BCABA Generalization and Maintenance 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Maintenance of a skill refers to:
- The behavior occurring in new settings
- The behavior continuing at the desired level after intervention is removed or thinned (Correct answer)
- Generalization across response topographies
- The initial acquisition of the skill
Correct answer: The behavior continuing at the desired level after intervention is removed or thinned
Maintenance is the durability of a behavior change after systematic intervention is reduced or withdrawn, reflecting long-term learning.
Question 2: Thinning reinforcement schedules over time supports maintenance by:
- Eliminating reinforcement immediately after mastery
- Transitioning from dense to lean schedules to make behavior resistant to extinction (Correct answer)
- Switching to punishment procedures
- Using continuous reinforcement indefinitely
Correct answer: Transitioning from dense to lean schedules to make behavior resistant to extinction
Gradually thinning reinforcement schedules mirrors the intermittent reinforcement found in natural environments and increases resistance to extinction.
Question 3: Indiscriminable contingencies promote maintenance by making it difficult for the learner to determine:
- Which behavior is being reinforced
- Whether the current moment is a reinforcement opportunity or not (Correct answer)
- Who is providing the reinforcement
- When extinction is in effect
Correct answer: Whether the current moment is a reinforcement opportunity or not
When the learner cannot discriminate reinforcement trials from non-reinforcement trials, behavior is maintained because the reinforcer could arrive at any time.
Question 4: Using natural reinforcers during training supports both generalization and maintenance because:
- They are cheaper to deliver
- They already exist in the natural environment and will continue to be available after training ends (Correct answer)
- They are more powerful than contrived reinforcers
- They are easier to control experimentally
Correct answer: They already exist in the natural environment and will continue to be available after training ends
Natural reinforcers are embedded in everyday environments, so behaviors reinforced by them will continue to contact reinforcement after formal training concludes.
Question 5: Generalization probes are conducted to:
- Deliver reinforcement in untrained settings
- Assess whether trained skills have transferred to untrained stimuli, settings, or responses (Correct answer)
- Punish errors during generalization
- Measure IOA across settings
Correct answer: Assess whether trained skills have transferred to untrained stimuli, settings, or responses
Generalization probes are assessment sessions conducted in untrained contexts to determine whether and to what degree generalization has occurred.
Question 6: The strategy of 'teaching loosely' refers to:
- Using inconsistent reinforcement delivery
- Intentionally varying non-essential aspects of training to prevent overly narrow stimulus control (Correct answer)
- Avoiding a structured instructional format
- Teaching without a formal behavior plan
Correct answer: Intentionally varying non-essential aspects of training to prevent overly narrow stimulus control
Teaching loosely involves systematically varying irrelevant stimulus dimensions (e.g., materials, settings, instructors) to prevent the behavior from coming under narrow, restrictive stimulus control.
BCABA Generalization and Maintenance 2
Maintenance of a skill refers to: