BCAT Skill Acquisition Treatment 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In forward chaining, which step does the learner complete first?
- The last step in the task analysis
- The first step in the task analysis (Correct answer)
- The easiest step regardless of order
- A randomly selected step chosen by the technician
Correct answer: The first step in the task analysis
Forward chaining teaches the first step in the task analysis first, then adds subsequent steps sequentially.
Question 2: A technician completes all steps of a task for the learner except the final step, which the learner performs independently. This is an example of:
- Forward chaining
- Total task chaining
- Backward chaining (Correct answer)
- Shaping
Correct answer: Backward chaining
Backward chaining teaches the last step first, with the trainer completing all preceding steps so the learner always finishes the task.
Question 3: Which prompt fading strategy begins with the most intrusive prompt and gradually reduces assistance?
- Least-to-most prompting
- Most-to-least prompting (Correct answer)
- Time delay prompting
- Graduated guidance
Correct answer: Most-to-least prompting
Most-to-least prompting starts with the highest level of support and systematically fades to less intrusive prompts as the learner gains independence.
Question 4: Generalization is considered successful when a learner can perform a skill with:
- Only the original therapist who taught the skill
- The same materials used during training only
- Novel people, settings, and materials not used in training (Correct answer)
- Exactly the same instructions used during teaching
Correct answer: Novel people, settings, and materials not used in training
Generalization means the skill transfers across different people, settings, and materials beyond those used in the original training.
Question 5: When a learner correctly identifies a dog from a cat when both are presented together, this demonstrates:
- Stimulus generalization
- Stimulus discrimination (Correct answer)
- Response generalization
- Behavioral momentum
Correct answer: Stimulus discrimination
Stimulus discrimination occurs when the learner responds differently to two distinct stimuli, selecting the correct one.
Question 6: Distributed practice in skill acquisition involves:
- Running all trials of one skill before moving to another
- Alternating between different skills or targets across teaching opportunities (Correct answer)
- Teaching in only one location per session
- Using the same prompt level for every trial
Correct answer: Alternating between different skills or targets across teaching opportunities
Distributed practice spaces trials across multiple skills or timeframes, which often promotes better retention than massed practice.
Question 7: A task analysis for handwashing breaks the skill into 12 individual steps. What is the primary purpose of this breakdown?
- To make data collection faster
- To identify which steps to skip during busy sessions
- To teach complex skills by targeting each component behavior (Correct answer)
- To allow different technicians to teach different parts of the skill
Correct answer: To teach complex skills by targeting each component behavior
A task analysis breaks a complex skill into discrete, teachable steps so each component can be systematically trained and reinforced.
BCAT Skill Acquisition Treatment 2
In forward chaining, which step does the learner complete first?