ABA Final Exam

Parsimony

The idea that simple, logical explanations must be ruled out, experimentally or conceptually, before more complex or abstract explanations.

Determinism

Scientists presume that the universe, or at least the part of it they intend to probe with the methods of science, is a lawful and orderly place in which all phenomena occur as the result of other events. In other words, things happen for a reason.

Replication

The repetition of experiments to determine the reliability and usefulness of findings and the repetition of independent variables within experiments.

Empiricism

What all scientific knowledge is built upon; the practice of objective observation.

Philosophic Doubt 

The continuous questioning of the truthfulness and validity of all scientific theory and knowledge.

Experimentation 

The basic strategy of most science. Controlled comparison of some measure of the phenomena (dependent variable) under two or more different conditions in which only one factor at a time (independent variable) differs from one condition to the next.

Effective

Improves behavior sufficiently to produce practical results for the client.

Technological

The written description of all procedures used in the study is sufficiently complete and detailed to enable others to replicate.

Applied

Investigates socially significant behaviors with immediate importance to the subject.

Behavioral

Entails precise measurement of the observable behavior in need of improvement and documents that it was the subject's behavior that changed.

Analytic

Demonstrates experimental control over the occurrence and nonoccurrence o f

the behavior; a functional relation is demonstrated.

Generality

Produces behavior changes that last over time, appear in other environments,

or spreads to other behaviors.

Conceptually Systematic

Behavior change interventions are derived from basic principles of behavior.

Behavior analysts analyze behavior by making inferences about behavior

based on what their clients tell them about the behavior.

False

Applied behavior analysis i s not a type of psychotherapy.

True

Rather than focus on theories of behavior, and other similar concepts,

behavior analysis i s data based.

True

The primary job of Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts

(BCaBA) and Registered Behavior Technicians (RBT is to work directly

with clients.

True

The overarching purpose o f applied behavior analysis, as a field of study,

is to concentrate on socially important behaviors.

True

Applied behavior analysis is both a science and a form of therapy.

True

A good behavioral definition requires you to make inferences about

internal states or motivation of the individual.

False

Behavior analysis places emphasis on current environmental events as

important causes of behavior.

True

Behavior analytic treatments can be implemented by people in everyday

life.

True

Behavior analysis emphasizes hypothetical underlying causes of behavior.

False

Behavior analysts search for the maintaining variables ("the cause") of

behavior in the environment.

True

Evidence-based treatments are treatments that have been proven effective in scientific studies and clinical practice including consumer preference.

True

The best predictor of future behavior i s past behavior.

True

"Some Current Dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis" is the most

widely cited study in ABA

True

The philosophy of behavior described by Skinner is referred to a s radical

behaviorism.

True

Behavior observed and recorded by another individual.

B. Overt

Walking through the parking lot to get to your car.

B. Overt

Writing your answers to these test questions.

B. Overt

Behavior that is labeled a "private event" and cannot be observed by others.

A. Covert

Running laps on an indoor track.

B. Overt

Thinking about what you will eat for lunch.

A. Covert

Feeling confident about your answers to test questions.

A. Covert

Behavior is defined as …

B. what a person says and does.

Which two events marked the formal beginnings of ABA?

A. The formation of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and the publication of "Some Current Dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis"

Who is/are considered the founder(s) of the experimental analysis of behavior (EAB)?

A. Skinner

Mary's parents are trying to figure out why she constantly screams at her sister. The process of trying to identify the functional relationship between a behavior and the environment is referred

to as:

B. analysis

In applied behavior analysis, measurement of behavior is taken …

D. All of these

Behavior analysis is the field of psychology concerned with the _____

and _____ of human behavior.

C. analysis, modification

The philosophy of the science of behavior is referred to as …

B. Behaviorism

In applied behavior analysis, the people who develop behavior modification plans and analyze the data are generally …

D. Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAS)

12. List three areas of application (i.e., areas of work) where behavior analytic principles have been applied.

• RBTs, BCBAs, BCaBAs

• Education, parent training, business, etc.

Who is/are considered the founders) of applied behavior analysis (ABA)?

Wolf, Baer, and Risley.

Wolf (1978) introduced the term social validity to describe the social significance of ____, ____, and ____

in behavior analytic research and practice.

Goals; procedures; results

List four dimensions of behavior that can be measure (and were discussed in Ch. 1) and describe a behavior that could b e measured with each dimension.

• Frequency ➡ how many times someone speaks every 5 minutes

• Duration ➡ how long someone takes to answer a question from start to finish

• Latency ➡ how long it takes someone start a task after a timer goes off

• Intensity ➡ how much force someone uses to hit a buzzer

List the three primary branches of behavior analysis:

• Behaviorism

• EAB

• ABA

A runner records how many minutes she jogs each evening.

Duration

A fitness trainer measures changes in a client's waist size across the semester.

Permanent product

A soccer coach counts every goal scored by a player during practice.

Frequency

Parents begin tracking how loud their child yells when told "no."

Intensity

Checking at the end of each minute to see i f the student is reading versus daydreaming.

Time sample recording

A track coach records the number o f seconds between the starting gum and the athlete's first stride off the blocks

Latency

A baseball player records the force with which he hits the ball.

Intensity

Recording how long it takes an athlete to begin stretching after the coach gives the signal.

Latency

What is involved in determining the logistics of recording?

D. all of these

A researcher cannot observe aggression in a child's home, so they set up a playroom that resembles the child's living room. This is an example of a ___ setting.

C. analogue

A teacher checks the number of spelling words correctly written on a worksheet to

assess learning. The teacher is using ____ recording.

D. permanent product

Which of the following can be used as a recording instrument?

D. all of these

An observation period i s broken into 10-second segments. The observer marks whether the child's target behavior occurred at least once in each segment. This is called:

C. interval recording

The horizontal axis (x-axis) on a graph is used to record:

A. time

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of an A-B design?

It demonstrates a functional relationship

Before using a reversal design, one must ask:

D. all of these

In an A-B-A-B design, B refers to ___

and A refers to ___.

C. treatment; baseline

A critical feature of a multiple-baseline design is that:

C. A and B

In an ___ research design, baseline and treatment conditions are conducted in a rapid succession and compared to each other.

D. alternating treatments

The research design that adjusts the required performance up or down in gradual steps is called:

C. changing criterion

Another name for a reversal design is a(n) …

a) A-B-A-B design

Another name for an alternating treatments design is a(n)

D. multielement design

One advantage o f a multiple baseline design is that:

B. It does not require a reversal to demonstrate experimental control

A parent records each time a child refuses to pick up toys as it happens.

A. Direct

At the end of the day, a caregiver writes down how many tantrums occurred that day.

B. Indirect

On a survey, a teenager reports how often she yells at her sibling.

B. Indirect

A psychologist tallies each time a client interrupts during a counseling session.

A. Direct

A teacher observes and immediately records when a student blurts out answers.

A. Direct

The child's nail biting usually occurs in his bedroom. The bedroom is an analogue setting.

False

The units of behavior are shown on the y-axis of a graph.

True

Each plotted data point reflects the level of behavior at one moment in time.

True

IOA must be 100% to be acceptable.

False

Data points are not connected across phase-change lines.

True

Replication in single-subject research i s not necessary to show a functional relation (i.e., experimental control).

False

A disadvantage of the changing criterion design is that it requires control over both the direction and level of behavior change

True

Behavior analysts avoid labels and look for measurable aspects of behavior.

True

In single-subject research, behavior is measure across conditions for one or a few individuals.

True

When two observers record the same behavior during the session and compare, it's called interobserver agreement.

True

A child only completes math problems when the teacher is watching. This illustrates reactivity.

True

To decide whether an intervention caused a change in behavior, we need to compare the behavior in the ___ phase to the behavior in the ___ phase.

Baseline; treatment

In ABA, the main tool used for displaying behavior change is a ___.

Graph

List three types of multiple baseline graphs.

• multiple baseline across participants

• across settings

• across behaviors

An intervention can affect a behavior's ___, ___, and ___. Therefore, these factors must be evaluated when interpreting treatment results.

Level; trend; variability

Describe the difference between whole-interval and partial-interVal recording.

• Whole-interval: behavior is scored if it occurs throughout the event

• Partial-interval: behavior is scored if it occurs at any point in the interval

1) B. Vertical axis (y-axis)

2) G. Phase label

3) E. Phase-change labels

4) D. Data path

5) C. Data point

6) F. Axis labels

7) A. Horizontal axis (x-axis)

C. A-B

D. Changing criterion

E. Alternating treatments

B. Reversal A-B-A-B

A. Multiple baseline

Which of the following processes increase the likelihood of a behavior occurring again?

E. A and C