PBIS Behavioral Strategies & Techniques 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student frequently blurts out answers without raising their hand. Which antecedent strategy is most effective as a first intervention?
- Ignore the behavior and praise peers who raise hands (Correct answer)
- Send the student to the office each time
- Provide the student with a nonverbal cue card as a reminder
- Remove the student from class discussions
Correct answer: Ignore the behavior and praise peers who raise hands
Differential reinforcement of peers who raise hands (DRA) signals the expected behavior without directly punishing the target student.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes a 'non-contingent reinforcement' (NCR) strategy?
- Reinforcement delivered only when the target behavior occurs
- Reinforcement delivered on a fixed schedule regardless of behavior (Correct answer)
- Withholding all reinforcement until extinction occurs
- Reinforcement tied to academic performance only
Correct answer: Reinforcement delivered on a fixed schedule regardless of behavior
NCR delivers reinforcement on a time-based schedule independent of behavior, reducing the motivating operation for problem behavior.
Question 3: A teacher wants to reduce a student's off-task behavior using extinction. What is the most important prerequisite before implementing extinction?
- Identifying the function of the behavior (Correct answer)
- Increasing the frequency of punishment
- Removing the student from the classroom
- Changing the student's seating arrangement
Correct answer: Identifying the function of the behavior
Extinction must be matched to the function; for example, planned ignoring works only for attention-maintained behavior.
Question 4: During a behavior intervention, a student's problem behavior temporarily increases after extinction is introduced. This phenomenon is called:
- Spontaneous recovery
- Extinction burst (Correct answer)
- Response cost
- Negative reinforcement
Correct answer: Extinction burst
An extinction burst is a temporary increase in the problem behavior before it decreases during extinction.
Question 5: Which strategy involves teaching a student a replacement behavior that serves the same function as the problem behavior?
- Token economy
- Functional Communication Training (FCT) (Correct answer)
- Social stories
- Scheduled breaks
Correct answer: Functional Communication Training (FCT)
FCT teaches the student a communicative response that achieves the same reinforcer as the problem behavior.
Question 6: A school team is developing a Tier 2 intervention for a student whose behavior is maintained by escape from tasks. Which strategy is most appropriate?
- Check-In/Check-Out with academic support and task modification (Correct answer)
- Increasing homework demands to build stamina
- Removing all academic expectations
- Implementing a strict behavior contract with no support
Correct answer: Check-In/Check-Out with academic support and task modification
CICO with task modification addresses the escape function by making tasks more manageable while maintaining academic engagement.
Question 7: What is the primary purpose of a 'precorrection' strategy in PBIS?
- To punish students before a problem occurs
- To proactively prompt expected behavior before a high-risk situation (Correct answer)
- To document behavior for a functional behavior assessment
- To remove students from triggering environments
Correct answer: To proactively prompt expected behavior before a high-risk situation
Precorrection involves reminding students of expected behavior before entering situations where problem behavior is likely.
PBIS Behavioral Strategies & Techniques 2
A student frequently blurts out answers without raising their hand.
Which antecedent strategy is most effective as a first intervention?