ABA ABA Verbal Behavior & Language Development 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior, a 'mand' is best described as:
- A verbal operant controlled by a specific establishing operation and followed by a characteristic reinforcer (Correct answer)
- A verbal operant under the control of a nonverbal discriminative stimulus
- A verbal response that repeats a vocal stimulus produced by another person
- A verbal operant that describes one's own behavior
Correct answer: A verbal operant controlled by a specific establishing operation and followed by a characteristic reinforcer
A mand is a verbal operant evoked by an establishing operation (EO) that specifies its own reinforcer, such as asking for water when thirsty.
Question 2: A 'tact' in Skinner's verbal behavior framework is a verbal operant that:
- Is evoked by a specific motivating operation
- Is evoked by a nonverbal discriminative stimulus and generalized conditioned reinforcement (Correct answer)
- Repeats the verbal behavior of another person
- Transfers stimulus control from one operant to another
Correct answer: Is evoked by a nonverbal discriminative stimulus and generalized conditioned reinforcement
A tact is a verbal operant controlled by a nonverbal SD (an object, event, or property) and is maintained by generalized conditioned reinforcement.
Question 3: Which verbal operant involves repeating a vocal stimulus immediately after it is produced by another speaker?
- Mand
- Tact
- Echoic (Correct answer)
- Intraverbal
Correct answer: Echoic
An echoic is a verbal operant where the response formally resembles and is controlled by a vocal verbal SD produced by another person.
Question 4: An intraverbal is a verbal operant that:
- Is under control of a nonverbal environmental stimulus
- Is controlled by the verbal behavior of another person without formal similarity (Correct answer)
- Involves repeating the exact words of another speaker
- Is primarily maintained by automatic reinforcement
Correct answer: Is controlled by the verbal behavior of another person without formal similarity
An intraverbal is evoked by verbal stimuli produced by others (no formal similarity required), such as answering 'four' when asked 'What is two plus two?'
Question 5: The Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP) is primarily used to:
- Assess BACB ethical violations
- Evaluate verbal operants and language skills in children with autism and language delays (Correct answer)
- Measure staff performance in ABA programs
- Diagnose autism spectrum disorder
Correct answer: Evaluate verbal operants and language skills in children with autism and language delays
The VB-MAPP assesses verbal operants and related skills (e.g., mands, tacts, intraverbals) across developmental milestones, guiding intervention planning for learners with language delays.
Question 6: Which procedure would BEST be used to teach a child with limited vocal repertoire to mand for preferred items?
- Incidental teaching
- Transfer of stimulus control from echoic to mand (Correct answer)
- Extinction of current communication forms
- Token economy without verbal prompts
Correct answer: Transfer of stimulus control from echoic to mand
Transferring stimulus control from an echoic prompt to the motivating operation allows a child to independently mand without relying on vocal imitation prompts.
ABA ABA Verbal Behavior & Language Development 1
In Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior, a 'mand' is best described as: