ABAT - Applied Behavior Analysis Antecedent-Based Interventions Questions and Answers 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A behavior technician places a preferred toy near a child before requesting a non-preferred task. This is an example of which antecedent strategy?
- Noncontingent reinforcement
- High-probability request sequence
- Motivating operation manipulation (Correct answer)
- Response blocking
Correct answer: Motivating operation manipulation
Placing a preferred item near the child alters the motivating operation, making the context more favorable before presenting the demand.
A motivating operation (MO) is an antecedent variable that alters the effectiveness of a reinforcer and the current frequency of behavior. Pairing a preferred item near the learner before issuing a demand can increase the value of social reinforcement and reduce the aversive quality of the upcoming task. This antecedent manipulation reduces the likelihood of problem behavior before it occurs, rather than responding after the fact.
Question 2: Which antecedent strategy involves embedding low-effort tasks before a high-effort demand to build behavioral momentum?
- Stimulus fading
- High-probability request sequence (Correct answer)
- Differential reinforcement of other behavior
- Shaping
Correct answer: High-probability request sequence
The high-p request sequence presents several easy (high-probability) requests before a difficult (low-probability) request, building compliance momentum.
The high-probability (high-p) request sequence, also called behavioral momentum, involves presenting 3–5 brief tasks the learner readily completes before issuing the target low-p request. Compliance to the easy tasks builds momentum, increasing the likelihood the learner will comply with the harder demand. Research supports this as an effective antecedent strategy to reduce escape-motivated noncompliance.
Question 3: Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) as an antecedent intervention works primarily by:
- Punishing the target behavior after it occurs
- Abolishing the motivating operation that maintains the behavior (Correct answer)
- Increasing stimulus control over the desired response
- Chaining steps to build complex skills
Correct answer: Abolishing the motivating operation that maintains the behavior
NCR delivers reinforcers on a time-based schedule independent of behavior, which abolishes the establishing operation that drives problem behavior.
Noncontingent reinforcement reduces problem behavior by delivering the maintaining reinforcer (e.g., attention, tangibles) on a fixed-time or variable-time schedule, regardless of what the learner is doing. This abolishes the establishing operation that makes the reinforcer valuable, removing the motivation to engage in problem behavior to obtain it. Over time, response rates of the target behavior decrease as the reinforcer is no longer functionally related to the behavior.
Question 4: A teacher restructures the classroom so that a student who engages in out-of-seat behavior sits near the teacher's desk. This is best described as:
- Environmental modification as an antecedent intervention (Correct answer)
- Contingency contracting
- Stimulus generalization training
- Differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior
Correct answer: Environmental modification as an antecedent intervention
Rearranging the physical environment to decrease the likelihood of problem behavior is an antecedent-based environmental modification.
Antecedent-based interventions modify conditions that precede behavior to reduce the likelihood of problem behavior or increase the likelihood of appropriate behavior. Environmental modifications — such as changing seating arrangements, room layout, or access to materials — are a common, proactive form. By placing the student near the teacher, proximity monitoring and immediate access to prompts can reduce the motivation or opportunity for out-of-seat behavior.
Question 5: Which of the following best defines an establishing operation (EO)?
- A stimulus that signals reinforcement is available
- An antecedent that increases the current value of a reinforcer and evokes behavior that has produced that reinforcer in the past (Correct answer)
- A consequence that reduces future behavior
- A prompt that transfers stimulus control
Correct answer: An antecedent that increases the current value of a reinforcer and evokes behavior that has produced that reinforcer in the past
An establishing operation momentarily increases the reinforcing effectiveness of a stimulus and increases the frequency of behavior that has obtained that reinforcer.
Motivating operations (MOs) are environmental events that alter the reinforcing or punishing effectiveness of stimuli and evoke or abate related behaviors. An establishing operation (EO) specifically increases the value of the reinforcer (e.g., food deprivation increases food's value) and increases behavior that has produced it. An abolishing operation (AO) has the opposite effect. Understanding MOs is critical in functional behavior assessments and antecedent intervention design.
Question 6: A BCBA notices a child's self-injurious behavior increases when transitions occur. To apply an antecedent intervention, the BCBA should:
- Provide a warning signal before transitions and pre-teach transition routines (Correct answer)
- Ignore the self-injurious behavior during transitions
- Deliver punishment immediately after self-injury
- Increase the frequency of transitions to extinguish the behavior
Correct answer: Provide a warning signal before transitions and pre-teach transition routines
Warning signals and pre-teaching transition routines alter the antecedent conditions that trigger self-injury, reducing its predictive value.
When functional analysis or descriptive assessment identifies transitions as an antecedent trigger, the most proactive approach is to modify those antecedents. Providing a transition warning (e.g., a visual timer or verbal cue 2 minutes before) and pre-teaching what will happen reduce uncertainty, which is often the MO driving problem behavior. These strategies prevent the behavior rather than reacting to it, aligning with a positive behavior support framework.
ABAT - Applied Behavior Analysis Antecedent-Based Interventions Questions and Answers 2
A behavior technician places a preferred toy near a child before requesting a non-preferred task.
This is an example of which antecedent strategy?