Mixed Deck — All ABA Topics Flashcards

Which verbal operant involves reading printed text aloud?

Answer: Textual

A textual response is controlled by a written verbal antecedent (text) and involves saying the word(s) aloud, with point-to-point correspondence to the written stimulus.

An analyst observes that after a successful ABAB reversal, the behavior does not fully return to baseline levels during the second A phase. The most likely explanation consistent with behavioral principles is:

Answer: Carryover effects or learning that cannot be fully undone by withdrawing the independent variable

Some behaviors (especially those involving skill acquisition) do not fully reverse because learning has occurred, representing a carryover effect that limits the reversal design for those targets.

Which strategy involves teaching a range of exemplars to promote generalization?

Answer: Multiple exemplar training

Multiple exemplar training exposes the learner to many varied examples of a concept or stimulus class so the behavior generalizes broadly beyond training exemplars.

Which of the following BEST describes functional communication training (FCT)?

Answer: Teaching a communicative response that serves the same function as problem behavior

FCT replaces problem behavior by teaching a functionally equivalent communicative response (e.g., teaching a child to ask for a break instead of eloping).

Booster sessions are used in maintenance programming to:

Answer: Briefly re-expose learners to training conditions when performance has declined

Booster sessions briefly reinstate training procedures when maintenance probes show a decline in performance, helping restore the skill without starting full training from the beginning.

When a functional analysis shows the highest rate of problem behavior in the 'alone' condition, what function is most likely indicated?

Answer: Automatic reinforcement (sensory stimulation)

Elevated behavior in the alone condition (with no social consequences available) indicates the behavior is maintained by automatic reinforcement, as the individual produces the reinforcer independently of others.

The listener repertoire in verbal behavior refers to:

Answer: How a person responds appropriately to the verbal behavior of others

Listener behavior involves responding to the verbal behavior of others, such as following instructions, pointing to named items, or complying with requests.

What is the purpose of a 'competing behavior pathway' model within the FBA process?

Answer: To map how the problem behavior, its maintaining consequences, and a desired alternative behavior interrelate

The competing behavior pathway (or competing pathways model) illustrates the relationships among setting events, antecedents, the problem behavior, its maintaining consequences, and appropriate alternative behaviors to guide intervention design.

When is it appropriate for a BCBA to share client information without consent?

Answer: When required by law or to prevent serious harm to the client or others

Confidentiality may be breached only in legally mandated situations (e.g., mandated reporting of abuse) or when necessary to prevent serious and imminent harm.

A therapist records the time from the presentation of a discriminative stimulus to the beginning of the learner's response. This is called:

Answer: Latency

Latency measures the elapsed time between the onset of an antecedent stimulus and the start of the target response.

What characteristic involves using progressively stronger prompts until the target behavior occurs?

Answer: Least-to-most Prompting

Explanation: Least-to-most prompting involves starting with the least intrusive prompt and gradually increasing the intensity until the desired behavior occurs. This approach allows individuals to respond independently whenever possible before more assistance is provided.

The term 'contiguity' in conditioning refers to:

Answer: The temporal closeness between a behavior and its consequence

Contiguity refers to the temporal relationship between a behavior (or stimulus) and a consequence — closer in time generally produces stronger conditioning.

A practitioner graphs cumulative records rather than standard frequency graphs when they want to:

Answer: Show the total number of responses accumulated over time

Cumulative records add each new data point to the running total, making it easy to see overall response output and acceleration or deceleration trends.

Mark gets a brand-new TV stand. Rather than assembling it according to the instructions, he arranges the parts in different ways until the TV stand seems finished. Mark's behavior can be considered as ___________.

Answer: Contingency-Shaped Behavior

Explanation: Contingency-shaped behavior refers to behavior that is influenced by its consequences. In this case, Mark’s behavior of assembling the TV stand without following the instructions is shaped by the consequences of his actions, such as the TV stand appearing completed.

Generalization across settings is BEST promoted by:

Answer: Training across multiple environments from the start

Teaching skills across varied settings, people, and materials from the outset promotes generalization by preventing narrow stimulus control.

What is errorless teaching designed to prevent?

Answer: Learner errors during acquisition of new skills

Errorless teaching provides immediate, intrusive prompts so the learner always responds correctly, minimizing errors and the reinforcement of incorrect responses during acquisition.

In backward chaining, teaching begins with:

Answer: The last step of the task analysis

Backward chaining starts instruction with the final step of the chain, with the trainer completing all prior steps, so the learner always experiences the reinforcing end of the chain.

Which of the following describes 'negative contrast' in behavioral terms?

Answer: A decrease in responding on one schedule when a richer schedule is introduced concurrently

Behavioral contrast (negative) occurs when introducing a richer reinforcement schedule in one context causes a decrease in responding in another context.

Which ethical obligation most directly constrains how long a researcher may maintain a participant in an ineffective baseline before beginning treatment?

Answer: The principle of beneficence and nonmaleficence

Beneficence requires that researchers act in participants' best interests, limiting how long potentially harmful baselines can be sustained for experimental purposes.

The four-term contingency in ABA adds which element to the traditional three-term contingency?

Answer: The motivating operation (MO)

The four-term contingency adds the motivating operation (MO) to the SD → R → SR three-term contingency, recognizing how deprivation or satiation alters behavior.