Procedures and Intervention Flashcards

A BCBA is using differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) to reduce a client's self-injurious behavior (SIB). After 3 weeks, the SIB has decreased but has not reached the treatment goal. The BCBA notices the alternative behavior is being reinforced on a fixed ratio 3 (FR3) schedule. Which modification would MOST likely accelerate progress toward the goal?

Answer: Simultaneously implement extinction for the SIB while maintaining the current DRA schedule

DRA is most effective when combined with extinction for the target problem behavior. Without extinction, the SIB continues to access reinforcement, competing with the alternative behavior. Adding extinction removes the reinforcing consequence for SIB, making the alternative behavior the only viable path to reinforcement and accelerating reduction of the target behavior.

During a discrete trial training (DTT) session, a technician delivers an SD, the client responds correctly, and the technician then pauses for 4 seconds before delivering the reinforcer. Over several sessions, the correct response rate declines. This pattern MOST likely indicates a problem with which procedural component?

Answer: The reinforcer delay has exceeded the temporal contiguity threshold, weakening the stimulus-response-reinforcer relationship

Temporal contiguity — the closeness in time between a response and its reinforcing consequence — is critical for conditioning. A 4-second delay between the correct response and delivery of the reinforcer weakens the association between the response and the reinforcer. For many learners, especially those early in skill acquisition, even brief delays can significantly reduce response strength and correct response rates.

A behavior technician is implementing Functional Communication Training (FCT) for a client whose problem behavior is maintained by escape from demands. The client is taught to hand a 'break' card. After several months, the client begins using the break card excessively, refusing nearly all tasks. The MOST appropriate next intervention step is:

Answer: Implement a schedule thinning procedure, gradually increasing the response requirement before honoring the break request

Excessive use of the FCT response is a common challenge addressed through schedule thinning. This involves gradually increasing the amount of work required before a break is granted, teaching the client that the communication response still works but within increasing demand contexts. Abruptly removing or punishing the FCT response risks extinction bursts and the return of the original problem behavior.

A BCBA is designing a chaining procedure for a 12-step tooth-brushing routine for a client with limited imitation skills. The client becomes distressed when errors occur and has a history of task refusal following failed attempts. Which chaining strategy and rationale is MOST appropriate for this client?

Answer: Backward chaining, because the client consistently contacts the terminal reinforcer at the end of each session, reducing frustration from error

Backward chaining is ideal for clients prone to distress and task refusal because each session ends with task completion and immediate access to the terminal reinforcer. The client always completes the final step independently (or with minimal prompts), consistently experiencing success. This arrangement maintains motivation and reduces the aversive history associated with failed attempts, which is critical for clients with error sensitivity.

A behavior analyst is evaluating the outcomes of a treatment package that includes NCR, DRA, and extinction for aggression. After 6 weeks, data show an 80% reduction in aggression but a 150% increase in property destruction. This pattern MOST likely represents:

Answer: Response generalization, where the function is now being served by a topographically different behavior in the same response class

When extinction is applied to one member of a functional response class (aggression) without addressing all behaviors in that class, other behaviors that serve the same function (property destruction) often increase. This is response generalization within a functional response class — the client has shifted to a different topography that still produces the same reinforcing outcome. The intervention must identify and address all members of the functional class.

A BCBA implements a token economy with a 5-token requirement before exchange. Over time, the BCBA observes that the client's responding is highest immediately before token exchange and drops sharply afterward — a pattern that persists across multiple sessions. This behavioral pattern is MOST consistent with behavior generated by which schedule of reinforcement, and what modification would smooth the response rate?

Answer: Fixed ratio schedule; introduce a variable ratio exchange requirement so the reinforcement exchange point becomes less predictable

A token economy with a fixed exchange requirement (5 tokens) creates a fixed ratio-like schedule, producing the characteristic post-reinforcement pause and ratio strain — responding drops sharply after exchange and accelerates as the next exchange point approaches. Converting to a variable ratio exchange requirement (e.g., sometimes 3 tokens, sometimes 7) makes the exchange point unpredictable, which eliminates the post-reinforcement pause and generates a steady, consistent response rate.