Oregon Registered Behavior Analysis Interventionist Competency Assessment Study Guide

Vocabulary flashcards covering ethical guidelines, foundational ABA principles, assessment tools, intervention implementation strategies, and data collection procedures for the RBAI Competency Assessment.

Protected Health Information (PHI)

Any medical, behavioral health diagnoses, clinical assessments, treatment progress notes, and testing results, as well as any information that individually identifies a client (e.g., name, DOB, address).

Dual Relationship

Occurs when a behavior technician has two or more types of relationships with a client or a member of their family, such as being both a friend and a caregiver.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

Scientific approach to understanding behavior that applies interventions to improve socially significant behaviors based on data and environmental variables.

Behavior

Any observable and measurable action of a living organism, including everything an individual does that can be seen, heard, or otherwise measured.

Operational Definition of Aggression

Any instance in which the individual physically strikes, hits, kicks, or otherwise uses force against a peer, resulting in observable physical contact or forceful impact.

Operational Definition of Self-Injurious Behavior

Any instance in which the individual engages in self-directed physical actions that result in observable harm or injury, such as hitting one's head with closed fists, biting one's hand, or banging one's head against a hard surface.

Operational Definition of Independent Transitions

The student independently initiates and completes a transition from one activity to another within $30$\,seconds without prompting or assistance.

Stimulus Control Transfer

Gradually fading specific prompts or cues so that a behavior occurs in response to a more natural or desired discriminative stimulus ($S^D$).

Attention Function

A function of behavior where the response occurs to gain social interaction or attention from others.

Escape Function

A function of behavior where the response serves to avoid or escape an unwanted task, demand, or situation.

Tangible (Access) Function

A function of behavior where the response occurs to gain access to a desired object, activity, or outcome.

Automatic (Sensory) Function

A function of behavior that is self-stimulating and provides its own reinforcement, independent of the social environment.

ABC Data

Data collected on Antecedent, Behavior, and Consequence during a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) to help identify patterns and determine behavior function.

Single Stimulus Preference Assessment

A preference assessment where one item is presented at a time, and the individual's reaction (approach or rejection) is observed and recorded.

Paired Choice Preference Assessment

A preference assessment where two items are presented at a time, and the individual must choose one.

Multiple Stimulus Without Replacement (MSWO)

A preference assessment where several items are presented at once; when the individual selects one, it is removed and the remaining items are presented again.

Continuous Reinforcement (CRF)

A reinforcement schedule where every correct response is reinforced.

Intermittent Reinforcement (INT)

A reinforcement schedule where responses are reinforced on a variable or fixed schedule.

Antecedent Interventions

Proactive techniques used to prevent interfering behavior by modifying the environment or events that occur before the behavior.

Non-Contingent Reinforcement (NCR)

Delivering preferred items or attention on a fixed schedule, regardless of the individual's behavior.

Behavior Momentum

Also known as a high-probability request sequence; starting with a series of easy, likely-to-be-followed instructions before giving a more challenging request.

Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior (DRA)

Procedure where an appropriate alternative behavior is reinforced while the problem behavior is ignored or unreinforced.

Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior (DRO)

Procedure where reinforcement is delivered for the complete absence of problem behavior for a specified amount of time.

Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behavior (DRI)

Procedure where a behavior that is physically incompatible with the problem behavior is reinforced.

Extinction

Occurs when a previously reinforced behavior no longer receives reinforcement, leading to a decrease in that behavior over time.

Positive Punishment

Adding an unpleasant or undesirable stimulus immediately after a behavior to decrease the likelihood of that behavior happening again.

Negative Punishment

Removing a desirable stimulus immediately after a behavior to decrease the likelihood of that behavior in the future.

Generalization

When a behavior learned in one situation occurs in other environments, with different people, materials, or under different conditions.

Maintenance

When a learned behavior continues over time after teaching has stopped or been reduced.

Shaping

Reinforcing successive approximations toward a target behavior.

Forward Chaining

A chaining sequence where the learner is taught the first step in a task analysis first; once mastered, they learn the second step, then the third, in sequential order.

Backward Chaining

A chaining sequence where the learner is taught the last step of the task analysis first, working backwards through the sequence as steps are mastered.

Most-to-Least Prompting (MTL)

Starting with the most supportive prompt and gradually fading to less intrusive prompts as the learner becomes more independent.

Least-to-Most Prompting (LTM)

Giving the learner a chance to respond independently first, then increasing the prompting level if they do not respond or respond incorrectly.

Prompt Fading

The gradual removal of prompts as the learner begins to perform the skill more independently, transferring control to natural cues.

Discrete Trial Training (DTT)

Breaking down skills into small, teachable steps and teaching each step one at a time through repeated trials using a structured sequence.

Natural Environment Teaching (NET)

A teaching strategy where skills are taught in the learner's everyday environment during naturally occurring activities, with functionally related reinforcement.

Frequency

A continuous measurement recording the count or total number of times a behavior happens.

Duration

A continuous measurement recording the total amount of time a behavior lasts.

Latency

A continuous measurement recording the time between an instruction and the initiation of a response.

Interresponse Time (IRT)

A continuous measurement recording the amount of time between two consecutive instances of the same behavior.

Partial Interval Recording

A discontinuous measurement method recording whether a behavior occurred at any point during an interval.

Whole Interval Recording

A discontinuous measurement method recording whether a behavior occurred throughout the entire duration of an interval.

Momentary Time Sampling

A discontinuous measurement method recording whether a behavior occurs at a specific moment—right at the end of a predetermined interval.

Permanent Product

A data collection method in which behavior is measured after the fact by assessing the lasting physical result or product of the behavior.