Observers should receive feedback about the extent to which their data confirm or run
counter to hypothesized results or treatment goals.
True/False
When writing a contingency contract, it is okay for the contract to be a verbal
agreement and not written down anywhere.
TRUE/FALSE
The shaping process will proceed more quickly if the trainer makes the criteria for each
successive approximation much larger than the last.
TRUE or FALSE. Operant conditioning is best described as a stimulus-response
relationship, where the stimulus elicits the response.
TRUE/FALSE
In fading, behavior is changed by changing antecedent stimuli, while in shaping,
behavior is changed by gradually changing the response requirements.
True/False
There are some occasions where it is appropriate to proceed with treatment in the
absence of consent.
True or False.
An experiment that incorporates multiple reversals often presents a more convincing
and compelling demonstration of a functional relation than does an experiment with one
reversal.
True/False
_____ Formal properties of language involve the topography of the verbal response
whereas the functional properties involve the causes of the response.
Reflexivity occurs when one matches a novel picture of an object to an identical picture
of an object when it is presented in an array of other objects.
True/False
Good behavior analysts follow the Golden Rule.
TRUE/FALSE
The process of differential reinforcement produces response differentiation.
Graphs are not considered an effective source of feedback to the person whose behavior
change is represented.
All experiments in ABA include at least one behavior and at least one treatment or
intervention condition.
True/False
Contingency contracts are often combined with other procedures.
TRUE or FALSE
_____ Negative punishment has occurred when the removal of an event decreases the
future occurrence of a behavior.
TRUE or FALSE. A functional analysis is comprised of three conditions: contingent
attention, contingent escape, and alone.
TRUE or FALSE. The term self-control can and should be used interchangeably with
the term self-management because the two are synonymous.
TRUE/FALSE
A controlling relation between the behavior of a model and the behavior of the imitator
is inferred when a novel model evokes a similar behavior in the absence of a history of
reinforcement.
TRUE or FALSE. Noncontingent reinforcement is also referred to as presenting stimuli
with known reinforcing with known reinforcing properties.
TRUE or FALSE. FBA methods can be classified into two types:
1) functional analysis and
2) descriptive assessment.
TRUE or FALSE. Functional communication training develops alternative behaviors
that are sensitive to establishing operations. This is similar to noncontingent
reinforcement and high-p request sequence.
If a student lacks attending skill, this will make it more difficult for stimulus control to
develop for the student.
True/False
The effectiveness of a token as a reinforcer depends largely on the variety of backup
reinforcers for which they can be exchanged.
True/False
Generally speaking, it is a good idea to uses momentary DRO to begin your
intervention and move to an interval DRO for maintenance purposes.
TRUE or FALSE. Principles of behavior describe how behavior works and
behavior-change tactics are how the applied behavior analysts put the principles to work
to help people learn and use socially significant behaviors.
True values for some behaviors (e.g., compliance) are difficult because the process for
determining true value must be different from the measurement procedures used to
obtain the data one wishes to compare to the true value.
TRUE or FALSE.
The length of the baseline phases for the different behaviors in a multiple baseline
design should differ significantly.
Nothing is gained by collecting unduly long baselines of behavior that cannot
reasonably be expected to be in a subject’s repertoire.
TRUE/FALSE
Once an imitative behavior has been demonstrated, that behavior comes under the
influence of modeled behavior.
Stimulus generalization is always a desired long-term goal of any behavioral
intervention.
TRUE or FALSE. The greater the reinforcing value of the time-in setting, the more
effective time-out will be.
An s-delta is
a) A stimulus in the presence of which reinforcement is withheld if a target response
occurs.
b) A stimulus in the presence of which reinforcement is delivered if a target response
occurs.
c) The same thing as a discriminative stimulus.
d) A consequence event.
When implementing a token economy, what consideration should be made in
determining the ratio of exchange?
a. The initial ratio between the number of tokens earned and the price of backup items
should be small.
b. The initial ratio between the number of tokens earned and the price of backup items
should be large.
c. As token earning increases, the cost of backup items should decrease.
d. If token earning decreases, the cost of backup items should increase.
Given the following experimental designs state an advantage and disadvantage.
a. A-B-A
b. Alternating Treatments Design
When shaping a new behavior, it is important to:
a. Carefully analyze the response class to identify the discrete behaviors that are part of
the terminal behavior.
b. Know the terminal behavior you are shooting for.
c. Have a plan for how you will reinforce the behaviors that are part of the terminal
behavior.
d. A, B, and C
e. A & B only
Noncontingent reinforcement is this type of intervention.
