Behavior Analyst Practice Exam Demo

1. Kaden is learning how to play the French horn. Everyday that he practices his parents give him points which he can turn in for prizes (outings, video games, etc.) and praise. Eventually, they stop giving him praise, points or attention for his practice. Kaden's parents seek behavior therapy when Kaden's practice falls off dramatically. Most likely, a behavior analyst would discuss which with Kaden's parents?

How Kaden is showing an extinction burst

How to maintain behavioral contingencies

Behavioral contrast effects

Cultural beliefs around praise

Behavioral contingencies were in place and apparently working, but were not maintained. A behavior analyst would need to discuss how to keep these contingencies in place. This is also known as maintenance (response maintenance to be more precise). Contingencies may be changed or faded over time, but when given too little reinforcement, the desired behavior will tend to diminish. Mayer, et. al (2014, p. 200) put it this way, "When relapse occurs following successful treatment to reduce problem behavior, it is often attributed to inconsistent implementation of maintenance programs."
-An extinction burst is a temporary spike in target behavior placed on extinction and is not described here.
-Behavioral contrast concerns the increase or decrease in one alternating treatment schedule component as a result of changes in the other. That is, if behavior under treatment A goes up, there will be a decrease in behavior under treatment B.
-Cultural/philosophical beliefs do sometimes come into play, such as "He should just do it without being asked." However, Kaden's parents began the successful intervention with this plan and cultural beliefs seem to have little to do with this question.

Section K

Explanation

Behavioral contingencies were in place and apparently working, but were not maintained. A behavior analyst would need to discuss how to keep these contingencies in place. This is also known as maintenance (response maintenance to be more precise). Contingencies may be changed or faded over time, but when given too little reinforcement, the desired behavior will tend to diminish. Mayer, et. al (2014, p. 200) put it this way, "When relapse occurs following successful treatment to reduce problem behavior, it is often attributed to inconsistent implementation of maintenance programs."
-An extinction burst is a temporary spike in target behavior placed on extinction and is not described here.
-Behavioral contrast concerns the increase or decrease in one alternating treatment schedule component as a result of changes in the other. That is, if behavior under treatment A goes up, there will be a decrease in behavior under treatment B.
-Cultural/philosophical beliefs do sometimes come into play, such as "He should just do it without being asked." However, Kaden's parents began the successful intervention with this plan and cultural beliefs seem to have little to do with this question.

Section K

2. An indirect functional assessment might include all EXCEPT:

Collecting ABC data

Rating scales for the teacher or parent

Interviews

Checklists

Collecting ABC data would be direct assessment; the behavior would have to be observed.
-All the others are indirect measures (not directly observed). Section I

Explanation

Collecting ABC data would be direct assessment; the behavior would have to be observed.
-All the others are indirect measures (not directly observed). Section I

3. Miguel is often away from his desk. He gets up to go to the printer, the bathroom, the water cooler or to talk to co-workers. His boss would like Miguel to remain at his desk for longer periods of time. Which measurement would BEST be used to describe Miguel's behavior and to monitor progress during intervention?

Interresponse time (IRT)

Celeration

Response latency

Event recording

IRT would provide an indication of how long Miguel is able to sit in his seat between instances of "getting up." The question also lists sitting at his desk for longer periods of time as a goal, so duration would also be a good measure (but isn't listed).
-Celeration is a way to analyze data; not a type of measurement
-Latency is not indicated as we are not told of any stimulus or prompt from which to measure the time before a behavior begins.
-Event recording would provide information on the number of occurrences, rather than the duration between behaviors. It could easily be that the number of times that Miguel gets up remains the same throughout intervention, but that the time that he spends away from his desk could vary greatly. Section A

Explanation

IRT would provide an indication of how long Miguel is able to sit in his seat between instances of "getting up." The question also lists sitting at his desk for longer periods of time as a goal, so duration would also be a good measure (but isn't listed).
-Celeration is a way to analyze data; not a type of measurement
-Latency is not indicated as we are not told of any stimulus or prompt from which to measure the time before a behavior begins.
-Event recording would provide information on the number of occurrences, rather than the duration between behaviors. It could easily be that the number of times that Miguel gets up remains the same throughout intervention, but that the time that he spends away from his desk could vary greatly. Section A

4. Some advantages of multiple probe designs are all of the following, EXCEPT:

It is efficient

Only intermittent data is taken

It may provide information on response maintenance

It proves a functional relation

Multiple probe designs are not intended to show a functional relation. They are quick assessments of maintenance and can be completed across settings. See Mayer, et. al p.514-516 regarding multiple probe designs.
-Efficiency, testing of response maintenance, and the intermittent taking of data are advantages of multiple probe designs. Section B

Explanation

Multiple probe designs are not intended to show a functional relation. They are quick assessments of maintenance and can be completed across settings. See Mayer, et. al p.514-516 regarding multiple probe designs.
-Efficiency, testing of response maintenance, and the intermittent taking of data are advantages of multiple probe designs. Section B

5. Artifacts produced by measurement MOST likely occur when:

You have a naive observer(s)

Using continuous measurements

Using direct measurements

Using discontinuous measurements

Not all instances of behavior are detected with discontinuous measurement. An outcome may appear to exist when the data you've collected is not comprehensive. That is, the data you gather may not include everything that a person does when you record using discontinuous measurement. See Cooper, et. al p.694.
-A naive observer simply isn't informed of the purpose of measurement. So, they are not biased in collecting data.
-Using direct measures is the observation and recording of the target behavior (either continuously or using discontinuous measurement).
-Continuous measurement would be less likely to produce artifacts because you are recording all occurrences.
Section A

Explanation

Not all instances of behavior are detected with discontinuous measurement. An outcome may appear to exist when the data you've collected is not comprehensive. That is, the data you gather may not include everything that a person does when you record using discontinuous measurement. See Cooper, et. al p.694.
-A naive observer simply isn't informed of the purpose of measurement. So, they are not biased in collecting data.
-Using direct measures is the observation and recording of the target behavior (either continuously or using discontinuous measurement).
-Continuous measurement would be less likely to produce artifacts because you are recording all occurrences.
Section A