©THEBRIGHTSTARS 2024
ABA Exam Study Guide
Abative Effect - answer✔✔a decrease in the current frequency of behavior that has been
reinforced by the stimulus that is increased in reinforcing effectiveness by the same motivating
operation. Ex: Food ingestion abates (decreases the current frequency of) behavior that has been
reinforced by food.
Abolishing Operation - answer✔✔A motivating operation that decreases the reinforcing
effectiveness of a stimulus, object, or event. Ex: the reinforcing effectiveness of food is
abolished as a result of food ingestion.
Adjunctive Behavior / Schedule-Induced Behavior - answer✔✔Behavior that occurs as a
collateral effect of a schedule of periodic reinforcement for other behavior: time filling or interim
activities (doodling, idle talking, smoking, drinking) that are induced by schedules of
reinforcement during times when reinforcement is unlikely to be delivered.
Antecedent - answer✔✔Environmental condition or stimulus change existing or occurring prior
to a behavior of interest.
Antecedent Intervention - answer✔✔A behavior change strategy that manipulates contingency
independent antecedent stimuli (motivating operations)
Applied Behavior Analysis - answer✔✔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 of behavior.
Arbitrary Stimulus Class - answer✔✔Antecedent stimuli that evoke the same response but do
not resemble each other in physical form or share a relational aspect such as bigger or under (ex:
peanuts, cheese, coconut milk are members of the same arbitrary stimulus class if the evoke the
response "sources of protein".)
Artifact - answer✔✔An outcome or result that appears to exist because of the way it is measured
but in fact does not correspond to what actually occurred.
Autoclitic - answer✔✔a secondary verbal operant in which some aspect of a speakers own
verbal behavior functions as an Sd or MO for additional speaker verbal behavior. The autoclitic
relation can be thought of as verbal behavior about verbal behavior.
, ©THEBRIGHTSTARS 2024
Automatic Reinforcement - answer✔✔Reinforcement that occurs independent of the social
mediation of others.
Automacity of Reinforcement - answer✔✔Refers to the fact that behavior is modified by its
consequences irrespective of the person's awareness; a person does not have to recognize or
verbalize the relation between her behavior and a reinforcing consequence, or even know a
consequence has occurred, for reinforcement to work.
Aversive Stimulus - answer✔✔In general an unpleasant or noxious stimulus, more technically, a
stimulus change or condition that functions (a) to evoke a behavior that has terminated it in the
past; (b) as a punisher when presented following behavior, and/or (c) as a reinforcer when
withdrawn following behavior.
Backward Chaining - answer✔✔...Treatment procedure in which a trainer completes all but the
last behavior in a chain, which is performed by the learner, who then receivesreinforcement for
completing the chain. When learner shows competence in performing the final step in the chain,
the trainer performs al but the last two behaviors in the chain, the learner emits the final two
steps to compelte the chain, and reinforcement is delivered.
Back up reinforcers - answer✔✔...Tangible objects, activiites or privledges that serve as
reinforcers and that can be purchased with tokens
Baseline - answer✔✔condition of an experiment in which the independent variable is not present
Behavior - answer✔✔...activity of living organisms. A portion of a humans interaction with their
environment that is characterized by detectable displacement in space though time of some part
of the organism and that results in a measurable change in at least one aspect of the environment.
Behavior Altering Effect - answer✔✔...an alteration in the current frequency of a behavior that
has been reinforced by a stimulus that has been altered in effectiveness by the same motivating
operation
Behavioral Contrast - answer✔✔... a phenomenon in which change in one component of a
multiple schedule that increases or decreases the rate of responding on that component is
accompanied by a change in the response rate in the opposite direction on the other, unaltered
component of the schedule
Behavioral Cusp - answer✔✔...a behavior that has sudden and dramatic consequences that
extend well beyond the idiosyncratic change itself because it exposes the person to new
environments, reinforcers, contingencies, responses, and stimulus controls.
Behavioral Momentum - answer✔✔A metaphor to describe a rate of responding and its
resistance to change following an alteration in reinforcement conditions.
, ©THEBRIGHTSTARS 2024
Behaviorism - answer✔✔The philosophy of a science of behavior there are various forms of
behaviorism.
Component Analysis - answer✔✔...an experiment designed to identify the active elements of a
treatment condition, the relative contributions of different variables in a treatment package,
and/or the necessary and sufficient components of an intervention. ....compares levels of
responding across successive phases in which the intervention is implemented with one or more
components left out
Concurrent Schedule - answer✔✔...a schedule of reinforcement in which two or more
contingencies of reinforcement (elements) operate independently and simultaneously for two or
more behaviors
Conditional Probability - answer✔✔The likelihood that a target behavior will occur in a given
circumstance, computed by calculating the a)the proportion of occurrences of a behavior that
were preceded by a specific antecedent variable and b) the proportion of occurrences of problem
behavior that were followed by a specific consequence. The closer the conditional probability to
1.0 the stronger the relationship is between target behavior and the antecedent/consequence
variable.
Conditioned Motivating Operation - answer✔✔...motivating operation whose value altering
effect depends on a learning history
Conditioned Punisher - answer✔✔...previously neutral stimulus that functions as a punisher
because of prior pairing with one or more other punishers
Conditioned Reinforcer - answer✔✔stimulus change that functions as a reinforcer because of
prior pairing with one or more other reinforcers
Conditioned Stimulus - answer✔✔...The stimulus component of at conditioned reflex; a formerly
neutral stimulus change that elicits respondent behavior only after it has been paired with an
unconditioned stimulus or another CS
Conflict of Interest - answer✔✔a situation in which a person in a position of responsibility or
trust has competing professional or personal interests that make it difficult to fulfill his or her
duties impartially.
Confounding Variable - answer✔✔an uncontrolled factor known or suspected to exert influence
on the dependent variable.
Consequence - answer✔✔...is a stimulus change that follows a behavior it can be Reinforcing,
Punishing, or Neutral
ABA Exam Study Guide
Abative Effect - answer✔✔a decrease in the current frequency of behavior that has been
reinforced by the stimulus that is increased in reinforcing effectiveness by the same motivating
operation. Ex: Food ingestion abates (decreases the current frequency of) behavior that has been
reinforced by food.
Abolishing Operation - answer✔✔A motivating operation that decreases the reinforcing
effectiveness of a stimulus, object, or event. Ex: the reinforcing effectiveness of food is
abolished as a result of food ingestion.
Adjunctive Behavior / Schedule-Induced Behavior - answer✔✔Behavior that occurs as a
collateral effect of a schedule of periodic reinforcement for other behavior: time filling or interim
activities (doodling, idle talking, smoking, drinking) that are induced by schedules of
reinforcement during times when reinforcement is unlikely to be delivered.
Antecedent - answer✔✔Environmental condition or stimulus change existing or occurring prior
to a behavior of interest.
Antecedent Intervention - answer✔✔A behavior change strategy that manipulates contingency
independent antecedent stimuli (motivating operations)
Applied Behavior Analysis - answer✔✔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 of behavior.
Arbitrary Stimulus Class - answer✔✔Antecedent stimuli that evoke the same response but do
not resemble each other in physical form or share a relational aspect such as bigger or under (ex:
peanuts, cheese, coconut milk are members of the same arbitrary stimulus class if the evoke the
response "sources of protein".)
Artifact - answer✔✔An outcome or result that appears to exist because of the way it is measured
but in fact does not correspond to what actually occurred.
Autoclitic - answer✔✔a secondary verbal operant in which some aspect of a speakers own
verbal behavior functions as an Sd or MO for additional speaker verbal behavior. The autoclitic
relation can be thought of as verbal behavior about verbal behavior.
, ©THEBRIGHTSTARS 2024
Automatic Reinforcement - answer✔✔Reinforcement that occurs independent of the social
mediation of others.
Automacity of Reinforcement - answer✔✔Refers to the fact that behavior is modified by its
consequences irrespective of the person's awareness; a person does not have to recognize or
verbalize the relation between her behavior and a reinforcing consequence, or even know a
consequence has occurred, for reinforcement to work.
Aversive Stimulus - answer✔✔In general an unpleasant or noxious stimulus, more technically, a
stimulus change or condition that functions (a) to evoke a behavior that has terminated it in the
past; (b) as a punisher when presented following behavior, and/or (c) as a reinforcer when
withdrawn following behavior.
Backward Chaining - answer✔✔...Treatment procedure in which a trainer completes all but the
last behavior in a chain, which is performed by the learner, who then receivesreinforcement for
completing the chain. When learner shows competence in performing the final step in the chain,
the trainer performs al but the last two behaviors in the chain, the learner emits the final two
steps to compelte the chain, and reinforcement is delivered.
Back up reinforcers - answer✔✔...Tangible objects, activiites or privledges that serve as
reinforcers and that can be purchased with tokens
Baseline - answer✔✔condition of an experiment in which the independent variable is not present
Behavior - answer✔✔...activity of living organisms. A portion of a humans interaction with their
environment that is characterized by detectable displacement in space though time of some part
of the organism and that results in a measurable change in at least one aspect of the environment.
Behavior Altering Effect - answer✔✔...an alteration in the current frequency of a behavior that
has been reinforced by a stimulus that has been altered in effectiveness by the same motivating
operation
Behavioral Contrast - answer✔✔... a phenomenon in which change in one component of a
multiple schedule that increases or decreases the rate of responding on that component is
accompanied by a change in the response rate in the opposite direction on the other, unaltered
component of the schedule
Behavioral Cusp - answer✔✔...a behavior that has sudden and dramatic consequences that
extend well beyond the idiosyncratic change itself because it exposes the person to new
environments, reinforcers, contingencies, responses, and stimulus controls.
Behavioral Momentum - answer✔✔A metaphor to describe a rate of responding and its
resistance to change following an alteration in reinforcement conditions.
, ©THEBRIGHTSTARS 2024
Behaviorism - answer✔✔The philosophy of a science of behavior there are various forms of
behaviorism.
Component Analysis - answer✔✔...an experiment designed to identify the active elements of a
treatment condition, the relative contributions of different variables in a treatment package,
and/or the necessary and sufficient components of an intervention. ....compares levels of
responding across successive phases in which the intervention is implemented with one or more
components left out
Concurrent Schedule - answer✔✔...a schedule of reinforcement in which two or more
contingencies of reinforcement (elements) operate independently and simultaneously for two or
more behaviors
Conditional Probability - answer✔✔The likelihood that a target behavior will occur in a given
circumstance, computed by calculating the a)the proportion of occurrences of a behavior that
were preceded by a specific antecedent variable and b) the proportion of occurrences of problem
behavior that were followed by a specific consequence. The closer the conditional probability to
1.0 the stronger the relationship is between target behavior and the antecedent/consequence
variable.
Conditioned Motivating Operation - answer✔✔...motivating operation whose value altering
effect depends on a learning history
Conditioned Punisher - answer✔✔...previously neutral stimulus that functions as a punisher
because of prior pairing with one or more other punishers
Conditioned Reinforcer - answer✔✔stimulus change that functions as a reinforcer because of
prior pairing with one or more other reinforcers
Conditioned Stimulus - answer✔✔...The stimulus component of at conditioned reflex; a formerly
neutral stimulus change that elicits respondent behavior only after it has been paired with an
unconditioned stimulus or another CS
Conflict of Interest - answer✔✔a situation in which a person in a position of responsibility or
trust has competing professional or personal interests that make it difficult to fulfill his or her
duties impartially.
Confounding Variable - answer✔✔an uncontrolled factor known or suspected to exert influence
on the dependent variable.
Consequence - answer✔✔...is a stimulus change that follows a behavior it can be Reinforcing,
Punishing, or Neutral
