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GHABA Proficiency II study materials
GHABA Proficiency II study resources

GHABA Proficiency II practice questions

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Question 1Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

In behavior-analytic terminology, a stimulus that increases the future frequency of a behavior because it has previously been paired with a primary reinforcer is called a:

  1. motivating operation
  2. conditioned reinforcer Correct answer.
  3. discriminative stimulus
  4. establishing operation

Explanation

A conditioned (secondary) reinforcer acquires reinforcing value through pairing with an established reinforcer. It strengthens behavior by consequence delivery, not by signaling availability of reinforcement. Discriminative stimuli and motivating operations change behavior through antecedent functions rather than consequence pairing.

Question 2Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A behavior analyst records the number of hand-raising responses a student emits during a 40-minute class period. This measurement is best described as:

  1. duration recording
  2. momentary time sampling
  3. partial-interval recording
  4. event recording of a discrete response Correct answer.

Explanation

Counting each occurrence of a discrete, observable response yields a frequency or event count. Event recording is appropriate when responses have clear beginnings and ends. Interval and duration methods target different dimensions, such as occurrence within time blocks or elapsed time.

Question 3Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

Which three-term contingency arrangement correctly describes operant conditioning?

  1. antecedent stimulus, behavior, consequence Correct answer.
  2. response, reinforcement, punishment
  3. setting event, motivating operation, response
  4. stimulus, reflex, unconditioned response

Explanation

The three-term contingency links a discriminative antecedent, the operant response, and the consequence that follows. This arrangement captures how environmental events control voluntary behavior. Reflexive sequences and broader contextual variables are described by other concepts.

Question 4Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A teacher praises a student every time the student completes five math problems correctly. Over time the student completes more problem sets. The praise functions as:

  1. a conditioned aversive stimulus
  2. a punisher for problem completion
  3. a reinforcer for completing problem sets Correct answer.
  4. an S-delta for math work

Explanation

Because the praise follows the behavior and the behavior increases, praise functions as reinforcement in this context. Reinforcement is defined by its effect on future frequency, not by its presumed pleasantness. The other labels describe decreases in behavior or stimuli correlated with extinction.

Question 5Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

Which statement best characterizes the philosophical position of behavior analysis known as selection by consequences?

  1. Behavior is controlled mainly by inherited traits independent of learning history.
  2. Behavior is best explained by hypothetical cognitive structures.
  3. Behavior is determined primarily by unconscious intrapsychic conflicts.
  4. Behavior is shaped by its effects on the environment across ontogenic and cultural levels. Correct answer.

Explanation

Selection by consequences holds that operant behavior is selected by its environmental effects, paralleling natural selection at the phylogenetic level and cultural practices at the cultural level. This position emphasizes observable environment-behavior relations. It rejects explanatory reliance on unobserved mental constructs.

Question 6Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A behavior analyst wants to determine whether a treatment changed behavior relative to baseline. Which design element most directly supports this inference?

  1. an anecdotal teacher report
  2. a reversal to baseline conditions Correct answer.
  3. a single baseline session only
  4. a change in data collectors

Explanation

Returning to baseline conditions during a reversal allows the analyst to observe whether behavior changes with the intervention and reverts when it is withdrawn. This within-subject control strengthens causal inference. Single observations, anecdotal reports, and observer changes do not provide comparable experimental control.

Question 7Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

In respondent conditioning, a neutral stimulus that comes to elicit a response after repeated pairing with an unconditioned stimulus is called a:

  1. reinforcing consequence
  2. operant response
  3. unconditioned stimulus
  4. conditioned stimulus Correct answer.

Explanation

A conditioned stimulus acquires eliciting power through pairing with an unconditioned stimulus. The response it evokes is the conditioned response. Operant responses and reinforcing consequences belong to operant, not respondent, conditioning.

Question 8Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

Which of the following is the defining feature of a behavior-analytic definition of a target behavior?

  1. It describes internal emotional states only.
  2. It relies on inferred intentions.
  3. It uses broad trait labels such as lazy.
  4. It is observable and measurable in specific terms. Correct answer.

Explanation

Behavioral definitions must be objective, observable, and measurable so that independent observers can agree on occurrences. Vague trait labels and inferred intentions cannot be reliably measured. Emotional-state descriptions alone do not specify observable responses.

Question 9Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A student's screaming behavior is maintained by attention from staff. A plan removes attention following screaming while providing attention for appropriate requests. Which procedure is being used?

