Mock A Exam Questions

Which assessment tool would likely be MOST accurate for determining the function of a behavior? A. ABC data B. Functional Analysis Screening Tool® C. A functional assessment interview D. Questions About Behavioral Function®

"ABC data." Functional analyses are the most accurate tools to determine the function of the behavior because it involves an experimenter systematically altering the environment to "trigger" a target behavior. Direct assessments are less accurate than functional analyses, but more accurate than indirect assessments. Direct assessments involve actually observing the behavior. ABC data collection is a direct assessment. Indirect assessments are the least accurate for determining a behavior's function. Indirect assessments involve questionnaires, checklists, interviews, etc. Since all of the answer options besides ABC data are indirect assessments, "ABC data" is the correct answer. Task: F-8

! What is the difference between functional and topographical operational definitions? A, Functional operational definitions refer to all behaviors that are within a particular response class and topographical operational definitions do not. B. Topographical operational definitions refer to what the target behavior looks like. C. Functional operational definitions allow the intervention to focus on the variables that control the behavior. D. All of the above

"All of the above." All of these are differences between topographical and functional operational definitions. Task: C-1

Jen wants to make sure that she writes her behavior change procedures with enough detail that another behavior analyst could repeat her study one day. Which dimension of applied behavior analysis, according to Baer, Wolf, & Risley, (1968) is described here? A. The "effective" dimension B. The "technological" dimension C. The "generality" dimension D. The "analytic" dimension

"Technological." The technological dimension of ABA means that behavior analysts write their interventions in a way so that they can be replicated and expanded on by other people. "Analytic" is incorrect since this involves proving the intervention is what caused the behavior change. "Generality" is incorrect since this means that the skill taught generalizes into new environments. "Effective" is incorrect since this means that the behavior change has a significant impact on the learner's life. Task: A-5

! What is the ultimate goal of tact training? A. The tact will be controlled by someone asking the learner to label an item. B. The tact will be controlled solely by someone else saying the name of the item. C. The tact will be controlled solely by the sight of that item. D. The tact becomes evoked by a nonverbal stimulus and is reinforced by generalized conditioned reinforcement.

"The tact becomes evoked by a nonverbal stimulus and is reinforced by generalized conditioned reinforcement." A pure tact is evoked by a nonverbal stimulus and is reinforced by generalized conditioned reinforcement such as praise. The goal of tact training is to help the learner engage in pure tacts (without any prompts). A tact does not have to be solely evoked by sight of the item. Any sense can evoke a tact. "That motorcycle is loud!" is a tact evoked by sound. Repeating what someone says or labeling something after you are asked are not pure tacts. Task: G-11

Which of the following behaviors is a private event? A. You watching a person whisper to himself B. You whispering to a friend C. You whispering to yourself and no one is around to hear you doing so D. Your friend whispering to you

"You whispering to yourself and no one is around to hear you doing so." Private events are events that are only evident to the person performing the behavior. Whispering to a friend is observable by you and your friend. Your friend whispering to you is observable by you and your friend as well. Watching someone who is whispering to themselves is not a private event because you could observe the person doing it. However, whispering to yourself when no one else is around is a private behavior. You are the behaver and you are the only one who can observe the behavior at this time. Therefore, it is a private event. Task: B-1

When delivering edible reinforcement to a client, it is important to deliver social praise at the same time because: A. it can establish social praise as a reinforcer itself, which is easier to deliver than tangible reinforcers. B. it shows other clients what responses they can engage in to receive edible reinforcement. C. everyone enjoys social praise. D. it can be traded in for secondary reinforcers such as more food.

"it can establish social praise as a reinforcer itself, which is easier to deliver than tangible reinforcers." Through stimulusstimulus pairing procedures, social reinforcement can be paired with edible reinforcement. Since social praise is easier to deliver, cheaper, etc., it should be paired with edible reinforcement. "Everyone enjoys social praise" and, "It can be traded in for secondary reinforcers such as food" are not true. "It shows other clients what responses they can engage in to receive edible reinforcement" is incorrect with the given information. Task: B-3

In self-management, punishment should be: A. delivered on an intermittent schedule. B. delayed. C. delivered more than reinforcement. D. no more aversive than the amount necessary to control the behavior.

"no more aversive than the amount necessary to control the behavior." If punishment is too aversive, it is unlikely that you would deliver it to yourself consistently. Reinforcement should be delivered more than punishment. Punishment should be delivered consistently and on an FR1 schedule when possible. Task: G-20

A behavior analyst is working with a child, named Rick. Rick engages in property destruction. Based on the data, it is determined that Rick engages in this behavior every 2 hours, on average. The behavior analyst wants to use a DRO procedure to eliminate this target behavior. What is the most appropriate DRO interval for this scenario? A. 2 days B. 1 hour and 45 minutes C. 24 hours D. 2 hours and 15 minutes

"1 hour and 45 minutes." When determining the interval you will use for a DRO, you will first want to determine the interresponse time. Since this behavior occurs every 2 hours, you will want the DRO interval to be slightly less than 2 hours, at least initially. This will ensure that Rick comes into contact with reinforcement frequently. Setting the interval at 2 hours or longer than is not the best option because Rick may not come into contact with reinforcement. Task: G-14

Jeff was off task four times today. The first instance of being off task lasted 3 minutes, the second instance lasted 11 minutes, the third instance lasted 1 minute, and the fourth instance lasted 4 minutes. He was on task for 4 hours and 41 minutes. What is the total duration of his off-task behavior? A. 4 instances B. 19 minutes C. 5 hours D. 4 hours and 41 minutes

"19 minutes." We are tracking the TOTAL duration of off task behavior, so you would add the duration of each instance of off task behavior together to find the total duration. 3+11+1+4=19 minutes spent being off task this day. Note: Since the question does not ask how long he was on task, you can disregard that sentence in the question. Task: C-4

A father is tracking how often his daughter says "please." During the first 15-minute interval, she said "please" 13 times. During the second 15-minute interval, she said "please" 17 times. She did not say "please" during the third or fourth intervals. What is his daughter's rate of saying "please"? A. 1 instance per minute B. 30 instances C. 7.5 instances per session D. 30 instances per hour

"30 instances per hour." Even though no instances happened in the final 2 intervals, there were still 30 instances that hour. "30 instances" is incorrect by itself since this is a frequency count, not rate. "1 instance per minute" is not mathematically correct. "7.5 instances per session" is incorrect since we don't know how long a session is. (This question only tells us how long each interval is, not the duration of the session.) Task: C-3

Jeff was physically aggressive 4 times today at school. The first instance of aggression lasted 3 minutes, the second instance lasted 7 minutes, the third instance lasted 1 minute and the fourth lasted 4 minutes. He displayed no aggressive behaviors for a cumulative 4 hours and 45 minutes. What is the total frequency of Jeff's physically aggressive behavior? A. 4 hours and 45 minutes B. 19 minutes C. 4 instances D. 5 instances

"4 instances." Since the answer we are looking for is frequency, which is measured in instances, we can automatically delete "4 hours and 45 minutes" and "19 minutes." He was aggressive 4 times at school like the very first sentence says. Therefore, 4 instances of aggression is the correct answer. Task: C-3

A behavior analyst is using an intervention with a client that includes 3 different procedures: a DRO, a DRA, and a token economy. The intervention has been effective so far. He wants to see which part of this intervention is responsible for controlling the behavior, so he systematically removes one part of the intervention package at a time until it is determined which particular part(s) of the intervention package are effective. What type of procedure is this? A. A dependent variable effectiveness analysis B. A parametric analysis C. A component analysis D. An independent variable effectiveness analysis

"A component analysis." A component analysis involves determining which components of an intervention are the ones responsible for the behavior change by systematically removing one component at a time and adding it back to the intervention package if it is necessary. "Dependent variable effectiveness analysis" and "Independent variable effectiveness analysis" are not behavior-analytic terms. "A parametric analysis" involves varying the range of values of the independent variable to determine what is most effective on the behavior, and is therefore incorrect. Task: D-6

The completion of one step in a behavioral chain always results in: A. token reinforcers. B. a discriminative stimulus to complete the next step of the behavior chain (except during for the last step). C. backup reinforcers. D. All of the above

"A discriminative stimulus to complete the next step of the behavior chain (except during the last step)." In a behavior chain, the completion of one step serves as generalized reinforcement for the completion of that step and as an Sd to complete the next step of the behavior chain. Although behavior chains may use tokens and backup reinforcers to help establish the behavior, behavior chains do not always have these. Therefore, token reinforcers and backup reinforcers are incorrect. Task: G-8

Rod is eating dinner at a restaurant. Even though he only ate half of his dinner, he is very full. He asks his server to take his plate away and she does. Rod's verbal behavior is an example of: A. an intraverbal. B. listener responding. C. a tact. D. a mand.

"A mand." Rod's verbal behavior was evoked by the motivation to have his plate taken away. Remember, a mand can be for negative reinforcement as well. He asked for a stimulus (his plate) to be removed because he no longer wanted it and the server removed that stimulus. This is not a tact because he was not labeling the plate, he was asking for it to be removed from his table. This is not an intraverbal because Rod's behavior was not evoked by another person's verbal behavior. The server's behavior is listener responding, but we are trying to determine Rod's verbal behavior in this question. Therefore, "a mand" is the correct answer. Task: G-11

Roger instructs Mike to start jump-roping. Mike looks confused and does not start jumproping. Roger acts out the motions of jump-roping to help Mike remember what to do. Mike then begins jump-roping. What kind of prompt did Roger use in this scenario? A. A verbal response prompt B. A physical response prompt C. gestural response prompt D. A modeling response prompt

"A modeling response prompt." A modeling response prompt involves the teacher to model the motions of the desired response. Since Roger acted like he was jump-roping, this is a modeling response prompt. "A physical response prompt" is incorrect since this would involve Roger physically guiding Mike through the motions of jump roping. "A verbal response prompt" is incorrect since Roger did not say anything to Mike after the original Sd. "A gestural prompt" is incorrect since Roger did not point to the correct response (this type of response prompt could not be used in this scenario). Task: G-4

A behavior analyst is going to conduct an experiment with a client to see if a particular intervention is successful in decreasing verbal aggression at his home, at his school, at the grocery store, and at his church. Which would likely be the most effective experimental design to demonstrate experimental control? A. A multiple probe design B. An alternating treatments design C. A multiple baseline across subjects design D. A multiple baseline across settings design

"A multiple baseline across settings design." This is the best option since the behavior analyst is working with one behavior of one person in multiple settings. Multiple baseline across subjects designs would require more than one subject. Multiple probe designs are used for skill acquisition, not problem behavior reduction. Alternating treatments designs involve multiple interventions operating on a single behavior, and this scenario only had one intervention. Task: D-3

