BCBA Behavior-Change Procedures — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the goal of shaping in behavior-change procedures?
- Punish incorrect responses
- Reinforce a single step repeatedly
- Reinforce successive approximations (Correct answer)
- Fade prompts immediately
Correct answer: Reinforce successive approximations
Shaping involves reinforcing successive approximations toward a target behavior until the desired behavior is achieved.
Question 2: Which procedure teaches a new behavior by reinforcing only after the correct response is made?
- Extinction
- Shaping
- Discrimination training (Correct answer)
- Response generalization
Correct answer: Discrimination training
Discrimination training reinforces correct responses in the presence of a specific stimulus and not in its absence.
Question 3: What is the effect of using differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO)?
- Increases target behavior
- Reinforces the inappropriate behavior
- Punishes the target behavior
- Reinforces when target behavior does not occur (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Reinforces when target behavior does not occur
DRO involves reinforcing the absence of a specific target behavior during a defined time period, decreasing that target behavior.
Question 4: Which of the following procedures involves gradually removing prompts?
- Task analysis
- Prompt fading (Correct answer)
- Stimulus generalization
- Chaining
Correct answer: Prompt fading
Prompt fading is the process of gradually reducing prompts to transfer stimulus control to the natural environment.
Question 5: Which method involves teaching a complex skill by breaking it into smaller steps?
- Shaping
- Fading
- Chaining (Correct answer)
- Modeling
Correct answer: Chaining
Chaining involves linking discrete behaviors together into a sequence to perform a more complex skill.
Question 6: What is the goal of generalization in behavior-change procedures?
- Isolate behavior to training conditions
- Teach new skills slowly
- Apply behavior in various environments (Correct answer)
- Increase dependency on prompts
Correct answer: Apply behavior in various environments
Generalization ensures that learned behaviors occur across different settings, stimuli, and people.
BCBA Behavior-Change Procedures
What is the goal of shaping in behavior-change procedures?