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Question 1Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst records whether a client raises a hand during each 10-second interval of a 20-minute class. This measurement procedure is best described as:

  1. Partial-interval recording Correct answer.
  2. Momentary time sampling
  3. Event recording with frequency count
  4. Whole-interval recording

Explanation

Partial-interval recording scores an interval as occurrence if the behavior happens at any point within it, regardless of duration or frequency. Because a hand raise at any moment in the 10-second window is marked, partial-interval recording is the correct label. Whole-interval and momentary sampling use different scoring rules at the interval boundaries.

Question 2Behavior Assessment

A teacher wants a permanent product measure of a student's essay-writing fluency. Which data source is a permanent product?

  1. The teacher's tally of hand raises during discussion
  2. A rating of engagement recorded every five minutes
  3. A stopwatch record of time on task
  4. The number of completed essay drafts collected at the end of the week Correct answer.

Explanation

Permanent products are tangible outcomes that remain after the behavior occurs and can be measured later. Completed essay drafts persist and can be counted or scored after the fact. The other options involve direct observation recorded in real time, which leaves no lasting product.

Question 3Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst calculates interobserver agreement by dividing the smaller recorded count by the larger recorded count and multiplying by 100 for each session. This is the:

  1. Total duration IOA
  2. Exact count-per-interval IOA
  3. Mean count-per-interval IOA
  4. Total count IOA Correct answer.

Explanation

Total count IOA compares the overall counts of two observers by dividing the smaller total by the larger total and multiplying by 100. It is computed once for the session rather than interval by interval. Mean count-per-interval IOA averages interval-by-interval ratios instead.

Question 4Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst wants to compare a client's rate of aggression during a 30-minute session with the rate during a 2-hour session. Which measure allows this comparison?

  1. Latency to first response
  2. Rate expressed as responses per unit time Correct answer.
  3. Count per session
  4. Duration per occurrence

Explanation

Rate divides the count by the observation time, producing responses per minute or hour that are comparable across sessions of different lengths. Raw counts cannot be compared when session lengths differ. Duration and latency describe different dimensions of behavior.

Question 5Behavior Assessment

During a functional analysis, a therapist presents attention contingent on problem behavior in one condition and withholds attention in another. The condition in which attention follows problem behavior is designed to test:

  1. Escape from demands
  2. Automatic reinforcement
  3. Tangible item access
  4. Access to attention as reinforcement Correct answer.

Explanation

When attention is delivered contingent on problem behavior, the test condition evaluates whether attention functions as a reinforcer. Elevated responding in that condition supports an attention function. Escape, automatic, and tangible conditions manipulate different consequences.

Question 6Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst conducts a functional analysis but is concerned about high-risk behavior. Which modification reduces risk while preserving experimental control?

  1. Eliminating the control condition to shorten the assessment
  2. Conducting the functional analysis only in the natural environment without contingencies
  3. Using a brief functional analysis with short sessions and protective equipment Correct answer.
  4. Replacing the functional analysis with a single caregiver interview

Explanation

Brief functional analyses use shortened sessions and safety precautions such as protective equipment to limit exposure while retaining manipulated contingencies. This preserves experimental control better than indirect methods. Removing contingencies or the control condition weakens the analysis.

Question 7Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst records whether a behavior occurs at the exact moment each 5-minute interval ends. This procedure is:

  1. Whole-interval recording
  2. Frequency recording
  3. Partial-interval recording
  4. Momentary time sampling Correct answer.

Explanation

Momentary time sampling observes behavior only at the instant each interval ends and scores occurrence or nonoccurrence at that moment. It does not track behavior throughout the interval. Partial- and whole-interval recording score based on behavior across the interval.

Question 8Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst wants to identify the antecedents and consequences surrounding a target behavior in the natural setting without manipulating variables. Which assessment method fits?

  1. Experimental functional analysis
  2. ABC narrative recording Correct answer.
  3. Alternating treatments design
  4. Withdrawal design

Explanation

ABC narrative recording documents antecedents, behaviors, and consequences as they naturally occur, describing conditions without manipulation. Experimental functional analysis and the listed designs deliberately manipulate variables. Narrative recording is descriptive and correlational.

Question 9Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst suspects that a client's self-injury is maintained by automatic reinforcement. Which finding would most support this hypothesis?

  1. Self-injury persists at similar rates across all social test conditions Correct answer.
  2. Self-injury decreases when attention is delivered noncontingently
  3. Self-injury occurs only when a preferred toy is removed
  4. Self-injury increases when demands are presented

Explanation

Persistent responding across all social conditions, including the alone or no-interaction condition, suggests the behavior is maintained by consequences not mediated by others, consistent with automatic reinforcement. Decreases with noncontingent attention or increases with demands point to social functions.

Question 10Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst computes IOA for a session and obtains 60%. What is the most appropriate interpretation?

  1. IOA does not apply to this measurement system
  2. The data are acceptable if the behavior is low rate
  3. The data are acceptable because IOA above 50% is standard
  4. The data are questionable and should be retrained or recollected Correct answer.

Explanation

Conventional guidelines treat IOA around 80% or higher as acceptable for most behaviors, so 60% indicates poor agreement. The likely response is to retrain observers or recollect data before trusting the measurement. Low-rate behavior does not justify accepting 60%.

Question 11Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst wants to determine whether a treatment produced a change beyond what would occur without it. Which design element is essential?

  1. A caregiver satisfaction survey
  2. A baseline phase that documents pre-treatment performance Correct answer.
  3. A single treatment phase with no comparison
  4. A permanent product count collected once

Explanation

A baseline phase establishes the level of behavior before treatment so that changes can be attributed to the intervention rather than maturation or other variables. Without baseline comparison, treatment effects cannot be evaluated. Surveys and single counts do not provide experimental comparison.

Question 12Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst measures the elapsed time between the instruction "line up" and the student reaching the line. This measure is:

  1. Rate
  2. Interresponse time
  3. Latency Correct answer.
  4. Duration

Explanation

Latency is the time between a stimulus or instruction and the onset of the response. Duration measures how long the response lasts, and interresponse time measures the gap between two responses. Rate expresses responses per unit time.

Question 13Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst uses a scatterplot to assess a target behavior. What is the primary purpose of a scatterplot?

  1. To determine the function of behavior through manipulation
  2. To establish experimental control over behavior
  3. To identify temporal patterns of behavior across the day Correct answer.
  4. To calculate interobserver agreement

Explanation

A scatterplot displays the occurrence of behavior across time periods, helping identify when behavior is most and least likely. It is a descriptive tool and does not manipulate variables or establish control. IOA and functional analysis involve different procedures.

Question 14Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst conducts a functional analysis and observes high responding in the demand condition and low responding in the play condition. The most likely function is:

  1. Tangible access
  2. Automatic reinforcement
  3. Attention
  4. Escape from demands Correct answer.

Explanation

Elevated responding when demands are presented and low responding in the play control condition indicates that problem behavior is reinforced by escape from task demands. Attention, automatic, and tangible functions would be indicated by responding in their respective test conditions.

Question 15Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst compares two observers' interval records and finds agreement on 18 of 20 intervals. What is the IOA?

  1. 20%
  2. 18%
  3. 180%
  4. 90% Correct answer.

Explanation

Interval-by-interval IOA is the number of agreements divided by the total number of intervals, multiplied by 100. Eighteen agreements out of 20 intervals equals 0.90, or 90%. The other values result from misapplying the formula.

Question 16Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst wants to measure how long a student remains seated after being instructed to sit. Which dimensional quantity is being assessed?

  1. Latency
  2. Frequency
  3. Duration Correct answer.
  4. Interresponse time

Explanation

Duration measures the amount of time a behavior continues from onset to offset, which fits measuring how long a student stays seated. Latency measures time to onset, frequency counts responses, and interresponse time measures gaps between responses.

Question 17Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst is concerned that a descriptive assessment may overestimate the relation between attention and problem behavior. Which statement best explains this concern?

  1. Descriptive assessments often capture attention delivered after behavior without showing it reinforces behavior Correct answer.
  2. Descriptive assessments always produce lower agreement than functional analyses
  3. Descriptive assessments cannot record antecedents
  4. Descriptive assessments manipulate contingencies, which inflates effects

Explanation

Descriptive assessment records correlations in the natural environment, and caregivers often deliver attention after problem behavior regardless of whether attention reinforces it. Without experimental manipulation, causation cannot be inferred. Descriptive methods do not manipulate contingencies.

Question 18Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst wants to compare the effects of two treatments while controlling for sequence effects within a single participant. Which design is most appropriate?

