RBT Skill Acquisition Programs 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An RBT is running a chaining program for tooth-brushing. The learner independently completes steps 1–4 but requires prompting for step 5. The RBT prompts step 5 and then allows the learner to complete steps 6–8 independently. Which chaining method is being used?
- Backward chaining
- Forward chaining
- Total task chaining (Correct answer)
- Interrupted chain procedure
Correct answer: Total task chaining
Total task chaining involves teaching and prompting every step of the chain in every session rather than isolating one step at a time.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes 'transfer of stimulus control'?
- Moving the learner to a new training environment
- Shifting responding from a prompt to the natural discriminative stimulus (Correct answer)
- Changing the reinforcer used in the program
- Teaching the learner to generalize to novel people
Correct answer: Shifting responding from a prompt to the natural discriminative stimulus
Transfer of stimulus control is the process of fading prompts so that the learner's behavior comes under the control of the natural SD rather than the prompt.
Question 3: When a learner can name an object in one setting but not in others, the RBT should implement:
- Errorless learning across multiple settings
- Generalization training across varied settings, people, or materials (Correct answer)
- A punishment procedure to suppress incorrect responses
- More massed trials in the original training setting
Correct answer: Generalization training across varied settings, people, or materials
Generalization training expands stimulus control so that learned skills occur across different environments, people, and materials.
Question 4: During a skill acquisition session, the RBT provides a prompt before giving the learner a chance to respond independently. This is called:
- Error correction
- Prompt delay
- Simultaneous prompting (Correct answer)
- Least-to-most prompting
Correct answer: Simultaneous prompting
Simultaneous prompting delivers the prompt at the same time as the SD, preventing errors by not allowing an independent response opportunity before assistance.
Question 5: A BCBA instructs the RBT to use a '0-second prompt delay' at the start of a new skill acquisition program. The primary reason for this is to:
- Measure the learner's independent baseline
- Prevent errors while the learner acquires the new discrimination (Correct answer)
- Collect preference assessment data
- Assess whether reinforcement is effective
Correct answer: Prevent errors while the learner acquires the new discrimination
A 0-second prompt delay ensures the prompt is delivered immediately with the SD to minimize errors during initial skill acquisition.
Question 6: A learner is taught to say 'ball' when shown a picture of a ball. Later, they also say 'ball' when they see a real ball. This is an example of:
- Response generalization
- Stimulus generalization (Correct answer)
- Maintenance
- Spontaneous recovery
Correct answer: Stimulus generalization
Stimulus generalization occurs when a learned response is emitted in the presence of stimuli that are similar to but not identical to the original training stimulus.
Question 7: An RBT notices that a learner answers correctly only when a specific RBT is running trials. The team decides to vary instructors during training. Which issue are they addressing?
- Response class expansion
- Narrow stimulus control (instructor dependency) (Correct answer)
- Inappropriate reinforcer selection
- Task analysis breakdown
Correct answer: Narrow stimulus control (instructor dependency)
When a learner responds correctly only to one person, the behavior is under overly narrow stimulus control; varying instructors promotes generalization across people.
RBT Skill Acquisition Programs 4
An RBT is running a chaining program for tooth-brushing.
The learner independently completes steps 1–4 but requires prompting for step 5.
The RBT prompts step 5 and then allows the learner to complete steps 6–8 independently.
Which chaining method is being used?