BCBA EXAM STUDYING (Concepts &
Principles) 32 Questions &
Answers(SCORED A+)
Behavior - ANSWERWhat living organisms say or do; implies action
How people think, feel, and what they say
Larger set/class of responses that share physical dimensions/functions
Example: Study behavior; hand-flapping; thinking about an old boyfriend
Response - ANSWERA single instance of behavior
Measurable unit of analysis in the science of behavior analysis
Operant - ANSWERAn instance of behavior that initially is spontaneous, but whose
consequences will modify the behavior in the future.
LEARNED behavior - A verbal operant is a learned behavior
Response-consequence relationship
Similar behaviors that are strengthened or weakened collectively as a result of
operant conditioning
Example: Your exam prep behaviors (flash cards, study manual, mock exams), they
look different, but they all prepare you for the big exam!
Repertoire - ANSWERAll of the behaviors that you can do and a collection of skills
you have learned that are related to a specific task or specific setting
Example: Language skills; everyday routines; practicing ABA; cooking
Behavior vs. Response - ANSWERBehavior: Hand flapping
Response: A single hand flap
Response Class - ANSWERA group of behaviors that comprise an operant/have the
same function
Environment - ANSWERAn elaborate and always changing universe of events
In ABA, refers to stimulus conditions that are internal and external to the individual
Behavior can't occur without this
Stimulus - ANSWERPhysical events that effect the behavior of an individual
External or internal
Example: Muscle spasms; bright light; loud noise; person present
,Proprioceptors - ANSWERReceive stimulation from joints, tendons, muscles, etc.,
needed for posture, balance, and movement (i.e. internal events)
Example: After you get off a rollercoaster, you feel dizzy
Interceptors - ANSWERReceive stimulation from organs (i.e. internal events)
Example: Headache, hunger pains
Exteroceptors - ANSWERYour 5 senses (i.e. hearing, seeing, touching, smelling,
and tasting). Most often studied by behavior analysts
Example: Smelling smoke, smelling fire, tasting BBQ
Stimulus Class - ANSWERA group of antecedent or simultaneous stimuli that have a
common effect on operant class
Group members of stimulus class tend to evoke or abate the behavior or response
class; yet may vary across physical dimensions
Formal Stimulus Class - ANSWERStimuli that share similar PHYSICAL features (i.e.
topographies)
Example: Size; color; intensity; weight; spatial positions in relation to other objects
(prepositions (e.g. on top of the TV, to the left of the TV)
Temporal Stimulus Class - ANSWERRefers to time
Antecedents: stimulus change that exists or occur before a behavior of interest.
Important for learning and motivation
Consequences: stimulus changes that occur after a behavior of interest. Important
for future behaviors
Antecendent and consequent stimuli determine what's learned
Functional Stimulus Class - ANSWERThe effect of the stimulus on the behavior
Stimulus changes that are defined by a functional analysis of their effects on
behavior
A single stimulus can have multiple functions
Can have an immediate, yet temporary effect on behavior (e.g. a sour tasting glass
of milk may cause you to stop drinking the milk immediately) or delayed, yet more,
long-term effect on behavior (e.g. if eating dairy gives you a stomachache, then in
the future, you may avoid dairy products)
Feature Stimulus Class - ANSWERStimuli in this class can share: common
topographies, common relative relations (i.e spatial arrangements)
Infinite # of stimuli
Created by: stimulus generalization
Example: Concept of dog; concept of house; concept of tree; bigger than; smaller
than; on top of, etc.
