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.

A client's problem behavior reappears after a period of successful suppression, even without any change in the treatment plan. This is known as:

Answer: Spontaneous recovery

Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of an extinguished behavior after a period of time without the behavior occurring.

Which of the following is an example of response blocking?

Answer: Physically preventing a client from completing a self-injurious behavior

Response blocking is a safety procedure where the technician physically prevents the problem behavior from being completed.

A client earns tokens for every 10 minutes without aggression. This is an example of:

Answer: DRO on a fixed interval schedule

Earning tokens for the absence of a behavior over a set time interval is a DRO (Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior) procedure on a fixed interval schedule.

A supervisor adds a rule that a client loses 5 minutes of free time for each instance of property destruction. This procedure is called:

Answer: Response cost

Response cost involves removing a specified amount of a conditioned reinforcer contingent on the problem behavior.

During which phase of behavior reduction should antecedent interventions be prioritized?

Answer: Before the behavior has a chance to occur

Antecedent interventions are proactive strategies implemented before the behavior occurs to prevent or reduce its likelihood.

What is the primary ethical concern when using punishment-based procedures?

Answer: They must only be used after less restrictive alternatives have been tried

Ethical practice requires that less restrictive, reinforcement-based procedures be tried before resorting to punishment-based interventions.

A client engages in elopement (running away) primarily when preferred items are taken away. The maintaining variable is most likely:

Answer: Tangible positive reinforcement

Elopement that occurs when preferred items are removed is likely maintained by tangible reinforcement — access to the preferred item.

A client with a history of aggression is transitioning to a new classroom. To prevent problem behavior, the technician should first:

Answer: Conduct a pre-session pairing and use high-density reinforcement

Pre-session pairing and high-density reinforcement during transitions help establish a positive association with the new environment and reduce problem behavior.

Which crisis management concept refers to identifying the earliest observable signs that a client is becoming escalated?

Answer: Prodromes (early warning signs)

Prodromes are early warning signs or precursor behaviors that indicate escalating distress before a crisis behavior occurs.

A technician is implementing NCR (Non-Contingent Reinforcement). Which statement BEST describes this procedure?

Answer: Reinforcement is delivered on a fixed time schedule regardless of behavior

NCR delivers reinforcement on a time-based schedule independent of the client's behavior to reduce the motivation (EO) for problem behavior.

Which term describes the process where a problem behavior returns when a previously effective treatment is reintroduced after a period of using a different treatment?

Answer: Resurgence

Resurgence is the reappearance of a previously extinguished behavior when the current reinforcement contingency is disrupted or changed.

A client's tantrums are function-based and maintained by escape. The MOST appropriate antecedent modification would be to:

Answer: Embed preferred activities into non-preferred tasks

Embedding preferred activities into non-preferred tasks reduces the aversiveness of demands, thereby reducing escape-motivated problem behavior.

Behavioral momentum is used in behavior reduction primarily to:

Answer: Build a history of compliance by presenting easy tasks first

Behavioral momentum involves presenting high-probability (easy) requests first to build a pattern of compliance before introducing low-probability requests.