RBT Study Guide

ABC

Antecedent - behavior - consequence. Also known as the 3-term contingency.

Abolishing Operation

Can decrease reinforcer effectiveness, usually associated with satiation.

Acquisition

A target that is in the process of being taught, not yet a known skill.

Antecedent Interventions

Recognizing environmental factors contributing to problematic behavior and making necessary changes to promote appropriate behavior and reduce triggers.

Backward Chaining

Teaching skill steps from the last to the first, prompting all steps before the one being taught, and reinforcing after each step and at the end.

Behavior Intervention Plan

Used after determining the function of behavior, includes antecedent strategies, response to maladaptive behavior, teaching replacement behavior, and interventions.

Behavior Skills Training

Consists of instruction, modeling, behavioral rehearsal, and feedback to teach new behaviors or skills.

Behavior

Anything observable and measurable that a person does. Includes 4 functions: automatic/sensory, escape, attention, and access.

Chaining

Teaching multi-step skills by linking separate steps together through task analysis.

Consequence

Something that follows a behavior.

Continuous Measurement

Records every occurrence of a behavior using metrics like frequency, duration, rate, and per opportunity.

Continuous reinforcement

Reinforcing the target behavior after every occurrence.

Deprivation

Not having something often enough, increasing its effectiveness as a reinforcer.

Differential Reinforcement (3 Types)

Procedure reinforcing one behavior while extinguishing others. Includes DRI, DRA, and DRO.

Discontinuous Measurement

Measures some instances of behavior but not all, associated with partial and whole interval recording and momentary time sampling.

Discrete Trial

Learning opportunity controlled by the teacher, breaking a skill into smaller parts and teaching with reinforcement.

Discrimination Training

Reinforcing behavior in the presence of one stimulus and extinguishing it in the presence of another.

Discriminative Stimulus (Sd)

A cue signaling reinforcement availability upon a specific response.

Dual Relationship

When multiple roles exist between a therapist and a parent or client.

Duration

The amount of time someone engages in a behavior.

Echoic

Verbal imitation; repeating what is heard.

Error Correction

Procedure for correcting mistakes during learning.

Errorless Teaching

Prompting the correct response immediately to prevent errors.

Establishing Operation

Increases the effectiveness of a stimulus, often associated with deprivation.

Ethics

Must follow the BACB's code of ethics to maintain certification and employment.

Expressive Language

The ability to communicate thoughts, wants, and needs through speech.

Extinction

Withholding reinforcement to reduce a previously reinforced behavior.

Extinction Burst

Increase in behavior frequency/intensity at the start of extinction.

Fixed Interval (FI)

Reinforcement schedule based on time intervals.

Fixed Ratio (FR)

Reinforcement schedule based on response count.

Forward Chaining

Teaching skill steps from the first to the last, reinforcing after each step and at the end.

Frequency

The count or amount of times a behavior occurs.

Functional Behavioral Assessment

Process to determine the function of behavior and create interventions based on that function.

Functional Relationship

How a person's behaviors affect the environment and vice versa.

Generalization

Behavior occurring outside the learning environment across settings, time, and people.

HIPAA

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act providing protection for individual health information.

Imitation

Copying someone's motor movements.

Incidental Teaching

Teaching technique in natural environments to promote learning incidents.

Instructional Control

Developing a history of reinforcing compliance by placing task demands and instructions following pairing.

Intermittent Reinforcement

A schedule of reinforcing some but not all desirable behavior.

Inter-Response Time

The time between two responses given.

Intraverbal

Building blocks to conversation skills, discussing, describing, or answering questions about something not physically present.

Latency

The time between when the Sd is presented and the response is given.

Listener Responding

Following a direction given, a receptive language goal.

Listener Responding Feature Function Class (LRFFC)

Used to receptively find an object when given the feature, function, or class of that item.

Magnitude

The force or intensity with which a response is emitted.

Maintenance

The ability to demonstrate previously acquired skills over time and durations when reinforcement has been faded.

Mand

Asking for something; a request that has motivation.

Measurement

Collecting data on various skills or behaviors.

Momentary Time Sample

Looking for a behavior's occurrence during a specific part of the interval and recording if it is occurring at that precise moment.

Motivating Operation

A change in the environment that increases or decreases the effectiveness of a given reinforcer.

Natural Environment Teaching

When the learner initiates a learning opportunity and the reinforcer is a result of the activity or learning opportunity.

Negative Reinforcement

Removing a stimulus to increase/strengthen a behavior.

Operational Definition

Measurable, objective, and observable definitions of behavior.

Pairing

Establishing yourself as a reinforcer while building a positive relationship.

Partial Interval Recording

Checking off an interval if the behavior occurs at any point within the interval.

Permanent Product

Tangible product or environmental outcome that proves a skill.

Positive Reinforcement

Adding a stimulus to strengthen/increase behavior.

Preference Assessment

Assessment to determine what a child is motivated by.

Primary Reinforcer (unconditioned)

Items or activities that are naturally reinforcing.

Principles of Reinforcement

DISC: Deprivation, Immediacy, Size, Contingency.

Prompt

A form of assistance added to achieve a desired response or behavior.

Prompt Hierarchy

Levels of prompts used from greatest to least or least to greatest.

Prompt Fading

Gradually removing prompt levels needed or fading out the intrusiveness.

Punishment

Anything added or removed after a behavior that decreases it.

Rate

Ratio of count per observation time.

Reactive Strategies

Techniques used in an emergency or crisis situation to gain control of dangerous behaviors.

Receptive Language

Listener behavior requiring non-vocal actions such as touch, imitation, or pointing.

Reinforcement

Anything added or removed after a behavior that makes it less likely to happen again.

Replacement Behavior

A behavior intended to replace an unwanted target behavior.

Response Prompt

Any prompt used in expressive or receptive language to evoke a correct response.

Role of the RBT

Program implementation, data collection, communication, and working directly with BCBA.

Satiation

When a reinforcer loses its effectiveness due to overuse.

Secondary Reinforcer (conditioned)

Items or activities that acquire reinforcing properties when paired with primary reinforcers.

Setting Events

The context or circumstance in which an environment-behavior relationship occurs.

Shaping

Reinforcing gradual changes in behavior to resemble the target behavior.

Skill Acquisition

Developing new skills, habits, or qualities.

Spontaneous Recovery

The reappearance of extinguished behavior after a period without reinforcement.

Stimulus

Anything that elicits a response followed by a consequence.

Stimulus Control

Precedes behavior but affects the outcome, influencing behavior.

Stimulus Control Transfer

Removing prompts to bring behavior under the control of the Sd.

Stimulus Prompt

Stimuli used to help evoke a correct response.

Tact

A form of verbal behavior where the speaker comments on something seen, heard, smelled, tasted.

Task Analysis

Breaking a skill down into smaller, more manageable components.

Token Economy

A method used to reinforce the frequency of a target behavior.

Topography

The physical form or shape of a behavior.

Total Task Chaining

Teaching behavior chain steps all at once, reinforcing independence and at the end of the task.

Variable Interval

Schedule of reinforcement for a variable amount of time.

Variable Ratio

Schedule of reinforcement for a variable amount of responses.

Whole Interval Recording

Checking off an interval if the behavior occurs within the entirety of the interval.