  1. Changing criterion design
  2. Alternating treatments design Correct answer.
  3. Multiple baseline across behaviors
  4. Reversal design

Explanation

An alternating treatments design rapidly alternates two or more conditions within the same participant, which controls for sequence and maturation effects through rapid comparison. Reversal designs withdraw treatment, and multiple baseline and changing criterion designs answer different questions.

Question 19Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst records the number of times a client requests a break during a 40-minute work period. Which measurement dimension is being used?

  1. Percentage of opportunities
  2. Latency
  3. Count Correct answer.
  4. Duration

Explanation

Count is the number of occurrences of a response within an observation period, which matches tallying break requests. Duration and latency measure time dimensions, and percentage of opportunities requires a known number of response opportunities.

Question 20Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst must select a measurement system for a behavior that occurs at high frequency and has no clear beginning or end. Which system is most appropriate?

  1. Momentary time sampling Correct answer.
  2. Event recording of each response
  3. Duration recording of each episode
  4. Whole-interval recording

Explanation

When behavior is high rate and lacks discrete boundaries, time sampling such as momentary time sampling provides an estimate without requiring every response to be counted. Event and duration recording of each response become impractical in that situation. Whole-interval recording tends to underestimate high-rate behavior.

Question 21Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst calculates IOA using exact count-per-interval and obtains low agreement even though total session counts are similar. What does this pattern suggest?

  1. Observers recorded different totals but agreed on timing
  2. Observers recorded similar totals but disagreed on when responses occurred Correct answer.
  3. The behavior is maintained by automatic reinforcement
  4. The measurement system is invalid

Explanation

Exact count-per-interval IOA requires matching counts within each interval, so low agreement with similar session totals indicates disagreement about the distribution of responses across intervals. It does not by itself indicate function or invalidity. Total count IOA would mask this disagreement.

Question 22Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst uses a functional analysis and includes an alone condition. Elevated responding in the alone condition most likely indicates:

  1. Attention function
  2. Tangible function
  3. Automatic reinforcement Correct answer.
  4. Escape function

Explanation

The alone condition removes social consequences and provides a low-stimulation environment, so persistent behavior there suggests automatic reinforcement. Social functions such as attention, escape, and tangible access require the presence of others and their contingent responses.

Question 23Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst wants to assess whether a behavior change is socially significant. Which approach directly addresses this question?

  1. Conducting a reversal to verify experimental control
  2. Asking caregivers and consumers to rate the acceptability and importance of the change Correct answer.
  3. Calculating IOA for the treatment phase
  4. Computing the rate of the target behavior

Explanation

Social validity assesses whether goals, procedures, and outcomes are acceptable and meaningful to consumers and caregivers. IOA, reversal designs, and rate calculations address measurement and experimental control rather than social significance.

Question 24Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst graphs baseline and treatment data and notes an immediate and sustained change in level after treatment begins. Which feature of the graph supports the inference of treatment effect?

  1. A stable baseline with no change at the phase change
  2. A single data point in the treatment phase
  3. A change in level coinciding with the phase change Correct answer.
  4. A gradual upward trend throughout baseline

Explanation

An immediate change in level that coincides with the introduction of treatment supports a treatment effect because it is temporally aligned with the phase change. A stable baseline without change or a single treatment point provides weaker evidence. Trends during baseline complicate interpretation.

Question 25Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst measures percentage of correct responses by dividing correct responses by total opportunities and multiplying by 100. This measure is appropriate when:

  1. Behavior has no discrete trials
  2. Only duration can be recorded
  3. The behavior is automatically reinforced
  4. The number of opportunities varies or is known Correct answer.

Explanation

Percentage of opportunities requires a known denominator and is useful when the number of opportunities differs across sessions because it standardizes performance. It is not suited to continuous behavior without discrete opportunities or to duration-only measures. Function is irrelevant to this choice.

Question 26Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst wants to document the physical form and boundaries of a target response so that two observers can agree on what counts as an instance. Which approach best accomplishes this?

  1. Selecting a measurement device before describing the behavior
  2. Writing a response definition that specifies observable movement, onset, and offset criteria Correct answer.
  3. Asking the client to self-report each time the behavior occurs
  4. Recording only the consequences that follow the behavior

Explanation

A response definition operationalizes behavior by describing observable, measurable features, including where an instance begins and ends, so observers can classify occurrences consistently. Self-report and consequence records do not specify the response itself, and selecting a device before defining the behavior reverses the proper sequence.

