Free BCAT Principles of ABA Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A BCAT is teaching a child to say 'please'. Each time the child says 'please' when asking for a toy, the technician gives them immediate praise and access to the toy. This is an example of which ABA principle?
- Negative Reinforcement
- Positive Reinforcement (Correct answer)
- Extinction
- Positive Punishment
Correct answer: Positive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement involves adding a desirable stimulus (praise and the toy) immediately after a behavior (saying 'please') to increase the future likelihood of that behavior occurring again.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes negative reinforcement?
- Presenting an aversive stimulus to decrease a behavior.
- Withholding a preferred item to decrease a behavior.
- Removing an aversive stimulus to increase a behavior. (Correct answer)
- Presenting a preferred stimulus to increase a behavior.
Correct answer: Removing an aversive stimulus to increase a behavior.
Negative reinforcement is the removal of an unpleasant or aversive stimulus following a behavior, which leads to an increase in the future frequency of that behavior. For example, a child cleans their room (behavior) to stop a parent's nagging (removal of aversive stimulus).
Question 3: During a session, a child begins to whine to get the technician's attention, a behavior that has been successfully reinforced in the past. The technician, following the behavior plan, ignores the whining and only provides attention when the child communicates appropriately. This strategy is known as:
- Shaping
- Prompting
- Punishment
- Extinction (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Extinction
Extinction is the process of withholding reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior. In this case, the reinforcement (attention) is no longer provided following the whining, which will decrease the likelihood of the whining behavior over time.
Question 4: In the 'ABC' model of behavior, what does the 'A' stand for?
- Antecedent (Correct answer)
- Action
- Analysis
- Applied
Correct answer: Antecedent
The 'A' in the ABC model stands for Antecedent. This is the event, action, or circumstance that occurs immediately before a behavior. Understanding the antecedent is critical for determining the function of a behavior.
Question 5: A behavior intervention plan must be written with enough clarity and detail that any trained technician can implement it exactly as intended. This aligns with which of the seven dimensions of ABA?
- Behavioral
- Analytic
- Technological (Correct answer)
- Generality
Correct answer: Technological
The 'Technological' dimension of ABA requires that procedures are described clearly and concisely so that they can be implemented accurately and consistently by anyone with training.
Question 6: A technician provides a hand-over-hand gesture to help a client correctly use a fork. This is an example of what type of procedure?
- A consequence
- A prompt (Correct answer)
- A reinforcer
- A shaping procedure
Correct answer: A prompt
A prompt is a cue or assistance given to encourage a desired response. Hand-over-hand assistance is a form of physical prompt used to help a learner complete a task successfully.
Free BCAT Principles of ABA Questions and Answers
A BCAT is teaching a child to say 'please'.
Each time the child says 'please' when asking for a toy, the technician gives them immediate praise and access to the toy.
This is an example of which ABA principle?