A. Antecedent intervention
B. Consequent intervention
C. Punishment strategy
D. Behavioral momentum intervention
Which of the following is NOT a right to effective behavioral treatment, as outlined by
the Association for Behavior Analysis in 1989?
A. The right to a therapeutic environment
B. The right to treatment by a competent behavior analyst
C. The right to the most effective treatment procedures available
D. The right to treatments based on positive reinforcement
Conditioned motivating operations (CMOs) can be classified as:
A. Positive & Negative
B. Reflexive, Surrogate & Transitive
C. Reflexive & Trasitive
D. Transitive, Relective, & Substantive
The general rule for teaching sufficient stimulus examples is:
A. The less examples used during instruction, it is more likely the learner will respond
correctly to untrained examples or situation.
B. The more examples used during instruction, it is more likely the learner will respond
correctly to untrained examples or situation.
C. The more examples used during instruction, it is less likely the learner will respond
correctly to untrained examples or situation.
D. The less examples used during instruction, it is less likely the learner will respond
correctly to untrained examples or situation.
This design compares two or more distinct treatments while their effects on the target
behavior are measured.
A. Reversal Design
B. Alternating Treatments Design
C. Withdrawal Design
D. Multiple Treatment Reversal Design
Measurement that is _____________ , ________________, and reliable yields the most
trustworthy and useful data for science and science-based practices.
a. Direct, indirect
b. Valid, accurate
c. True, actual
d. Calibrated, direct
One can identify whether an argument is circular reasoning:
a) By evaluating the direction of the relation (e.g., Sally’s off-task behavior is due to her
attention deficit disorder vs. Sally’s attention deficit disorder causes her off-task
behavior)
b) By evaluating whether the two components of the argument can be separated and
whether one can be manipulated to determine the effect on the other
c) Both A and B
d) Neither A nor B
One advantage to free operant preference assessments is:
a) There is less potential for children to satiate on the stimuli than with forced choice
and approach responding assessments.
b) There can be less time consuming than forced choice and approach responding
assessments.
c) They provide a rank order of preferences, unlike forced choice assessments.
d) All of these are advantages to the free operant preference assessment.
Logarithmic scales are well suited to display and communicate
______________________ change.
A. Sequential
B. Simple
C. Proportional
D. Traditional
When each behavior changes when, and only when, the independent variable is applied
then _______________ has been demonstrated.
A. Extraneous control
B. Experimental control
C. Control of relevant variables
D. Effective intervention
A teacher uses a group contingency with her students. She states the following rule: If
everyone gets 100% on their spelling test this week, I will turn cartwheels down the hall
for you.” What type of group contingency is this?
a. Independent group contingency
b. Dependent group contingency
c. Interdependent group contingency
When an individual is deemed as incapacitated and cannot provide informed consent
(mark all that apply):
A. One may proceed with assessment or intervention without obtaining consent.
B. Consent may be obtained from a surrogate or guardian.
C. Consent may be obtained from staff with whom the individual works.
D. The courts may appoint someone who can provide consent.
Assume you are working with a girl with Rett syndrome. A behavior characteristic of
this syndrome is that the girls play with their fingers and hair to the point that their
fingers may become raw and bloody. Also, these girls pull their hair out. This particular
little girl also puts her foot up by her face and scratched the edge of her shoe along her
face, causing scrapes and bleeding on her face. These behaviors severely trouble her
mother (understandably so!). You have not been able to identify a reinforcer for the
problem behaviors. However, you have found that sitting the girl on her mom’s lap
while playing with toys seemed to be a reinforcer for appropriate behavior, so you
decide to implement an fixed-momentary DRO using mom’s attention and toys as the
reinforcer and an interval of 5 seconds. Which of the following would describe your
fixed-momentary DRO procedure most accurately?
a. Give the girl a specific appropriate response (e.g., say “mom”) that she should display
to gain access to mom and the toys. After 5 seconds expires, prompt her to engage in
this response. If she does it, she gets to play with mom and toys.
b. Set a timer for 5 seconds. When the timer dings, if the girl is not engaged in finger
picking, hair pulling, or face scratching, allow her to play with mom and toys. If she is
picking her fingers, pulling her hair, or scratching her face, do not allow her to play
with mom and toys.
c. Set a timer for 5 seconds. If she does not engage in finger picking, hair pulling, or
face scratching at any time during the 5 seconds, allow her to play with mom and toys.
