Deck 2: Basic Behavioral Principles and Strategies for Changing Behavior

Question 1

What is operant behavior?

A) Biologically based behavior
B) Learned behavior that is voluntary and nonreflexive
C) Cognitive behavior
D) Instructive responses, such as sneezing or breathing

Answer 1

B

Question 2

What are the specific aspects of an antecedent condition that evoke a specific behavior?

A) Discriminative stimuli
B) Natural reinforcement
C) Descriptive contexts
D) Voluntary exhibitions

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Students in Mrs. Reis's classroom have learned that it is time to stop talking and return to their seats when the lights are flipped off and then back on. This is an example of

A) stimulus control.
B) positive reinforcement.
C) operationally defined behavior.
D) co-opted behavior.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Considering whether two people observing a student would agree on whether a defined behavior is occurring is a good way to determine whether a behavior is sufficiently

A) reinforced.
B) targeted.
C) supported by antecedents.
D) operationalized.

Question 5

In addition to working to reduce or eliminate a challenging behavior, the child also must

A) want to change the challenging behavior and understand why doing so is important.
B) be able to verbalize the potential consequences, both positive and negative, of the challenging behavior.
C) be taught an appropriate alternative behavior that serves the same function or purpose.
D) choose an appropriate replacement behavior.

Question 6

What is a significant benefit to precisely describing target behaviors using observable, measurable terms?

A) Students will enjoy a greater sense of mastery more quickly.
B) Students with autism react more positively to this approach.
C) It allows discrimination between target behaviors and challenging behaviors.
D) It helps in accurately measuring progress.

Question 7

Order the following steps in measuring behavior. i. Determine a specific place and time when data collection will occur.
Ii) Determine which measurement system you will use.
Iii) Regularly graph the data so you can monitor the student's progress closely and adjust your approach as necessary.
Iv) Operationally define the target behavior.
V) If possible, measure behavior for three to five observation periods before you begin intervention.

A) iv., ii., i., v., iii.
B) ii., iv., i., iii., v.
C) iv., i., v., iii., ii.
D) v., ii., i., iii., iv.

Question 8

What should you do first before attempting to change a student's behavior?

A) Identify contextual elements that could be contributing to the problem.
B) Contact the student's parents about the behavior.
C) Ask the student if she is ready to change the behavior in question.
D) Determine whether positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement would be more successful.

Question 9

_______ are conditions that indirectly affect behavior by increasing or decreasing the power of a specific contingent consequence.

A) Contextual operations
B) Antecedents
C) Motivating operations
D) Stimulus controls

Question 10

When teaching new behaviors, you should

A) identify specific consequences to cue those behaviors.
B) identify specific antecedent components that should cue those behaviors.
C) ensure you have students' full cooperation.
D) do so early in the day to ensure students are alert.

Question 11

Event recording is an effective tool to measure behavior when your goal is to

A) encourage the student to discriminate between the SD and other stimuli and then fade.
B) increase or decrease the number of times a student exhibits a target behavior that does not occur at extremely high frequencies.
C) assess intervention effectiveness for a behavior that does not have a clearly observable beginning and end.
D) assess intervention effectiveness for a behavior that occurs over long periods of time.

Question 12

_______ is required for the correct use of reinforcement.

A) Duration recording
B) Systematic and contingent application
C) An effective secondary reinforcer
D) An environmental event that immediately precedes a certain behavior

Question 13

Most behaviors exhibited by students with autism are related to _______, that is, events in the environment that occur before the behavior is exhibited.

A) contingencies
B) operants
C) consequences
D) antecedents

Question 14

When is duration recording a better choice than event recording?

A) When your goal is to increase or decrease the number of times a student exhibits a behavior
B) When you have been able to operationally define the behavior and can graph it
C) When behaviors are restricted by the occurrence of an opportunity
D) When your goal is to increase or decrease the amount of time a student exhibits a behavior

Question 15

Order the following steps showing how to establish stimulus control. i. Teach the student to discriminate between the SD and other stimuli.
Ii) Determine what the SD will be.
Iii) Present the SD and prompt the desired response.
Iv) Fade.
V) Determine the desired target behavior.

A) i., iii., iv., v., ii.
B) v., iii., iv., ii., i.
C) i., iv., ii., v., iii.
D) v., ii., iii., i., iv.

Question 16

Specific voluntary, observable actions such as answering yes-no questions, solving math problems, and riding a bike are called

A) behaviors.
B) operant conditioners.
C) stimuli.
D) positive reinforcers.

Question 17

What is an example of a primary reinforcer?

A) Stickers
B) Playing a game
C) Pretzels
D) A hug

Question 18

ABA procedures can be successfully used to reduce challenging problem behaviors exhibited by a child with autism,

A) and they also are powerful teaching tools.
B) but they are not generally used in mainstream classrooms.
C) but they are not often used to increase a child's academic skills.
D) and they are most often used in primary grade classrooms.

Question 19

_______ are events in the environment that occur immediately after a given behavior occurs.

A) Contexts
B) Operants
C) Consequences
D) Antecedents

Question 20

Esme mentions to a colleague that behavior is contextual, but her colleague seems confused by her statement. What could Esme say to help explain what she means?

A) Children must understand the environment they are in before making decisions about behavior.
B) The environment must be explained to children before they can make the decision to reduce challenging behaviors.
C) Behavior is related to the environment in which it occurs.
D) Contextual elements are in every environment.

Question 21

The operant behavior of children with autism has a different governing mechanism than the behavior of children without autism.

Question 22

What three concepts are referred to as the three-term contingency?

Question 23

You know a predicted thunderstorm this afternoon is likely to result in your student Mario screaming and rocking. What strategies could you employ to reduce or eliminate Mario's screaming and rocking?

Question 24

Why is measuring behavior important? What are some behavior measurement techniques?

Question 25

Provide at least two examples of each of the following: academic behaviors, language behaviors, work or daily living behaviors, and self-help behaviors.

Question 26

How should you select reinforcers for a particular child?

Question 27

What are examples of contextual elements that are internal factors that influence a child's aversion to specific punishers or desire for specific reinforcers?

Question 28

Reinforcers should remain consistent as frequent changes lead to a sense of confusion in the classroom.

Question 29

Usually, antecedents occur in proximity to the behavior in question.

Question 30

Why do we say a student's behavior is contingent on the antecedent?