BCBA - Board Certified Behavior Analyst Behavior-Change Procedures Questions and Answers

Question 1

A BCBA is teaching a client to wash their hands.
The BCBA provides reinforcement only after the client completes the final step of the task, drying their hands.
All preceding steps are prompted.
Which behavior-change procedure is the BCBA using?

Accepted Answer

Backward chaining

Answer

Forward chaining

Answer

Total task chaining

Answer

Shaping

Question 2

A client has a history of screaming to gain access to a preferred toy. The BCBA decides to reinforce the client for handing a picture card of the toy to an adult and ignores all instances of screaming. This is an example of which differential reinforcement procedure?

Accepted Answer

Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior (DRA)

Answer

Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior (DRO)

Answer

Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior (DRI)

Answer

Differential Reinforcement of Low Rates of Behavior (DRL)

Question 3

Which of the following is the primary distinction between shaping and chaining?

Accepted Answer

Shaping reinforces successive approximations of a single behavior, while chaining links a sequence of existing behaviors.

Answer

Shaping involves prompts, while chaining does not.

Answer

Chaining is used for complex behaviors, while shaping is for simple behaviors.

Answer

Chaining always teaches steps in a forward sequence, while shaping can teach steps in any order.

Question 4

A behavior analyst implements an extinction procedure for a client's attention-maintained disruptive behavior. Initially, the frequency and intensity of the disruptive behavior increase dramatically before starting to decrease. This temporary increase in the behavior is known as:

Accepted Answer

Extinction burst

Answer

Spontaneous recovery

Answer

Resurgence

Answer

Response generalization

Question 5

A BCBA is designing a token economy for a classroom setting. Which of the following is the MOST critical first step in this process?

Accepted Answer

Identifying and operationally defining the target behaviors.

Answer

Establishing the exchange rate for backup reinforcers.

Answer

Selecting the type of tokens to be used.

Answer

Creating a visual token board for the students.

Question 6

A client is learning to say the word "bubble." The behavior analyst first reinforces any vocalization, then reinforces "buh," then "buh-buh," and finally, only reinforces the full word "bubble." This process is best described as:

Accepted Answer

Shaping

Answer

Chaining

Answer

Modeling

Answer

Prompting