- Applied Behavior Analysis Behavior Reduction Interventions Questions and Answers Flashcards

A client engages in self-injurious behavior (SIB) maintained by automatic reinforcement. The BCBA implements a competing stimulus assessment and identifies several items that suppress SIB. Which additional step is MOST critical before selecting the final competing stimulus for intervention?

Answer: Confirm the competing stimulus does not itself function as a reinforcer for an alternative behavior that could be shaped

When selecting a competing stimulus for automatic-reinforcement-maintained SIB, the item must suppress the target behavior AND not inadvertently become a reinforcer for a different problem behavior. If the stimulus is highly preferred and freely available, it could strengthen other undesirable responses. The suppression alone during assessment is necessary but not sufficient — the reinforcing properties of the stimulus relative to all behaviors must be considered.

During a DRO interval, a client emits a low-rate problem behavior (aggression) exactly at the reset moment three consecutive times. The behavior analyst suspects the client has learned to time the interval. Which modification best addresses this 'scalloping' effect while preserving the DRO contingency?

Answer: Switch from fixed-interval DRO to variable-interval DRO to eliminate the predictable reset pattern

Scalloping in DRO occurs when clients learn to time fixed intervals, emitting the problem behavior just after the reset and abstaining near interval end. Switching to a variable-interval DRO schedule eliminates the predictable reset point, removing the temporal cue the client is using to pace their behavior. Increasing interval length does not remove predictability; DRA adds a component but does not address the timing issue directly; momentary DRO changes the measurement but doesn't resolve the scheduling vulnerability.

A BCBA is using extinction for escape-maintained problem behavior. The client escalates to a higher-intensity topography never seen during the functional analysis. According to behavioral principles and ethical practice, what is the MOST appropriate immediate action?

Answer: Temporarily reinforce the demand completion to prevent harm, then reconvene the treatment team to revise the crisis protocol before resuming extinction

When extinction produces an extinction burst with a novel, higher-intensity topography that poses a safety concern, the clinically and ethically sound response is to safely manage the immediate situation (which may require temporarily reinforcing task completion to prevent injury) while convening the treatment team to update the behavior plan with an appropriate crisis protocol. Simply continuing extinction without a safety plan in place violates ethical obligations; terminating and removing demands negatively reinforces the escalation; punishment introduced ad hoc without a prior protocol is ethically problematic.

Response blocking is being used to prevent a client from engaging in pica. The behavior analyst notices that response blocking has produced significant aggression toward the implementer. From a behavioral perspective, which phenomenon BEST explains this outcome, and what is the recommended preventive strategy?

Answer: Extinction-induced aggression; pair response blocking with immediate access to a functional communication response to obtain an alternative reinforcer

Aggression following response blocking is a well-documented form of extinction-induced aggression (also called extinction-induced emotional responding), because blocking functions as extinction for the behavior maintained by its reinforcing consequences. The recommended mitigation is to pair blocking with immediate access to an appropriate alternative reinforcer (e.g., via FCT), reducing the motivational state that drives both pica and the resultant aggression. Punishment contrast, NR trap, and MO satiation are related but do not best explain the mechanism or the primary preventive strategy.

A behavior plan uses a two-component intervention: NCR on a fixed-time 3-minute schedule and extinction for attention-maintained problem behavior. Data show problem behavior dropped 80% in week one but has plateaued at 30% above baseline. Which analysis MOST precisely identifies why the plateau occurred?

Answer: The fixed-time NCR schedule may have inadvertently created a discriminative stimulus signaling when attention will NOT be available, preserving behavioral momentum near the schedule boundary

When NCR uses a fixed-time schedule, the predictable interval creates a discriminative stimulus — behavior tends to cluster just before the scheduled delivery because the period between deliveries signals non-availability of reinforcement. This can preserve a residual response pattern even while overall rates decrease. The solution is typically to switch to a variable-time NCR schedule. Satiation is possible but is a separate mechanism; a new escape function would require new FA data; adding punishment without ruling out schedule effects is premature.

A BCBA is evaluating whether to use contingent electric stimulation (CES) for severe, life-threatening SIB in a client for whom multiple function-based interventions have failed. Under current BACB ethical guidelines and U.S. regulatory context, which statement MOST accurately describes the practitioner's obligations?

Answer: CES may only be used after an independent review panel confirms that less-restrictive alternatives have been exhausted, and the practitioner must obtain documented informed consent from the legal guardian and follow all applicable laws including any state bans

The BACB Ethics Code (6th Ed.) does not categorically ban CES but requires BCBAs to use the least restrictive effective procedure, obtain informed consent, comply with all applicable laws (including state-level bans and the FDA's 2020 ban on GED devices for SIB/aggression), and ensure independent human-rights or peer-review oversight. The practitioner cannot unilaterally authorize CES based on a 30-day data threshold, nor does state permission alone satisfy ethical obligations — both legal and ethical standards must be met simultaneously.