Question 27Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst needs a time-sampling method that estimates the proportion of a session a behavior occurs while still allowing the observer to look away from the client between intervals. Which procedure fits this requirement?

  1. Whole-interval recording
  2. Latency recording
  3. Event recording with a clicker
  4. Momentary time sampling Correct answer.

Explanation

Momentary time sampling requires observation only at the instant each interval ends, so the observer is free between those moments. It yields an estimate of the proportion of intervals in which the behavior was occurring, which approximates overall occurrence.

Question 28Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst is preparing to observe a client and wants to reduce reactivity so that the measurement itself does not substantially alter the behavior. Which preparation step is most consistent with that goal?

  1. Introducing the observer and allowing repeated observation sessions until the client habituates Correct answer.
  2. Concealing the purpose of the observation from the client's caregivers
  3. Removing the client from the natural setting for every observation
  4. Standing close to the client during the first session to record fine details

Explanation

Reactivity tends to decrease as participants become accustomed to the observer being present, so gradual introduction and repeated exposure are standard preparation steps. Proximity, removal from the setting, and withholding information from caregivers do not address habituation.

Question 29Behavior Assessment

During a functional analysis, a behavior analyst observes that problem behavior is high in the attention condition and near zero in play and alone conditions. Which conclusion is best supported by these data?

  1. Problem behavior is maintained by social positive reinforcement in the form of attention Correct answer.
  2. Problem behavior is maintained by contingent access to tangible items
  3. Problem behavior is maintained by automatic reinforcement
  4. Problem behavior is maintained by escape from task demands

Explanation

A pattern in which responding is elevated only when attention follows the behavior, and low in control conditions, implicates attention as the maintaining reinforcer, a form of social positive reinforcement. The play condition serves as a control, and the alone condition tests for automatic reinforcement.

Question 30Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst wants a direct measure of the strength of a behavior change that is not influenced by the number of baseline observations. Which metric should be selected?

  1. Level change between the last baseline and first treatment points
  2. Percentage of nonoverlapping data
  3. Tau-U Correct answer.
  4. Percentage of data points exceeding the median

Explanation

Tau-U was developed for single-case data to estimate effect size while correcting for baseline trend and without depending on the number of baseline points. Older indices such as percentage of nonoverlapping data are sensitive to baseline length and trend.

Question 31Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst wants to compare the relative reinforcing value of two stimuli by having a client choose between them across many brief trials. Which assessment arrangement is being described?

  1. Reinforcer survey completed by caregivers
  2. Paired-stimulus preference assessment Correct answer.
  3. Free-operant preference assessment
  4. Multiple-stimulus without replacement assessment

Explanation

In a paired-stimulus assessment, stimuli are presented two at a time across repeated trials, and the proportion of trials in which each stimulus is chosen indexes its relative preference. This arrangement yields a rank order of preference among the compared items.

Question 32Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst is designing a descriptive assessment and wants to reduce the likelihood of confirming a hypothesized function prematurely. Which practice best supports that goal?

  1. Recording only the consequences that the behavior analyst expects to be relevant
  2. Relying on caregiver interview data as the sole information source
  3. Observing only during sessions in which the problem behavior is known to occur
  4. Recording conditional probabilities of consequences given the behavior rather than raw frequency counts alone Correct answer.

Explanation

Conditional probabilities compare the likelihood of a consequence following the behavior with its likelihood at other times, which guards against mistaking frequent events for contingent ones. Selecting only expected consequences or a single informant biases the analysis toward the initial hypothesis.

Question 33Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst calculates interobserver agreement using total duration IOA for a session in which one observer recorded 90 seconds and the other recorded 60 seconds. What is the IOA?

  1. 150%
  2. 75% Correct answer.
  3. 80%
  4. 67%

Explanation

Total duration IOA divides the shorter recorded duration by the longer recorded duration and multiplies by 100, so 60 divided by 90 equals 0.67, which is 67%. The calculation uses the smaller value in the numerator to keep agreement at or below 100%.

Question 34Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst wants to detect a change in trend within a treatment phase rather than only a difference between phases. Which feature of the graphed data should receive primary attention?

  1. The number of data points in the baseline phase
  2. The variability of the y-axis labels
  3. The absolute level of the first treatment data point
  4. The slope of the data path within the phase Correct answer.

Explanation

Trend refers to the direction of the data path over successive observations within a phase, so the slope within the phase is the relevant feature. Level refers to the value of the data around a given point in time and is distinct from trend.

Question 35Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst is concerned that a behavior's rate differs systematically across morning and afternoon sessions, and wants a measurement schedule that captures this variability without observing continuously. Which approach is most appropriate?

  1. Observing only during the period in which the behavior is most frequent
  2. Averaging caregiver estimates for the morning and afternoon periods
  3. Conducting a single long observation once per week
  4. Scheduling observations at varied times across days so that each time period is sampled Correct answer.

Explanation

Distributing observations across different times and days allows the behavior analyst to detect time-correlated variability and produces a more representative sample of the behavior. Single or selectively timed observations can misrepresent the behavior's overall occurrence.

Question 36Behavior Assessment

A behavior analyst is selecting a measurement procedure for a behavior that occurs in bursts of variable duration and wants to capture both how often bursts occur and how long each burst lasts. Which combination is most appropriate?

  1. Partial-interval recording alone
  2. Latency recording alone
  3. Momentary time sampling alone
  4. Frequency recording combined with duration recording Correct answer.

Explanation

Frequency recording captures the number of burst occurrences, while duration recording captures how long each burst persists, together addressing both dimensions of interest. Interval and latency methods each capture only one aspect and do not quantify burst length directly.

Question 37Behavior-Change Procedures

In behavior-analytic practice, which procedure is defined as withholding the reinforcer that has previously maintained a behavior, thereby producing a decrease in that behavior?

  1. Extinction Correct answer.
  2. Differential reinforcement of other behavior
  3. Punishment
  4. Response cost

Explanation

Extinction is the procedural operation of no longer delivering the reinforcer that previously maintained the target response, which typically produces a gradual decline in response rate. It is distinguished from punishment because no aversive consequence is added and no reinforcer is removed after the response.

Question 38Behavior-Change Procedures

A therapist delivers reinforcement for the first target response that occurs after a fixed interval of 30 seconds has elapsed since the last reinforcer. Which schedule of reinforcement is in effect?

  1. Fixed ratio 30
  2. Fixed interval 30 seconds Correct answer.
  3. Variable interval 30 seconds
  4. Fixed duration 30 seconds

Explanation

A fixed interval schedule reinforces the first response after a constant time period has elapsed since the previous reinforcer. The key feature is that reinforcement is contingent on a response occurring after the interval, not on the number of responses.

Question 39Behavior-Change Procedures

Which of the following best describes the reinforcement schedule that produces a high, steady response rate with the greatest resistance to extinction?

  1. Variable ratio Correct answer.
  2. Fixed time
  3. Fixed interval
  4. Fixed ratio

Explanation

Variable ratio schedules arrange reinforcement after an average number of responses that varies unpredictably, producing high steady rates and strong resistance to extinction. The unpredictability of reinforcement delivery is what makes the behavior persistent.

Question 40Behavior-Change Procedures

A behavior analyst wants to increase a learner's rate of hand-raising by reinforcing it while placing other classroom behaviors on extinction. Which procedure is being described?

  1. Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior
  2. Differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior Correct answer.
  3. Differential reinforcement of low rates
  4. Noncontingent reinforcement

Explanation

DRI reinforces a behavior that is topographically incompatible with the target behavior, making the target impossible to emit at the same time. Hand-raising and calling out cannot occur simultaneously, so reinforcing hand-raising while withholding reinforcement for calling out is DRI.

Question 41Behavior-Change Procedures

Which of the following is the defining feature of a token economy?

  1. Tokens are delivered on a continuous reinforcement schedule only
  2. Tokens are primary reinforcers delivered continuously
  3. Tokens are generalized conditioned reinforcers exchanged for backup reinforcers Correct answer.
  4. Tokens are aversive stimuli used to reduce behavior

Explanation

A token economy uses tokens that function as generalized conditioned reinforcers, meaning they acquire value through pairing with a variety of backup reinforcers and can be exchanged later. The exchange system and the conditioned reinforcing function of the tokens are what define the procedure.

Question 42Behavior-Change Procedures

A behavior analyst implements a procedure in which a client earns a sticker for every three correct responses and can exchange ten stickers for a preferred activity. Which two concepts are illustrated?

