Behavior Reduction Treatment Flashcards

A client repeatedly bangs their head on the table during work tasks. Which function of behavior is MOST likely if head-banging stops when the task is removed?

Answer: Escape

When a behavior stops after the task (aversive stimulus) is removed, it is maintained by negative reinforcement (escape).

During extinction for attention-maintained behavior, a technician should:

Answer: Provide no attention contingent on the target behavior

Extinction for attention-maintained behavior requires withholding attention specifically contingent on the problem behavior.

Which schedule of reinforcement makes a behavior MOST resistant to extinction?

Answer: Variable ratio

Variable ratio schedules produce the most resistance to extinction because reinforcement is unpredictable.

A BCBA instructs you to implement FCT. Your primary goal as the technician is to:

Answer: Teach an alternative communicative response that produces the same reinforcer

FCT (Functional Communication Training) teaches a functionally equivalent communicative response to replace the problem behavior.

A client engages in self-injurious behavior (SIB) only when alone and continues even without an audience. This suggests the behavior is maintained by:

Answer: Automatic reinforcement

SIB that occurs when alone without social consequences is typically automatically reinforced (sensory).

When using DRI (Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior), the replacement behavior must be:

Answer: Physically impossible to perform at the same time as the problem behavior

DRI requires the replacement behavior to be physically incompatible — it cannot occur simultaneously with the problem behavior.

A client's aggression increases after extinction is implemented. This is called an:

Answer: Extinction burst

An extinction burst is a temporary increase in the frequency, intensity, or duration of behavior when extinction is first implemented.