BCAT Skill Acquisition Procedures 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When using errorless learning, the technician provides a prompt:
- After the learner makes an error
- Before or immediately at the onset of the discriminative stimulus (Correct answer)
- Only when the learner requests help
- At the end of the trial
Correct answer: Before or immediately at the onset of the discriminative stimulus
Errorless learning involves presenting prompts before or simultaneously with the SD to prevent errors from occurring.
Question 2: Which of the following is an example of response generalization?
- A child greets teachers in both school and home settings
- A child learns to say 'hi,' 'hello,' and 'hey' after being taught only 'hi' (Correct answer)
- A child stops greeting after reinforcement is removed
- A child greets only the therapist who taught the skill
Correct answer: A child learns to say 'hi,' 'hello,' and 'hey' after being taught only 'hi'
Response generalization occurs when a novel but functionally equivalent response emerges from training a different response.
Question 3: In a discrete trial, the inter-trial interval (ITI) refers to:
- The time between the SD and the response
- The pause between consecutive trials (Correct answer)
- The duration of the reinforcer delivery
- The time spent on task analysis
Correct answer: The pause between consecutive trials
The ITI is the brief pause between the end of one trial and the start of the next, allowing the learner to reset.
Question 4: A BT is using most-to-least prompting. As the learner improves, the BT should:
- Increase prompt intensity to prevent errors
- Systematically fade to less intrusive prompts (Correct answer)
- Switch to a fixed prompt level
- Remove all prompts at once
Correct answer: Systematically fade to less intrusive prompts
Most-to-least prompting requires systematically reducing prompt intensity as the learner demonstrates mastery.
Question 5: Which instructional format is most appropriate for teaching skills that require naturally sequential steps, such as handwashing?
- Discrete trial training
- Chaining procedures (Correct answer)
- Natural environment teaching
- Incidental teaching
Correct answer: Chaining procedures
Chaining procedures are designed to teach behavior chains—sequences of responses where each step triggers the next.
Question 6: What is a 'transfer trial' in discrete trial training?
- A trial used to test generalization across settings
- A trial that moves the learner from a prompted response to an unprompted one (Correct answer)
- A trial delivered by a different technician
- A trial where the reinforcer is changed
Correct answer: A trial that moves the learner from a prompted response to an unprompted one
A transfer trial immediately follows an errorless trial by presenting the SD alone to test if the learner can respond independently.
Question 7: When a learner begins to perform a skill in the natural environment without explicit instruction, this is called:
- Spontaneous recovery
- Incidental learning
- Generalization (Correct answer)
- Maintenance
Correct answer: Generalization
Generalization occurs when a learned skill is performed across different settings, people, or materials beyond the training context.
BCAT Skill Acquisition Procedures 3
When using errorless learning, the technician provides a prompt: