Behavior Reduction Strategies Flashcards

A learner screams every time a preferred item is taken away. The technician is instructed to withhold attention after the screaming begins and only interact after 10 seconds of quiet. This procedure is best described as:

Answer: Planned ignoring combined with DRO

Withholding attention (planned ignoring/extinction) paired with reinforcing the absence of behavior for a set interval is a DRO-plus-extinction combination.

Which of the following BEST describes the 'motivating operation' concept and its relevance to behavior reduction?

Answer: MOs temporarily alter the value of reinforcers and the frequency of behavior maintained by those reinforcers

Motivating operations temporarily alter the reinforcing or punishing value of stimuli and thereby affect the current frequency of related behaviors.

A BCBA instructs a technician to use 'response blocking' when a learner attempts to self-injure. The technician should understand that response blocking is:

Answer: A consequence-based extinction procedure

Response blocking is an extinction procedure in which the technician physically prevents the behavior from being completed, thereby blocking access to the maintaining reinforcer.

When implementing extinction for attention-maintained behavior, the technician notices the learner's behavior initially gets worse before improving. This is called:

Answer: An extinction burst

An extinction burst is the temporary increase in rate, duration, or intensity of a behavior immediately following the removal of its reinforcing consequence.

A learner engages in property destruction that is maintained by escape from demands. The MOST effective function-based intervention would be to:

Answer: Teach an appropriate escape response and reinforce it while placing property destruction on extinction

Teaching a functionally equivalent replacement behavior (appropriate escape request) and extinguishing the problem behavior is the recommended function-based approach.

Which data collection method is MOST appropriate for measuring a behavior reduction target that occurs at very high rates and in rapid bursts?

Answer: Interval recording (partial or whole)

Interval recording is preferred for high-rate behaviors because it samples behavior occurrence within time intervals rather than requiring a count of every instance.

A technician is implementing a punishment procedure and notices the learner begins crying and becomes more aggressive. The technician should FIRST:

Answer: Consult with the supervising BCBA before continuing

Unexpected or escalating emotional or aggressive reactions during a punishment procedure require consultation with the supervising BCBA before continuing.

Differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior (DRI) is BEST described as reinforcing a behavior that:

Answer: Cannot physically occur at the same time as the problem behavior

DRI targets a behavior that is physically incompatible with the problem behavior, meaning both cannot occur simultaneously.

A learner receives a token every 5 minutes regardless of behavior as part of a behavior reduction plan. This is an example of:

Answer: Non-contingent reinforcement (NCR)

Non-contingent reinforcement delivers reinforcers on a time-based schedule independent of the learner's behavior, which reduces the motivating operation for problem behavior.

Which of the following is a potential risk of using punishment-only procedures without concurrent reinforcement of appropriate behavior?

Answer: The problem behavior may be suppressed but no functional replacement is learned

Punishment alone suppresses behavior temporarily but does not teach the learner what to do instead, leaving the maintaining motivation unaddressed.

A learner's aggression is maintained by access to tangibles. After 3 weeks of extinction, the behavior reappears briefly even though no tangible was provided. This return of behavior after successful extinction is called:

Answer: Spontaneous recovery

Spontaneous recovery is the temporary reappearance of an extinguished behavior after a rest period, without any additional reinforcement.

When a technician uses a visual schedule to reduce transitions-related challenging behavior, this is an example of:

Answer: Antecedent-based intervention

Visual schedules are antecedent interventions that modify the environment before the behavior occurs to reduce the likelihood of challenging behavior during transitions.

A learner's self-injurious behavior (SIB) is suspected to be maintained by automatic reinforcement. Which procedure addresses this function MOST directly?

Answer: Sensory extinction (blocking sensory feedback)

For automatically reinforced SIB, sensory extinction—blocking the sensory consequence of the behavior—directly targets the maintaining reinforcer.

Which of the following BEST describes the ethical obligation when implementing a behavior reduction plan?

Answer: Use the least restrictive, most positive approach that is likely to be effective

The BACB's ethical guidelines require using the least restrictive, most positive effective approach to behavior reduction.

A learner engages in elopement (running away) in the school hallway. The BCBA instructs staff to stand near the door before transitions to block exit attempts. This is an example of:

Answer: Environmental modification as an antecedent strategy

Positioning staff to prevent elopement before it can occur is an environmental/antecedent modification that reduces the opportunity for the behavior.

Response cost is classified as which type of behavioral procedure?

Answer: Negative punishment

Response cost involves removing a previously earned reinforcer (e.g., tokens) contingent on problem behavior, making it a negative punishment procedure.

A technician is instructed to redirect a learner to a quiet area following an aggressive episode and return them to the activity after 3 minutes of calm. This procedure is called:

Answer: Exclusionary time-out

Exclusionary time-out involves removing the learner from the reinforcing environment to a separate, less reinforcing location contingent on problem behavior.

Which of the following would be considered a CONTRAINDICATION for using time-out as a behavior reduction strategy?

Answer: The learner has a history of elopement and leaving the area could be dangerous

Time-out is contraindicated when the learner's behavior or safety history makes removal from the environment dangerous or when the current environment is not reinforcing.

A learner's disruption is maintained by escape. The technician is told to continue the demand and prompt the learner through it every time disruption occurs. This procedure uses:

Answer: Extinction by preventing escape

By preventing escape from the demand contingent on disruptive behavior, the technician places the escape-maintained behavior on extinction.

When a BCBA requires a behavior reduction procedure involving punishment, the technician's FIRST responsibility is to:

Answer: Implement the procedure as described and collect data accurately

The technician's role is to implement the BCBA-designed procedure with fidelity and collect accurate data so the BCBA can evaluate its effectiveness.