Prompting and Fading Procedures Flashcards

A behavior analyst is teaching a child to identify letters using a most-to-least prompting hierarchy. After 10 sessions, the child continues to require a full physical prompt and shows no movement toward independence. Which factor is MOST likely responsible for this plateau?

Answer: The reinforcer delivered may be maintaining prompt dependency rather than the target behavior

When a learner fails to progress through a most-to-least hierarchy, prompt dependency is a critical consideration. If reinforcement is delivered contingent on the prompted response rather than the unprompted response, the prompt itself can become part of the behavior chain. The reinforcer delivery pattern — not simply the prompt level — may be inadvertently strengthening reliance on the prompt. Adjusting the contingency (e.g., withholding or thinning reinforcement for prompted responses) is the priority diagnostic step.

During a progressive time delay procedure, the trainer begins with a 0-second delay and increases to a 5-second delay in 1-second increments across sessions. The learner consistently waits until the controlling prompt is delivered before responding, even at the 4-second delay. This pattern is BEST described as:

Answer: A wait-dependency error pattern suggesting the delay is not functioning to promote independent responding

In progressive time delay, the goal is for the learner to begin emitting correct responses during the delay interval (before the prompt) as delays increase. When a learner consistently waits for the prompt across all delays — including longer ones — it indicates that the delay has not acquired discriminative control and the learner has learned to 'wait for help.' This is a wait-dependency error pattern, distinct from an anticipation error (responding incorrectly before the prompt). It signals the need to re-evaluate the procedure, possibly by reinforcing correct anticipatory responses differentially.

A BCBA designs a stimulus fading program to teach color discrimination. She begins with highly saturated target colors and progressively reduces saturation while increasing it for the distractor. This dimension-specific manipulation is an example of which fading subcategory?

Answer: Within-stimulus prompting faded by manipulating a stimulus dimension

Within-stimulus prompting involves modifying a physical dimension of the discriminative stimulus itself (here, color saturation) to make the correct stimulus more salient initially, then systematically fading that exaggeration. When the manipulation targets a specific perceptual dimension (intensity, size, position, color) rather than adding an external cue, it is classified as within-stimulus prompting faded by manipulating a stimulus dimension. Stimulus shaping involves changing the form/shape progressively, and extra-stimulus prompting adds a separate, redundant cue outside the target stimulus.

Two trainees are debating prompt fading strategies. Trainee A argues that least-to-most prompting is always preferable because it preserves learner autonomy. Trainee B argues that most-to-least is superior because it prevents errors. Which statement MOST accurately reflects evidence-based practice?

Answer: Both strategies are evidence-based; the selection should be driven by learner history, error tolerance, and the nature of the target skill

Neither least-to-most nor most-to-least prompting is universally superior. The selection depends on multiple individualized factors: the learner's history with the skill (novel vs. partially acquired), their tolerance for errors (some learners exhibit escape-maintained problem behavior following errors, making errorless approaches preferable), instructional efficiency goals, and the type of skill being taught. Evidence supports both procedures in different contexts. A blanket claim that either is 'always' preferable contradicts the individualized, data-driven nature of applied behavior analysis.

A behavior technician is using a graduated guidance procedure to teach a student to fold paper. Midway through training, the technician begins 'shadowing' — holding their hands 1–2 cm from the student's hands without contact. What is the PRIMARY purpose of this shadowing phase?

Answer: To maintain readiness to deliver physical guidance immediately if an error begins, while fading physical contact

In graduated guidance, shadowing is an intermediate step between full physical guidance and full independence. The trainer's hands remain proximal (1–2 cm away) without contact so that if the learner begins an error response, physical guidance can be reintroduced immediately — preventing error completion. This maintains error prevention while reducing physical intrusiveness. It is not a time delay procedure, and its primary function is error prevention readiness rather than modality transfer, though tactile fading is a byproduct.

A learner has mastered tying shoes with a full physical prompt chain. The behavior analyst decides to use a 'backward chaining with leaps' approach combined with graduated prompt fading. Compared to standard backward chaining with graduated guidance, which outcome is MOST likely with the 'leaps' variation?

Answer: A higher rate of errors during the initial sessions, requiring more frequent reinstatement of full guidance

Backward chaining with leaps skips over links that the learner has demonstrated proficiency on (rather than working through every link sequentially), jumping to links further back in the chain. While this can accelerate overall chain acquisition, each 'leaped-to' link represents a step where the learner has not yet had graduated fading applied, increasing the probability of errors at those links during initial training. The trade-off is efficiency against a temporary increase in error rates, necessitating flexible reinstatement of more intrusive prompts. Generalization is not inherently impaired by this method.