  1. noncontingent access to a preferred item only
  2. stimulus fading
  3. punishment by response cost
  4. extinction combined with differential reinforcement of an alternative behavior Correct answer.

Explanation

Withholding the maintaining reinforcer for screaming is extinction, and reinforcing requests is differential reinforcement of an alternative behavior. Combining them addresses both the problem response and a replacement skill. Response cost, noncontingent access, and fading describe different operations.

Question 10Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A functional analysis shows that problem behavior occurs at high rates only when a demanding task is presented and escape follows. Which function is indicated?

  1. negative reinforcement Correct answer.
  2. respondent elicitation
  3. automatic reinforcement
  4. positive reinforcement through attention

Explanation

Escape from a demanding task following problem behavior indicates negative reinforcement, where the removal of the task strengthens behavior. Attention and automatic functions would be supported by different contingencies. Respondent elicitation is not an operant function category.

Question 11Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A behavior analyst uses a token economy in which tokens are exchanged for backup reinforcers. The tokens function as:

  1. unconditioned punishers
  2. generalized conditioned reinforcers Correct answer.
  3. respondent stimuli
  4. discriminative stimuli for extinction

Explanation

Tokens are conditioned reinforcers because they are paired with backup reinforcers, and they are generalized because they exchange for many different reinforcers. This reduces the effects of satiation on any single item. They do not function as punishers, extinction signals, or respondent stimuli.

Question 12Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

Which schedule of reinforcement typically produces a high, steady response rate with a post-reinforcement pause?

  1. fixed interval
  2. variable time
  3. variable ratio
  4. fixed ratio Correct answer.

Explanation

Fixed-ratio schedules reinforce after a fixed number of responses, producing high rates followed by a pause after reinforcement. Variable ratio produces high steady rates without a predictable pause. Interval and time schedules are organized around elapsed time rather than response counts.

Question 13Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A teacher wants to increase a student's on-task behavior by reinforcing it while withholding reinforcement for off-task behavior. This arrangement is best described as:

  1. noncontingent reinforcement
  2. punishment by contingent observation
  3. response cost
  4. differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior Correct answer.

Explanation

Reinforcing a behavior that cannot occur at the same time as the problem behavior is differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior. The incompatible response competes directly with the target problem. The other procedures rely on punishment, response removal, or time-based delivery.

Question 14Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A behavior analyst reports interobserver agreement of 92% using total count. What does this value most directly indicate?

  1. The target behavior was reduced by 92%.
  2. Two observers recorded similar totals of the target behavior. Correct answer.
  3. The behavior occurred 92% of the time.
  4. The treatment was 92% effective.

Explanation

Interobserver agreement quantifies the correspondence between independent observers' records. A total-count agreement of 92% means their counts were closely matched. It does not express the prevalence, effectiveness, or reduction of behavior.

Question 15Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A behavior analyst wants to compare the effects of two treatments on the same behavior while controlling for sequence effects. Which design is most appropriate?

  1. withdrawal design only
  2. simple baseline design
  3. changing criterion design
  4. alternating treatments design Correct answer.

Explanation

The alternating treatments design rapidly alternates conditions so that sequence and time effects are distributed across conditions. This allows comparison of two or more interventions within a short timeframe. Withdrawal and changing criterion designs address different experimental questions.

Question 16Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A child receives a sticker after every third correct answer. Which schedule is in effect?

  1. fixed ratio 3 Correct answer.
  2. variable ratio 3
  3. variable interval 3 minutes
  4. fixed interval 3 minutes

Explanation

A fixed ratio 3 schedule delivers reinforcement after a fixed number of three responses. The ratio is constant across opportunities, unlike a variable ratio. Interval schedules depend on elapsed time rather than response count.

Question 17Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

Which procedure involves presenting a stimulus contingent on behavior that decreases the future frequency of that behavior?

  1. negative punishment
  2. extinction
  3. positive punishment Correct answer.
  4. negative reinforcement

Explanation

Positive punishment adds a stimulus following behavior and reduces its future frequency. Negative reinforcement and negative punishment involve stimulus removal, and extinction withholds the maintaining reinforcer. The defining feature of positive punishment is contingent stimulus presentation that suppresses behavior.

Question 18Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A behavior analyst notes that a response occurs at high rates during baseline and remains high when the intervention is introduced, then drops when the intervention is strengthened. Which design feature supports concluding the strengthened intervention is responsible?

  1. a changing criterion design Correct answer.
  2. a pre-post test only
  3. a single AB comparison
  4. an anecdotal report

Explanation

A changing criterion design introduces stepwise changes in the performance requirement and examines whether behavior tracks each change. If responding follows successive criterion shifts, the intervention is supported as the controlling variable. Single comparisons and anecdotal reports lack this repeated demonstration.

Question 19Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A learner's manding is reinforced only when a specific listener is present. The listener's presence functions as:

  1. an S-delta for manding
  2. a discriminative stimulus for manding Correct answer.
  3. an establishing operation for manding
  4. a punisher for manding

Explanation

When a response is reinforced only in the presence of a particular stimulus, that stimulus becomes a discriminative stimulus. It signals the availability of reinforcement for manding. An S-delta would signal extinction, and establishing operations alter reinforcer value rather than signal availability.

Question 20Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A behavior analyst conducts a preference assessment in which items are presented one at a time and the learner's approach responses are recorded. This is best described as:

  1. a functional analysis
  2. a multiple-stimulus without replacement assessment
  3. a single-stimulus preference assessment Correct answer.
  4. a paired-stimulus preference assessment

Explanation

Single-stimulus preference assessments present one item per trial and record approach or engagement. Paired-stimulus assessments present two items simultaneously, and multiple-stimulus formats present arrays. Functional analysis identifies reinforcers maintaining problem behavior, not relative preference.

Question 21Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A behavior analyst is ethically obligated to obtain informed consent before implementing a behavior-reduction procedure. Which element is most essential to informed consent?

  1. withholding information about risks to avoid influencing the decision
  2. describing the procedure, risks, benefits, and alternatives in understandable terms Correct answer.
  3. relying on a colleague's verbal assurance
  4. obtaining consent only after the procedure begins

Explanation

Informed consent requires that the person or guardian understand the procedure, its risks and benefits, and available alternatives before agreeing. Withholding risk information undermines autonomy and is unethical. Consent must precede intervention and cannot rest on secondhand assurances.

Question 22Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A behavior analyst observes that a client's self-injury is maintained by automatic reinforcement. Which treatment consideration is most relevant?

  1. The behavior may persist independently of social consequences, so matched sensory or competing stimulation may be needed. Correct answer.
  2. The behavior will extinguish quickly without any programmed intervention.
  3. Contingent attention withdrawal will reliably reduce the behavior.
  4. Escape extinction alone will eliminate the behavior.

Explanation

Automatic reinforcement is produced by the behavior itself, so social contingencies such as attention withdrawal or escape extinction are unlikely to be sufficient. Interventions often arrange competing or matched sensory stimulation and enrich the environment. Without such programming, the behavior may persist.

Question 23Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A researcher uses a multiple baseline across participants. Which pattern of results most strongly supports a treatment effect?

  1. Only the first participant shows any change.
  2. Behavior is stable across all phases for every participant.
  3. Behavior changes when, and only when, the intervention is introduced for each participant. Correct answer.
  4. All participants' behavior changes at the same calendar time regardless of intervention onset.

Explanation

In a multiple baseline, experimental control is demonstrated when each participant's behavior changes at the point the intervention is applied to that participant. Staggered onset ties behavior change to the intervention rather than to coincidental events. Simultaneous change across all participants would suggest an alternative explanation.

Question 24Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A behavior analyst is designing a program for a response class in which topographies vary but share the same function. Which consideration is most important?

  1. Assume all topographies are maintained by attention.
  2. Apply punishment to all topographies without a functional assessment.
  3. Reinforce functionally equivalent replacement responses that match the maintaining contingency. Correct answer.
  4. Target only the single most frequent topography and ignore the rest.

Explanation

A response class is defined by shared function, so intervention should address the maintaining contingency and build functionally equivalent alternatives. Treating only one topography may leave other members of the class unaffected. Assuming a function without assessment risks an ineffective or harmful plan.

Question 25Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A behavior analyst evaluates treatment integrity data showing that staff implemented the plan correctly on only 40% of observed sessions. What is the most appropriate interpretation?

  1. Conclusions about treatment effectiveness are weakened because the independent variable was not reliably delivered. Correct answer.
  2. The dependent variable was measured incorrectly.
  3. The treatment is ineffective because the behavior did not change.
  4. The data confirm the treatment caused behavior change.

Explanation

Treatment integrity describes how accurately the independent variable is implemented. Low integrity means the planned intervention was not consistently in place, weakening conclusions about its effect. It does not by itself show the dependent measure was flawed or that the treatment caused change.

