Rationales | Complete Exam-Style Questions | 100% Verified Pass Guaranteed – A+
Graded
Total Questions: 50 | Time: 90 min | Pass: 80%
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1 | Foundations of Applied Behavior Analysis | Q1 – Q10
Section 2 | Behavioral Assessment & Measurement | Q11 – Q20
Section 3 | Behavior Change Procedures & Interventions | Q21 – Q30
Section 4 | Systems Support & Organizational Behavior Management | Q31 – Q40
Section 5 | Ethics, Supervision & Professional Practice | Q41 – Q50
Instructions: Choose the single best answer. Pass: 80% in 90 minutes.
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SECTION 1: FOUNDATIONS OF APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS Q1 – Q10
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Question 1 of 50
A 34-year-old BCBA is supervising a new RBT who is working with a 6-year-old boy with
autism spectrum disorder. The RBT reports that the child tantrums whenever he is
asked to transition from preferred to non-preferred activities. The BCBA explains that
the tantrum behavior is being reinforced by the delay or cancellation of the transition
demand. Which behavioral principle best describes this relationship?
A. Positive reinforcement of the transition demand
B. Negative reinforcement of the tantrum behavior ✓ CORRECT
C. Positive punishment of the non-preferred activity
D. Extinction of the preferred activity
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Negative reinforcement occurs when a behavior increases in frequency
because it results in the removal, delay, or avoidance of an aversive stimulus, and in this
case the tantrum leads to the removal of the transition demand, thereby strengthening
,future tantrum behavior. Option A incorrectly labels the transition demand as the
reinforced behavior rather than the tantrum, which is a common conceptual error when
learners confuse what behavior is actually increasing. Understanding negative
reinforcement is essential in ABA because many challenging behaviors, including
escape-maintained aggression and self-injury, are strengthened through this
mechanism, and treatment plans must address the function rather than simply
suppressing the topography.
Question 2 of 50
A 29-year-old special education teacher is attending a workshop on stimulus control.
The presenter shows a video of a student who reliably raises his hand when the teacher
asks a math question but does not raise his hand when she asks a reading
comprehension question. The presenter asks the audience to identify what has been
established. What is the most accurate description of this learning outcome?
A. Generalization across academic domains
B. Discrimination between math and reading instructions ✓ CORRECT
C. Fading of the hand-raising response
D. Shaping of the reading comprehension behavior
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Stimulus discrimination has occurred when a response is emitted in the
presence of one stimulus (the math question SD) but not in the presence of another
stimulus (the reading question S-delta), indicating that the student has learned to
differentiate the relevant antecedent conditions. Option A describes the opposite
phenomenon, where a response occurs across multiple stimuli or settings, which would
be problematic if the student raised his hand indiscriminately to all questions. Stimulus
control is fundamental to effective instruction because teachers must ensure that
academic skills are under the control of relevant curricular stimuli rather than irrelevant
contextual cues.
,Question 3 of 50
A 42-year-old school psychologist is reviewing a functional behavior assessment for a
9-year-old girl who engages in frequent screaming during independent seatwork. The
FBA data reveal that screaming occurs most often when math worksheets are
presented and stops immediately when the teacher approaches and offers help. The
psychologist concludes that the behavior is maintained by a specific consequence.
What is the maintaining consequence?
A. Access to attention from the teacher ✓ CORRECT
B. Access to tangible items from the desk
C. Escape from the presence of the teacher
D. Automatic reinforcement from vocal stimulation
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The screaming behavior is maintained by positive reinforcement in the form
of teacher attention, as evidenced by the temporal contiguity between the onset of
screaming and the teacher approaching to offer assistance, which increases the
probability of future screaming under similar conditions. Option C describes an escape
function, which would require the removal of the math worksheet or the termination of
the demand, but the data show the teacher approaching rather than the work being
removed. Attention-maintained behavior is one of the most common functions
identified in school settings, and treatment typically involves teaching the student to
request attention through appropriate mands while placing the problem behavior on
extinction.
Question 4 of 50
A 31-year-old BCBA is designing a token economy for a group home serving adults with
intellectual disabilities. She wants to ensure that tokens function as conditioned
, reinforcers. Which procedure is most critical for establishing the reinforcing value of the
tokens?
A. Pairing tokens with established backup reinforcers on a fixed schedule ✓ CORRECT
B. Delivering tokens immediately after every instance of the target behavior
C. Ensuring tokens are visually distinctive and easy to count
D. Providing tokens only at the end of each day
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Tokens become conditioned reinforcers through repeated pairing with
backup reinforcers that are already established as reinforcing, and this
stimulus-stimulus pairing is what gives tokens their value independent of the backup
reinforcers themselves. Option B describes a procedural feature of token economies but
does not address the fundamental mechanism by which tokens acquire reinforcing
properties, which is a common conceptual gap among practitioners. Token economies
are widely used in psychiatric hospitals, correctional facilities, and educational settings
because they allow for immediate reinforcement while delaying the delivery of tangible
or consumable backup reinforcers.
Question 5 of 50
A 27-year-old graduate student in ABA is studying respondent conditioning for her
comprehensive exam. She reads about a classic experiment in which a dog salivates to
the sound of a bell after the bell has been repeatedly paired with food presentation. She
correctly identifies that the bell has become a conditioned stimulus. What was the bell
before any pairing occurred?
A. A conditioned stimulus
B. A neutral stimulus ✓ CORRECT
C. An unconditioned stimulus
D. A discriminative stimulus
Correct Answer: B