Practice Test Flashcards

What type of consequential operation occurs when a stimulus is added to theenvironment and results in a decrease in behavior over time?

Answer: Positive Punishment

Positive punishment involves the *addition* of a stimulus to the environment *following* a behavior. If this addition results in a *decrease* in the future likelihood of that behavior, it is defined as positive punishment. The term 'positive' refers to adding something, and 'punishment' refers to the decrease in behavior.

Mass trials are represented by which of the following?

Answer: A therapist continuously shows the same SD to a student, encouraging the same specific conduct trial after trial until the student completes 5 requested right trials in a row.

Mass trials are a discrete trial teaching (DTT) strategy where the same discriminative stimulus (SD) is presented repeatedly to a learner, prompting the same target response multiple times in a row. This method is used to establish new skills or increase fluency by providing numerous opportunities for practice and reinforcement of a single target behavior. The goal is to build strong stimulus-response associations.

What does the term "response latency" mean?

Answer: The delay of time between a stimulus and a given response.

Response latency is a temporal dimension of behavior measurement that refers to the time elapsed from the presentation of a stimulus (e.g., an instruction or SD) to the initiation of the target response. It measures how quickly a behavior begins after a cue. For example, if a teacher says "touch nose," latency would be the time until the student starts to move their hand towards their nose.

Reinforcers that get their reinforcing properties by combining with another reinforcer are referred to as _________________.

Answer: Conditioned

Conditioned reinforcers, also known as secondary reinforcers, are stimuli that acquire their reinforcing properties through association with primary (unconditioned) reinforcers or other established conditioned reinforcers. For example, praise or money are not inherently reinforcing but become so because they have been paired with access to unconditioned reinforcers like food or comfort.

What are the four behavioral functions?

Answer: Sensory, Escape, Attention, and Tangibles

The four primary functions of behavior, often remembered by the acronym SEAT, are Sensory (automatic reinforcement), Escape (avoiding or terminating aversive stimuli), Attention (gaining social interaction), and Tangibles (accessing desired items or activities). Understanding these functions is crucial for conducting functional behavior assessments and developing effective interventions.

Which of the following are examples of preference evaluations used by behavior analysts to identify lists of appetitive stimuli?

Answer: Multiple Stimulus Without Replacement (MSWO)

The Multiple Stimulus Without Replacement (MSWO) is a systematic preference assessment procedure where an array of stimuli is presented, and the learner selects one. The selected item is then removed from the array, and the remaining items are re-presented. This process continues until all items are chosen, creating a hierarchy of preferences and effectively identifying a ranked list of preferred items.

Which of the following types of Continuous data collecting methods are you familiar with?

Answer: Frequency

Frequency is a continuous measurement method that involves counting every instance of a behavior within a specific observation period. Unlike discontinuous methods, it captures every occurrence, providing a complete count of how often a behavior happens. Other continuous measures include duration, latency, and interresponse time, all of which record every instance or aspect of the behavior.

Which antecedent raises or diminishes a consequence's value?

Answer: Motivating Operation

A Motivating Operation (MO) is an environmental event that alters the current value of a stimulus as a reinforcer or punisher, and also alters the current frequency of all behavior that has been reinforced or punished by that stimulus. For example, being deprived of food (an MO) makes food more valuable as a reinforcer and increases behaviors that have previously led to food.

Skinner defined Verbal Behavior in terms of _______________ over ________________.

Answer: Function, Form

B.F. Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior emphasized the *function* of language (why a person speaks) rather than its *form* (the grammatical structure or topography of the words). He categorized verbal operants based on their controlling variables and the consequences they produce, highlighting the environmental factors that maintain verbal behavior. This functional approach allows for effective teaching of communication skills.

After the learner performs the final step in the chain, which kind of chaining results in the learner being reinforced?

Answer: Backwards chaining

In backwards chaining, the trainer completes all steps of a task analysis except for the last one. The learner is then prompted to perform only the final step, and reinforcement is delivered immediately upon successful completion. This method ensures that the learner experiences immediate reinforcement upon completing the final, natural step of the chain, which can be highly motivating.

What must the client or the person who makes decisions for the client, such as a parent or guardian, do if punishment is to be used?

Answer: Give informed consent

The use of punishment procedures in ABA requires careful consideration and ethical safeguards. Before implementing any punishment, the client or their legal guardian must provide informed consent. This means they fully understand the procedure, its potential risks and benefits, and alternative interventions, ensuring respect for autonomy and protecting the client's rights.

When gathering discontinuous data, which device are you most likely to use?

Answer: Stopwatch

Discontinuous data collection methods often involve measuring behavior within specific intervals or at specific moments. A stopwatch is commonly used for interval recording (e.g., partial interval, whole interval) or momentary time sampling, where the presence or absence of a behavior is recorded during or at the end of predetermined time intervals. It helps precisely time these observation periods.

What is one of the most significant advantages of having permanent product data?

Answer: No direct observation of behavior is required.

Permanent product measurement involves measuring the tangible outcomes or effects of a behavior, rather than observing the behavior directly as it occurs. This is a significant advantage because it allows data to be collected even when the observer is not present, making it efficient and less intrusive. Examples include counting completed assignments or tallying broken items.

Which DR procedure is based on time?

Answer: DRO

Differential Reinforcement of Other behavior (DRO) is a time-based procedure where reinforcement is delivered when the target problem behavior has *not* occurred for a specified interval of time. If the behavior occurs during the interval, the timer is reset. This procedure aims to decrease a target behavior by reinforcing its absence over a set period.

Which differential reinforcement procedure requires reinforcing behavior that is physically incompatible with the goal behavior?

Answer: DRI

Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible behavior (DRI) involves reinforcing a behavior that cannot physically occur at the same time as the problem behavior. For example, reinforcing a child for keeping their hands in their pockets makes it physically impossible for them to hit someone. This procedure directly competes with the target behavior, making it an effective reduction strategy.

____________________ occurs when the characteristics of a relevant stimulus are changed or amplified in order to improve the chance of a target behavior happening.

Answer: Stimulus prompting

Stimulus prompting involves altering the discriminative stimulus (SD) or adding a new stimulus to make the correct response more likely. This can include exaggerating a feature of the stimulus, changing its position, or adding cues like highlighting. The goal is to guide the learner towards the correct response by making the SD more salient or easier to discriminate.