BCBA 2023 STUDY QUESTIONS GRADED A+

1. _________________ is the relationship between an antecedent, a response, and a consequence; that is some change in the consequence alters some extent of the response class. 1.a. Pavlovian conditioning model 1.b. The respondent conditioning model 1.c. The operant conditioning model 1.d. The rule governed behavior model - ANSWER-Answer: c 1. Explanation: Operant conditioning refers to behaviors shaped by consequences. The keyword to look for is "consequence". 2. An incredible fear of snakes that results from a being bitten by a snake as a youngster is an example of ________. 2.a. respondent conditioning 2.b. operant conditioning 2.c. establishing operation 2.d. extinction - ANSWER-Answer: a 2. Explanation: Respondent conditioned responses are often conceptualized as reflexes. The relationship is between conditioned and unconditioned stimuli that precede the response. Which is an example of a reinforcing effect? 3.a. Use of PRN medication that increases self-injury 3.b. Providing snacks for being in seat that decrease in seat behavior 3.c. Changing the seating arrangement of the class due to more students 3.d. Ensuring the child had breakfast that morning - ANSWER-Answer: a 3. Explanation: Reinforcers, by definition, result in an increase in behavior. Note there is no value judgment in this statement. Behavior that increases and is maintained is being reinforced. The keyword is "increase". 4. The process of _________ is when a stimulus is withheld which results in a temporary increase in responding and an eventual reduction in response rate. 4.a. reinforcement 4.b. punishment 4.c. extinction 4.d. generalization - ANSWER-Answer: c 4. Explanation: The keyword is "withheld". Extinction is a procedure. It involves withholding a previous reinforcer. A stimulus that follows a behavior in time is a ________. 5.a. reinforcer 5.b. punisher 5.c. consequence 5.d. discriminative stimulus - ANSWER-Answer: c 5. Explanation: Consequences proceed behaviors. The extent to which a behavior changes as a result of the presentation and removal of an antecedent stimulus, established through operant conditioning is ________. 6.a. reinforcement 6.b. contingency 6.c. rule-governed behavior 6.d stimulus control - ANSWER-Answer: d 6. Explanation: This is the exact definition of stimulus control. Stimuli presented or withdrawn that decrease the future probability of a behavior are ________. 7.a. reinforcers 7.b. punishers 7.c. operant 7.d. consequences - ANSWER-Answer: b 7. Explanation: The keyword is "decrease". A decrease in behavior following a positive or negative operation is punishment so the stimuli are termed "punishers Certain stimuli increase the future probability of a response when they are terminated following that response. This process is ________. 8.a. negative reinforcement 8.b. positive reinforcement 8.c. positive punishment 8.d. negative punishment - ANSWER-Answer: a 8. Explanation: Something terminated is a negative operation. The probability of the response increasing is a reinforcing effect. 9. The quarterback from a high school football team tries out for the baseball team. With no prior experience, he becomes a very competent pitcher. His pitching motion is an example of ________. 9.a. response generalization 9.b. stimulus generalization 9.c. generalized conditioned reinforcers 9.d. generality - ANSWER-Answer: a 9. Explanation: The throwing of a football and a baseball are similar, not identical, motions/behaviors. The emergence of a slightly different, untrained behavior (throwing a baseball) after training another behavior (throwing a football) is an example of response generalization. Allowing Jefferson to eat Gummy-Worms throughout the class may make any food item ineffective as reinforcers. What has occurred? 10.a. fading 10.b. thinning 10.c. shaping 10.d. satiation - ANSWER-Answer: d 10. Explanation: Satiation is often thought of as "having had enough." 11. Reinforcers establish, __________, and maintain behavior. 11.a. increase 11.b. decrease 11.c. both a & b 11.d. neither a nor b - ANSWER-11. Answer: a 11. Explanation: Reinforcement and increase are synonymous. 12. You are in a car crash. You hit the windshield with your head resulting in a nasty cut and severe bruising. While exiting the car, you see the crushed red metal of your car and smell burning oil. Hitting your head on the windshield is a(n) __________ stimulus. 12.a. conditioned 12.b. unconditioned 12.c. Pavlovian 12.d neutral - ANSWER-12. Answer: b 12. Explanation: Hitting/blunt force trauma will result in injury and reflexive behaviors that require no prior learning. 13. If the smell of burning oil after a car crash results in anxiety, it is a(n) ___________ stimulus. 13.a. conditioned 13.b. unconditioned 13.c. Pavlovian 13.d. Neutral - ANSWER-13. Answer: a 13. Explanation: The smell of burning oil does not necessarily lead to anxious responses. That would have to be learned by the pairing of the pain from the accident with the stimuli that were conditioned during that time (smell of burning oil, red metal). 4. You and your friends discuss stealing cigarettes. You watch your friend, Tommy, get spanked by him mom for stealing a cigarette. When you go home, you do not steal cigarettes. The change in your behavior is __________. 14.a. rule governed 14.b. operant behavior 14.c. directly contacting the contingency 14.d. an example of an establishing operation - ANSWER-14. Answer: a 14. Explanation: Rule governed behaviors are operant in that they are shaped via consequences. However, the behavior is shaped by an explanation or observation of the consequences, not by directly experiencing the consequences. 15. Establishing operations change the ___________ of a reinforcer. 15.a. quantity 15.b. quality 15.c. magnitude 15.d. value - ANSWER-15. Answer: d 15. Explanation: Establishing operations precede behavior and change the reinforcing value of a given stimulus. 16. __________ conditioning always deals with consequences. 16.a. Respondent 16.b. Pavlovian 16.c. Operant 16.d. Parsimonious - ANSWER-16. Answer: c 16. Explanation: Think Operant and consequences. Also Pavlov's work is referred to as "respondent conditioning" though some may call it Pavlovian conditioning. Respondents are reflexes, not affected by consequences. 17. An example of operantly conditioned behavior is ____________. 17.a. a person who is afraid of snakes due to a previous snake bite 17.b. a woman who is afraid of fire due to being burned in a house fire 17.c. a person who has never baked, reads the directions on a box and bakes a cake 17.d. getting hit on the knee and reflexively kicking - ANSWER-17. Answer: c 17. Explanation: There are two types of operant conditioning: contingency shaping and rule governance. In contingency shaped behavior, the individual directly experiences the consequences. In rule governed behavior, an explanation of the consequences changes the behavior. This is an example of operant conditioning; more specifically, rule governance. 18. Which is an example of rule governed behavior? 18.a. A child who is spanked for spitting quits spitting 18.b. A child who is told not to lie and tells the truth 18.c. A child who is praised for ignoring 18.d. A child who is given a cookie when making the "c" sound - ANSWER-18. Answer: b 18. Explanation: "B" is the only choice where the child's behavior does not directly contact the contingency. 19. Reinforcers and punishers are alike in that ________. 19.a. they increase behavior 19.b. they are respondent 19.c. they are consequences 19.d. they are antecedents - ANSWER-19. Answer: c 19. Explanation: Reinforcers and punishers follow behavior. 20. Your goal is to increase signing for toys/playing. Which person is likely to gain stimulus control over signing "toy/playing"? 20.a. The parent who holds up the preferred toy and has the child point to the toy 20.b. The parent who gives the child the toy immediately after the child signs "toy" 20.c. The parent who teaches multiple modes of communication: signing, talking and pictures 20.d. The parent who allows a child to play with only one toy - ANSWER-20. Answer: b 20. Explanation: The immediacy of reinforcement, the timing, is an important factor in making sure a stimulus functions as a reinforcer. Immediate reinforcement of the target behavior will help develop stimulus control. 21. You are a consultant with a large machine plant. They ask you to help with workers' compensation claims that are costing the company a great deal of money. You begin the assessment process by defining safe lifting, unsafe lifting, and measuring the ratio of safe lifting to unsafe lifting, which is _______________. 21.a. conceptually systematic 21.b. empirical 21.c. technological 21.d. generality - ANSWER-21. Answer: b 21. Explanation: Empirical refers to how behavior analysts operationally define behaviors so that the behaviors can be directly observed and objectively measured. 22. After 15 years in the field, you continue to rely on data from 15 years ago. You are being a naughty behavior analyst and violate what underlying assumption of applied behavior analysis: _________. 22.a. determinism 22.b. empiricism 22.c. philosophic doubt 22.d. teleology - ANSWER-22. Answer: c 22. Explanation: Behavior analysts recognize that conclusions are temporary and can be improved upon. 23. You have worked with several children with self-injurious behavior and find a combination reinforcement and punishment procedure that works well with all the children on your caseload. Sharing your procedures and data is _________. 23.a. conceptually systematic 23.b. empirical 23.c. technological 23.d. generality - ANSWER-Answer: c 23. Explanation: Technological does refer to detailing procedures and such. It also refers to sharing the information with the scientific community. 24. The findings of your behavioral research are scrutinized by the editors of several prestigious journals. One writes you back and says the functional assessment, operational definitions, baseline measure, interventions, and data displays follow good behavioral practice. In essence he is saying your work is ______. 24.a. conceptually systematic 24.b. empirical 24.c. technological 24.d. generality - ANSWER-24. Answer: a 24. Explanation: Behavior analysts consistently refer back to the basic assumptions of the field and stick to behavior analytic theories. 25. A colleague asks you to review a new journal article that focuses on increasing the abilities of adults in a day program to ride the bus, select and match clothes, and increase work output. The research in the article is _________. 25.a. experimental 25.b. applied 25.c. parsimonious 25.d selective - ANSWER-25. Answer: b 25. Explanation: Applied work means what the behavior analyst is doing has relevance to the individual, the community and society at large. 26. There are current presentations at the FABA conference on the rate of pen tapping during 1-hour time intervals. This study can only be construed as ________. 26.a. applied 26.b. experimental 26.c. parsimonious 26.d. generalizable - ANSWER-26. Answer: b 26. Explanation: The experimental analysis of behavior provides the theoretical underpinnings and foundations for applied behavior analysis. However, experimental work does not necessarily have social relevance. 27. In the ________ analysis of behavior, a child learns replacement behaviors for his explosive behavior at home and in the classroom 27.a. systematic 27.b. applied 27.c. experimental 27.d. socially relevant - ANSWER-27. Answer: b 27. Explanation: Improving the life of a child by exploding less and doing better at home and school is applied. 28. ________________ constitutes the theories and suppositions that guide scientific inquiry about the behavior of organisms. 28.a. Applied behavior analysis 28.b. The experimental analysis of behavior 28.c. Behaviorism 28.d. Behavior modification - ANSWER-28. Answer: b 28. Explanation: EAB and ABA are 2 distinct fields with rich, shared histories. EAB provides the theory that is then extended into applied fields. 29. Events that are thought to affect the phenomena of interest are carefully manipulated to elucidate their effects is the concept of ________________. 29.a. scientific manipulation 29.b. empiricism 29.c. determinism 29.d. philosophic doubt - ANSWER-29. Answer: a 29. Explanation: Keyword is "elucidate" which means to make clear. Behavior analysts, as behavioral scientists, can manipulate different independent variables to accurately assess the function of behaviors and the effectiveness of interventions. Scientific manipulation, functional analysis and experimental manipulation are often used interchangeably. 30. Behavior analysts attempt to use efficient procedures that are significant to the participants involved, promote generalization, and maintenance of behavior change. This is the _____________ dimension of ABA. 30.a. conceptually systematic 30.b. general 30.c. analytic 30.d. effective - ANSWER-30. Answer: d 30. Explanation: Behavior analysts are supposed to use assessment techniques and interventions that lead to significant, long term change. 31. Behavior analysts would never say, "That behavior happens for no reason," since behavior analysts are _________. 31.a. teleologists 31.b. psychologists 31.c. Darwinians 31.d. determinists - ANSWER-31. Answer: d 31. Explanation: Behavior analysts assume all behavior is purposeful even if the immediate reason for the behavior is unknown and difficult to observe. 32. ___________ is the philosophy that guides behavior analysts. 32.a. Behaviorology 32.b. Behaviorism 32.c. Behaviorists 32.d. Skinnerism - ANSWER-32. Answer: b 32. Explanation: Behaviorism is the belief that environments affect behavior and thus behavior change is not a result of internal functions, like mentalism which attributes cause to internal variables like a mind, or will or desire or other "non-behavior" type events. 33. ___________ provides theoretical underpinnings for studying environmental and behavior interactions. 33.a. The experimental analysis of behavior 33.b. Applied behavior analysis 33.c. Both a & b 33.d. Neither a nor b - ANSWER-33. Answer: a 33. Explanation: The experimental analysis of behavior involves exploring the relationships between environmental variables and behavior. However, the behaviors studied do not have social relevance. 34. If procedures are effectively applied to various people and settings, they have __________. 34.a. generality 34.b. analytic 34.c. applied 34.d. technological - ANSWER-34. Answer: a 34. Explanation: Generality always refers to procedures. Generalization, on the other hand, refers to behaviors or stimuli. 37. If behaviors being studied have social relevance and significance to the individuals involved, it is part of __________. 37.a. psychology 37.b. applied behavior analysis 37.c. the experimental analysis of behavior 37.d. behaviorology - ANSWER-37. Answer: b 37. Explanation: "Social relevance" is the key to behaviors being applied. 38. You work on improving the fine motor skills of an individual with autism. Your work is _________. 38.a. experimental 38.b. correlational 38.c. statistical 38.d. applied - ANSWER-38. Answer: d 38. Explanation: Working on fine motor skills might open up opportunities to the individual so the work is applied. 39. Work on shaping social behavior of a rat is _________. 39.a. experimental 39.b. correlational 39.c. statistical 39.d. applied - ANSWER-39. Answer: a 39. Explanation: The study does not have social relevance to an individual and a community. In general, most animal studies are regarded as part of the experimental analysis of behavior. 40. If you believe certain environmental variables affect a child's ability to remain on task and you carefully alter conditions to elucidate the effects, you have attempted ___________. 40.a. determinism 40.b. empiricism 40.c. scientific manipulation 40.d. respondent conditioning - ANSWER-40. Answer: c 40. Explanation: Altering conditions is scientific manipulation, sometimes referred to as systematic manipulation; "elucidate" is a keyword. 41. A colleague has an idea that either access to Gameboy and escape from demand might improve a behavior. You take baseline and continue to measure the target response while manipulating access for 1 day and then escape the next day, changing between the 2 interventions for 10 days. You are conducting a(n) ______. 41.a. parametric analysis 41.b. alternating treatments design 41.c. continuous reinforcement sample 41.d. linear analysis - ANSWER-41. Answer: b 41. Explanation: In this example, there are two distinct treatments (aka independent variables): access and escape. The alternating treatments design is one kind of experimental manipulation. 42. "It is likely Jaime hits herself on the head and spits on her hand because mother increases her physical contact and proximity following the behavior(s)." This is a(n) __________. 42.a. functional hypotenuse 42.b. actual demonstration of function 42.c. functional hypothesis 42.d. declaration of the operant - ANSWER-42. Answer: c 42. Explanation: A functional hypothesis is an educated guess about what reinforcer(s) maintains a target behavior. The statement includes the topography of the behavior and the guess about which variable (typically attention, escape/avoidance, access or automatic) is most reinforcing. 43. You instruct an adult to ignore a child's running behavior thinking this might reduce the problem. Your hypothesis, therefore, is probably that ______________ is the maintaining variable (aka reinforcer). 43.a. escape 43.b. attention 43.c. self-stimulation 43.d. access to reinforcers - ANSWER-43. Answer: b 43. Explanation: If attention is thought to be the maintaining variable, ignoring would be one way of implementing extinction. This example shows the necessary link between what the functional hypothesis is and how it drives intervention. 44. All of the following are examples of descriptive analysis except for ________. 44.a. reading the psychological evaluation 44.b. doing a clinical interview with the parents and teacher of an individual with autism 44.c. measuring amount of time spent in room and systematically altering attention and escape to see which variable results in longer time in room 44.d. directly observing a child with attentional difficulties in a classroom - ANSWER-44. Answer: c 44. Explanation: Systematically altering (manipulating) variables is part of functional analysis. 45. A descriptive analysis incorporates ___________. 45.a. analog conditions and inferential statistics 45.b. structured interviews and experimental manipulations 45.c. functional assessment tools, structured interviews, and direct observation 45.d. records review and development of insight - ANSWER-45. Answer: c 45. Explanation: Descriptive analysis refers to a description of the behavior that is derived from typical assessment procedures employed by behavior analysts. Descriptive analysis does not necessarily involve experimental manipulations. 46. _________ is an attempt to organize relevant data to formulate a hypothesis while ________ is an attempt to manipulate variables. 46.a. Functional analysis; descriptive analysis 46.b. Functional analysis; systematic manipulations 46.c. Descriptive analysis; functional analysis 46.d. Descriptive analysis; functional assessment - ANSWER-46. Answer: c 46. Explanation: Organizing data is why the behavior analyst begins with descriptive analysis. Functional analysis (aka systematic manipulations) is often undertaken once the relevant information is obtained. 47. A 12 year-old Caucasian child begins biting her hand when the teacher says, "Sit down and work, please." The teacher, whose classroom is quite cool in temperature, intervenes by doing response blocking. What is the antecedent stimulus? 47.a. the teacher's statement 47.b. response blocking 47.c. hand biting 47.d. the cool temperature - ANSWER-47. Answer: a 47. Explanation: Antecedent stimuli precede the behavior. "Sit down and work, please" comes before biting hand. 48. While consulting with a teacher, she states Allan becomes aggressive in order to escape group activities; thus alluding to ________. 48.a. operant stimuli 48.b. environments 48.c. consequences 48.d. a functional relationship - ANSWER-48. Answer: d 48. Explanation: The relationship between a behavior and the consequence that follows it is a functional relationship. 49. Structured interviews, functional assessment tools, direct observation, and ABC data collection are parts of __________. 49.a. descriptive analysis 49.b. functional analysis 49.c. systems analysis 49.d. pattern analysis - ANSWER-49. Answer: a 49. Explanation: People interviewed who fill out functional assessment tools, ABC sheets, and observe are beginning to describe the behavior. 50. Allan begins hitting himself in the head several hundred times. There is noticeable swelling around his eyes and temples. You are going away for the weekend. What is the best course of action? 50.a. Put an emergency procedure into place 50.b. Collect baseline over the weekend 50.c. Functionally assess the behavior when you return 50.d. Nothing, the behavior should decrease - ANSWER-50. Answer: a 50. Explanation: Ethically, emergency procedures need to be put in place as health and safety are always the primary concerns. 53. Billy's parents are teaching him to read. They initially say, "It's reading time," and immediately offer reinforcers when he begins to read in response to the stimulus. They also work with his teacher and provide books/magazines with sports and reading groups with his friends, which Billy enjoys. The reading behavior is maintained because _____. 53.a. it is under control of an SD, "It's reading time." 53.b. it contacts natural contingencies 53.c. it is part of the stimulus response paradigm 53.d. reading is fundamental - ANSWER-53. Answer: b 53. Explanation: Behavior is evoked by discriminative stimuli/SD's but behavior is maintained by reinforcers. Be careful that scenario based question don't lead you toward responding without understanding what the question is. 54. As a behavior analyst, you feel you have found an effective procedure for increasing time on task. You do some experimenting with one child and successfully employ the use of the intervention with other children in other settings. You now have more confidence that your procedure has ________. 54.a. generalization 54.b. generality 54.c. collateral benefits 54.d. Parsimony equivalency - ANSWER-54. Answer: b 54. Explanation: Keyword is "procedures". If procedures work with different individuals and in different settings, they have more generality. 55. Teaching a child to toilet in the classroom, in the mall restroom, and in the parent's home is aimed at the behavior __________. 55.a. discriminating 55.b. strengthening 55.c. generalizing 55.d. thinning - ANSWER-55. Answer: c 55. Explanation: Behaviors often generalize to untrained places and untrained settings. A skill like toileting is something you want to generalize across all environments. 56. You have completed a study on self-injurious behavior. The parents detail when the child engages in the behavior (usually at night) and let you know the child bites his arms, bangs his head on the corners of tables, and kicks his heels on the floor. This tends to happen when he is left alone during bedtime that the parents respond to by running into his room to stop him. What is the topography? 56.a. being left alone 56.b. night time 56.c. parents running in 56.d. biting arm, head banging, kicking heels - ANSWER-56. Answer: d 56. Explanation: The topography is the form of the behavior. A scenario like this involves great detail. However, the question is in respect to what form the behavior takes. 57. You have conducted an ABA design in which a treatment for SIB was the independent variable. What might create an interpretation problem? 57.a. Failure to control variables 57.b. Response generalization 57.c. Setting generalization 57.d. Failure of the behavior to return to baseline levels - ANSWER-57. Answer: d 57. Explanation: The effect of any treatment is demonstrated by the change in the behavioral measure. If the treatment yields changes in the rate of SIB and those changes persist even in a return to a baseline condition, it is reasonable to hypothesize that there is some other maintaining variable or the behavior would return to baseline levels. 58. The Behavior Analyst must consider ___________ when working with adult clients. 58.a. behaviors the relatives wish to see learned 58.b. behaviors that assist in group home living 58.c. behaviors that are likely to be reinforced in present and future environments 58.d. the role of the descriptive analysis - ANSWER-58. Answer: c 58. Explanation: If behavior is to be maintained, it needs to contact natural reinforcers in the current and future environments in which a person lives, works and recreates. 59. Prioritizing challenging behaviors, a Behavior Analyst would begin with _____. 59.a. the cost effectiveness of the plan 59.b. the difficulty in changing the behavior 59.c. desires of the parent/guardian 59.d. consideration of danger to client's or others' safety - ANSWER-59. Answer: d 59. Explanation: Health and safety supersede all other considerations. 60. You are working with a family where an adult brother and sister are living in the same house. The sister has a long history of prescription drug abuse, is lethargic and sleeps most of the day, while the brother has spent time in and out of treatment facilities for schizophrenic behaviors. During observation of one of the arguments, you note that every time the sister addresses her brother, she yells or says something derogatory to him. When she does this, the brother walks away and says, "Shut up, you drug addict.