,Think of picture of 2 different dogs
Arbitrary Stimulus Class - ANSWERStimuli comprising this class evoke the same
response, but they don't share common features; they don't physically look alike
Limited # of stimuli
Created by: stimulus equivalence
Example: 50%, half, 1/2. 0.5 (these don't look alike, but they evoke the same
response)
Example: Apple, banana, etc. comprise an ______ class of fruit
Respondent Behavior AKA Reflex, Reflexive Relations, Unconditioned Stimulus-
Unconditioned Response (US-UR) - ANSWERNO consequences involved
Involuntary
An eliciting stimulus (US produces a behavior (UR/reflex)
Phylogenic/Phylogeny - ANSWERGenetically-inherited behavior; respondent
behavior: due to phylogenic history
Example: Gag reflex (the UR) when you choke on food (US)
Example: Leg going up (the UR) when you choke on food (the US)
Habituation - ANSWERWhen the unconditioned stimulus is presented repeatedly
over a short period of time, the strength of the respondent behavior diminishes
Example: In a war-themed movie, there are loud gunshots and cannons (eliciting
stimuli). Initially, your hands reflexively cover your ears and your heart rate increases
(respondent behaviors), but after about 2 hours of this, your heart rate normalizes
and the sound is less jarring
Respondent Conditioning AKA Classical and Pavlovian Conditioning; Stimulus-
Stimulus Pairing; Conditioned Stimulus-Conditioned Response - ANSWERPavlov
When neutral stimuli achieve the capacity to elicit respondent behaviors typically
elicited by specific unconditioned stimuli
How humans develop novel stimulus-response combos
A stimulus is conditioned (CS) to elicit a new response (CR)
Conditioning = pairing (not learning)
Example: Fish never had a nauseating effect on Manny. But, 1 day, Manny eats fish,
gets food poisoning, becomes nauseous, and vomits. After this, whenever Manny
even smells fish, he becomes nauseous
Respondent Extinction - ANSWERUnpairing of a conditioned stimulus (CS) and an
unconditioned stimulus (US)
Respondent Conditioning Equation - ANSWERUS + NS = CS
, Respondent Extinction Equation - ANSWERUS - CS = NS
Operant Behavior AKA ABC; 3-Term Contingency; Stimulus-Response-Stimulus (S-
R-S) Model - ANSWERA behavior maintained by its history of consequences
Voluntary and learned behavior selected by consequences
Defined by function (not topography)
Emitted/evoked
Encompasses both reinforcement + punishment
The product of operant conditioning
Example: Reading; singing; dancing; remembering an old flame
Ontogenic/Ontogeny - ANSWERLearned behaviors that result from your interaction
with your settings; operant behavior
Adaptation - ANSWERPart of operant behavior
When, with repeated presentation of a particular stimulus, your response reduces
Example: A client adapts to your presence when you repeatedly observe him
Example: If you hear the same joke over and over, you are likely to laugh less at the
joke-you adapt to the joke
Operant Conditioning AKA ABC; 3-term contingency; Behavioral Contingency -
ANSWERThe process involving an occasion for a behavior (SD), the behavior itself,
and the consequence that follows; a process that determines the future of that
behavior's occurrence or nonoccurrence
3 Principles of Behavior - ANSWERMakes procedures conceptually systematic
1. P-Punishment
2. E-Extinction
3. R-Reinforcement
Respondent-Operant Interactions - ANSWERRespondent and operant conditioning
can occur simultaneously
Example: You're at the office about to warm up your favorite leftovers. You place the
food in the microwave, start the timer, and go back to your desk. A few min. later,
you hear the microwave timer beeping. You walk to the microwave to get your food.
You eat your food
US = favorite food being presented
NS = sound of microwave timer beeping + food being presented (US) = microwave
timer beeping becomes (CS)
CR = salivation elicited by microwave beeping
MO = hunger
SD = beeping of microwave
Principles) 32 Questions &
Answers(SCORED A+)
Behavior - ANSWERWhat living organisms say or do; implies action
How people think, feel, and what they say
Larger set/class of responses that share physical dimensions/functions
Example: Study behavior; hand-flapping; thinking about an old boyfriend
Response - ANSWERA single instance of behavior
Measurable unit of analysis in the science of behavior analysis
Operant - ANSWERAn instance of behavior that initially is spontaneous, but whose
consequences will modify the behavior in the future.
LEARNED behavior - A verbal operant is a learned behavior
Response-consequence relationship
Similar behaviors that are strengthened or weakened collectively as a result of
operant conditioning
Example: Your exam prep behaviors (flash cards, study manual, mock exams), they
look different, but they all prepare you for the big exam!
Repertoire - ANSWERAll of the behaviors that you can do and a collection of skills
you have learned that are related to a specific task or specific setting
Example: Language skills; everyday routines; practicing ABA; cooking
Behavior vs. Response - ANSWERBehavior: Hand flapping
Response: A single hand flap
Response Class - ANSWERA group of behaviors that comprise an operant/have the
same function
Environment - ANSWERAn elaborate and always changing universe of events
In ABA, refers to stimulus conditions that are internal and external to the individual
Behavior can't occur without this
Stimulus - ANSWERPhysical events that effect the behavior of an individual
External or internal
Example: Muscle spasms; bright light; loud noise; person present
,Proprioceptors - ANSWERReceive stimulation from joints, tendons, muscles, etc.,
needed for posture, balance, and movement (i.e. internal events)
Example: After you get off a rollercoaster, you feel dizzy
Interceptors - ANSWERReceive stimulation from organs (i.e. internal events)
Example: Headache, hunger pains
Exteroceptors - ANSWERYour 5 senses (i.e. hearing, seeing, touching, smelling,
and tasting). Most often studied by behavior analysts
Example: Smelling smoke, smelling fire, tasting BBQ
Stimulus Class - ANSWERA group of antecedent or simultaneous stimuli that have a
common effect on operant class
Group members of stimulus class tend to evoke or abate the behavior or response
class; yet may vary across physical dimensions
Formal Stimulus Class - ANSWERStimuli that share similar PHYSICAL features (i.e.
topographies)
Example: Size; color; intensity; weight; spatial positions in relation to other objects
(prepositions (e.g. on top of the TV, to the left of the TV)
Temporal Stimulus Class - ANSWERRefers to time
Antecedents: stimulus change that exists or occur before a behavior of interest.
Important for learning and motivation
Consequences: stimulus changes that occur after a behavior of interest. Important
for future behaviors
Antecendent and consequent stimuli determine what's learned
Functional Stimulus Class - ANSWERThe effect of the stimulus on the behavior
Stimulus changes that are defined by a functional analysis of their effects on
behavior
A single stimulus can have multiple functions
Can have an immediate, yet temporary effect on behavior (e.g. a sour tasting glass
of milk may cause you to stop drinking the milk immediately) or delayed, yet more,
long-term effect on behavior (e.g. if eating dairy gives you a stomachache, then in
the future, you may avoid dairy products)
Feature Stimulus Class - ANSWERStimuli in this class can share: common
topographies, common relative relations (i.e spatial arrangements)
Infinite # of stimuli
Created by: stimulus generalization
Example: Concept of dog; concept of house; concept of tree; bigger than; smaller
than; on top of, etc.
,Think of picture of 2 different dogs
Arbitrary Stimulus Class - ANSWERStimuli comprising this class evoke the same
response, but they don't share common features; they don't physically look alike
Limited # of stimuli
Created by: stimulus equivalence
Example: 50%, half, 1/2. 0.5 (these don't look alike, but they evoke the same
response)
Example: Apple, banana, etc. comprise an ______ class of fruit
Respondent Behavior AKA Reflex, Reflexive Relations, Unconditioned Stimulus-
Unconditioned Response (US-UR) - ANSWERNO consequences involved
Involuntary
An eliciting stimulus (US produces a behavior (UR/reflex)
Phylogenic/Phylogeny - ANSWERGenetically-inherited behavior; respondent
behavior: due to phylogenic history
Example: Gag reflex (the UR) when you choke on food (US)
Example: Leg going up (the UR) when you choke on food (the US)
Habituation - ANSWERWhen the unconditioned stimulus is presented repeatedly
over a short period of time, the strength of the respondent behavior diminishes
Example: In a war-themed movie, there are loud gunshots and cannons (eliciting
stimuli). Initially, your hands reflexively cover your ears and your heart rate increases
(respondent behaviors), but after about 2 hours of this, your heart rate normalizes
and the sound is less jarring
Respondent Conditioning AKA Classical and Pavlovian Conditioning; Stimulus-
Stimulus Pairing; Conditioned Stimulus-Conditioned Response - ANSWERPavlov
When neutral stimuli achieve the capacity to elicit respondent behaviors typically
elicited by specific unconditioned stimuli
How humans develop novel stimulus-response combos
A stimulus is conditioned (CS) to elicit a new response (CR)
Conditioning = pairing (not learning)
Example: Fish never had a nauseating effect on Manny. But, 1 day, Manny eats fish,
gets food poisoning, becomes nauseous, and vomits. After this, whenever Manny
even smells fish, he becomes nauseous
Respondent Extinction - ANSWERUnpairing of a conditioned stimulus (CS) and an
unconditioned stimulus (US)
Respondent Conditioning Equation - ANSWERUS + NS = CS
, Respondent Extinction Equation - ANSWERUS - CS = NS
Operant Behavior AKA ABC; 3-Term Contingency; Stimulus-Response-Stimulus (S-
R-S) Model - ANSWERA behavior maintained by its history of consequences
Voluntary and learned behavior selected by consequences
Defined by function (not topography)
Emitted/evoked
Encompasses both reinforcement + punishment
The product of operant conditioning
Example: Reading; singing; dancing; remembering an old flame
Ontogenic/Ontogeny - ANSWERLearned behaviors that result from your interaction
with your settings; operant behavior
Adaptation - ANSWERPart of operant behavior
When, with repeated presentation of a particular stimulus, your response reduces
Example: A client adapts to your presence when you repeatedly observe him
Example: If you hear the same joke over and over, you are likely to laugh less at the
joke-you adapt to the joke
Operant Conditioning AKA ABC; 3-term contingency; Behavioral Contingency -
ANSWERThe process involving an occasion for a behavior (SD), the behavior itself,
and the consequence that follows; a process that determines the future of that
behavior's occurrence or nonoccurrence
3 Principles of Behavior - ANSWERMakes procedures conceptually systematic
1. P-Punishment
2. E-Extinction
3. R-Reinforcement
Respondent-Operant Interactions - ANSWERRespondent and operant conditioning
can occur simultaneously
Example: You're at the office about to warm up your favorite leftovers. You place the
food in the microwave, start the timer, and go back to your desk. A few min. later,
you hear the microwave timer beeping. You walk to the microwave to get your food.
You eat your food
US = favorite food being presented
NS = sound of microwave timer beeping + food being presented (US) = microwave
timer beeping becomes (CS)
CR = salivation elicited by microwave beeping
MO = hunger
SD = beeping of microwave
