BCBA Exam Domain A Study Guide | Behaviorism & Measurement Practice
Questions 2026
What are the three levels of scientific understanding? - ✔✔1. Description 2. Prediction 3.
Control
What is the goals of behavior analysis? - ✔✔To scientifically understand the variables that
affect the behavior of living organisms across three levels of understanding (description,
predication, and control)
Explain Description - ✔✔Describe the facts that are derived from observing behavior. Quantify
and classify these observed events to test for possible relationships.
Organizing and categorizing information into ABC data is an example of what? - ✔✔Description
Explain Prediction - ✔✔With control, a primary goal of the science of behavior. Look at the
description of events to make a hypothesis about function. Identify the probability of one event
occurring when another event occurs.
When repeating ABC observations show a consistent relationship between the occurence of two
events and you are able to predict a function. - ✔✔Prediction
Explain control - ✔✔Experimental test of the prediction. Experimental demonstration that
manipulating one event (the independent variable) results in a change in another event
(dependent variable). Establishes the functional relationship.
What is testing the hypothesis to confirm what has been predicted? - ✔✔Control
, What is determinism? - ✔✔The assumption that the world is an orderly, predictable, and
lawful place where all events occur as a result of cause and effect.
Everything happens because of other events.
In ABA, this is the assumption that behavior is caused by environmental stimuli.
Human behavior is preceded by an antecedent. It does not typically occur spontaneously
without cause. This is an example of what? - ✔✔Determinism
What is empiricism? - ✔✔The assumption that knowledge is built on objective observation
and measurement.
Reliance on a detailed description of events and objective quantification (measurement).
Empiricism = facts = evidence = data
"I drink five sodas a day" vs "I drink a-lot of soda." is an example of what? - ✔✔Empiricism
What is parsimony? - ✔✔The assumption that the simplest and already established theory,
requiring the fewest assumptions, must be ruled out before considering more complex
explanations.
In ABA, we try to explain behavior in the most straightforward way, without adding extra ideas
or assumptions that aren't needed.
The infant cries when he is hungry because in the past, crying has resulted in getting a bottle, vs.
the infant cries because mercury is in retrograde. This is an example of what? - ✔✔parsimony
What is pragmatism? - ✔✔The assumption that what is discovered in research is only useful
when there are practical positive outcomes. For example: what is effective for a client
Questions 2026
What are the three levels of scientific understanding? - ✔✔1. Description 2. Prediction 3.
Control
What is the goals of behavior analysis? - ✔✔To scientifically understand the variables that
affect the behavior of living organisms across three levels of understanding (description,
predication, and control)
Explain Description - ✔✔Describe the facts that are derived from observing behavior. Quantify
and classify these observed events to test for possible relationships.
Organizing and categorizing information into ABC data is an example of what? - ✔✔Description
Explain Prediction - ✔✔With control, a primary goal of the science of behavior. Look at the
description of events to make a hypothesis about function. Identify the probability of one event
occurring when another event occurs.
When repeating ABC observations show a consistent relationship between the occurence of two
events and you are able to predict a function. - ✔✔Prediction
Explain control - ✔✔Experimental test of the prediction. Experimental demonstration that
manipulating one event (the independent variable) results in a change in another event
(dependent variable). Establishes the functional relationship.
What is testing the hypothesis to confirm what has been predicted? - ✔✔Control
, What is determinism? - ✔✔The assumption that the world is an orderly, predictable, and
lawful place where all events occur as a result of cause and effect.
Everything happens because of other events.
In ABA, this is the assumption that behavior is caused by environmental stimuli.
Human behavior is preceded by an antecedent. It does not typically occur spontaneously
without cause. This is an example of what? - ✔✔Determinism
What is empiricism? - ✔✔The assumption that knowledge is built on objective observation
and measurement.
Reliance on a detailed description of events and objective quantification (measurement).
Empiricism = facts = evidence = data
"I drink five sodas a day" vs "I drink a-lot of soda." is an example of what? - ✔✔Empiricism
What is parsimony? - ✔✔The assumption that the simplest and already established theory,
requiring the fewest assumptions, must be ruled out before considering more complex
explanations.
In ABA, we try to explain behavior in the most straightforward way, without adding extra ideas
or assumptions that aren't needed.
The infant cries when he is hungry because in the past, crying has resulted in getting a bottle, vs.
the infant cries because mercury is in retrograde. This is an example of what? - ✔✔parsimony
What is pragmatism? - ✔✔The assumption that what is discovered in research is only useful
when there are practical positive outcomes. For example: what is effective for a client
