Question 1

Which of the following is true about a unit of analysis?

Accepted Answer

A unit of analysis refers to the entity or phenomenon that is being studied in a research project. Depending on the focus of the project, different units of analysis may be chosen. For example, in a study on the effectiveness of a new medication, the unit of analysis could be the individual patient or the aggregate data of all patients in the trial. Therefore, option B is the correct choice. The other options are incorrect: A is incorrect because a project may have multiple units of analysis; C is incorrect because a unit of analysis may also be described in conceptual or abstract terms; and D is incorrect because the unit of analysis is usually chosen before the data collection begins.

Question 2

Katie wants to decrease her behavior of swearing. She arranges a contingency in which she will pay ten dollars to her parents every day that she swears. In this example, what is the unit of analysis?

Accepted Answer

The unit of analysis in this scenario is Katie's swearing behavior, as that is the focus of the contingency being implemented. The other factors (how much money she pays her parents, her rate of swearing, and how many times she swears) are all secondary to the primary goal of decreasing her swearing behavior.

Question 3

A track coach records how long (in seconds) it takes a sprinter to run 100 meters. In this example, what is the unit of measurement?

Accepted Answer

The unit of measurement is described as "the number of seconds it takes to run 100 meters," which directly corresponds to how the measurement is defined in the scenario.

Question 4

Jesslyn is a 5-year-old little girl who is just learning how to read. She is working with her teacher on letter-sound correspondences, blending sounds, sounding out words, and saying them at a normal pace. In this example, what is the response class?

Accepted Answer

The response class in this example is Jesslyn's reading behavior, which includes her ability to recognize letter-sound correspondences, blend sounds, sound out words, and say them at a normal pace. This is a broad category of behaviors that all contribute to her overall reading ability. The other choices (A, B, and D) are too specific or not relevant to the example.

Question 5

A response class is a meaningful grouping of responses that

Accepted Answer

A response class is defined by responses that have the same kind of outcomes influencing them, meaning they are affected or reinforced by similar consequences.

Question 6

All definitions of behavior are based on:

Accepted Answer

Behavior can be defined by either its appearance (form) or its function (impact on the environment), making both aspects crucial in understanding behavior comprehensively.

Question 7

Your high school baseball coach is working with you on becoming a better hitter. He decides to keep track of how many "good swings" you make during a game. He defines a "good swing" as a swing that results in you getting on base. In this example, the coach is using what kind of definition?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Your high school baseball coach is working...

Question 8

You are working with a young child with autism to teaching him how to request a glass of water. You define the child's requesting-water behavior as any time the child says "Water, please." In this example, what kind of definition is being used?

Accepted Answer

The definition is topographical because it specifies the exact form of the behavior (saying "Water, please.") without regard to the function or purpose of the behavior.

Question 9

Which of the following must be considered when selecting a response class that meets the general needs of the experiment?

Accepted Answer

It is important to consider how sensitive the response class is to extraneous factors in order to select a response class that accurately reflects the intended behavior being studied. The other options (B, C, D) are not directly relevant to the selection of a response class that meets the general needs of the experiment.

Question 10

The first step in developing a functional definition is:

Accepted Answer

The answer of The first step in developing a functional...

Question 11

Which of the following is true about a movement cycle?

Accepted Answer

The underlying assumption of a movement cycle is that behavior cannot occur when already occurring.

Question 12

How are practitioners in a different situation than researchers when selecting target behaviors?

Accepted Answer

Practitioners must select target behaviors that have clinical significance, meaning the behavior change should have a meaningful impact on the individual's life or well-being.

Question 13

A meaningful behavior definition depends on _______.

Accepted Answer

A meaningful behavior definition depends on what features of behavior are included (such as frequency or duration), the focus of the question (such as measuring a behavior before and after a treatment), and the nature of the treatment and control conditions (such as comparing behavior under different conditions or with different stimuli). All three of these factors need to be considered for a behavior definition to be meaningful.

Question 14

All of the following are ways of adding a temporal requirement to a response class definition, except:

Accepted Answer

Adding a requirement for the number of times that a behavior must occur within a specific time period does not add a temporal requirement to a response class definition in terms of specifying the timing of the behavior itself, but rather specifies a frequency requirement.

Question 15

Billy and his older brother, Alex, get into an argument over who is going to get to play the video game next. Alex becomes angry at Billy and starts yelling and punching him, leaving bruises on Billy's arm. In this example, what is the response product?

Accepted Answer

The response product is the tangible result of the behavior, which in this case is the bruises on Billy's arm caused by Alex's punching. Therefore, option D is the correct choice.

Question 16

Response products can be a useful way of specifying a response class. However, there are three possible problems that can complicate interpreting the resulting data, including:

Accepted Answer

The three possible problems are: determining authorship, no contact with the topography of the response, and assuming one-to-one correspondence. These issues complicate interpreting data because it's hard to identify who made the response, the response's form or manner is not directly observed, and there's an incorrect assumption that each response product corresponds to a single type of behavior.

Question 17

A teacher implements a classroom management plan and it is followed by an increase in sound level data from students in second grade. In this example, how are the students contributing to some "group" outcome?

Accepted Answer

The answer of A teacher implements a classroom management plan...

Question 18

What risk does the researcher need to be concerned with if their response class is too "large?"

Accepted Answer

If the response class is too large, it may prevent the discovery of important sources of variability, making it difficult to identify specific factors that are influencing the dependent variable. This can ultimately limit the accuracy and relevance of the research findings.

Question 19

Developing a topographical definition involves carefully describing:

Accepted Answer

Developing a topographical definition involves carefully describing the limits of form that responses must show in order to be measured. The other answer choices (A, B, and C) are important considerations in behavior analysis, but they are not directly related to developing a topographical definition.

Question 20

When might response product definitions be helpful?

Accepted Answer

Response product definitions may be helpful when real-time observation is not feasible, such as in cases where the behavior occurs in a remote location or during a time when observation is not possible. Response product definitions rely on the outcomes or products of the behavior instead of directly observing the behavior itself, making it a useful alternative in these situations.

Quiz 4: Selecting and Defining Target Behaviors