Question 26Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

In behavior analysis, a stimulus change that follows a response and increases the future frequency of that response is called a:

  1. punisher
  2. reinforcer Correct answer.
  3. motivating operation
  4. discriminative stimulus

Explanation

A reinforcer is defined by its effect: it follows behavior and increases the future likelihood of that behavior. The defining criterion is the observed increase in response frequency, not the pleasantness of the stimulus itself.

Question 27Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A behavior analyst records the number of hand-raising episodes a student emits during each 30-minute class period. Which dimension of behavior is being measured?

  1. Derivative measure in the form of percentage
  2. Temporal extent in the form of duration
  3. Temporal locus in the form of latency
  4. Repeatability in the form of count Correct answer.

Explanation

Count is a measure of repeatability, capturing how many times a response occurs in a given observation period. Latency and duration describe temporal locus and temporal extent respectively, while percentage is derived from other measures.

Question 28Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A behavior analyst wants to identify the reinforcer maintaining a client's aggression without evoking the behavior. Which assessment approach fits this goal?

  1. Observing the client in the natural environment while recording consequences that follow aggression
  2. Running a functional analysis that presents and withdraws suspected reinforcers contingent on aggression
  3. Conducting a trial-based functional analysis with contingencies arranged to evoke aggression
  4. Reviewing structured indirect assessments such as the Questions About Behavioral Function with caregivers Correct answer.

Explanation

Indirect assessments gather information through interviews, rating scales, and questionnaires without directly manipulating contingencies or evoking the target behavior. They generate hypotheses about function that can later be tested with direct methods.

Question 29Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A behavior analyst is establishing a conditioned reinforcer by repeatedly pairing a neutral stimulus with an established reinforcer. Which procedure is being used?

  1. Stimulus-stimulus pairing Correct answer.
  2. Stimulus generalization
  3. Response differentiation
  4. Extinction-induced variability

Explanation

Stimulus-stimulus pairing is the procedure by which a neutral stimulus acquires reinforcing properties through repeated association with an already effective reinforcer. The neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned reinforcer as a result of that pairing history.

Question 30Foundational Knowledge of Behavior Analysis

A behavior analyst is comparing two interventions for the same target behavior across two classrooms. Treatment A is introduced in Classroom 1 while Classroom 2 remains in baseline, then Treatment A is introduced in Classroom 2 while Classroom 1 continues in Treatment A. Which design is being described, and what does it control for?

  1. A multiple baseline across settings, which controls for coincidental events by showing change occurs only when treatment is applied in each setting Correct answer.
  2. A reversal design, which controls for the effects of the independent variable by withdrawing treatment
  3. An alternating-treatments design, which controls for sequence effects by rapidly alternating conditions
  4. A changing-criterion design, which controls for gradual behavior change by shifting performance criteria

Explanation

A multiple baseline across settings introduces the independent variable at different times in different settings, so improvement appears only when treatment begins in each setting. This staggered introduction controls for coincidental environmental events that could otherwise explain behavior change.

Question 31Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis

A behavior analyst records whether a learner raises a hand during a 10-minute group lesson and divides the count by the total minutes to produce a rate. Which dimensional quantity of behavior does this measure describe?

  1. Rate derived from count per unit time Correct answer.
  2. Interresponse time between hand raises
  3. Latency from instruction to response
  4. Duration of each hand raise

Explanation

Rate expresses the number of responses per unit of time, here count divided by observed minutes. Latency, duration, and interresponse time each describe a different dimensional quantity and cannot be derived from this calculation.

Question 32Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis

During a functional analysis, a therapist presents a preferred item contingent on problem behavior and withholds it otherwise. Problem behavior occurs at high levels only in this condition. Which class of reinforcement does this condition test?

  1. Social negative reinforcement in the form of escape
  2. Unconditioned punishment
  3. Social positive reinforcement in the form of access to tangibles Correct answer.
  4. Automatic reinforcement

Explanation

Contingent delivery of a preferred item following problem behavior isolates social positive reinforcement by access to tangibles. Elevated responding in this condition relative to control conditions supports that function.

Question 33Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis

A teacher reports that a student's disruptive behavior occurs mostly during independent seatwork and rarely during teacher-led instruction. Which assessment product is the teacher's report an example of?

  1. A parametric analysis of reinforcer magnitude
  2. A trial-based latency measurement
  3. An experimental functional analysis manipulating antecedents
  4. A descriptive indirect assessment of conditions correlated with behavior Correct answer.

Explanation

Reports about where and when behavior occurs are indirect descriptive information about correlations, not causal demonstrations. Experimental analyses require systematic manipulation of variables, which the teacher's report does not involve.

Question 34Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis

A behavior analyst wants a direct, real-time record of the frequency and temporal distribution of a behavior across a full school day without continuous observation. Which measurement approach best fits this purpose?

  1. Event recording with a handheld counter Correct answer.
  2. Momentary time sampling at 15-minute intervals
  3. Partial-interval recording across the day
  4. Narrative antecedent-behavior-consequence recording

Explanation

Event recording captures each occurrence as it happens, preserving frequency and the timing of responses. Time-sampling methods estimate occurrence and can distort frequency counts, and narrative recording is not a quantitative real-time measure.

Question 35Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis

A functional analysis shows elevated responding in the alone condition and near-zero responding in attention, demand, and tangible conditions. Which interpretation is most defensible?

  1. Behavior is maintained by escape from demands
  2. Behavior is maintained by attention from staff
  3. Behavior is maintained by automatic reinforcement Correct answer.
  4. Behavior is maintained by access to preferred items

Explanation

Elevated responding when the participant is alone, with no social consequences arranged, implicates automatic reinforcement. Social functions would produce differentiation in the corresponding test conditions, which were near zero here.

Question 36Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis

Before conducting a functional analysis of aggression, a clinician interviews staff and conducts several direct observations to identify probable reinforcers and safe procedures. What is the primary purpose of this preliminary work?

  1. To replace the functional analysis with descriptive data
  2. To determine the social validity of the target behavior
  3. To establish the reliability of the functional analysis
  4. To inform hypothesis-driven test conditions and reduce risk Correct answer.

Explanation

Pre-assessment information shapes which test conditions are relevant and helps design safer, individualized procedures. It does not substitute for the experimental analysis nor establish reliability of the analysis itself.

Question 37Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis

A behavior analyst uses a scatterplot of behavior across daily time periods. What does a scatterplot primarily reveal?

  1. The magnitude of reinforcement maintaining behavior
  2. The function of the behavior under experimental control
  3. The reliability of interobserver agreement
  4. Patterns of behavior across times and activities to guide further assessment Correct answer.

Explanation

A scatterplot displays the distribution of behavior across times or activities, highlighting patterns that suggest when to observe further. It is descriptive and does not identify function, reinforcement magnitude, or agreement.

Question 38Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis

In a functional analysis, a behavior analyst alternates test and control conditions rapidly within a session. What is the main advantage of this design?

  1. It produces a permanent record of the behavior's topography
  2. It eliminates the need for a control condition
  3. It guarantees that the behavior will not occur in the control condition
  4. It allows comparison of responding across conditions while controlling for confounding variables over time Correct answer.

Explanation

Rapid alternation of conditions within and across sessions controls for variables that change over time by comparing conditions closely in time. A control condition remains necessary, and the design does not guarantee outcomes.

Question 39Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis

A teacher collects data using 10-second partial-interval recording during a 20-minute class. Which statement about this method is accurate?

  1. It records the exact number of responses
  2. It requires continuous observation of each response
  3. It tends to overestimate the true duration of behavior Correct answer.
  4. It tends to underestimate high-rate behavior

Explanation

Partial-interval recording scores an interval if behavior occurs at any point, which tends to overestimate duration and occurrence. It does not count individual responses and does not require continuous tracking of each response.

Question 40Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis

Two observers independently record the same sessions, and their records agree on 8 of 10 intervals. Which measure does this calculation represent?

  1. Social validity of the behavior intervention
  2. Treatment integrity of the independent variable
  3. Procedural fidelity of the dependent variable
  4. Interobserver agreement expressed as interval-by-interval percentage Correct answer.

Explanation

Agreement between two independent observers on the same observation is interobserver agreement, here computed interval by interval. Treatment integrity concerns implementation of procedures, and social validity concerns acceptability.

Question 41Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis

A behavior analyst wants to determine whether a behavior is maintained by escape from a difficult task. Which condition arrangement best tests this hypothesis?

  1. Present a difficult task and provide a break contingent on behavior, with a control condition of easy tasks and no contingent break Correct answer.
  2. Deliver attention contingent on behavior and withhold attention otherwise
  3. Provide continuous access to preferred items regardless of behavior
  4. Arrange an alone condition with no materials present

Explanation

Testing escape requires presenting a demand and making task removal contingent on the behavior, compared against a control with low demands. Elevated responding in the demand condition relative to control supports negative reinforcement.

Question 42Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis

A behavior analyst records the time from the end of one response to the start of the next to evaluate whether a behavior occurs in bursts. Which measure is being collected?

  1. Interresponse time Correct answer.
  2. Latency
  3. Duration
  4. Percentage of intervals

Explanation

Interresponse time is the elapsed time between two successive responses, which is useful for describing bursts and pacing. Latency concerns stimulus to response onset, and duration concerns how long a response lasts.

Question 43Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis

A functional analysis produces undifferentiated high responding across all test conditions and the control condition. Which next step is most appropriate?

  1. Revise procedures to improve differentiation, such as strengthening control conditions or refining contingencies Correct answer.
  2. Conclude that the behavior is maintained by attention
  3. Conclude that the behavior is not maintained by any reinforcer
  4. Conclude that the behavior is maintained by automatic reinforcement

Explanation

Undifferentiated patterns suggest methodological problems such as weak control or unclear contingencies rather than a clear function. Refining procedures to improve discrimination among conditions is the appropriate next step.

Question 44Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis

A behavior analyst wants to compare the effects of two different magnitudes of attention on problem behavior. Which type of analysis is this?

  1. A descriptive assessment
  2. A structural analysis
  3. A trial-based functional analysis
  4. A parametric analysis Correct answer.

Explanation

Parametric analysis examines the effects of varying a parameter of a reinforcer, such as magnitude or schedule, on behavior. Structural analysis concerns the form of behavior, and descriptive assessment does not manipulate variables.

Question 45Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis

Which statement best describes the role of a control condition in a functional analysis?

  1. It replaces the need for repeated measures
  2. It identifies the topography of the target behavior
  3. It ensures problem behavior occurs at high rates
  4. It provides a comparison with enriched reinforcement available noncontingently Correct answer.

Explanation

The control condition arranges noncontingent access to preferred items and attention to provide a comparison for test conditions. It is designed to produce low levels of problem behavior, not high rates.

Question 46Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis

A behavior analyst conducts a brief functional analysis with only one or two sessions per condition to inform immediate treatment. Which limitation is most relevant to this approach?

  1. It requires more sessions than a standard analysis
  2. It may yield insufficient data to establish clear differentiation Correct answer.
  3. It produces more data than extended analyses
  4. It cannot identify automatic reinforcement

Explanation

Brief analyses trade fewer sessions for speed, which can limit the stability and differentiation needed for confident conclusions. Extended analyses provide more data and greater experimental control.

Question 47Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis

A behavior analyst wishes to assess the function of behavior while minimizing the evocative conditions of a standard functional analysis. Which approach is most consistent with this goal?

  1. A preference assessment
  2. Trial-based functional analysis embedded in typical routines Correct answer.
  3. A descriptive scatterplot analysis
  4. A standard functional analysis with full test conditions

Explanation

Trial-based functional analysis embeds brief test trials into ongoing activities, reducing exposure to evocative conditions. Standard analyses use full test conditions, and descriptive or preference assessments do not test function.

Question 48Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis

A behavior analyst calculates interobserver agreement using total count: Observer A records 20 responses, Observer B records 18. Using the smaller divided by the larger, what is the agreement percentage?

  1. 95%
  2. 90% Correct answer.
  3. 89%
  4. 80%

Explanation

Total count agreement divides the smaller count by the larger count and multiplies by 100. Here 18 divided by 20 equals 0.90, or 90 percent.

Question 49Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis

Which measure is most appropriate for a behavior that occurs in long episodes, such as tantrums lasting several minutes?

  1. Duration recording of each episode Correct answer.
  2. Partial-interval recording at 5-second intervals
  3. Frequency count per session
  4. Momentary time sampling at 30-minute intervals

Explanation

Duration recording captures the length of each episode, which is the relevant dimension for behaviors that persist over time. Frequency alone ignores episode length, and coarse time sampling may miss or distort episodes.

Question 50Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis

A behavior analyst observes that problem behavior is followed by attention from peers in the natural environment but wants to confirm a causal relation. Which approach provides the strongest evidence of function?

  1. A staff questionnaire about probable reinforcers
  2. A scatterplot of behavior across the day
  3. An experimental functional analysis manipulating attention contingently Correct answer.
  4. Continued descriptive observation with no manipulation

Explanation

Causal conclusions about function require experimental manipulation of the suspected reinforcer. Descriptive methods and questionnaires identify correlations and hypotheses but cannot confirm a functional relation.