PBIS Behavioral Strategies & Techniques 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student earns tokens throughout the day to exchange for a preferred activity at the end. This system is called a:
- Behavior contract
- Token economy (Correct answer)
- Response interruption and redirection
- Social narrative
Correct answer: Token economy
A token economy uses conditioned reinforcers (tokens) that are exchanged for backup reinforcers, bridging the delay between behavior and reward.
Question 2: Which component of a behavior contract is MOST critical to its effectiveness?
- Using complex language to challenge the student
- Ensuring all parties agree on the terms and the student understands expectations (Correct answer)
- Having an administrator sign as the primary witness
- Focusing exclusively on consequences for problem behavior
Correct answer: Ensuring all parties agree on the terms and the student understands expectations
Behavior contracts are most effective when the student understands and agrees to the expectations and reinforcers outlined.
Question 3: A team wants to use 'response cost' in a token economy. This means the student will:
- Earn bonus tokens for exemplary behavior
- Lose a predetermined number of tokens for a target behavior (Correct answer)
- Exchange tokens only at the end of the week
- Receive tokens from peers as social reinforcement
Correct answer: Lose a predetermined number of tokens for a target behavior
Response cost is a form of negative punishment where tokens are removed contingent on the occurrence of a problem behavior.
Question 4: Which schedule of reinforcement produces the highest and most stable rate of behavior and is most resistant to extinction?
- Fixed ratio
- Variable ratio (Correct answer)
- Fixed interval
- Variable interval
Correct answer: Variable ratio
Variable ratio schedules produce high, steady rates of behavior and are very resistant to extinction because the reinforcer is unpredictable.
Question 5: When using 'social stories' as a behavioral strategy, the content should primarily:
- Describe consequences for rule violations in detail
- Narrate a situation from the student's perspective with clear social cues and expected responses (Correct answer)
- Outline the steps of a punitive behavior plan
- Focus on what other students do wrong in similar situations
Correct answer: Narrate a situation from the student's perspective with clear social cues and expected responses
Social stories describe a situation, relevant social cues, and appropriate responses from the student's perspective to build social understanding.
Question 6: A team identifies that a student's disruptive behavior peaks during transitions. The BEST Tier 1 strategy is to:
- Eliminate all transitions in the student's schedule
- Provide a visual or auditory cue two minutes before each transition (Correct answer)
- Have the student sit out during transitions
- Increase the number of transitions to build tolerance
Correct answer: Provide a visual or auditory cue two minutes before each transition
Providing advance notice before transitions reduces the abruptness of change, which is a common antecedent to transition-related behavior.
Question 7: Which PBIS strategy involves systematically teaching self-monitoring skills so students can track their own behavior?
- Functional Communication Training
- Peer-mediated intervention
- Self-management instruction (Correct answer)
- Scheduled reinforcement fading
Correct answer: Self-management instruction
Self-management instruction teaches students to observe, record, and evaluate their own behavior to promote independence.
PBIS Behavioral Strategies & Techniques 3
A student earns tokens throughout the day to exchange for a preferred activity at the end.
This system is called a: