Question 1

An advantage of multiple-baseline designs over the ABAB design is that the former does not require a reversal to baseline conditions.

Accepted Answer

In multiple-baseline designs, there is no need to reverse back to baseline conditions as the baseline was established across multiple settings or individuals. This makes multiple-baseline designs more practical for ethical or logistical reasons, as well as allowing for the assessment of longer-term effects.

Question 2

Carefully observing the antecedent and immediate consequences of a problem behavior in its natural settings is referred to as a(n):

Accepted Answer

The answer of Carefully observing the antecedent and immediate consequences...

Question 3

The broadly inclusive assessment approach of including medical and nutritional information along with behavioral assessments is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Behavioral diagnostics is an approach that includes medical, nutritional, and behavioral assessments to understand and address behavioral issues comprehensively.

Question 4

A developmentally disabled child frequently scratches herself when smiling, when upset, when interacting with others, when alone, and whether or not demands are placed on her.But when she is required to wear thin rubber gloves throughout the day, scratching gradually decreases to zero.The principle or procedure responsible for her improvement might best be described as:

Accepted Answer

The principle responsible for the improvement is operant extinction. By wearing gloves, the child's scratching behavior no longer produces the previous consequence (such as sensory feedback), leading to a decrease in the behavior. This is an example of operant extinction, where a behavior decreases because it is no longer reinforced.

Question 5

Just before displaying a particular problem behavior, a developmentally disabled child typically looks at a caregiver and smiles.These indicators suggest that the problem behavior is maintained by:

Accepted Answer

The child is looking at the caregiver and smiling just before displaying the problem behavior, indicating that they are seeking attention from the caregiver. This suggests that the problem behavior is maintained by the positive reinforcement of attention from others. Self-stimulation, external sensory positive reinforcement, and escape from demands are not supported by the given information.

Question 6

It is possible to use the alternating treatments design to study topographically different forms of the behavior.

Accepted Answer

The alternating treatments design is a research design that allows for the comparison of the effects of two or more treatments on a behavior. It can be used to study topographically different forms of the behavior by alternating between the different forms during the treatment phases. By doing so, researchers can compare the effects of the different forms of the behavior on the dependent variable.

Question 7

Each time that training staff place demands on a nonverbal developmentally disabled child, the child throws a tantrum and the staff "back off." In this example, the child's tantruming is likely being maintained by:

Accepted Answer

In this scenario, the child throws tantrums in response to demands placed by the training staff, and the staff back off. This suggests that the child's tantruming behavior is being reinforced by escaping or avoiding the demand, which is an example of escape conditioning.

Question 8

Which of the following is not commonly used in behavior modification research?

Accepted Answer

Control group design is commonly used in behavior modification research. It is important to have a control group to compare the effectiveness of the treatment being studied. The other three options (reversal-replication design, multiple-baseline design across subjects, and multiple-baseline design across behaviors) are all commonly used designs in behavior modification research as well.

Question 9

When a teacher is concerned with decreasing a student's undesirable finger snapping behavior in class, she/he should first identify the IQ of the student.

Accepted Answer

The IQ of the student is not relevant to the behavior of finger snapping in class. The teacher should instead look for possible reasons behind the behavior, such as boredom or a need for stimulation, and find alternative ways to engage the student.

Question 10

It is important to consider the causes of undesirable behavior because it may lead one to appropriately conclude that other specialists should deal with the problem.

Accepted Answer

Understanding the causes of undesirable behavior can help identify the appropriate specialist or professional to address the problem. For example, if the behavior is linked to a mental health condition, a psychiatrist or counselor may be needed, while if it is linked to a learning disability, an educational specialist may be more appropriate to address the issue.

Question 11

A problem behavior consistently occurs in a certain situation or in the presence of certain stimuli, and is never followed by any clearly identifiable consequence.These are indicators that the problem behavior is:

Accepted Answer

An elicited respondent behavior is one that occurs in response to specific stimuli without a clear consequence following it, indicating it is reflexive or automatic in nature rather than being maintained by reinforcement or escape contingencies.

Question 12

A limitation of the multiple-baseline across situations design is that the subjects may influence each other prior to treatment.

Accepted Answer

The multiple-baseline across situations design involves applying the intervention to the same subject in different settings or situations, rather than to different subjects, thus minimizing the chances of subjects influencing each other prior to treatment.

Question 13

A developmentally disabled child frequently shows a problem behavior even though it has no apparent effect on other individuals or the external environment.This is an indicator that the problem behavior is maintained by:

Accepted Answer

The fact that the problem behavior has no apparent effect on other individuals or the external environment suggests that the behavior is not being maintained by attention from others or escape from demands. Additionally, the lack of external effects also suggests that external sensory reinforcement is not a factor. Therefore, it is most likely that the problem behavior is maintained by internal sensory reinforcement.

Question 14

Which of the following is not one of the reasons that single-case designs are more popular than control group designs among behavior modifiers?

Accepted Answer

Single-case designs are not based on assumptions about the distribution of the dependent variable in the population. Instead, they focus on the individual's performance over time and the effects of the intervention. The other options are all reasons why single-case designs are more popular among behavior modifiers.

Question 15

A developmentally disabled child frequently shows a problem behavior that produces an effect on the external environment, and that appears undiminished even though there are no apparent social consequences.These are indicators that the problem behavior is maintained by:

Accepted Answer

The behavior is maintained by external sensory positive reinforcement because it affects the external environment and persists without social consequences, indicating that the behavior itself produces a reinforcing sensory effect.

Question 16

A nonverbal child who repeatedly removes her shoes because they squeeze her toes too tightly is being influenced by:

Accepted Answer

The child removes her shoes to alleviate discomfort, which is a form of nonsocial negative reinforcement, as the behavior is reinforced by the removal of an unpleasant stimulus (tight shoes).

Question 17

At a restaurant, a child asks his parents for an extra dessert.The parents say no.The child begins to cry, and the parents then buy the child the extra dessert.In this instance, the child's crying behavior has been influenced by:

Accepted Answer

The parents buying the extra dessert after the child cries is an example of external positive reinforcement, as they are providing a reward (the dessert) for the behavior of crying.

Question 18

Searching for variables that might be responsible for causing a problem behavior is referred to as a:

Accepted Answer

Searching for variables that might be responsible for causing a problem behavior is referred to as a functional assessment. Descriptive analysis involves describing the behavior in detail, psychodiagnostic assessment involves identifying a diagnosis based on psychological symptoms, and behavioral assessment involves measuring the behavior and its frequency. The best choice for identifying variables that cause problem behavior is a functional assessment.

Question 19

Practicing a reaction that is incompatible with a nervous reaction is a component of:

Accepted Answer

Counterconditioning involves pairing a previously anxiety-provoking stimulus with a new, positive response. Practicing a reaction that is incompatible with a nervous reaction is an example of this technique, as it teaches the individual a new way to respond to the anxiety-provoking situation. DRO involves reinforcing the absence of a particular behavior, avoidance conditioning involves learning to avoid a feared stimulus, and behavioral trapping involves gradually increasing the difficulty of a task to maintain a desired behavior. While these techniques may be beneficial in some cases, they do not relate directly to the described process of practicing an incompatible response.

Question 20

Judgments about the clinical or applied importance of behavior change are referred to as judgments of external validity.

Accepted Answer

Judgments about the clinical or applied importance of behavior change are referred to as judgments of clinical or practical significance, not external validity. External validity refers to the extent to which the results of a study can be generalized to other situations and to other people.

Quiz 31: Shaping and Schedules of Reinforcement: A Comprehensive Guide