BCBA SAFMEDS EXAM
2025-2026
Final Exam Questions with
Verified Answers | Grade A+ |
New Version
,Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) The science in which tactics derived from the principles of behavior are applied to
improve socially significant behavior and experimentation is used to identify the
variables responsible for the improvement in behavior.
Behaviorism The philosophy of science of behavior; there are various forms of behaviorism.
Determinism The assumption that the universe is lawful and orderly place in which phenomena
occur in relation to other events and not in a willy-nilly, accidental fashion.
Empiricism The objective observation of the phenomena of interest; objective observations are
"independent of the individual prejudices, tastes, and private opinions of the
scientist... Results of empirical methods are objective in that they are open to
anyone's observation and do not depend on the subjective belief of the individual
scientist.
Experiment A carefully controlled comparison of some measure of the phenomenon of interest
(the dependent variable) under two of more different conditions in which only one
factor at a time (independent variable) differs from one condition to another.
Experimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB) A natural science approach to the study of behavior as a subject matter in its own
right founded by B.F. Skinner; methodological features include rate of response as a
basic dependent variable, repeated or continuous measurement of clearly defined
response class, within-subject experimental comparisons instead of a group design,
visual analysis of graphed data instead of statistical inference, and an emphasis on
describing functional relations between behavior and controlling variables in the
environment over formal theory testing.
Explanatory Fiction A fictitious or hypothetical variable that other takes the form of another name for the
observed phenomenon it claims to explain and contributes nothing to a functional
account or understand of the phenomenon, such as "intelligence" or "cognitive
awareness" as explanations for why an organism pushes the level when the light is
on and food is available but does not push the level when the light is off and no food
is available.
Functional Relation A verbal statement summarizing the results of an experiment (or group of related
experiments) that describes the occurrence of the phenomena under study as a
function of the operation of one or more specified and controlled variables in the
experiment in which a specific change in one event (the dependent variable) can be
produced by manipulating another event (the independent variable), and that the
change in the dependent variable was unlikely the result of other factors
(confounding variables); in behavior analysis expressed as b=f (x1), (x2)... where b
is the behavior and x1, x2, etc... are environmental variables of which the behavior
is a function.
Hypothetical Construct A presumed but unobserved process or entity (e.g) Freud's id, ego, and superego)
Mentalism An approach to explaining behavior that assumes that a mental, or "inner,"
dimension exists that differs from a behavioral dimension and that phenomena in
this dimension either directly cause or at least mediate some forms of behaviors, if
not all.
Methodological Behaviorism A philosophical position that views behavioral events that cannot be publicly
observed as outside the realm of science.
Parsimony The practice of ruling out simple, logical explanations, experimentally or
conceptually, before considering more complex or abstract explanations.
, Philosophic Doubt An attitude that the truthfulness and validity of all scientific theory knowledge should
be continually questioned.
Radical Behaviorism A thoroughgoing form of behaviorism that attempts to understand all human
behaviors, including private events such as thoughts and feelings, in terms of
controlling variables in the history of the person (ontogeny) and the species
(phlogeny).
Replication (a) Repeating conditions within an experiment to determine the reliability of effects
and increase internal validity (see baseline logic, prediction, verification.) (b)
Repeating whole experiments to determine the generality of findings of previous
experiments to other subjects, settings, and/or behaviors (see direct replication,
external validity, systematic replication).
Science A systematic approach to the understanding of natural phenomena (as evidenced
by description, prediction, and control) that relies on determinism as it fundamental
assumption, empiricism as its primary rule, experimental as its basic strategy,
replication as a requirement for believability, parsimony as a value, and philosophic
doubt as its guiding conscience.
Clicker training Reinforcement is paired with the sound of a clicker until the sound of the clicker
becomes a conditioned reinforcer, which is then used to shape behavior.
Differential reinforcement A procedure in which reinforcement is provided only for responses that meet a
predetermined criterion.
Response differentiation Occurs when differential reinforcement is applied to a response class. Responses
that obtain reinforcement form a new response class.
Shaping The process of systematically and differentially reinforcing successive
approximations to a terminal behavior.
Successive approximation Gradually changing the criterion for a response to become closer to the terminal
response.
Antecedent intervention A behavior change strategy that manipulates contingency-independent antecedent
stimuli (motivating operations) such as NCR, high-p request sequence, FCT,
enriched environment.
Behavioral momentum Used to describe the high-p request procedure.
Fixed-time schedule (FT) An NCR procedure in which the stimuli are delivered at the end of a fixed amount of
time.
Functional communication training (FCT) Establishes an appropriate communicative behavior to compete with problem
behaviors evoked by an establishing operation. FCT develops alternative behaviors
that are sensitive to EOs.
High-probability (high-p) request sequence The instructor presents a series of easy to follow requests for which the participant
has a history of compliance. When the participant complies with the sequence of
requests, the instructor immediately gives the target request (a low-p request).
2025-2026
Final Exam Questions with
Verified Answers | Grade A+ |
New Version
,Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) The science in which tactics derived from the principles of behavior are applied to
improve socially significant behavior and experimentation is used to identify the
variables responsible for the improvement in behavior.
Behaviorism The philosophy of science of behavior; there are various forms of behaviorism.
Determinism The assumption that the universe is lawful and orderly place in which phenomena
occur in relation to other events and not in a willy-nilly, accidental fashion.
Empiricism The objective observation of the phenomena of interest; objective observations are
"independent of the individual prejudices, tastes, and private opinions of the
scientist... Results of empirical methods are objective in that they are open to
anyone's observation and do not depend on the subjective belief of the individual
scientist.
Experiment A carefully controlled comparison of some measure of the phenomenon of interest
(the dependent variable) under two of more different conditions in which only one
factor at a time (independent variable) differs from one condition to another.
Experimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB) A natural science approach to the study of behavior as a subject matter in its own
right founded by B.F. Skinner; methodological features include rate of response as a
basic dependent variable, repeated or continuous measurement of clearly defined
response class, within-subject experimental comparisons instead of a group design,
visual analysis of graphed data instead of statistical inference, and an emphasis on
describing functional relations between behavior and controlling variables in the
environment over formal theory testing.
Explanatory Fiction A fictitious or hypothetical variable that other takes the form of another name for the
observed phenomenon it claims to explain and contributes nothing to a functional
account or understand of the phenomenon, such as "intelligence" or "cognitive
awareness" as explanations for why an organism pushes the level when the light is
on and food is available but does not push the level when the light is off and no food
is available.
Functional Relation A verbal statement summarizing the results of an experiment (or group of related
experiments) that describes the occurrence of the phenomena under study as a
function of the operation of one or more specified and controlled variables in the
experiment in which a specific change in one event (the dependent variable) can be
produced by manipulating another event (the independent variable), and that the
change in the dependent variable was unlikely the result of other factors
(confounding variables); in behavior analysis expressed as b=f (x1), (x2)... where b
is the behavior and x1, x2, etc... are environmental variables of which the behavior
is a function.
Hypothetical Construct A presumed but unobserved process or entity (e.g) Freud's id, ego, and superego)
Mentalism An approach to explaining behavior that assumes that a mental, or "inner,"
dimension exists that differs from a behavioral dimension and that phenomena in
this dimension either directly cause or at least mediate some forms of behaviors, if
not all.
Methodological Behaviorism A philosophical position that views behavioral events that cannot be publicly
observed as outside the realm of science.
Parsimony The practice of ruling out simple, logical explanations, experimentally or
conceptually, before considering more complex or abstract explanations.
, Philosophic Doubt An attitude that the truthfulness and validity of all scientific theory knowledge should
be continually questioned.
Radical Behaviorism A thoroughgoing form of behaviorism that attempts to understand all human
behaviors, including private events such as thoughts and feelings, in terms of
controlling variables in the history of the person (ontogeny) and the species
(phlogeny).
Replication (a) Repeating conditions within an experiment to determine the reliability of effects
and increase internal validity (see baseline logic, prediction, verification.) (b)
Repeating whole experiments to determine the generality of findings of previous
experiments to other subjects, settings, and/or behaviors (see direct replication,
external validity, systematic replication).
Science A systematic approach to the understanding of natural phenomena (as evidenced
by description, prediction, and control) that relies on determinism as it fundamental
assumption, empiricism as its primary rule, experimental as its basic strategy,
replication as a requirement for believability, parsimony as a value, and philosophic
doubt as its guiding conscience.
Clicker training Reinforcement is paired with the sound of a clicker until the sound of the clicker
becomes a conditioned reinforcer, which is then used to shape behavior.
Differential reinforcement A procedure in which reinforcement is provided only for responses that meet a
predetermined criterion.
Response differentiation Occurs when differential reinforcement is applied to a response class. Responses
that obtain reinforcement form a new response class.
Shaping The process of systematically and differentially reinforcing successive
approximations to a terminal behavior.
Successive approximation Gradually changing the criterion for a response to become closer to the terminal
response.
Antecedent intervention A behavior change strategy that manipulates contingency-independent antecedent
stimuli (motivating operations) such as NCR, high-p request sequence, FCT,
enriched environment.
Behavioral momentum Used to describe the high-p request procedure.
Fixed-time schedule (FT) An NCR procedure in which the stimuli are delivered at the end of a fixed amount of
time.
Functional communication training (FCT) Establishes an appropriate communicative behavior to compete with problem
behaviors evoked by an establishing operation. FCT develops alternative behaviors
that are sensitive to EOs.
High-probability (high-p) request sequence The instructor presents a series of easy to follow requests for which the participant
has a history of compliance. When the participant complies with the sequence of
requests, the instructor immediately gives the target request (a low-p request).
