)
Skinner's verbal behavior framework classifies verbal behavior by its functional controlling variables into operants such as mands, tacts, echoics, and intraverbals.
The principle of parsimony in behavior analysis means:
Answer: Preferring the simplest, most empirically supported explanation for behavior before invoking complex hypotheses
Parsimony requires behavior analysts to favor the simplest, most behavior-based explanation for behavior before invoking more complex or hypothetical constructs.
Which of the following is an example of respondent (classical) conditioning?
Answer: A child becomes anxious when entering a dentist's office because they previously experienced pain there
Respondent conditioning occurs when a neutral stimulus (dentist's office) becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus (pain), producing a conditioned response (anxiety).
The experimental analysis of behavior (EAB) differs from applied behavior analysis (ABA) in that:
Answer: EAB focuses on understanding basic behavioral principles in controlled laboratory settings, while ABA applies those principles to socially significant behavior in natural environments
EAB is the basic science branch focused on discovering behavioral principles in controlled settings; ABA applies those validated principles to real-world, socially meaningful problems.
In ABA, 'reinforcement' and 'punishment' are defined by their effects on behavior rather than their subjective pleasantness because:
Answer: Defining by effects ensures objective, data-based confirmation that a functional relationship exists
Defining reinforcement and punishment by their behavioral effects requires empirical confirmation through data, preventing assumptions about what will work based on subjective preferences alone.