! Which procedure would be most beneficial for determining whether or not a stimulus will function as a reinforcer? A. A multiple stimuli preference assessment B. A paired stimuli (with replacement) preference assessment C. A multiple schedule reinforcer assessment D. A paired stimuli (without replacement) preference assessment

"A multiple schedule reinforcer assessment." A reinforcer assessment is more accurate at determining a reinforcing stimulus than a stimulus preference assessment. A stimulus preference assessment determines what MAY function as a reinforcer, while a reinforcer assessment determines what WILL function as a reinforcer by measuring how the stimulus influences the client's behavior. Since a multiple schedule reinforcer assessment is a reinforcer assessment, and the other answer options are stimulus preference assessments, it is the correct answer. Task: F-5

! Of the following procedures, which is LEAST effective at determining whether a particular stimulus will or will not function as a reinforcer? A. A concurrent schedule reinforcer assessment B. A progressive-ratio schedule reinforcer assessment C. A multiple schedule reinforcer assessment D. A multiple-stimuli preference assessment

"A multiple-stimuli preference assessment." A multiple-stimuli preference assessment is considered a stimulus preference assessment. Stimulus preference assessments are not as accurate as reinforcer assessments because they do not contingently reinforce a behavior. Since reinforcer assessments deliver reinforcement contingent upon a behavior, you can document that a behavior is increasing and determine that the stimulus is functioning as a reinforcer at that time. The other answer choices are examples of reinforcer assessments. Therefore, a multiple-stimuli preference assessment is the least accurate. Task: F-5

Which of the following statements regarding self-management is TRUE? A. A person cannot deliver punishment to themselves. B. Someone has to deliver the reinforcement or punishment to the person who is using selfmanagement. C. A person cannot deliver reinforcement to themselves. D. A person does not have to deliver his own reinforcement or punishment. Someone else can do this for them.

"A person does not have to deliver his own reinforcement or punishment. Someone else can do this for them." In selfmanagement, a person will generally deliver reinforcement or punishment to himself/herself. However, they can have someone deliver the reinforcer or punisher for them if they are not reliably punishing and/or reinforcing their own behavior (this person is oftentimes called a performance manager). Self-management programs should involve you delivering your own reinforcers and punishers, but this is not always effective for some people because they do not follow through with the punishment/reinforcement procedures. Task: G-20

Which performance monitoring and reinforcement system is MOST beneficial for a behavior analyst to use with their supervisees? A. A rating scale B. An Employee of the Year program C. A ranking scale D. An Employee of the Month program

"A rating scale." When monitoring staff's performance, behavior analysts should use behaviorally-anchored rating scales. Because the rating scales describe exactly what needs to be performed, it leaves little room for subjectivity or favoritism. It can also help ensure staff that their behavior is being monitored on an objective basis. Rating systems are preferred over ranking systems because ratings involve only that specific staff member's behavior and does not compare his/her behavior to coworkers. Employee of the Month/Year programs are ranking systems since only the "best" employee wins the award, which can create rivalries, etc. Task: I-5

! A babysitter has just begun working with a child named Percy. She wants to determine what Percy likes to do for fun. She unlocks a room that contains a large variety of toys. Percy walks in and begins playing with a toy train. He plays with the train for an entire hour. The toy train is: A. a reinforcer. B. a stimulus. C. a conditioned reinforcer. D. All of the above

"A stimulus." We know for certain that the toy train is a stimulus. However, we cannot determine if the toy train is a reinforcer, with the information provided. For the item to function as a reinforcer, the babysitter would first have to determine if Percy was more likely to engage in a certain response in the future if she gave him the toy train contingent on that response. This example does not say that this occurred. Note: Just because Percy plays with the train for an hour, it does not necessarily mean it would function as a reinforcer. He may not be willing to engage in any certain response to "earn" the toy train. Since we cannot determine that the toy train functions as a reinforcer, the correct answer is "a stimulus".

Anthony's mom walks him to school in the morning. She sees a bird and says, "That is a bald eagle." After school, Anthony walks home with his father. Anthony sees a bird and says, "That is a bald eagle." What is Anthony's verbal behavior an example of? A. An echoic B. Modeling C. A tact D. An intraverbal

"A tact." This is an example of a tact since Anthony's verbal behavior was evoked by the sight of the bald eagle. It was not evoked by verbal behavior and is therefore not an intraverbal. This is not an echoic since his verbal behavior occurred several hours after his mother said it. His mother modeled the behavior, not him. Task: B-14

A behavior analyst determines that his client is engaging in a problem behavior because it results in attention from his peers. The behavior analyst is familiar with two interventions that could address this behavior. The two interventions would likely be equally effective. Which consideration(s) could the behavior analyst use to determine which intervention to use? A. Which intervention would be the cheapest to run? B. Which intervention would likely have the least side effects? C. Which intervention does the guardian prefer? D. (All of the above)

"All of the above" Sometimes, behavior analysts have multiple intervention options that may be equally effective for addressing the behavior of concern. When this occurs, the behavior analyst can use several factors to determine which intervention to use. These factors include: which intervention would be cheaper to run, which intervention would more likely be carried out correctly given the skillset of the behavior-change agents, which intervention would the client or his family prefer, and which intervention would likely have the fewest side effects. Task: H-2

! Medical record reviews can: A. help determine which intervention options are not recommended. B. show medical conditions that can influence behavior. C. reveal medical conditions that occur in a cyclical or seasonal pattern. D. All of the above

"All of the above." A review of medical records could help rule out intervention options. If a behavior analyst wanted his client to work on walking to school, but the client had a medical condition such as asthma, this could impact whether or not this is an appropriate goal. If a medical record showed that a client had severe sound sensitivities, this would let the behavior analyst know to avoid loud environments initially. A medical record could also reveal cyclical conditions such as allergies, depression in the winter, etc. that could impact behavior. Task: F-1

Trial-based methods for conducting stimulus preference assessments include: A. forced choice stimulus preference assessments. B. multiple stimuli preference assessments. C. single stimulus preference assessments. D. All of the above

"All of the above." A stimulus preference assessment is used to determine what might function as a reinforcer for a client (AKA finding out what the client likes/prefers). A behavior analyst could simply ask the person what he likes, ask people close to him what he likes, or offer a pre-task choice. A behavior analyst can also observe the client in his natural (or a contrived) environment to determine what items he likes. Finally, a behavior analyst can conduct trial-based tests to determine what the client likes. The behavior analyst could conduct a single stimulus preference assessment by presenting one item to the client and seeing how he reacts to it. The behavior analyst could conduct a paired stimuli (AKA forced choice) stimulus preference assessment by presenting two items and prompting the client to choose one. The behavior analyst could also conduct a multiple stimuli preference assessment by presenting several items to a client and prompting him to choose one. Task: F-5

! Behavior analysts disclose their clients' personal information when mandated by the law. Other valid purposes for disclosing personal information, include: A. to obtain payment for services. B. to obtain appropriate professional consultations. C. to provide needed professional services to the client. D. All of the above

"All of the above." Behavior analysts never disclose confidential information without the consent of the client, except as mandated by law, or where permitted by law for a valid purpose, such as (1) to provide needed professional services to the client, (2) to obtain appropriate professional consultations, (3) to protect the client or others from harm, or (4) to obtain payment for services, in which instance disclosure is limited to the minimum that is necessary to achieve the purpose. Behavior analysts recognize that parameters of consent for disclosure should be acquired at the outset of any defined relationship and is an ongoing procedure throughout the duration of the professional relationship. Ethics Code: 2.04 Task: E-2

Elon is a BCBA®. He recently developed a mobile app to help increase eye contact in children with autism. Why should Elon use a single-subject research design, rather than a group research design in this scenario? A. Single-subject research designs allow us to analyze the performance of each participant. B.Single-subject research designs allow us to analyze trends and variability in each participant's data. C. Single-subject research designs allow for replication of the experimental results. D. All of the above

"All of the above." Behavior analysts use single-subject research designs, as opposed to group research designs, for several reasons. Single-subject designs allow us to analyze every participant's performance. Whereas, group research designs analyze the overall behavior of an entire group of participants. Because we are able to analyze the performance of each participant using single-subject research designs, we are able to analyze the trends and variability in each participant's behavioral data. In addition, single-subject research designs allow for the replication of the experimental results within an experiment, helping strengthen the demonstration of the independent variable being responsible for the behavior change.

Which is an example of a possible unwanted side effect of reinforcement? A. Positive reinforcement may strengthen all responses in a particular response class, including undesirable behaviors. B. Powerful reinforcers may evoke new behaviors that can interfere with learning. C. Purposefully withholding a reinforcer to create an establishing operation may be unethical. D. All of the above

"All of the above." Positive reinforcement provided contingent on one behavior may develop or strengthen other behaviors in the same response class. If there is another behavior with a lower response effort that accesses the same reinforcer, this behavior could increase. For example, if a student earned a piece of candy for performing well in school that day... he could start stealing candy if it is easier to access candy that way. Powerful reinforcers can evoke behaviors that interfere with learning. If that same student enjoyed candy so much that candy was all he talked about and he refused to pay attention in class, this would be an example of an unintended side effect of the reinforcement procedure. Finally, creating a strong EO can be unethical. If you withheld water from a client for 24 hours so that he was willing to work really hard for water during your session, this would be extremely unethical. Task: H-5

What could happen if a behavior analyst eliminates a client's target behavior without teaching him/her an appropriate replacement behavior? A. The target behavior could continue in settings where the intervention is not in place. B. The client could develop appropriate replacement behaviors. C. All of the above D. The client could develop inappropriate replacement behaviors.

"All of the above." Behavior analysts should always teach a replacement behavior to their client when they are eliminating a target behavior. This will allow the client to continue to access reinforcement in a more appropriate manner. If a behavior analyst does not teach a replacement behavior, it is possible that the client will start engaging in an inappropriate behavior that is part of the same functional response class. It is also possible that the client will develop appropriate behaviors that result in the same form of reinforcement. However, if a behavior analyst helps facilitate the development of replacement behaviors, the chances of the client engaging in an appropriate replacement behavior increases. If a behavior analyst eliminates the target behavior in a training setting, the client could still engage in the target behavior in other settings. Task: B-1

! Which of the following can be considered a limitation of reversal designs? A. Reversing an effective intervention is not practical in applied settings. B. Reversing an effective intervention can be dangerous. C. Reversing an intervention will not result in a reduction in skills for behaviors that cannot be "unlearned." D. All of the above

"All of the above." Limitations of reversal designs include, among others, that the reversal to baseline can be contraindicating, dangerous, and will not result in a reduction of behavior for behavior that cannot be unlearned, which means it will not show experimental control. Task: D-5

Why should a behavior analyst closely monitor treatment fidelity at the initial phase of a behavior change program? A. To address any unanticipated issues with the behavior change program. B. To reinforce the behavior change agent's correct behavior. C. To provide corrective feedback to the behavior change agent when necessary. D. (All of the above)

"All of the above." Treatment integrity should be collected throughout a behavior change program. At the beginning of the behavior change program, it is crucial for the behavior analyst to closely monitor staff's performance. This way, the behavior analyst can reinforce desired behaviors, correct undesired behaviors, and monitor for unintended problems in general. Task: H-6

All of the following are components of a contingency contract, EXCEPT: A. A written record of the completed tasks B. A description of what tasks need to be completed C. A description of how the reward will be earned D. All of these ARE components of a contingency contract

"All of these are components of a contingency contract." A contingency contract involves a written description of the tasks that must be performed and the criteria for which the reward will be earned. The final essential component of a contingency contract is a data sheet that keeps track of the tasks that were completed. Task: G-19

Amy is a behavior analyst who is working with a client that lives in a nursing home. Amy conducts an interview with the nurse at the nursing home to gain more information on her client's verbal aggression. The nurse says, "The antecedent to his verbal aggression is me trying to check his blood sugar. The consequence to his verbal aggression is that I don't take his blood pressure. I don't get paid enough to take this emotional abuse from him and I'm not risking getting hurt." What kind of behavioral assessment did Amy conduct? A. A direct assessment B. An indirect assessment C. A functional analysis D. (None of the above)

"An indirect assessment." Amy conducted a functional behavioral interview, which is an indirect assessment. "A direct assessment" is incorrect since this is done at the moment the target behavior occurs. Even though the nurse is reporting the antecedents, behaviors, and consequences, this is not a direct assessment because she is recalling what happened in the recent past, rather than documenting the behavior as it occurred. "A functional analysis" is incorrect since this involves systematically altering the environment to determine why the behavior is occurring. Task: F-4

You are a behavior analyst who visits your client, named Sam, every Wednesday. When you arrived today, Sam's mother explains that he slapped his sister on Sunday. You ask Sam's mom what triggered the behavior (the antecedent) and what happened as a result of the behavior (the consequence). What kind of assessment did you conduct in this scenario? A. A functional analysis B. A direct assessment C. A Functional Analysis Screening Tool® D. An indirect assessment

"An indirect assessment." In this hypothetical scenario, you conducted an indirect assessment. You asked Sam's mom to recall what had happened on Sunday. It is not a direct assessment since you did not observe the behavior as it occurred. It was not a functional analysis since you did not systematically manipulate the environment. Although the FAST® is an indirect assessment, it sounds more likely that you conducted an interview about the function of the behavior. (The FAST® is a questionnaire that is filled out by someone who is close to the client. Since this scenario said you asked her about what happened, rather than handing her a questionnaire, you most likely did not use the FAST®.) Task: F-7

A teacher divides her entire class up into 5 groups, each with 5 students. She says, "If your group averages a score of 80% or higher on this spelling test, then your entire group will earn a pizza party." What type of group contingency is this? A. A dependent group contingency B. An interdependent group contingency C. An independent group contingency D. The Good Behavior Game

"An interdependent group contingency." An interdependent group contingency means that all members of the group must meet the criterion for the entire group to earn the reward. Since all 5 member's scores are used to determine the average score of the group, this is considered an interdependent group contingency. This is not a dependent group contingency since everyone's behavior is taken into consideration. Rather than simply one group member getting over 80% on the test, it requires that all members score an average of 80% or higher. This is not an independent group contingency since all members do not necessarily have to meet 80% for the entire group to get the reward. If one member scored 75% but all other members scored 100%, their group will still earn the reward since the average scores are over 80%. This is not an example of the Good Behavior Game. The Good Behavior Game involves making a list of behaviors that are unacceptable. Then the teacher would give a check mark to each team when one of the unacceptable behaviors occurred. At the end of the session, the team with the fewest check marks would earn the reward. This was not the case in this scenario. Task: G-18

! A baseball team is split up into 5 different groups, each containing 3 players. Each player gets to hit a baseball once. Then, each 3-player group finds the mean distance of their groups hits by adding the distances their baseballs traveled, divided by 3. The group that has the longest average hit gets to go home early (a reward). What type of group contingency is this? A. A dependent group contingency B. An independent group contingency C. An interdependent group contingency D. The Good Behavior Game

"An interdependent group contingency." It is an interdependent group contingency since the behavior of every player in the 3- person group is measured to gain a reward for the entire group. "A dependent group contingency" is incorrect since the reward would be contingent upon the performance of one person in a group. "An independent group contingency" is incorrect since it would involve the reward delivered to any person who met criterion (not the group as a whole). "The Good Behavior Game" does not apply to this scenario since they were not tracking inappropriate behaviors. Task: G-18

A mother is driving down the road. Her child is sitting in the back seat when he sees a trampoline in someone's yard. The mother says, "Did you see that trampoline?" The child replies, "Yes, trampolines are awesome!" What verbal operant(s) did the child use? A. A mand B. A tact C. An intraverbal D. Cannot be determined with the information provided

"An intraverbal." The boy's verbal behavior was evoked by his mother's verbal behavior. Therefore, it was an intraverbal. Him saying, "Yes, trampolines are awesome!" was not evoked by the sight of the trampoline, so it is not a tact. Finally, we cannot conclude this is a mand because it appears the child's verbal behavior was evoked by his mom's question and not the motivation for the trampoline itself. Task: B-14

Angela has worked as a BCBA® for nearly two decades. She has always worked in an early intervention center. Her boss recently asked her to move to the adult residential brach of her company to fill a job vacancy and offered her a raise. What should Angela do in this situation? A. ABA is a science and can be applied to all types of learners of various ages. BCBA® should not be limited by an age bracket. B. Angela should assess whether working with adults is in her boundaries of competence. Having not worked with that population; Angela should consider accessing supervised experience/mentorship before accepting the new position. C. Angela can work with older clients if her supervisees are familiar as she can learn from them. D. Angela is a BCBA® with many years of experience plus she is staying in the same company. There isn't an ethical concern.

"Angela has to assess whether working with adults is in her boundaries of competence. Having not worked with that population; Angela should consider accessing supervised experience before accepting the new position." Length of time being a BCBA® working in one environment does not make you automatically qualified in another environment. Many transition from centre to school or vice versa without proper supervision and support. This should not be the case. If entering a novel learning environment, seek supervision. Ethics Code: 3.03 Task: E-2

! Today is your first day working with a client, named Carter, who engages in physical aggression. You interview Carter's guardian regarding the physical aggression. The guardian reports that whenever he asks Carter to do any chore, he is likely to physically aggress. What is the function of the target behavior? A. escape B. attention C. automatic D. cannot determine with the information provided

"Cannot determine with the information provided." This is the behavior analyst's first day working with Carter. A functional behavioral assessment involves indirect assessment procedures, direct assessment procedures, and functional analyses. Of these, indirect assessments are oftentimes inaccurate (they are the least accurate of the 3 assessment procedures). Since the only thing the behavior analyst does is interview the guardian, we cannot assume the function of the behavior is escape (yet). Further assessment of the behavior needs to be conducted. The behavior could be maintained by multiple functions, including that the guardian could be overlooking important details, the guardian could be recalling past events incorrectly, etc. Therefore, we should never use indirect measures by themselves to "determine" the function of a behavior. Task: F-6

A parent is concerned about the use of edibles for reinforcement, citing that it is a cause of obesity and poor oral hygiene. Shadrack, the BCBA®, is concerned because the client does not have any other reinforcers. What is the best course of action? A. Complete a preference assessment and limit use of edibles. Attempt to use reinforcers that are naturally occurring in the environment. B. Shadrack should explain the importance of reinforcers and offer to give less and smaller amounts of edibles. C. Implement an exercise program for weight loss and oral hygiene programs (e.g., flossing, tolerating mouthwash, toothbrushing program). D. The behavior program should be unimpeded by edibles. Shadrack is responsible for the behavior change program and changing reinforcers will limit its effectiveness.

"Complete a preference assessment and limit use of edibles. Attempt to use reinforcers that are naturally occurring in the environment." Behavior analysts minimize the use of items as potential reinforcers that may be harmful to the health and development of the client, or that may require excessive motivating operations to be effective. Ethics Code: 3.01 Task: E-3

! _______________ is behavior that occurs due to direct-acting consequences. _______________ is a behavior that occurs due to verbal descriptions of a behavior and the consequence that follows at a later time. A. Contingency-shaped behavior; Rule-governed behavior B. Direct reinforcement; Indirect reinforcement C. Rule-governed behavior; Contingency-shaped behavior D. Operant behavior; Respondent behavior

"Contingency-shaped behavior; Rule-governed behavior." Contingency-shaped behavior occurs due to direct acting contingencies, whereas rule-governed behavior occurs due to a stated rule that details what consequence will be received after a specific behavior occurs. "Indirect reinforcement" and "direct reinforcement" are not behaviors, therefore they are incorrect in this scenario. "Respondent behavior" is incorrect since it does not require a rule stating when reinforcement will be received. Task: B-13

! All of the following are used by behavior analysts to document behavior, EXCEPT: A. semi-logarithmic charts. B. cumulative interval records C. equal-interval graphs. D. standard celeration charts.

"Cumulative interval records." Cumulative interval records do not exist. Cumulative records do, however. Semi-logarithmic charts, standard celeration charts, and equal-interval graphs are all used by behavior analysts. Task: C-10

A behavior analyst is working with a student who raises his hand too often in class. Which procedure would be the best option for decreasing his hand-raising behavior? A. DRI B. DRO C. DRA D. DRL

"DRL (Differential Reinforcement of Low Rates)" DRL is used to decrease behavior, but not necessarily to eliminate it entirely. In this scenario, the behavior analyst would not want to eliminate the student's behavior of raising his hand altogether. He would simply want to reduce the rate of the behavior. DRO, DRA, and DRI procedures are designed to entirely eliminate the target behavior, which would not be beneficial in this scenario. Task: G-14

What are the three different methods for determining the function of behavior in a functional behavior assessment? A. Functional analyses, ecological assessments, and behavioral interviews B. Interviews, observations, questionnaires C. ABC data recording, functional analyses, and direct assessments D. Direct assessments, indirect assessments, and functional analyses

"Direct assessments, indirect assessments, and functional analyses." These three methods are used to collect data and together determine the function of a behavior. Indirect assessments involve assessing the behavior without actually observing it (checklists, interviews, rating scales, etc.). Direct assessments involve assessing the behavior by observing it in the natural environment (scatterplots, ABC data collection, etc.). Functional analyses are generally the final step in identifying the function of the behavior and involve systematically altering the environment to determine under which condition(s) the behavior is most likely to occur. Task: F-8

You are observing your client in his classroom. Your client's teacher is implementing the strategies in your intervention effectively, which has resulted in improved classroom readiness skills and participation. The teacher shares that another student, whom you do not have a referral for, is struggling with similar issues. She asks you if implementing these intervention strategies with the other student would be as successful. How should you respond in this scenario? A. Give her some quick strategies based on your observations that are individualized to the student she is having difficulties with. B. Tell her that ABA is effective for all learners, so generalizing ABA practices throughout the classroom will be beneficial to the teachers, students, and client. C. Encourage her to make a referral for this other student, as a behavior analyst cannot make recommendations or develop behavior-change programs without a current assessment. D. Tell the teacher you can't tell her anything in person but you can email her some suggestions and articles that could help with both students.

"Encourage her to make a referral for this other student, as a behavior analyst cannot make recommendations or develop behavior-change programs without a current assessment." The ethics code tells us "Behavior analysts conduct current assessments prior to making recommendations or developing behavior-change programs. The type of assessment used is determined by client's needs and consent, environmental parameters, and other contextual variables." Providing recommendations (in person or via email) for a child you have not conducted an assessment with is irresponsible. Observations are not enough for clinical recommendations. In addition, you would need informed consent prior to conducting services with the new client. Ethics Code: 3.04 Task: E-3

What is the BEST way to ensure that a behavior will continue to occur after the training procedure is discontinued? A. Ensure that the client will receive positive reinforcement for the behavior after training. B. Ensure that the response will be reinforced in the natural environment. C. Ensure that the client enjoys engaging in the behavior. D. Ensure that the client has a performance manager.

"Ensure that the response will be reinforced in the natural environment." When programming for response maintenance, a behavior analyst should ensure that a learner's natural environment continues to reinforce his behavior after the training procedure is discontinued. This is the best way to achieve response maintenance. "Ensure that the client has a performance manager" is incorrect. A performance manager is someone who helps ensure that a person delivers his punishment or reinforcement to himself in a self-management procedure. Since this scenario did not mention a self-management procedure, this answer choice is incorrect. "Ensure that the client will receive positive reinforcement for the behavior after training" is less correct since the natural environment should reinforce the behavior and since negative reinforcement could control the behavior in the natural environment. "Ensure that the client enjoys engaging in the behavior" is incorrect. Sometimes we do not like engaging in a behavior, but we do anyways because it is reinforced in the natural environment. (For example, I don't necessarily enjoy showering in the morning. However, I continue to do so because I feel clean afterwards, I smell better, people are more likely to interact with me, etc.) Task: G-22

! Which reinforcement schedules are characterized as having a post-reinforcement pause? A. Fixed-interval and fixed-ratio B. Fixed-interval and variable-ratio C. Variable-ratio and variable-interval D. Fixed-ratio and variable-ratio

"Fixed interval and fixed ratio." FI and FR reinforcement schedules have post-reinforcement pauses. VI and VR reinforcement schedules do NOT have post-reinforcement pauses. Task: B-5

A child is learning to wash his hands. A therapist stands behind the child and follows his movements, increasing the distance between her and the child's hands as steps are completed correctly. If the child does a step incorrectly, the therapist is ready to use handover- hand prompting to help with the difficult steps. Which prompt fading procedure is the therapist using? A. time delay B. Stimulus shape transformation C. Most-to-least prompting D. Graduated guidance

"Graduated Guidance." The correct answer is graduated guidance since the therapist first provides heavy prompting and slowly fades prompts when the child is performing the task correctly. In graduated guidance, the therapist is supposed to interrupt incorrect responses by providing more intrusive prompts when incorrect responding is observed. "Time delay" is incorrect since this would entail the therapist waiting a designated amount of time to provide a prompt to give the child time to respond. "Stimulus shape transformation" has nothing to do with this example. "Most-to-least prompting" is less correct than graduated guidance since most-to-least prompting would most likely involve many trials of hand-over-hand prompting, followed by partial physical prompting, etc., over the course of many sessions. Since the prompts in this scenario were faded immediately following correct responding, the best answer is graduated guidance. Task: G-4

A behavior analyst begins working with a client who has several target behaviors. Which one of his problem behaviors would be considered the MOST important to address immediately? A. Hand flapping. He engages in this behavior 3 hours per day, on average, and it gets in the way of him completing schoolwork. B. Pica. He swallowed a coin when he was a toddler but has not engaged in pica since. C. Pinching. He has pinched others in the past 3 times per month on average. These pinches never leave physical marks on the people he pinches. D. Setting fires. He has done this twice but it has not occurred in 13 years.

"Hand flapping. He engages in this behavior 3 hours per day, on average, and it gets in the way of him completing schoolwork." Hand flapping is the most significant and important behavior to address at this time. Since it occurs for several hours per day, it is negatively impacting his life and ability to learn new skills. "Pica" is incorrect since this behavior has not occurred in many years. "Setting Fires" sounds like it would be the most important target behavior to address first. However, since it has not happened in many years and it only happened one time, it is unlikely that a behavioral intervention is needed at this time. "Pinching" is incorrect because this happens at a relatively infrequent rate and because it does not cause significant injuries to others. Therefore, hand flapping is the most significant behavioral concern at this time. Task: F-3

Staff at a group home ask a client to fold his laundry. He begins to fold the laundry, but then becomes visually frustrated (i.e. cursing under his breath, breathing heavily, etc.). He goes into his bedroom and locks himself in it. What would likely be the most functionallyappropriate behavior to teach this client? A. How to ask for assistance when needed B. How to ask for assistance when needed C. How to do another chore instead, such as washing dishes D. How to gain attention in an appropriate manner, such as telling jokes

"How to ask for assistance when needed." Since the function of his behavior is likely escape, teaching him to ask for assistance would result in him essentially escaping the aversive task by having staff help him. Staff helping him lessens the aversiveness of the task and completing the task results in negative reinforcement since the aversive stimulus is removed. "How to accept "no" for an answer" is incorrect since it doesn't apply to this scenario. "How to gain attention in an appropriate manner, such as telling jokes" is not functionallyequivalent since the function is escape. "How to do another chore, such as washing dishes" is incorrect since it doesn't determine whether or not he gets out of folding his laundry. Task: H-4

A behavior analyst is using a token economy to increase her client's compliance skills. When her client follows an instruction, the behavior analyst delivers a token. These tokens can be exchanged for candy. In this example, the independent variable is ____________ and the dependent variable is _______________. A. compliance; the token economy B. the token economy; candy C. tokens; candy D. the token economy; compliance

"In this example, the independent variable is the token economy and the dependent variable is compliance." An independent variable is added to produce change in the behavior. Since the token economy was added to increase compliance skills, the token economy is the independent variable in this scenario. The dependent variable is the behavior that is under influence of the independent variable. A dependent variable can also be called the target behavior. The dependent variable in this scenario is compliance. Task: D-1

! A mother uses an intervention with her children for a year to teach them how to read better. She requires them to read 15 minutes before bed each night. After a year, she notices that her two children both grew two inches since the intervention began. She publishes an article titled, "Use this Simple Reading Intervention to Help Your Children Grow 2 Inches Taller per Year." What threat to internal validity did the mother overlook? A. Bootleg reinforcement B. Maturation C. Expectancy D. Client attrition

"Maturation." Maturation refers to changes (such as growing 2 inches in a year) that happen over the course of the experiment that are completely unrelated to the independent variable (reading 15 minutes every night). If the children had not read 15 minutes every night, they would likely still have grown 2 inches that year. "Bootleg reinforcement" is incorrect since this refers to gaining access to the reinforcement in other ways than the terms of the intervention, which does not apply here. "Expectancy" is incorrect since this means the experimenter was biased because she thought she "knew" what the outcome of the reading program was prior to or while it was being implemented (she likely did not "guess" that the reading program would "cause" her children to grow 2 inches). "Client attrition" is incorrect since this refers to subjects dropping out of the study. Task: C-8

You are driving down the road when suddenly the sun becomes very bright. You reach in the glove box and grab your sunglasses. The bright light from the sun functions as a(n): A. discriminative stimulus. B. a punisher. C. abative effect. D. motivating operation.

"Motivating Operation." The sensation from the bright lights in your eyes makes the value of sunglasses increase (establishing operation) and increases the likelihood of you engaging in behaviors to reduce this aversive stimulus, such as reaching for your sunglasses (evocative effect). "Punisher" is incorrect since bright sunlight was not applied contingently on some behavior. "Abative effect" is incorrect since this scenario involved an increase in the behavior of grabbing sunglasses, not a decrease. "Discriminative stimulus" is incorrect because this would mean that the current reinforcer was unavailable before the bright sunlight. Since you could reach for your sunglasses at any point, the sunlight did not serve as an Sd. Task: B-12

Pablo has been using the principles of ABA to teach learners with ASD for three decades. He has recently decided to provide Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to adults who do not have autism. He earned several CEUs on ACT and is now comfortable taking on new clients. Which statement below is TRUE? A. Pablo's ABA knowledge is enough to qualify him as a proficient ACT therapist and he does not need supervision or specialized consent. B. Pablo needs to take a university course in ACT if he hopes to be an effective ACT therapist. C. Pablo, despite his years of experience providing ABA therapy, and his level of comfort using ACT, should only provide ACT to clients if he is being supervised by a BCBA® who is competent in providing ACT. D. Pablo can responsibly take on clients for ACT if he shares with them that he has limited experience when gaining consent.

"Pablo, despite his years of experience providing ABA therapy, and his level of comfort using ACT, should only provide ACT to clients if he is being supervised by a BCBA® who is competent in providing ACT." Behavior analysts only accept clients whose requested services are commensurate with the behavior analysts' education, training, experience, available resources, and organizational policies. In lieu of these conditions, behavior analysts must function under the supervision of or in consultation with a behavior analyst whose credentials permit performing such services. The length of time a BCBA® spends working in one environment does not automatically make them qualified in another environment. Earning CEU's related to ACT alone is likely not sufficient in preparing a behavior analyst to practice ACT. Therefore, Pablo should be supervised by (or consult with) a BCBA® who is competent in providing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. It is critical that you are responsible for your clients' clinical gains and in order for that to happen; the responsible thing to do is to ensure that you are supervised/mentored so that you effectively generalize your ABA knowledge to a different branch within the ABA umbrella. Ethics Code: 1.05 Task: E-2 & E-3

On an employee's annual performance appraisal, it showed that he attended work 93% of the days he was scheduled to work. This measurement is an example of: A. percent of criterion. B. percent of occurrence. C. rate. D. trials to criterion.

"Percent of occurrence." Percent of occurrence is correct since we are tracking the number of occurrences he responded correctly (went to work) divided by the number of opportunities (total amount of days he was supposed to be at work). Multiplying this number by 100 would give you the percentage of days he went to work when he was supposed to (AKA percent of occurrence). "Percent of criterion" is not an ABA term. "Trials to criterion" would involve setting a predetermined criterion and tracking how many trials it took to reach that criterion. "Rate" is incorrect since it is not frequency divided by some unit of time. Task: C-6

Walden is a worker at a warehouse that performs his job each day without complaint. He shows up on time, works hard, and helps his coworkers as needed. However, he does not enjoy being supervised by his foreman and watched while he works to perform his job. Walden prefers to work on his own whenever possible. What would be the best method for the foreman to monitor Walden's performance? A. Infrequent performance feedback B. Permanent product assessments C. Discrete trial training D. Role-playing

"Permanent product assessments." In permanent product assessments, the supervisor inspects the final product that was produced and does not have to monitor performance during the production of the product. Since the employees do not like to be watched, their performance can still be inspected by the products they produce. "Role-playing" does not apply to this scenario as it is not a form of performance assessment; it is used to teach behavior. "Infrequent performance feedback" is not suggested as frequent feedback is more beneficial. "Discrete trial training" does not apply to this scenario (do not confuse discrete with discreet). Task: I-8

What would be the best method of monitoring employees' performance for employees who like to work on their own and do not like their supervisor watching them? A. Infrequent performance feedback B. Permanent product assessments C. Discrete trial training D. Role-playing

"Permanent product assessments." In permanent product assessments, the supervisor inspects the final product that was produced and does not have to monitor performance during the production of the product. Since the employees do not like to be watched, their performance can still be inspected by the products they produce. "Role-playing" does not apply to this scenario as it is not a form of performance assessment; it is used to teach behavior. "Infrequent performance feedback" is not suggested as frequent feedback is more beneficial. "Discrete trial training" does not apply to this scenario (do not confuse discrete with discreet). Task: C-2

A teacher scolds a student for belching in class so he never belches in front of her again. During recess, the student asks his friends, "Wasn't that hilarious how mad Ms. Meanface got when I burped?" All of his friends thought it was hilarious and said he should be a standup comedian when he grows up. The teacher's scold is a(n): A. negative punisher. B. neutral stimulus. C. positive punisher. D. positive reinforcer.

"Positive Punisher." The student's belching behavior was followed by the teacher's scold and he never emitted that response again in her presence. Therefore, the addition of a stimulus (the scold) followed the response and decreased the behavior in the future, so it is a positive punisher. "Negative Punisher" is incorrect since the scold was added, not taken away. "Neutral Stimulus" is incorrect since the scold likely had an effect on the future likelihood of the behavior occurring. "Positive Reinforcer" is incorrect since the behavior did not increase in the future (and remember, we are analyzing the effect of the teacher's scold, not the friends' compliments). Task: B-6

A behavior analyst is training his staff members on a new intervention that will be used for a client. Which of the following sequences best describes how the behavior analyst could provide competency-based training to train the staff on the new intervention? A. Provide a written description of the intervention techniques. Model the intervention for the staff. Have the staff members role-play the intervention in the natural environment. Provide feedback. B. Provide a verbal and written description of the intervention techniques. Model the intervention. Have the staff members role-play the intervention. Observe the staff carrying out the intervention in the natural environment. Provide feedback. C. Provide a verbal description of the intervention techniques. Have the staff members model the intervention while the behavior analyst provides feedback. Observe the staff members carrying out the intervention in the training setting. Provide feedback. D. Provide a written and verbal description of the intervention techniques. Have the staff members model the intervention. Have the staff members role-play the intervention. Observe staff carrying out the intervention in the natural environment. Provide feedback.

"Provide a verbal and written description of the intervention techniques. Model the intervention. Have the staff members roleplay the intervention. Observe the staff carrying out the intervention in the natural environment. Provide feedback." Typically, competency based training will involve the behavior analyst verbally describing the intervention procedure, providing a written description of the intervention so that they can refer back to this later, modeling the intervention for the staff, and then observing them perform the skill in role-playing scenarios or in the actual environment that the intervention will be used in. The final step would be to provide feedback and have them repeat any of the steps that they do not demonstrate fluency with. Task: I-4

You are monitoring one of your staff member's performance regarding a new intervention. She implements the intervention with one minor flaw. How should feedback be provided? A. Provide immediate praise for the parts of the performance that were correct. At a later time, and before her next opportunity to perform the intervention, address the minor flaw and describe what actions she can take to perform better next time. B. Provide immediate praise for the parts of the performance that were correct. Ignore the flaw in her performance; since it was not reinforced it will not happen again. C. Immediately pull her aside to address the flaw in performance. Then praise her correct performance to end on a good note. D. Make note of the flaw and address it in her annual performance appraisal.

"Provide immediate praise for the parts of the performance that were correct. At a later time, and before her next opportunity to perform the intervention, address the minor flaw and describe what actions she can take to perform better next time." Provide immediate reinforcement via praise but do not provide corrective feedback immediately as your supervisees may pair your presence with punishment (making you a conditioned punisher). However, you should provide corrective feedback prior to the next performance so that the incorrect performance does not continue to occur. "Ignore the flaw in her performance; since it was not reinforced it will not happen again" is incorrect. If the supervisor does not tell the supervisee that the performance is incorrect, she may never know (and may continue to perform that skill incorrectly). Task: I-5

Ragnar developed a behavior change program for his client. The client's mother approved the program and the program was implemented. During the implementation of the behavior change program, Ragnar realized that there are other, more socially significant targets, that he wants to add to the behavior change program. What does Ragnar need to do in this scenario? A. Ragnar must obtain the guardian's written approval before making changes to the behavior change program. B. Ragnar needs to wait until next reporting period to add any targets to the behavior plan. C. If the targets are critical, then Ragnar must scrap the original behavior change program, conduct a new assessment, and write an entirely new behavior change program. D. Ragnar can simply add the new targets to the behavior change program.

"Ragnar must obtain the guardian's written approval before making changes to the behavior change program." Behavior analysts must obtain the client's (or guardian's) written approval of the behavior-change program before implementation or making significant modifications (e.g., change in goals, use of new procedures, etc.). It is not necessary to wait for a new reporting period. Finally, the entire behavior change program does not need to be scrapped. The current targets appear to be appropriate. However, Ragnar must gain consent and add the new targets, and their respective interventions, to the existing behavior change program. Ethics Code: 2.11 Task: E-4 What

! What is the most appropriate response a behavior analyst could make when a learner responds incorrectly on a matching-to-sample trial? A. Punish the response by saying, "No" in a firm tone. Redo the trial. B. Hand the sample stimulus back to the learner and allow him to respond again. Continue to do this until the correct response occurs. C. Remove the sample stimulus and comparison stimuli, and start another trial. D. Immediately provide hand-over-hand prompting.

"Remove the sample stimulus and the comparison stimuli, and start another trial." The behavior analyst should provide as little attention as possible and begin another trial. He should not punish the response by saying, "No." He should not provide hand-over-hand prompting after incorrect responses since this could develop a defective behavior chain (though rearranging the sample stimuli, delivering the Sd, and THEN providing hand-over-hand prompting may be appropriate). He should not allow the learner to keep responding until the correct response occurs as this may result in an unnecessary behavioral chain. Therefore, removing the sample and comparison stimuli and running another trial is the "best" answer.

A man tells inappropriate jokes when he is with his friends because they laugh at the jokes. However, he does not tell these same jokes in front of his wife because she does not laugh and often makes him sleep on the couch. What is this an example of? A. Stimulus equivalence B. Stimulus generalization C. Stimulus control D. Response generalization

"Stimulus control". This is an example of stimulus control because the man reliably engages in the target response in the presence of his friends, but does not engage in that response in front of his wife since it does not result in reinforcement. "Response generalization" is incorrect since this would involve him engaging in untaught responses to gain laughs from his wife. "Stimulus generalization" is incorrect since the behavior came under the control of fewer stimuli (which is stimulus discrimination). "Stimulus Equivalence" is incorrect since it would involve accurate responding to untrained stimuli and he did not respond under untrained stimuli in this scenario. Task: B-10

You are working with an adult who frequently hitchhikes because he does not understand the dangers of asking strangers for rides. You help him make a list of people he can accept rides from, which includes only family and friends. Making a list of ONLY people he can accept rides from is an example of: A. Stimulus generalization B. Stimulus maintenance C. Stimulus equivalence D. Stimulus discrimination

"Stimulus discrimination." Stimulus discrimination involves fewer and fewer stimuli evoking the target response. Therefore, asking for rides from fewer people (only the people that he knows) is an example of stimulus discrimination. Stimulus equivalence and stimulus generalization involve making the response occur under MORE stimuli than it previously did. Stimulus maintenance is not a behavioral term (but response maintenance is). Task: B-11

! From a young age, Ayla is taught to go to her basement when she hears a tornado siren. One day she sees a tornado in the distance and goes into her basement, even though there was no tornado siren. She was never trained to do this. What is this an example of? A. Overgeneralization B. Stimulus generalization C. Response generalization D. Programming common stimuli

"Stimulus generalization." She was taught to go into the basement when she heard a tornado siren. However, she was not directly taught to go to the basement if she saw an actual tornado. However, the sight of the tornado evoked the same response that a tornado siren did, due to stimulus generalization (the same behavior of going into the basement occurred under an untrained stimulus). "Response generalization" is incorrect since the response did not change; only the antecedent stimuli changed. "Overgeneralization" is incorrect since this would mean going to the basement is controlled by multiple, incorrect stimuli. Programming common stimuli is incorrect since this would involve bringing stimuli from her natural environment into her training environment and this was not mentioned in the scenario. Task: B-11

You are a BCBA®. Your agency has asked you to take over a case in which a prominent socially significant target is expanding the number of foods the client will consume. You have never overseen a food desensitization program. However, the RBT® who is on the case has implemented food desensitization programs in the past and the client's parents are desperate for an undisrupted continuation of service. What is the most responsible course of action for you to take in this scenario? A. The agency is confident that you can handle the client and the parents want continuation of service, so take the case and learn as you go. B. Refuse the case and suggest a referral to a speech and language pathologist or other related service professional as they are best equipped to handle food desensitization programs. C. Take the case and work on the target behaviors that you do have the relevant experience with. However, do not implement a food desensitization program until you have someone to oversee your work who has the relevant competency in food desensitization programs. D. Take the case. Complete CEUs, read articles, and rely heavily on the RBT® with experience as delaying services will be inconvenient for everyone involved.

"Take the case and work on the target behaviors that you have the relevant experience with. However, do not implement a food desensitization program until you have someone to oversee your work who has the relevant competency in food desensitization programs." This is the correct answer because the code strictly tells us that we can only "provide services, teach, or conduct research in new areas (e.g., populations, techniques, behaviors) only after first undertaking appropriate study, training, supervision, and/or consultation from persons who are competent in those areas." If there is a skill or procedure that one is unfamiliar with; then seeking supervision by an expert in that skill or procedure is necessary. To avoid a dual relationship, the RBT® should not serve as your supervisor with regards to the food desensitization program. Also, keep in mind that even though the RBT® has experience implementing food desensitization programs, it does not necessarily mean he/she is qualified to of create and oversee these programs. Ethics Code: 1.05 & 3.03 Task: E-2 & E-3

! A behavior analyst recently created a behavior change plan for her client who lives at a group home. She now has to train the group home staff on the procedures in the behavior change plan. What would be the MOST effective method for her to demonstrate these skills to the group home staff? A. The behavior analyst should role-play the skills in her office. B. The behavior analyst should role-play the skills in the group home. C. The behavior analyst should demonstrate the skills with the client in the group home. D. (All methods are equally effective)

"The behavior analyst should demonstrate the skills with the client in the group home." The most effective method for demonstrating the procedures/skills used in the behavior-change program is for her to demonstrate the skills with the client in the natural environment (the group home). The least effective method would be to role-play the skills in her office since the client is not there and it is not the environment where the skills will be used. Role-playing the skills in the natural environment is more effective (but not as effective as demonstrating the skills with the client in the natural environment). Task: I-4

Pam, a behavior analyst, writes a behavior plan for her new client, named Joe. Joe is 12 years old and lives at home with his parents. Joe is very motivated by money. There is a DRO procedure in his plan, where if he goes a day without aggressing, his parents will give him $2. Pam tells them to implement the intervention and that she will come back next week to check his progress. When she comes back the following week, Joe's parents report he did not physically aggress the first day, but they did not have the $2 to give to him until they got paid on Friday. Joe has been aggressive every day this week except for the first day. What is wrong with this scenario? A. The behavior analyst should have used primary reinforcers, rather than generalized conditioned reinforcers, so that Joe could have come into contact with reinforcement more immediately. B. The behavior analyst should have trained the parents more efficiently as it sounds like they do not fully understand the plan. C. The behavior analyst should have considered resource constraints that could have negatively impacted the ability to carry out the behavior plan. D. All of the above

"The behavior analyst should have considered resource constraints that could have negatively impacted the ability to carry out the behavior plan." Behavior analysts must ensure that the parents have the resources to carry out the plan prior to implementation. Since the parents did not have the $2, the plan could not be run effectively and it resulted in more aggression since Joe did not receive his reinforcer. It sounds like the parents understood the plan, they just did not have the money to give to him on the first day. Therefore, more training would likely not have helped in this situation. "The behavior analyst should have used primary reinforcers, rather than generalized conditioned reinforcers..." is also incorrect. The question states that Joe is very motivated by money. Therefore, we can conclude money functions as a generalized conditioned reinforcer. Primary reinforcers would not have necessarily motivated him more than money would have. Task: H-3

A behavior analyst is working with a child who has seasonal allergies. The behavior analyst wants the child to blow his nose each time he sneezes. What would be the BEST measurement procedure the behavior analyst could use to determine if the child is blowing his nose each time he sneezes? A. The behavior analyst should measure permanent products by counting the number of tissues the child uses each day. B. The behavior analyst should track the rate of the child's blowing-nose behavior. C. The behavior analyst should measure the percent of occurrence. D. The behavior analyst should take frequency data on how many times the child sneezes.

"The behavior analyst should measure percent of occurrence." The behavior analyst wants to track whether the child blows his nose each time he sneezes. Therefore, each sneeze is an opportunity to blow his nose. By determining the percentage of times he blows his nose after sneezing, the behavior analyst will be able to determine if the child is increasing his nose-blowing behavior after sneezing. Counting the number of tissues the child uses, counting how many times the child sneezes, and determining the rate of nose-blowing is not sufficient in determining if the child is blowing his nose each time he sneezes. Tracking the sneezing alone does not demonstrate whether or not the child is blowing his nose afterward. Counting the number of tissues the child uses may be inaccurate because we do not know how many times he sneezed, we do not know how many tissues he used each time, and we do not know if he used them after he sneezed or at another time, etc. Task: C-9

A behavior analyst is working with a client who engages in self-injurious behavior to gain attention. The client slaps himself in the face but does not do so hard enough to leave marks on his face. What is an appropriate replacement behavior for the behavior analyst to teach this client? A. The behavior analyst should teach her client to draw on his face with markers or highlighters. B. The behavior analyst should teach her client how to wave to others. C. The behavior analyst should teach her client to punch a punching bag when upset. D. The behavior analyst should teach her client to ask for food politely.

"The behavior analyst should teach her client how to wave to others." The client's SIB is attention-maintained. Therefore, a replacement behavior should also result in attention. Waving to others is an appropriate way to get others' attention. "Asking for food politely" is incorrect since he engages in the target behavior for attention. "Writing on his face with a marker" is comical, but it likely does not address the function of the target behavior (and is an inappropriate behavior to teach a client). Teaching him how to punch a punching bag is not functionally-appropriate. Task: H-4

You have created an effective behavior-change program at your center, but generalizing it to the client's home environment has been challenging. The client's parents are not home during your generalization training. The client's parents are interested in implementing the behavior-change program, but are unable to implement it as written because they cannot invest the time required to implement it as written. What should your next step be? A. Do a time analysis so that you the caregiver's time can be invested in both her evening responsibilities and following through on the intervention. If a barrier persists, inquire with the parents if their additional duties can be reduced in order to effectively implement the intervention. B. The parents need to be given the support necessary to become invested in the ABA program. If after a parent engagement strategy is conducted and there is no change in the parents' involvement, then discharge is to be discussed. C. Share video of success at the center to demonstrate what could happen if the parents/caregiver were more committed to success in the evening. D. The behavior-change plan needs to be adjusted accordingly, so that the client can be successful in the home environment too. An assessment of what is realistic at home should be completed and those perimeters should be used as a goal for the intervention at the center.

"The behavior-change plan needs to be adjusted accordingly, so that the client can be successful in the home environment too. An assessment of what is realistic at home should be completed and those perimeters should be used as a goal for the intervention at the center." The code states: "behavior analysts must tailor behavior-change programs to the unique behaviors, environmental variables, assessment results, and goals of each client." Therefore, it is not the responsibility of the client, the parents, or the caregiver to change their environment to accommodate a behavior change program; it is the responsibility of the analyst to accommodate their environment in the behavior change program. In this scenario, it states that the parents ARE invested in the intervention. They appear to want to implement it, but do not have the time to do so. Therefore, it is the behavior analyst's role to create an intervention that can be run effectively with the available resources. Running this intervention in the center, while approximating the limited resources available in the client's natural environment, will help promote maintenance and generalization. Ethics Code: 2.19 Task: E-4

[Graph #1] Ray engages in a severe problem behavior of fire setting. He lights matches and then purposefully drops them on the floor or the ground. Ray's BCBA® develops an intervention with the ultimate goal of totally eliminating Ray's behavior of setting fires, since it is so dangerous. Which statement regarding this graph (above) is TRUE? A. The intervention is successful. B. Ray will likely set this graph on fire. C. The mean occurrences-per-session (the level) is lower in the intervention phase than in the baseline phase. D. After an initial extinction burst, the behavior seems to be under control now.

"The mean occurrences-per-session (the level) is lower in the intervention phase than in the baseline phase." Of all the answer choices, we can confirm that this statement is TRUE. The behavior occurs 3.2 times per day during baseline and 0.6 times per day during the intervention phase. This intervention cannot be deemed as successful at this time. The ultimate goal of the intervention is to completely eliminate the target behavior, since any instance of fire-setting is unacceptable. There does not appear to be an extinction burst within the intervention phase, so that answer option is also incorrect. Finally, we cannot determine whether or not Ray will set the graph on fire with the information provided. Task: C-11

! A teacher is implementing a token economy system for her class. What is a general rule she should follow, with regards to the backup reinforcers? A. Every student should like every backup reinforcer available. B. The menu of backup reinforcers should include at least 1 item that each student will enjoy. C. The backup reinforcers should be the same "price" for every student. D. All of the above

"The menu of backup reinforcers should include at least 1 item that each student will enjoy." Every student does not have to like every item that can be purchased with the tokens. However, every student should have at least one thing they like on the menu of backup reinforcers. Otherwise, they wouldn't be motivated to earn tokens. The backup reinforcers do not necessarily have to be the same price for every student. A level system can be used to help thin the reinforcement schedule for students who are earning many tokens. This will help the reinforcement system more accurately approximate that of the natural environment. Task: G-17

Which is the most important thing to consider when writing an intervention that will be carried out with the help of behavior change agents? A. The reinforcement contingencies that act directly on the behavior analyst who is training the behavior change agent B. What type of a degree they have C. How much they love their job D. The reinforcement contingencies that act directly on the behavior of the behavior change agent

"The reinforcement contingencies that act directly on the behavior of the behavior change agent." A behavior change agent continues to implement the intervention in the client's natural environment to ensure the treatment effects generalize to multiple settings. Therefore, it is very important to consider what reinforcement contingencies will benefit the behavior change agent and ensure that the intervention is going to be implemented correctly. "The reinforcement contingencies that act directly on the behavior analyst who is training the behavior change agent" is less important. A behavior analyst may only need to train the behavior change agent one time. But the behavior change agent will spend a lot of time with the client, so their access to reinforcement is likely more crucial. "What type of degree they have" is incorrect with the information given. Behavior change agents can be crossing guards, gas station attendants, teachers, etc. Their college degree and their jobs are less important than considering how you will motivate them to help carry out the behavior plan. Task: I-7

During the contingent attention phase of a functional analysis, what should a therapist do prior to the target behavior occurring? A. The therapist should be in the same room but withhold attention by engaging in an activity such as reading a book. B. The therapist should deliver prompts to complete a task until the problem behavior occurs. C. The therapist should not be in the room unless the target behavior occurs. D. The therapist should provide attention to the subject until the target behavior occurs.

"The therapist should be in the same room but withhold attention by engaging in an activity such as reading a book." In the contingent attention phase, the therapist is present but does not deliver attention until the target behavior occurs. The therapist may read a book, do a crossword puzzle etc., when the behavior is not occurring. The therapist will not deliver prompts or provide attention during the antecedent condition; attention will only be delivered contingent on the target behavior. Task: F-8

What is the MOST effective way a trainer can model a particular intervention to trainees? A. The trainee working directly with the intended client. B. The trainer role-playing the intervention in the natural setting where the intervention will occur. C. The trainer demonstrating the intervention with the intended client in the natural setting where the intervention will occur. D. The trainer role-playing the intervention at a training in his office.

"The trainer demonstrating the intervention with the intended client in the natural setting where the intervention will occur." Demonstrating skills in the environment where the intervention will take place and with the client who will actually be receiving the intervention is the best method in this situation. Modeling a behavior works best when the modeled behavior is in the exact context that the imitative behavior will occur. Therefore, role-playing in less effective than demonstrating the skills in the actual environment/with the actual people the skills will be used with. "The trainee working directly with the intended client" is incorrect since we are looking for the behavior of the trainer as the answer to this question. Task: I-4

! Once a learner is able to accurately demonstrate ________________, stimulus equivalence is complete. A. the ability to wave to someone who says, "Hi" B. the ability to say, "Hi" to someone who waves to you C. transitivity D. reflexivity, reversibility, and transitivity

"Transitivity." Reflexivity, symmetry, and transitivity are all necessary to establish stimulus equivalence. (Reversibility is not one of the 3 essential aspects of stimulus equivalence. It is called symmetry, not reversibility.) Transitivity is the last step of stimulus equivalence and it can only be achieved after reflexivity and symmetry have been achieved. Therefore, once transitivity has been established, stimulus equivalence has been achieved. Saying, "Hi" or waving to someone may demonstrate symmetry. However, reflexivity, symmetry AND transitivity are necessary to demonstrate true/complete stimulus equivalence. Task: G-12

When presented with a picture of a dog, the learner is taught to say, "dog." When presented with the spoken word, "dog", the learner is taught to write the word, D-O-G. Without prior training, the learner sees a picture of a dog and writes down the written word, D-O-G. What type of stimulus equivalence is this? A. Transitivity B. Matching law C. Symmetry D. Reflexivity

"Transitivity." Transitivity is correct because the stimulus-stimulus relation was derived from 2 other stimulus-stimulus relations (ex: A=B. And B=C. Therefore C=A). Since a picture of a dog results in saying, "dog" and saying, "dog" results in writing D-O-G, the learner derives the relation of the picture of the dog and writing D-O-G. "Reflexivity" is incorrect since this would involve the same stimulus-stimulus pairing to occur (ex: A=B). "Symmetry" is incorrect since this would involve an untrained relation deriving from the opposite stimulus relation (ex: A=B. Therefore B=A). "Matching law" is incorrect since this involves responding in a way that matches the level of reinforcement that is available in two separate schedules of reinforcement, which does not apply to this scenario. Task: B-15

All of the following are threats to internal validity, EXCEPT: A. client attrition. B. treatment integrity. C. bootleg reinforcement. D. maturation.

"Treatment integrity." Treatment integrity is not a threat to interval validity (though poor treatment integrity may be a threat). Treatment integrity refers to the intervention being ran as intended, which helps internal validity. (Treatment integrity is a "good" thing. However, "poor treatment integrity" would have been correct.) "Maturation" is a threat because it refers to the changes that a client undergoes throughout the duration of a long experiment. "Bootleg reinforcement" is a threat because it refers to clients obtaining reinforcement in ways other than through the intervention. This can negatively impact the effectiveness of an intervention. Finally, "client attrition" is a threat to internal validity since it refers to clients dropping out of an experiment over time. Task: D-2

Victoria, a BCBA®, is having challenges with one of her clients. She asks another BCBA®, Yuto, from a different agency, for recommendations on how he would address this challenge. What is the best way for Victoria to share this information to Yuto? A. Victoria needs to make sure that she doesn't share any personal information (e.g., name or address) or identifying characteristics in her secure correspondence with Yuto. B. She shouldn't. Because Yuto is not a BCBA® in her workplace, she should not ask him for his opinions for fear of breaching confidentiality. C. As long as she doesn't include the name of the client, posting on social media is likely preferred because she will get more ideas on what to do. D. In order to minimize intrusions on privacy, Victoria should share case notes with Yuto in person only and avoid electronic correspondence that could be breached.

"Victoria needs to make sure that she doesn't share any personal information (e.g., name or address) or identifying characteristics in her secure correspondence with Yuto." It is appropriate for Victoria to seek the advice of another BCBA®, even if that person works for a different agency. However, in order to minimize intrusions on privacy, behavior analysts include only information germane to the purpose for which the communication is made in written, oral, and electronic reports, consultations, and other avenues. Therefore, she should not share the client's name, address, or any other identifying characteristics of her client when she consults with Yuto. Ethics Code: 2.03 & 2.04 Task: E-4

How will a behavior analyst know when staff are adequately trained on a behavior plan? A. When they can role-play the skills without making a single mistake B. When they can competently perform the required skills in the natural environment with the client C. When they can train new staff on the skills in the behavior plan D. When they can answer any question about the behavior plan accurately

"When they can competently perform the required skills in the natural environment with the client." The best way to determine that a staff member is sufficiently trained on a behavior plan is to ensure that the staff member can successfully perform the skills in the natural environment with the client. Role-playing the skills perfectly does not necessarily mean that he/she can perform the skills with the client in the natural environment. Answering questions about the behavior plan correctly does not necessarily mean that the staff member can perform the skill competently with the client in the natural environment. Finally, just because the staff member can explain the procedures to new staff does not mean that he/she can perform the skills correctly with the client in the natural setting. Task: I-1

A cumulative record would be most appropriate to use for tracking which of the following behaviors? A. Whether or not a student goes to school each day he was supposed to B. How quickly a student can type 30 words C. How much it rained last night D. The number of seconds you can hold your breath

"Whether or not a student goes to school each day that he is supposed to." Cumulative records are beneficial when there is 1 response possible per session (he has one opportunity to attend school, per day that he is supposed to attend). Since only one response is available per day, a cumulative record may be more beneficial than a noncumulative graph because it shows a clear data path, whereas a line graph would simply have 0 or 1 response per day. "How quickly a student can type 30 words" and "the number of seconds you can hold your breath" should be recorded with duration recording. "How much it rained last night" is NOT a behavior. Task: C-10

! For everyone, popcorn is: A. a reinforcing stimulus. B. a punishing stimulus. C. a stimulus. D. Cannot determine with the information provided

"a stimulus." We cannot know whether or not popcorn is a reinforcing stimulus or a punishing stimulus for everyone. However, we know popcorn is at least a stimulus to everyone. This is because it can be tasted, smelled, felt, seen, and/or heard. Task: B-2

When teaching echoics, it is crucial that the learner has: A. already learned how to tact that item. B. a verbally imitative repertoire. C. seen that item before. D. high motivation for the word he is echoing.

"a verbally imitative repertoire." Without an imitative repertoire, the learner would obviously not be able to echo what the teacher says. Having motivation for the word he is echoing is not necessary since this would be a mand. Having the ability to tact the item first is not correct since a tact repertoire may come after an echoic repertoire. Also, learning one verbal operant does not mean that an echoic operant will be learned. In echoic training, it may be helpful if the learner has seen the item before, but it is not necessarily crucial since the verbal behavior is under control of the teacher's verbal behavior and not the item itself. Task: B-14

If a target behavior occurs at high rates during the play condition of a functional assessment, the behavior's function is likely: A. access to attention. B. access to tangibles. C. automatic. D. escape.

"automatic." If a behavior occurs frequently during the play condition, it is most likely automatically reinforced. Since there are no demands being placed on the child in this phase, attention is being provided, and tangible items are available, the other answer options are incorrect. Task: F-9

Radical behaviorists believe that private events, such as thoughts, should: A. not be analyzed since they are not observable. B. be regarded as equally important as observable behaviors. C. not be discussed within the realm of behavior analysis, since other branches of psychology already focus on these phenomena. D. be analyzed only if they can be objectively measured through the use of medical technology, such as brain image scanning.

"be regarded as equally important as observable behaviors." John B. Watson is known as the founder of behaviorism. However, his analysis of behavior (methodological behaviorism) did not include private events, such as thoughts and feelings, as behaviors. He viewed these private events as impossible to analyze. The inability to analyze private events was considered a pitfall of behaviorism, when compared to other branches of psychology. However, B.F. Skinner rejected the notion that private events are not behaviors. And in 1945, Skinner pioneered radical behaviorism, which included the analysis of private events such as thoughts and feelings. He viewed these private events as equally-important as observable behaviors. Task: A-3

Behavior analysts visually analyze behavior data on graphs to determine: A. if the intervention had high social validity. B. which confounding variables are responsible for the behavior change. C. changes in variability, level, and trend. D. why the intervention changed the rate of the behavior.

"changes in variability, level, and trend." Behavior analysts use graphs to determine if a behavior is affected by a change in the environment (the intervention). They visually analyze graphs to look for changes in variability, level, and trend, which helps determine if an intervention is effective. Graphs do not show WHY the intervention worked; they simply show whether or not the intervention worked. Graphs on behavior data would likely not be used to determine social validity. Social validity would be assessed through questionnaires and rating scales, etc. Interventions are supposed to demonstrate a functional relationship by ruling out confounding variables. They are supposed to show that the intervention, and the intervention alone, was responsible for the behavior change. Therefore, graphs are not used to determine which confounding variables are responsible for the behavior change. Task: C-11

A behavior analyst should use continuous reinforcement to teach a new skill to a client. Then, to program for the skill to be maintained in the natural environment, a behavior analyst would use an intermittent reinforcement schedule that: A. is much denser than that of the natural environment. B. ensures every target response will be reinforced in the natural environment. C. extinguishes the behavior in conditions where the behavior should not occur. D. closely approximates the reinforcement schedule of the natural environment.

"closely approximates the reinforcement schedule of the natural environment." Since it is unlikely that every single response will be reinforced in the natural environment, the behavior analyst would try to approximate the ratio schedule of reinforcement that actually occurs in the natural environment. This will help promote the generalization of the skill. Continuous schedules and extinction schedules of reinforcement are not intermittent and would not promote generalization. Therefore, they are incorrect as well. Task: B-5

You read a research article on a particular intervention. Then, you use that intervention with your own client. By repeating the intervention with your client, you are helping to determine the original study's: A. confounding variables. B. external validity. C. sequence effects. D. accuracy.

