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

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?

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

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?

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 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?

Accepted Answer

Multiple Stimulus with Replacement (MSW)

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

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.

BCBA - Board Certified Behavior Analyst Practice Test

BCBA - Board Certified Behavior Analyst Practice Test

Free BCBA Board Certified Behavior Analyst Behavior Assessment Procedures Questions and Answers