Free BCBA Board Certified Behavior Analyst Behavior Assessment Procedures Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A BCBA is designing a functional behavior assessment (FBA) for a client who engages in infrequent but severe aggressive outbursts. Direct observation has been challenging due to the low rate of the behavior. To develop a preliminary hypothesis about the function of the behavior, which assessment procedure would be the MOST appropriate first step?
- Conducting a trial-based functional analysis in a controlled setting.
- Implementing a descriptive assessment using ABC narrative recording in the natural environment.
- Administering a functional assessment screening tool (FAST) to caregivers. (Correct answer)
- Initiating a reinforcer assessment to identify high-preference items.
Correct answer: Administering a functional assessment screening tool (FAST) to caregivers.
Administering a functional assessment screening tool (FAST) or other indirect assessment methods like interviews and rating scales is the most appropriate first step when behavior is infrequent and direct observation is difficult. These tools gather information from caregivers to form a hypothesis about the variables maintaining the behavior, which can then guide further, more direct assessment methods. A functional analysis is an experimental method and may not be the first choice, while a descriptive assessment requires the behavior to be observed directly. A reinforcer assessment identifies potential rewards but does not determine the function of the problem behavior.
Question 2: A behavior analyst is conducting a paired-stimulus preference assessment with a child to identify potential reinforcers. The assessment involves presenting two items at a time and recording which item the child chooses. If the child consistently fails to make a selection within the allotted 5-second interval, even after being prompted to sample each item, what is the standard procedural step to take for that specific trial?
- Remove both items and present a new pair from the list. (Correct answer)
- Leave the items in front of the child until a choice is made, regardless of time.
- Prompt the child to select the item on the right to keep the assessment moving.
- End the assessment immediately and conclude the child has no preferences.
Correct answer: Remove both items and present a new pair from the list.
In a paired-stimulus (or forced-choice) preference assessment, if a client does not choose an item after the initial presentation and a subsequent sampling presentation, the standard procedure is to remove both stimuli and move on to the next pairing in the sequence. This ensures the assessment proceeds efficiently and avoids assigning preference where none was demonstrated. Continuing to wait or forcing a choice would invalidate the results for that trial.
Question 3: Which of the following correctly distinguishes a preference assessment from a reinforcer assessment?
- A preference assessment measures the effect of a stimulus on increasing future behavior, while a reinforcer assessment identifies a hierarchy of liked items.
- A preference assessment identifies which stimuli an individual will work for, while a reinforcer assessment determines what they like the most.
- A preference assessment identifies potential reinforcers by observing choice behavior, while a reinforcer assessment directly tests if a stimulus increases responding. (Correct answer)
- A preference assessment is only conducted using indirect methods, while a reinforcer assessment must involve direct observation and data collection.
Correct answer: A preference assessment identifies potential reinforcers by observing choice behavior, while a reinforcer assessment directly tests if a stimulus increases responding.
A preference assessment is used to identify stimuli that an individual is likely to prefer or choose, creating a hierarchy of potential reinforcers. However, it does not confirm that these items will function to increase behavior. A reinforcer assessment is a separate, direct test to determine if a specific stimulus, when presented contingently, actually increases the future frequency of a behavior.
Question 4: A behavior analyst needs to quickly identify a hierarchy of preferred items for a student who can make choices from a large array of items but becomes frustrated when preferred items are removed. Which preference assessment method would be MOST appropriate for this situation?
- Paired-Stimulus Assessment
- Multiple Stimulus with Replacement (MSW) (Correct answer)
- Multiple Stimulus Without Replacement (MSWO)
- Single-Stimulus Assessment
Correct answer: Multiple Stimulus with Replacement (MSW)
The Multiple Stimulus with Replacement (MSW) assessment is most appropriate here. In an MSW, the learner chooses an item from an array, interacts with it briefly, and then that chosen item is returned to the array for the next trial. This method allows for the identification of a highly preferred item without repeatedly taking it away, which is ideal for a learner who exhibits problem behavior upon removal of preferred items. MSWO involves removing the item, which could trigger the problem behavior.
Question 5: A BCBA is reviewing the results of a functional analysis (FA) conducted to determine the function of a student's disruptive vocalizations. The data show high rates of the behavior in the 'attention' and 'demand' conditions, moderate rates in the 'tangible' condition, and near-zero rates in the 'alone' and 'play' (control) conditions. What can be concluded from these results?
- The behavior is maintained solely by automatic reinforcement.
- The behavior is maintained by multiple functions, specifically escape and attention. (Correct answer)
- The assessment was inconclusive and needs to be repeated with different conditions.
- The behavior is exclusively maintained by access to tangible items.
Correct answer: The behavior is maintained by multiple functions, specifically escape and attention.
A functional analysis systematically manipulates environmental conditions to identify the function of a behavior. When a behavior occurs at high rates in more than one test condition compared to the control condition (play), it indicates that the behavior is maintained by multiple functions. In this scenario, the elevated rates in both the attention and demand (escape) conditions strongly suggest the behavior serves both to gain attention and to escape from non-preferred tasks.
Question 6: Which of the following assessments is specifically designed to evaluate a learner's performance on tasks directly taken from their existing academic or daily living skills curriculum?
- Functional Analysis
- Curriculum-Based Assessment (CBA) (Correct answer)
- Paired-Stimulus Preference Assessment
- Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales
Correct answer: Curriculum-Based Assessment (CBA)
A Curriculum-Based Assessment (CBA) is an assessment method that directly evaluates a student's performance on skills from their existing curriculum. This allows practitioners to pinpoint specific skill deficits within the curriculum and monitor progress on instructional objectives. Functional analysis identifies behavioral function, preference assessments identify reinforcers, and the Vineland is a standardized assessment of adaptive behavior, not a direct measure of curriculum-specific tasks.
Free BCBA Board Certified Behavior Analyst Behavior Assessment Procedures Questions and Answers
A BCBA is designing a functional behavior assessment (FBA) for a client who engages in infrequent but severe aggressive outbursts.
Direct observation has been challenging due to the low rate of the behavior.
To develop a preliminary hypothesis about the function of the behavior, which assessment procedure would be the MOST appropriate first step?