"external validity." External validity means that the findings of an experiment can be replicated in different contexts (i.e. different places, with different subjects, etc.). By repeating the original study's intervention, you would be helping establish external validity (if similar effects happened with your client). "Accuracy" is incorrect since accuracy is the extent to which your recording method depicted identical levels of behavior that actually occurred. "Confounding variables" and "sequence effects" are incorrect with the information given (the question does not involve confounding variables or sequence effects). Task: D-2

Event recording would be MOST appropriate to use with which behavior? A. Number of hours spent sleeping B. Number of times a child blinks in one day C. Number of candy bars a child eats in a day D. Number of tantrums a child has in a day

"number of candy bars a child eats in a day." Event recording is appropriate to track this behavior since the behavior has a clear starting and ending point and the frequency of responses will (hopefully) not be too high to accurately count in a day. "Number of hours sleeping" would be duration, not event recording. You should not use event recording for "Number of tantrums a child has in a day" since there is not a clear starting/stopping point to the behavior and the behavior may vary greatly in duration. You should not use event recording for "Number of times a child blinks in a day" since the response rate is so high that recording blink would be nearly impossible. Task: C-3

Kyoko is taught that he can leave math class after the school bell rings. One day in the middle of class, his teacher's phone rings. Kyoko walks out of class. He now walks out of class whenever the school bell rings AND whenever his teacher's phone rings. Kyoko walking out of class is an example of: A. faulty stimulus control. B. response maintenance. C. response generalization. D. overgeneralization.

"overgeneralization." Overgeneralization means that the behavior is under a stimulus class that is too broad. That is, the response is occurring under the correct stimulus and similar, but incorrect, stimuli. The discriminative stimulus in this example is the school bell. The bell evokes the response of walking out of class. However, since he also walked out of class when his teacher's phone rang, this shows that Kyoko's behavior was evoked by an incorrect stimulus as well. Therefore, overgeneralization is the correct answer. "Faulty stimulus control" is incorrect. Faulty stimulus control means that a behavior is constantly and solely evoked by an incorrect antecedent stimulus. If Kyoko only left class when his teacher's phone rang and never left class when the school bell rang, this would be an example of faulty stimulus control. "Response generalization" is incorrect since the same behavior (walking out of class) is being emitted. Response generalization involves emitting a new behavior that is functionally-equivalent to the taught behavior. "Response maintenance" is incorrect since this means a skill that was taught with an intervention continues to occur under the correct conditions, after the intervention has been discontinued. Since Kyoko is engaging in the behavior during incorrect environmental conditions, this is not considered response maintenance. Task: G-10

A client living in a group home spills his milk onto the floor for the first time in years. His roommates pick on him for being clumsy. The next day, he spills his drink 3 times. This is likely an example of: A. the Premack principal. B. positive reinforcement. C. pyramidal training. D. anxiety-evoked behaviors such as shakiness which makes it more difficult to hold onto a glass of milk.

"positive reinforcement." It is positive reinforcement because the response of spilling his milk was followed by his roommates picking on (making fun of) him, which increased his milk-spilling behavior in the future. The "Premack Principal" and "pyramidal training" do not apply to this scenario. "Anxiety-evoked behaviors such as shakiness which makes it more difficult to hold onto a glass of milk" is not correct because anxiety would elicit, not evoke, the shaking response. Plus, parsimonious explanations of behavior are preferred in behavior analysis (we shouldn't assume that roommates picking on him causes anxiety and that this anxiety causes shakiness and shakiness causes spilling milk and spilling milk causes more anxiety which results in more milk spilling... since a more simplified and probable explanation is available). Task: B-4

A topographical operational definition for self-injurious behavior may be: A. any occurrence of pulling her own hair that results in attention. B. pulling her own hair with enough force that it detaches from her scalp. C. any behavior that occurs to gain attention such as hair pulling and biting herself. D. pulling her own hair, biting herself, or otherwise purposefully causing herself harm.

"pulling her own hair with enough force that it detaches from her scalp." Topographical definitions do not include the function of the behavior, or what happens when the behavior occurs. They simply state what the behavior looks like. "Purposefully causing herself harm" is incorrect since it would be difficult to measure whether her intent was to cause herself injury or not. Task: C-5

Cooper got upset with his mother and had a tantrum in the living room of his home. He tipped furniture over and threw DVD's across the room. Cooper's mother forced him to clean up the DVD's and to flip the furniture back over. Then, she made him clean the bathroom and kitchen as well. This is an example of: A. restitutional overcorrection B. negative punishment C. response blocking D. positive practice

"restitutional overcorrection." Restitutional overcorrection involves the learner returning the environment to its original state AND then requiring the learner to engage in additional actions to make the environment even better than it originally was. Since Cooper had to reorganize the living room AND the kitchen/bathroom, this is considered restitutional overcorrection. Negative punishment is incorrect since the punishing stimulus was added, not taken away. Response blocking is incorrect because his mother did not prohibit him from physically destroying the living room as he was engaging in the behavior. Positive practice is incorrect since this would involve him being forced to clean the living room repeatedly (for a set number of times or for a particular duration of time). Task: G-16

Multiple baseline experimental designs include designs across: A. subjects, behaviors, and people B. people, places, and things C. settings, people, and places D. subjects, settings, and behaviors

"subjects, settings and behaviors." Multiple baseline across subjects, multiple baseline across settings, and multiple baseline across behaviors are the 3 subsets of a multiple baseline design. Task: D-5

Factors that can negatively impact the reliability of data collection procedures include all of the following, EXCEPT: A. symmetry. B. reactivity. C. expectancy. D. observer drift.

"symmetry." Reliability means that if the same measurement system is used to record a similar phenomena, it should yield similar results. Expectancy, reactivity, and observer drift can negatively impact the reliability of data collection procedures. Observer drift refers to observers accidentally altering the way they are supposed to collect data over time. Reactivity refers to error in data collection because the observers know their behavior is being monitored at that time. Expectancy refers to error in data collection because the observer "knows" what the data is intending to prove. "Symmetry" is incorrect because this refers to a stimulus equivalence procedure and is not a threat to data reliability. Task: C-8

! You are trying to increase the amount of time a person spends jogging. Which measurement procedure would be the best to use? A. Partial-interval recording B. Frequency recording C. Whole-interval recording D. Momentary time sampling

"whole-interval recording." Since you want to increase the duration (AKA amount of time) of jogging, whole-interval recording would be the most beneficial in this situation because you are marking down whether or not the person jogged for the entire duration. This way, the more whole-interval recording intervals that are marked correct, means that the person is jogging for longer distances. Frequency recording would involve recording each time the person jogs which doesn't apply here. Momentary time sampling isn't the best option since you are only looking briefly at the end of an interval, most likely resulting in an inaccurate measurement of if the person is increasing time spent jogging or not. Partial-interval recording is incorrect because that would be recording whether a person jogged at any point during an interval, when we actually want to measure if the person is jogging the entire interval. Task: C-7

In which situation would you have to notify the BACB® within 30 days? A. Your legal name has changed. B. You are under an insurance disciplinary investigation. C. You were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. D. All of the above

All of the above. Behavior analysts must comply with all BACB® deadlines including, but not limited to, ensuring that the BACB® is notified within thirty (30) days of the date of any of the following grounds for sanctioning status: (a) A violation of this Code, or disciplinary investigation, action or sanction, filing of charges, conviction or plea of guilty or no contest (i.e., nolo contendere) by a governmental agency, health care organization, third-party payer or educational institution. Procedural note: Behavior analysts convicted of a felony directly related to behavior analysis practice and/or public health and safety shall be ineligible to apply for BACB® registration, certification, or recertification for a period of three (3) years from the exhaustion of appeals, completion of parole or probation, or final release from confinement (if any), whichever is later; (b) Any public health- and safety-related fines or tickets where the behavior analyst is named on the ticket; (c) A physical or mental condition that would impair the behavior analysts' ability to competently practice; and (d) A change of name, address or email contact. Ethics Code: 1.16 Task: E-2

What considerations should a new BCBA® make upon being certified when they consider continuing education? A. Make an effort to maintain current competency and explore new discoveries within the field and in other fields including pseudoscience to be aware of what is being propagated. B. It is important to look into continuing education courses in related fields especially if you work in schools or centers that promote a multidisciplinary approach. C. Look for the CE content that is most convenient or least expensive. As long as it is done before your certification period, it doesn't matter. D. Make an effort to maintain current competency and explore new discoveries within the field. Make an attempt to spread your learning throughout the certification period.

Correct Answer: "Make an effort to maintain current competency and explore new discoveries within the field. Make an attempt to spread your learning throughout the certification period." Behavior analysts maintain knowledge of current scientific and professional information in their areas of practice and undertake ongoing efforts to maintain competence in the skills they use by reading the appropriate literature, attending conferences and conventions, participating in workshops, obtaining additional coursework, and/or obtaining and maintaining appropriate professional credentials. Ethics Code: 1.06 Task: E-7

Melanie is on her high school swim team. She swims the length of the pool (25 meters) faster than any of her teammates. However, she never wins any of her 200 meter races. This is because once she reaches the end of the pool, she typically holds onto the side of the pool and takes a couple second break before swimming back. Melanie's coach wants her to complete the entire 200 meter race faster. What is the most important measure for her coach to track? A. Duration of the 200 meter race B. Duration of each 25 meter lap C. Latency D. Inter-response time

Duration of the 200 meter race. This is a very difficult question because decreasing the duration, latency, and inter-response time would all result in a faster race. However, this question asks us to choose the most important measure to track for the goal of completing the 200 meter race faster. In other terms, she wants to decrease the amount of time it takes for Melanie to complete the race. Therefore, the MOST important measure would be decreasing the duration of the race. Focusing on the latency may help Melanie decrease the amount of time it takes her to complete the race if she takes too long to start swimming after the starting whistle. However, this scenario does not mention that this is an issue. Focusing on the duration of each lap may help Melanie decrease the amount of time it takes her to swim each lap. However, it still does not address the situation of her taking a break once she has completed each of the 8 laps. Focusing on the inter-response time would be helpful for Melanie in this situation. If she decreased her inter-response time, this would mean that she would take shorter breaks at the end of each lap. However, this does not take into consideration the amount of time that it takes her to swim across the pool. If Melanie's coach puts all of her focus on Melanie's inter-response time, this does not automatically mean that Melanie would complete the 200 meter race quicker. Decreasing the amount of time she spends between laps (inter-response time) could increase the duration of each lap she swims. In summary, decreasing latency, decreasing inter-response time and decreasing the duration of each lap she swims would all help her complete her race faster. However, the primary focus should be on the duration of the entire race