Skill Acquisition Treatment Flashcards

In forward chaining, which step does the learner complete first?

Answer: The first step in the task analysis

Forward chaining teaches the first step in the task analysis first, then adds subsequent steps sequentially.

A technician completes all steps of a task for the learner except the final step, which the learner performs independently. This is an example of:

Answer: Backward chaining

Backward chaining teaches the last step first, with the trainer completing all preceding steps so the learner always finishes the task.

Which prompt fading strategy begins with the most intrusive prompt and gradually reduces assistance?

Answer: Most-to-least prompting

Most-to-least prompting starts with the highest level of support and systematically fades to less intrusive prompts as the learner gains independence.

Generalization is considered successful when a learner can perform a skill with:

Answer: Novel people, settings, and materials not used in training

Generalization means the skill transfers across different people, settings, and materials beyond those used in the original training.

When a learner correctly identifies a dog from a cat when both are presented together, this demonstrates:

Answer: Stimulus discrimination

Stimulus discrimination occurs when the learner responds differently to two distinct stimuli, selecting the correct one.

Distributed practice in skill acquisition involves:

Answer: Alternating between different skills or targets across teaching opportunities

Distributed practice spaces trials across multiple skills or timeframes, which often promotes better retention than massed practice.

A task analysis for handwashing breaks the skill into 12 individual steps. What is the primary purpose of this breakdown?

Answer: To teach complex skills by targeting each component behavior

A task analysis breaks a complex skill into discrete, teachable steps so each component can be systematically trained and reinforced.

Errorless learning is best described as:

Answer: Providing prompts that prevent errors before they occur

Errorless learning involves delivering prompts proactively to prevent incorrect responses, reducing frustration and increasing success.

A transfer trial is used to:

Answer: Shift stimulus control from a prompt to the natural discriminative stimulus

Transfer trials follow a prompted trial and present the same SD without the prompt, transferring control to the natural cue.

Natural Environment Teaching (NET) differs from Discrete Trial Training (DTT) primarily because NET:

Answer: Embeds teaching within naturally occurring activities and the learner's motivation

NET capitalizes on the learner's natural motivation and daily activities to provide embedded teaching opportunities in context.

During incidental teaching, the technician waits for the learner to initiate interest in something, then requires a more elaborate response before providing access. This technique primarily targets:

Answer: Spontaneous language and communication

Incidental teaching leverages child-initiated interactions to build spontaneous language and functional communication.

Shaping involves reinforcing:

Answer: Successive approximations that increasingly resemble the target behavior

Shaping reinforces closer and closer approximations to the goal behavior, gradually building the full target response.

A technician waits 5 seconds after presenting an SD before delivering a prompt. This procedure is called:

Answer: Constant time delay

Constant time delay uses a fixed waiting period (e.g., 5 seconds) before prompting, giving the learner a consistent opportunity to respond independently.

Which reinforcement schedule is most appropriate when initially teaching a new skill to a learner with autism?

Answer: Continuous reinforcement (CRF)

Continuous reinforcement provides a reinforcer after every correct response, which is most effective for teaching new skills and establishing behavior.

In a standard Discrete Trial Training (DTT) session, what is the correct sequence of components?

Answer: SD → Prompt → Response → Consequence → Inter-trial interval

DTT follows the sequence: discriminative stimulus (SD), optional prompt, learner response, consequence (reinforcement or error correction), and inter-trial interval.

Total task chaining differs from forward and backward chaining because:

Answer: The learner attempts every step in the sequence during each teaching opportunity

Total task chaining has the learner practice all steps of the task analysis on every trial, with prompts provided only where needed.

Interspersal training (or 'maintenance trials') in a skill acquisition session involves:

Answer: Mixing mastered easy tasks with new harder targets to maintain fluency and motivation

Interspersal training embeds already-mastered ('easy') tasks among new acquisition targets to sustain momentum and provide frequent reinforcement opportunities.

A skill is considered 'mastered' for maintenance purposes when:

Answer: The learner meets a predetermined criterion (e.g., 80% across 3 sessions) and performance is maintained over time

Mastery requires meeting a pre-set criterion consistently across multiple sessions, and maintenance checks confirm the skill is retained over time.

Graduated guidance is a prompting strategy that involves:

Answer: Physical guidance that is adjusted hand-over-hand and faded based on the learner's moment-to-moment performance

Graduated guidance uses physical guidance that is dynamically faded or increased in real time based on how much assistance the learner needs each moment.

Which data collection method is most appropriate for tracking accuracy across discrete trials in a skill acquisition program?

Answer: Percent correct per session

Percent correct (number of correct responses divided by total trials × 100) is the standard metric for monitoring skill acquisition progress across DTT trials.