BCBA Exam- Experimental Design
Questions & Answers15
Experimental Control (functional relationship) - ANSWERS-Requires a believable demonstration
of the events that can be responsible for the occurrence or nonoccurence of the behavior.
Requires that the target behavior (DV) be continually measured over time, treatment (IV) be
repeatedly presented, and extraneous variables be controlled.
The onset and offset of the intervention must correspond to a change in the behavior.
Functional relation is demonstrated by the replication of this effect when all other possible
explanations are controlled.
Independent variable - ANSWERS-Treatment-- the behavior change procedure or set of
procedures
The arrangement of events by the experimenter to exert control over the target behavior.
Dependent variable - ANSWERS-the target behavior and the dimension of that behavior that is
being measured
What you are measuring
Descriptive analysis - ANSWERS-Measures the amount of a behavior that occurs under one
environmental condition or treatment variable, but does not manipulate that condition.
, Correlational analysis - ANSWERS-measures and compares the amount of behavior that occurs
under at least two environmental conditions or values of a treatment variable, but does not
manipulate those conditions.
Experimental analysis - ANSWERS-Systematically manipulates an environmental condition or
treatment variable, either providing it or withholding it or changing the amount of it, in order to
compare the amount of behavior that occurs under the two conditions.
Hypothetical analysis - ANSWERS-a reasoned guess that two events go together
Serving as one's own control - ANSWERS-a subject is exposed to each condition of the study and
the response in each condition is measured.
Repeated measures of the same individual's behavior during different experimental conditions
provides a basis for comparison.
Extraneous variable (confounding variable) - ANSWERS-All features of the environmental setting
other than the independent and dependent variables
Science - ANSWERS-the reliable onset and offset of the DV as the IV is manipulated
goal is to determine relationships between natural phenomena, even if those phenomena are
studied under controlled conditions.
Cause - ANSWERS-only demonstrated when you are able to show that X and ONLY X leads to Y
(very difficult to achieve because you cannot experimentally demonstrate that there is nothing
else that could bring about the same results.)
consistently, but not each time - ANSWERS-To be a functional relationship, changes in the
antecedent or consequent events must alter the response class
Questions & Answers15
Experimental Control (functional relationship) - ANSWERS-Requires a believable demonstration
of the events that can be responsible for the occurrence or nonoccurence of the behavior.
Requires that the target behavior (DV) be continually measured over time, treatment (IV) be
repeatedly presented, and extraneous variables be controlled.
The onset and offset of the intervention must correspond to a change in the behavior.
Functional relation is demonstrated by the replication of this effect when all other possible
explanations are controlled.
Independent variable - ANSWERS-Treatment-- the behavior change procedure or set of
procedures
The arrangement of events by the experimenter to exert control over the target behavior.
Dependent variable - ANSWERS-the target behavior and the dimension of that behavior that is
being measured
What you are measuring
Descriptive analysis - ANSWERS-Measures the amount of a behavior that occurs under one
environmental condition or treatment variable, but does not manipulate that condition.
, Correlational analysis - ANSWERS-measures and compares the amount of behavior that occurs
under at least two environmental conditions or values of a treatment variable, but does not
manipulate those conditions.
Experimental analysis - ANSWERS-Systematically manipulates an environmental condition or
treatment variable, either providing it or withholding it or changing the amount of it, in order to
compare the amount of behavior that occurs under the two conditions.
Hypothetical analysis - ANSWERS-a reasoned guess that two events go together
Serving as one's own control - ANSWERS-a subject is exposed to each condition of the study and
the response in each condition is measured.
Repeated measures of the same individual's behavior during different experimental conditions
provides a basis for comparison.
Extraneous variable (confounding variable) - ANSWERS-All features of the environmental setting
other than the independent and dependent variables
Science - ANSWERS-the reliable onset and offset of the DV as the IV is manipulated
goal is to determine relationships between natural phenomena, even if those phenomena are
studied under controlled conditions.
Cause - ANSWERS-only demonstrated when you are able to show that X and ONLY X leads to Y
(very difficult to achieve because you cannot experimentally demonstrate that there is nothing
else that could bring about the same results.)
consistently, but not each time - ANSWERS-To be a functional relationship, changes in the
antecedent or consequent events must alter the response class