  1. Conditioned reinforcement and a token exchange system Correct answer.
  2. Negative reinforcement and avoidance learning
  3. Extinction and spontaneous recovery
  4. Punishment and response cost

Explanation

The sticker functions as a conditioned reinforcer acquired through pairing with the backup activity, and the exchange of accumulated stickers for the activity is the token exchange system. The ratio of three responses per sticker is a fixed ratio schedule of token delivery.

Question 43Behavior-Change Procedures

Which procedure involves presenting a stimulus contingent on a behavior and observing a subsequent decrease in the future probability of that behavior?

  1. Extinction
  2. Positive reinforcement
  3. Positive punishment Correct answer.
  4. Negative reinforcement

Explanation

Positive punishment is the contingent presentation of a stimulus following a behavior that results in a decrease in the future probability of that behavior. The defining features are the addition of a stimulus and the resulting decrease in responding.

Question 44Behavior-Change Procedures

A teacher removes a student's earned free-time minutes each time the student talks out of turn, and talking out subsequently decreases. Which procedure is being used?

  1. Negative reinforcement
  2. Response cost Correct answer.
  3. Overcorrection
  4. Time-out from positive reinforcement

Explanation

Response cost is a negative punishment procedure in which a specified amount of an available reinforcer is removed contingent on the target behavior, producing a decrease. Removing earned free-time minutes fits this definition because a reinforcer already earned is subtracted.

Question 45Behavior-Change Procedures

Which of the following best describes the procedure known as time-out from positive reinforcement?

  1. The contingent removal of the opportunity to earn reinforcers for a period Correct answer.
  2. The contingent presentation of an aversive noise
  3. The contingent delivery of attention for appropriate behavior
  4. The contingent loss of a specific number of already-earned tokens

Explanation

Time-out is a negative punishment procedure in which the learner is contingently removed from a reinforcing environment or denied access to available reinforcers for a period. The defining feature is the temporary loss of the opportunity to obtain reinforcement.

Question 46Behavior-Change Procedures

A behavior analyst teaches a client to request a break by saying 'break please' instead of engaging in aggression, and reinforces the request while no longer reinforcing aggression. Which procedure is being implemented?

  1. Noncontingent reinforcement
  2. Functional communication training Correct answer.
  3. Response cost
  4. Overcorrection

Explanation

Functional communication training teaches an alternative communicative response that produces the same reinforcer that maintained the problem behavior, while the problem behavior is placed on extinction. It is a specialized form of DRA built on the results of a functional assessment.

Question 47Behavior-Change Procedures

Which of the following is a defining characteristic of shaping?

  1. Reinforcing a response that is incompatible with the target
  2. Removing reinforcement for a previously reinforced response
  3. Reinforcing successive approximations toward a terminal response Correct answer.
  4. Reinforcing only the final target response from the outset

Explanation

Shaping is the differential reinforcement of successive approximations to a terminal behavior, gradually raising the criterion as performance improves. It is used when the terminal response does not occur in the repertoire or occurs too infrequently to reinforce directly.

Question 48Behavior-Change Procedures

A therapist is teaching a child to write her name. The therapist reinforces tracing the first letter, then reinforces writing the first letter without tracing, then reinforces writing the first two letters, and so on. Which procedure is being used?

  1. Backward chaining
  2. Prompt fading
  3. Shaping Correct answer.
  4. Forward chaining

Explanation

Shaping reinforces successive approximations toward a terminal response by gradually changing the criterion for reinforcement. Here the successive approximations are increasingly complete productions of the name rather than discrete steps in a task analysis.

Question 49Behavior-Change Procedures

Which of the following best describes the procedure of chaining?

  1. Teaching a sequence of responses linked by discriminative stimuli Correct answer.
  2. Reinforcing successive approximations toward a single response
  3. Reinforcing behavior on a variable interval schedule
  4. Presenting a prompt and then fading it

Explanation

Chaining teaches a complex behavior composed of discrete responses, each of which serves as a conditioned reinforcer for the preceding response and a discriminative stimulus for the next. The chain is taught by breaking the task analysis into steps and teaching them in a specified order.

Question 50Behavior-Change Procedures

In backward chaining, which step of the task analysis is taught first?

  1. The middle step
  2. The step with the highest difficulty
  3. The last step Correct answer.
  4. The first step

Explanation

Backward chaining begins by teaching the final step of the task analysis, with the trainer completing all preceding steps. Once the last step is mastered, the trainer completes fewer steps and the learner performs the last two, continuing backward through the chain.