ABAT ABAT Generalization and Maintenance Strategies 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A behavior analyst uses 'general case programming.' Which step is foundational to this approach?
- Selecting a single ideal exemplar for all training
- Defining the instructional universe and sampling stimuli and responses across its full range (Correct answer)
- Teaching the easiest examples first to build confidence
- Using errorless learning procedures throughout all training
Correct answer: Defining the instructional universe and sampling stimuli and responses across its full range
General case programming requires defining the range of all relevant stimuli and responses (instructional universe) and sampling across that range during training.
Question 2: Booster sessions are PRIMARILY used to address which concern in behavior intervention?
- Teaching new behaviors that were not in the original plan
- Recovering or strengthening behaviors that have decreased after treatment ends (Correct answer)
- Increasing the rate of acquisition during active training
- Assessing baseline levels before intervention begins
Correct answer: Recovering or strengthening behaviors that have decreased after treatment ends
Booster sessions are brief re-interventions delivered after treatment to recover behavior that has declined during the maintenance phase.
Question 3: Which of the following is an example of 'mediated generalization'?
- The learner uses a self-monitoring checklist to prompt the target behavior across settings (Correct answer)
- A trainer delivers the same prompts in every environment
- Reinforcement is provided every time the behavior occurs in any setting
- The learner's parent replicates the exact training protocol at home
Correct answer: The learner uses a self-monitoring checklist to prompt the target behavior across settings
Mediated generalization uses a common mediator (e.g., self-monitoring tool or verbal rule) that the learner carries across settings to promote generalization.
Question 4: A BCBA notices that a client's newly learned communication skill is only performed during ABA therapy but not at school. The MOST appropriate immediate step is to:
- Discontinue therapy and wait for natural generalization to occur
- Conduct a functional assessment at the school setting
- Program generalization by collaborating with school staff to prompt and reinforce the skill there (Correct answer)
- Increase the number of therapy sessions per week
Correct answer: Program generalization by collaborating with school staff to prompt and reinforce the skill there
Actively programming generalization by working with school staff to prompt and reinforce the skill in that setting is the most direct and appropriate intervention.
Question 5: Which concept refers to the phenomenon where a well-established behavior 'traps' new relevant contingencies in the natural environment, facilitating maintenance?
- Behavior trapping (Correct answer)
- Stimulus overselectivity
- Generalization probing
- Fluency building
Correct answer: Behavior trapping
Behavior trapping occurs when a newly trained behavior contacts natural reinforcement contingencies that then sustain the behavior without programmed intervention.
Question 6: A teacher reports that a student no longer performs a self-care skill taught six months ago. The behavior analyst recommends periodic follow-up probes. These probes serve to:
- Re-establish a baseline for a new behavior program
- Detect response maintenance failures early so intervention can be re-applied promptly (Correct answer)
- Determine if the original behavior was socially valid
- Measure interobserver agreement for the original data
Correct answer: Detect response maintenance failures early so intervention can be re-applied promptly
Periodic maintenance probes allow practitioners to catch early signs of skill decay so timely booster sessions or other interventions can be implemented.
Question 7: Which of the following BEST illustrates 'training loosely' as a generalization strategy?
- Providing the same prompt in every trial to ensure accurate responding
- Varying non-essential aspects of training (e.g., instructor tone, materials, location) across sessions (Correct answer)
- Using a strict errorless learning protocol for every training trial
- Delivering reinforcement only when the behavior exactly matches the training topography
Correct answer: Varying non-essential aspects of training (e.g., instructor tone, materials, location) across sessions
Training loosely means intentionally varying non-critical training dimensions so the learner's behavior becomes less dependent on any single stimulus condition.
ABAT ABAT Generalization and Maintenance Strategies 5
A behavior analyst uses 'general case programming.' Which step is foundational to this approach?