FREE BCBA Board Certified Behavior Analyst Experimental Design Questions and Answers

Question 1

A behavior analyst is working with a client who engages in self-injurious behavior (SIB).
The analyst wants to compare the effects of two different interventions (DRA and blocking) and a baseline condition.
Given the severity of the behavior, withdrawing an effective intervention would be unethical.
Which experimental design would be most appropriate for simultaneously comparing the interventions while minimizing ethical risks?

Accepted Answer

Alternating Treatments Design

Answer

A-B-A-B Reversal Design

Answer

Multiple Baseline Design

Answer

Changing Criterion Design

Question 2

A BCBA implements a treatment package consisting of a token economy, prompting, and social praise to increase a student's completion of math assignments. The student's performance improves significantly. The BCBA now wants to determine how much social praise is necessary to maintain the behavior. Which type of analysis should be conducted?

Accepted Answer

Parametric Analysis

Answer

Component Analysis

Answer

Comparative Analysis

Answer

Correlational Analysis

Question 3

Which of the following is a primary ethical concern associated with the use of a reversal (A-B-A-B) design?

Accepted Answer

The withdrawal of an effective intervention may be harmful to the client. [7, 8]

Answer

It cannot be used to evaluate more than one treatment.

Answer

It requires a significant amount of time to demonstrate a functional relation.

Answer

It is not effective for demonstrating experimental control.

Question 4

A behavior analyst wants to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention to reduce a student's disruptive behavior in three different settings: the classroom, the cafeteria, and the playground. The analyst plans to introduce the intervention at different times in each setting. This describes which experimental design?

Accepted Answer

Multiple Baseline Across Settings

Answer

Multiple Baseline Across Behaviors

Answer

Reversal Design

Answer

Changing Criterion Design

Question 5

A researcher is conducting a study over a 12-month period to increase the social interactions of a young child. The researcher observes a steady increase in social interactions over the year. However, during this time, the child also starts attending a new preschool program known for its focus on social skills. The potential influence of the new preschool on the child's behavior is an example of which threat to internal validity?

Accepted Answer

History

Answer

Instrumentation

Answer

Maturation

Answer

Testing

Question 6

When using an alternating treatments design, a potential confounding variable is that the effects of one treatment may carry over and influence the subject's behavior when the other treatment is presented. This is known as:

Accepted Answer

Multiple Treatment Interference

Answer

Maturation

Answer

Observer Drift

Answer

Procedural Infidelity