Reset the timer contingent on finger picking, hair pulling, or face scratching.
d. Set a timer for 5 seconds. If she engages in finger picking, hair pulling, or face
scratching for 5 seconds, allow her to play with mom and toys.
Define event recording and give three examples of devices or procedures used to collect
event data.
When setting up a token economy:
a. One should define a large number of behaviors for which tokens will be delivered so
that the economy has the broadest application.
b. One must be certain that the learners possess the prerequisite skills for any target
behaviors.
c. The same criteria should apply to all learners in the environment.
d. All of the above
Look at the following graph from a functional analysis of Brittany’s eye poking. What
would you conclude is the function of Brittany’s eye poking?
A. Social positive reinforcement
B. Automatic reinforcement
C. Social negative reinforcement
D. Both social positive reinforcement and social negative reinforcement
E. Both social negative reinforcement and automatic reinforcement
F. Undifferentiated pattern
Here is a common situation: New parents put a child to bed. The child begins to cry, so
the parents comfort the child and allow the child to sleep in bed with them. Thus, when
they put the child to bed in the future, she is more likely to cry. What has occurred in
this situation?
a) The parents have positively reinforced crying.
b) The parents have negatively reinforced crying.
c) The parents have punished crying by removing the child’s bed.
d) The parents have punished crying by presenting a stimulus.
e) There is not enough information to answer this question.
Which of the following constitutes a prompt?
A. Physically helping an individual perform a task.
B. Providing a reinforcer to an individual for completing a step of a task.
C. Praising an individual for his/her performance.
D. All of the above.
Choose the corresponding answer(s) for each of the following statements. Answers
may be used once, several times, or not at all.
A. ABC continuous recording
B. Behavior rating scales
C. Scatterplots
D. Behavioral interviews
E. ABC narrative recording
1) _____ Recording procedure used to record the extent to which a target behavior
occurs more often at a particular time than others.
2) _____ Type(s) of descriptive functional behavior assessment.
3) _____ Observers record occurrences of the targeted problem behaviors and selected
environmental events in the natural routine during a period of time.
4)______ Data are collected only when behaviors of interest are observed.
5. ______ Uses precise measures and in some cases the correlations may reflect causal
relations.
6) _____ Type(s) of indirect functional behavior assessment.
7) ______ Recording is open ended.
8) ______ Data are collected for several days and then analyzed for patterns across time
periods.
9) ______ May best be used as a means of collecting preliminary information.
10)_____ Asks informants to estimate the extent to which behavior occurs under
specified conditions.
When evaluating a group contingency, one must:
a. Observe both individual and group performance
b. Be mindful of potential saboteurs
c. Be mindful of potential scapegoating
d. All of the above
_______________ ____________________ is the degree to which two or more
independent observers report the same observed values after measuring the same
events.
a. Interobserver Agreement (IOA)
b. Interobserver Accuracy (IOA)
c. Observer Drift (OD)
d. Observation Indicators (OI)
What is the difference between DRI and DRA?
a. DRI involves reinforcing a behavior that is incompatible with the problem behavior,
whereas DRA involves reinforcing a behavior that may not be incompatible with the
problem behavior.
b. DRA involves reinforcing anything other than the problem behavior, whereas DRI
involves reinforcing any behavior that is incompatible with the problem behavior.
c. With DRA, the time interval is reset, whereas with DRI it is not.
d. None of the above. There is no difference between DRI and DRA.
Applied behavior analysts use intermittent reinforcement to
A. Build skill acquisition
B. Weaken established behaviors
C. Strengthen new behaviors
D. Maintain established behaviors.
_____________ are relatively simple formats for visually displaying relationships
among and between a series of measurements and relevant variables.
A. Lists
B. Tables
C. Number groupings
D. Graphs
A method for withdrawing a token system is:
a. Gradually increase the number of responses required to earn a token
b. Gradually decrease the length of time the token economy is in effect
c. Gradually make more of activities and privileges used as backup items be those
found in the untrained setting
d. Increase the price of desirable items and keep the price of undesirable items low
e. Gradually move from concrete tokens (such as poker chips) to something less visible
(such as a point card the learner carries wit him/her
f. All of these are methods for withdrawing a token system
g. None of these methods should be used. Once implemented, a token system should
not be withdrawn.
