ABAT - Applied Behavior Analysis Behavior Reduction Interventions Questions and Answers 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A teacher wants to reduce a student's out-of-seat behavior using a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement for in-seat behavior. What is the primary advantage of this approach over punishment-based interventions?
- It eliminates the need for a functional assessment
- It teaches and reinforces a desired replacement behavior (Correct answer)
- It is faster at reducing behavior than punishment
- It does not require any data collection
Correct answer: It teaches and reinforces a desired replacement behavior
Reinforcement-based interventions teach replacement behaviors, making them more effective and ethical than relying solely on punishment.
Question 2: Which procedure involves presenting a mild, brief aversive stimulus contingent on a problem behavior to reduce its future occurrence?
- Negative reinforcement
- Response cost
- Positive punishment (Correct answer)
- Extinction
Correct answer: Positive punishment
Positive punishment involves adding an aversive stimulus following a behavior, which decreases the likelihood of that behavior recurring.
Question 3: A client engages in self-injurious behavior (SIB) maintained by automatic reinforcement. Which intervention would be MOST appropriate as a first-line behavior reduction strategy?
- Time-out from positive reinforcement
- Noncontingent delivery of sensory stimuli (Correct answer)
- Response cost
- Verbal reprimands
Correct answer: Noncontingent delivery of sensory stimuli
When SIB is automatically reinforced, noncontingent delivery of competing sensory stimulation can reduce the reinforcing value of the SIB.
Question 4: What distinguishes 'planned ignoring' from the extinction procedure?
- Planned ignoring is used only for aggressive behaviors
- Planned ignoring withholds social attention specifically, while extinction withholds the identified reinforcer (Correct answer)
- Planned ignoring requires an FBA while extinction does not
- Planned ignoring involves physical redirection away from the behavior
Correct answer: Planned ignoring withholds social attention specifically, while extinction withholds the identified reinforcer
Planned ignoring specifically withholds social attention, whereas true extinction withholds whatever functional reinforcer maintains the behavior.
Question 5: A behavior analyst implements a DRL (Differential Reinforcement of Low Rates) schedule. Which behavior pattern would result in reinforcement under a Full Session DRL?
- The behavior occurs at least 10 times in one hour
- The behavior occurs no more than 3 times in a 30-minute session (Correct answer)
- The behavior occurs only at specified times
- The behavior does not occur for an entire interval
Correct answer: The behavior occurs no more than 3 times in a 30-minute session
Full Session DRL delivers reinforcement at the end of a session if the total behavior count does not exceed a predetermined criterion.
Question 6: When using response interruption and redirection (RIRD), what is the primary mechanism for reducing stereotypic behavior?
- Physical punishment of the stereotypic response
- Interrupting the behavior and redirecting to an alternative response that competes with the stereotypy (Correct answer)
- Providing a preferred item contingent on the absence of stereotypy
- Placing the behavior on a fixed-interval schedule
Correct answer: Interrupting the behavior and redirecting to an alternative response that competes with the stereotypy
RIRD works by interrupting stereotypic behavior and immediately prompting alternative vocal or motor responses that compete with the stereotypy.
Question 7: A client's tantrum behavior has been placed on extinction. The behavior analyst observes that tantrums increase in frequency and intensity over the first week. This phenomenon is best described as:
- Behavioral contrast
- Generalization decrement
- An extinction burst (Correct answer)
- Spontaneous recovery
Correct answer: An extinction burst
An extinction burst is a temporary increase in the rate, duration, or intensity of a behavior when reinforcement is first withheld.
ABAT - Applied Behavior Analysis Behavior Reduction Interventions Questions and Answers 3
A teacher wants to reduce a student's out-of-seat behavior using a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement for in-seat behavior.
What is the primary advantage of this approach over punishment-based interventions?