RBT Generalization and Maintenance 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which strategy involves making it difficult for a learner to determine when reinforcement is available, thereby supporting maintenance?
- Extinction
- Indiscriminable contingencies (Correct answer)
- Sequential modification
- Backward chaining
Correct answer: Indiscriminable contingencies
Indiscriminable contingencies use thin or unpredictable reinforcement schedules that mimic natural environments, making behavior resistant to extinction and supporting long-term maintenance.
Question 2: A child taught to say 'Hello' begins independently saying 'Hi' and 'Hey' to greet others without explicit training. This is an example of:
- Stimulus generalization
- Response generalization (Correct answer)
- Spontaneous recovery
- Behavioral momentum
Correct answer: Response generalization
Response generalization occurs when a learner produces responses that are functionally similar to trained responses but were not directly taught.
Question 3: Which of the following is NOT a recommended strategy for promoting generalization?
- Multiple exemplar training
- Teaching skills in the natural environment
- Using only one trainer for all sessions (Correct answer)
- Programming common stimuli
Correct answer: Using only one trainer for all sessions
Restricting training to a single trainer limits generalization to people; using multiple trainers is recommended so the learner can generalize responding across different individuals.
Question 4: General case programming involves:
- Teaching only one representative example of each target concept
- Systematically selecting teaching examples that represent the full range of relevant variation (Correct answer)
- Providing continuous reinforcement for every correct response
- Using physical guidance as the primary prompting strategy
Correct answer: Systematically selecting teaching examples that represent the full range of relevant variation
General case programming analyzes the universe of relevant situations and selects teaching examples that cover the full range of stimulus and response variation the learner will encounter.
Question 5: When an RBT conducts 'booster sessions,' the primary goal is to:
- Increase the density of reinforcement in current sessions
- Re-expose the learner to training to restore skills that have begun to decline (Correct answer)
- Introduce a new skill program that was not previously targeted
- Implement a revised data collection procedure
Correct answer: Re-expose the learner to training to restore skills that have begun to decline
Booster sessions are brief re-training episodes used to restore previously mastered skills that have deteriorated after intervention was reduced.
Question 6: Natural environment training (NET) primarily promotes:
- Acquisition of skills under highly structured massed trial conditions
- Generalization by embedding skill training in the settings where they naturally occur (Correct answer)
- Exclusive focus on behavior reduction goals
- Structured discrete trial training in clinical environments
Correct answer: Generalization by embedding skill training in the settings where they naturally occur
NET promotes generalization by teaching skills within natural, everyday contexts rather than solely in structured clinical or therapy settings.
Question 7: A learner masters a skill with one RBT but consistently fails to respond correctly with other staff members. The team should:
- Discontinue the program until further assessment is complete
- Have multiple trainers implement the program to promote generalization across people (Correct answer)
- Increase the use of physical prompts during sessions
- Significantly increase the magnitude of reinforcement
Correct answer: Have multiple trainers implement the program to promote generalization across people
When generalization across people fails, the recommended strategy is to involve multiple trainers so the learner can respond correctly with different individuals.
RBT Generalization and Maintenance 2
Which strategy involves making it difficult for a learner to determine when reinforcement is available, thereby supporting maintenance?