BCBA - Board Certified Behavior Analyst Behavioral Assessment Methods Questions and Answers

Question 1

A BCBA is tasked with identifying the function of a student's aggressive behavior, which occurs at a high rate and poses a risk of injury. The BCBA decides to systematically manipulate antecedents and consequences in a controlled setting to test hypotheses about what is maintaining the behavior. Which behavioral assessment method is the BCBA employing?

Accepted Answer

Functional Analysis

Answer

A functional analysis is the only assessment method that involves the systematic manipulation of environmental variables (antecedents and consequences) to demonstrate a cause-and-effect relationship between the environment and the behavior. Descriptive and indirect assessments can generate hypotheses, but they do not directly test them.

Question 2

Which of the following is considered an indirect method of behavioral assessment?

Accepted Answer

Administering a motivational assessment scale

Answer

Indirect assessments gather information about the behavior without the assessor directly observing it. This includes methods like interviews, checklists, and rating scales, such as the Motivational Assessment Scale. The other options (ABC recording, scatterplots, and direct observation) are all forms of direct descriptive assessment.

Question 3

A behavior analyst is working with a new client who is nonverbal and has difficulty making choices. The analyst wants to identify potential reinforcers. They decide to present one item at a time and record the duration of the client's engagement with each item. Which type of preference assessment is being used?

Accepted Answer

Single Stimulus (Successive Choice)

Answer

The single stimulus, or successive choice, preference assessment involves presenting items one at a time and measuring the individual's reaction, such as duration of engagement. This method is particularly useful for individuals who have difficulty choosing between multiple items presented simultaneously.

Question 4

A BCBA is reviewing a student's records, interviewing their teacher and parents, and having them complete behavior rating scales. The primary goal of this phase of assessment is to:

Accepted Answer

develop a formal hypothesis about the function of the behavior.

Answer

Indirect assessment methods like record reviews, interviews, and rating scales are used to gather broad information and formulate a hypothesis about the function of a target behavior. This hypothesis can then be tested through more direct methods like descriptive assessment or functional analysis.

Question 5

The key distinction between a descriptive assessment and a functional analysis is that a descriptive assessment identifies _______, whereas a functional analysis identifies _______.

Accepted Answer

correlation; a functional relation

Answer

Descriptive assessments involve observing and recording behavior as it naturally occurs, which can reveal correlations between environmental events and the behavior. A functional analysis goes a step further by systematically manipulating variables to demonstrate a causal, or functional, relation between those variables and the behavior.

BCBA - Board Certified Behavior Analyst Practice Test

BCBA - Board Certified Behavior Analyst Practice Test

BCBA - Board Certified Behavior Analyst Behavioral Assessment Methods Questions and Answers