All antecedent stimuli with the capacity to evoke imitation are potentially:
A. planned echoic stimuli
B. unplanned echoic stimuli
C. planned models
D. unplanned models
Matching
Choose the corresponding answer(s) for each of the following statements. Answers may
be used once, several times, or not at all.
A. Mand
B. Tact
C. Echoic
D. Copying a Text
E. Intraverbal
F. Textual
G. Transcription
1)_____ A type of verbal behavior in which a written verbal stimulus has point-to-point
correspondence and formal similarity with a written verbal response.
2)_____ A type of verbal operant in which a speaker differentially responds to the
verbal behavior of others.
3)_____ Behavior of reading, without any implications that the reader understands what
is being read.
4)_____ Writing and spelling words that are spoken.
5)_____ A verbal operant in which a speaker asks for (or states, demands, implies, etc.)
what he needs or wants
6)_____ A type of verbal operant that occurs when a speaker repeats the
verbal behavior of another speaker.
7)_____ A type of verbal operant in which a speaker names things and actions that the
speaker has direct contact with through any of the sense modes.
________________ is a technical term used to identify the procedure of withholding
reinforcers that maintain behavior.
A. Reinforcement
B. Punishment
C. Extinction
D. Time-Out
Permanent product measurement may be more accurate, complete, and continuous for
all of the following reasons except:
a. The observer can take their time
b. The behavior definitions are more precise
c. The observer can review the product more than once
d. Measurement can be conducted when there are no distractions
If one wants to determine the effectiveness of a stimulus as a reinforcer as the
requirements to earn that reinforcer change over time, which assessment method would
be most appropriate?
a) Concurrent schedule assessment
b) Multiple schedule assessment
c) Progressive-ratio schedule assessment
d) Paired stimulus assessment
Why is a precise operational definition of the target behavior critical in applied
behavior analysis?
One of the fundamental questions to answer before initiating behavioral assessment is:
A Who will conduct the assessment?
B Where will observations be conducted?
C What is the nature of the problem behavior?
D Who has the authority and skill to intervene with the behavior?
State and discuss/illustrate three guidelines for promoting the success and effectiveness
of self-monitoring.
Punishment by contingent removal of a stimulus is also known as:
A. Negative reinforcement.
B. Negative punishment.
C. Type II punishment.
D. Positive punishment.
E. All of the above.
F. A,B,C only.
G. B and C only.
Identify at least 3 ways that a learner could have difficulty with SDs that signal incorrect
performance in a behavioral chain and how you would go about correcting these
problems. Specifically, what changes would you make to the environment or task
analysis to correct the problem?
Which method of calculating IOA should be used and what is an acceptable level of
IOA?
Explain the benefits of including client, family, and/or staff in the goal determination
process.
Define a behavior chain and clearly explain the role each step in the chain serves
relative to other steps in the chain.
Discuss the difference between ontogeny and phylogeny.
What are the four factors that favor visual analysis of data over tests of statistical
significance in applied behavior analysis?
Explain the stimulus discrimination training process. Provide a novel concrete example
of discrimination training.
Negative reinforcement is often confused with punishment. Identify one potential
source of confusion in these terms and explain why this understanding is incorrect.
Ma Yao wants to shape the behavior of “play dead” in her dog. She wants her dog,
Skardu, to lay on the floor, on his back, with is feet up in the air for at least 5 seconds
when she gives this command. Her dog can already sit and lay down on command.
However, he will only stay in these positions for a couple of seconds. (He’s only 8
months old.) He can also roll over on command. In following the guidelines for
effectively using shaping, she notes that she must first identify what the initial behavior
that will receive reinforcement will be. What two considerations should she make in
determining the first behavior to reinforce, what behavior would you reinforce first, and
why?
State a similarity and difference between positive and negative punishment.
Explain how experimental control is demonstrated in a multiple baseline across settings
design.
Discuss some of the variables associated with slow appreciation of Skinner’s Verbal
Behavior.
Give an example of concept formation that clearly delineates the key features of the
process by which concepts are formed.
List skills observers must learn prior to collecting data for an experiment.
Why is it important to understand why a behavior occurs before how it can be changed?
The title of this chapter is “Decreasing Behavior with Differential Reinforcement.” This
title seems a little odd because, by definition, reinforcement increases the future
probability of a behavior. Explain how a behavior is decreased through differential
reinforcement. Be sure you are clear about the principles of behavior at work in your
explanation.