FREE BCBA Board Certified Behavior Analyst Behavior Assessment Procedures 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?

Accepted Answer

Administering a functional assessment screening tool (FAST) to caregivers.

Answer

Conducting a trial-based functional analysis in a controlled setting.

Answer

Implementing a descriptive assessment using ABC narrative recording in the natural environment.

Answer

Initiating a reinforcer assessment to identify high-preference items.

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?

Accepted Answer

Remove both items and present a new pair from the list.

Answer

Leave the items in front of the child until a choice is made, regardless of time.

Answer

Prompt the child to select the item on the right to keep the assessment moving.

Answer

End the assessment immediately and conclude the child has no preferences.

Question 3

Which of the following correctly distinguishes a preference assessment from a reinforcer assessment?

Accepted Answer

A preference assessment identifies potential reinforcers by observing choice behavior, while a reinforcer assessment directly tests if a stimulus increases responding.

Answer

A preference assessment measures the effect of a stimulus on increasing future behavior, while a reinforcer assessment identifies a hierarchy of liked items.

Answer

A preference assessment identifies which stimuli an individual will work for, while a reinforcer assessment determines what they like the most.

Answer

A preference assessment is only conducted using indirect methods, while a reinforcer assessment must involve direct observation and data collection.

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?

Accepted Answer

Multiple Stimulus with Replacement (MSW)

Answer

Paired-Stimulus Assessment

Answer

Multiple Stimulus Without Replacement (MSWO)

Answer

Single-Stimulus Assessment

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?

Accepted Answer

The behavior is maintained by multiple functions, specifically escape and attention.

Answer

The behavior is maintained solely by automatic reinforcement.

Answer

The assessment was inconclusive and needs to be repeated with different conditions.

Answer

The behavior is exclusively maintained by access to tangible items.

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?

Accepted Answer

Curriculum-Based Assessment (CBA)

Answer

Functional Analysis

Answer

Paired-Stimulus Preference Assessment

Answer

Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales