ABA Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. What is the primary purpose of interobserver agreement in behavioral measurement?
To assess whether independent observers recorded behavior consistently
To show that the intervention caused the measured behavior change
To determine whether participants prefer one observer over another
To replace operational definitions with professional judgment
2. What can be concluded when an item ranks highly in a preference assessment?
The item is automatically a reinforcer for every task and setting
The item may function as a reinforcer, but its effect must be confirmed by whether it increases behavior
The item should replace social reinforcement whenever possible
The item will reduce behavior if delivered immediately afterward
3. Which statement most accurately distinguishes informed consent from assent in ABA services?
Consent and assent are interchangeable names for the same legal document
Assent applies only to adults who can independently provide legal consent
Once a guardian consents, the recipient's willingness is no longer relevant
Consent is formal authorization, while assent reflects the recipient's ongoing willingness when that person cannot legally provide consent
4. A practitioner initially points to the correct picture, then makes the pointing gesture smaller across trials until the learner responds to the spoken instruction alone. What is this gradual change called?
Prompt fading
Task analysis
Response blocking
Stimulus satiation
5. A driver fastens the seat belt to stop the car's warning sound and becomes quicker to buckle up on later trips. This is an example of:
Negative reinforcement
Negative punishment
Positive reinforcement
Response generalization
6. A teacher says, “Begin the worksheet.” The student asks for a break, and the worksheet is removed. In this sequence, what is the antecedent to the break request?
The student's request for a break
The teacher's instruction to begin the worksheet
The removal of the worksheet
The student's future likelihood of requesting a break
7. A student loses one earned token after interrupting, and interruptions subsequently decrease. How is this consequence classified?
Positive punishment
Positive reinforcement
Negative punishment
Negative reinforcement
8. Which is the most operational definition of “leaves the seat”?
The student becomes restless during lessons
The student avoids participating appropriately
The student's buttocks are no longer in contact with the chair for at least three seconds during instruction
The student gets out of the seat too often
9. After skipping lunch, food becomes more valuable and food-seeking becomes more likely. In ABA terminology, skipping lunch is functioning as:
A discriminative stimulus
A conditioned reinforcer
An abolishing operation
An establishing operation
10. Which statement best describes applied behavior analysis (ABA)?
A diagnostic process that classifies behavior according to personality type
A counseling method centered mainly on interpreting unconscious conflicts
A standardized curriculum used to teach the same skills in a fixed order
A systematic approach that uses principles of behavior to understand and improve socially meaningful behavior
11. A planned intervention stops providing attention after a previously attention-maintained behavior, while appropriate attention-seeking is taught and reinforced. Which procedure targets the old behavior?
Extinction
Stimulus discrimination training
Differential reinforcement
Response cost
12. Work refusal often occurs after difficult assignments and is followed by removal of the work. Before selecting an intervention, what is the most function-based step?
Choose a stronger reward without changing the assignment
Apply the same consequence every time refusal occurs
Assess whether escaping difficult work is maintaining the refusal and design support around that function
Increase task demands to test whether refusal continues
13. A child is learning to say “water.” At first, “wa” is reinforced; later, reinforcement is reserved for “wata” and then for “water.” Which procedure is being used?
Chaining
Shaping
Modeling
Overcorrection
14. After learning to pay one cashier at a practice counter, a learner successfully pays different cashiers in several stores. This most clearly demonstrates:
Maintenance
Response generalization
Stimulus generalization
Stimulus discrimination
15. Each time Maya puts away her art supplies, her teacher gives her a token. Maya begins putting the supplies away more often. What process is illustrated?
Negative reinforcement, because an unpleasant task was removed
Positive reinforcement, because a token was added and the behavior increased
Positive punishment, because a consequence followed the behavior
Extinction, because the behavior no longer produced its former outcome
16. An observer wants to record how many times a student raises a hand during a 30-minute lesson. Which measurement is the most direct fit?
Momentary time sampling
Duration recording
Latency recording
Frequency, or event recording