Question 1

Frank tested the effect of posted signs on recycling behavior by: (1) observing how much waste was recycled in a normal week, (2) posting signs that encouraged recycling for a week, and (3) removing the signs and observing for a final week. What type of research design would this be?

Accepted Answer

This is an A-B-A reversal design because it involves three phases: A baseline phase (observing normal behavior), an intervention phase (posting signs), and a return to the baseline phase (removing signs to observe behavior without the intervention).

Question 2

Which of the following would likely be the best research question to address using an A-B-A-B reversal design?

Accepted Answer

An A-B-A-B reversal design is best suited for research questions that involve repeated measures of a dependent variable under different conditions. In this case, the research question is about the effect of extra credit on time spent studying for an exam. This question can be addressed using an A-B-A-B reversal design, where A represents the baseline condition (no extra credit), B represents the intervention condition (extra credit), and the reversal from B to A and back to B allows for the assessment of the effect of the intervention.

Question 3

Leslie (2011) conducted work on the effects of drugs on extinction and learning. Leslie believes that this work may provide an animal model for better understanding and treating:

Accepted Answer

Leslie's work on the effects of drugs on extinction and learning is likely related to Alzheimer's Disease, as this condition involves memory and learning impairments, and animal models are often used to study these aspects.

Question 4

Max conducted a study in which he moved the recycling bin in the hallway close to the classroom door for a week and then a week with the recycling bin about 10 feet from the door of the classroom. The trash bin remained constant at about 5 feet from the classroom door. At the end of each day, Max measured the amount of recycling in the bin. What is the dependent variable for this study?

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the outcome that is being measured, which in this case is the amount of trash in the recycling bin.

Question 5

The reversal phase of an A-B-A-B study is an example of:

Accepted Answer

The reversal phase of an A-B-A-B study is an example of a direct replication because it involves repeating the intervention (B phase) to see if the initial effects can be reproduced, directly testing the intervention's effectiveness.

Question 6

A researcher examined the possibility that additional recess time would increase the number of math facts learned over a one-month period. The procedure tested this hypothesis using a first-grade classroom with extended recess time and a second-grade classroom with regular recess time. In this study, the amount of recess time would be considered:

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the factor that is manipulated by the researcher to examine its impact on the dependent variable. In this study, the amount of recess time is manipulated to see its effect on the number of math facts learned, making it the independent variable.

Question 7

Which of the following behavior would least likely belong to the same response class as the other three behaviors?

Accepted Answer

Behaviors A, C, and D all involve manipulating devices to alter the environment's temperature or access something temperature-related (food in the fridge, room temperature with the air conditioner, or turning on the TV which is unrelated to temperature but involves electronic device manipulation). Lighting a candle (B) is distinct because it is not primarily about altering the environment's temperature or directly interacting with electronic devices for immediate environmental control.

Question 8

A unique benefit of steady baselines for behavioral neuroscientists interested in the effects of drugs on behavior is that:

Accepted Answer

The answer of A unique benefit of steady baselines for...

Question 9

A researcher reports that a classroom where students received points that could be exchanged for extra recess time whenever they completed math practice problems saw an average increase of five completed homework problems per child per day compared to baseline. In terms of evaluating the effectiveness of this program, the researcher would most likely focus on:

Accepted Answer

The effectiveness of the program is indicated by the "average increase of five completed homework problems per child per day compared to baseline," which directly reflects a change in the level of response. This means there was an observable and measurable change in the behavior (completing homework problems) as a result of the intervention (points for extra recess time).

Question 10

When evaluating the immediacy of change in order to determine experimental control, behavioral analysts recommend using the last ______ sessions of baseline and the first _________ sessions of the treatment phase.

Accepted Answer

Behavioral analysts often recommend using the last 3 sessions of the baseline and the first 3 sessions of the treatment phase to evaluate the immediacy of change. This approach helps in determining experimental control by closely examining the effects of the intervention right before and after its implementation.

Question 11

A behavior analytic explanation of improved performance on an eye test by someone who recently explained that vision is important to their work (compared to someone who did not make such a statement) might include all of the following except:

Accepted Answer

Behavior analysis typically focuses on observable behaviors and the environmental factors influencing those behaviors, such as reinforcement history, motivating operations, and social reinforcers. Reference to mental-sets involves cognitive processes, which are not typically the focus of behavior analytic explanations.

Question 12

Frances woke up this morning with a horrible toothache. While at work, she avoids interactions with her coworkers. When asked by a work friend if everything is okay, Frances tells her that it hurts too much to talk to people, so she is trying to stay away from people. In this situation, the toothache is most likely a:

Accepted Answer

A motivating operation (MO) is an environmental variable that alters the effectiveness of some stimulus, object, or event as a reinforcer, and alters the current frequency of all behavior that has been reinforced by that stimulus, object, or event. In Frances's case, the toothache increases the value of avoiding interactions (to reduce pain), which affects her behavior of staying away from people. This makes the toothache a motivating operation, as it changes her behavior by altering how she values interaction under the condition of having a toothache.

Question 13

Which of the following is not one of the conditions tested by Iwata and associates (1994) in their functional analysis of the cause of self-injurious behavior (SIB) in children with developmental disabilities?

Accepted Answer

Iwata and associates (1994) did not test "Peer interaction" as one of the conditions in their functional analysis of self-injurious behavior (SIB); they tested conditions like academic demands, alone time, and play time to identify the cause of SIB in children with developmental disabilities.

Question 14

Providing TSA baggage screeners with a monetary bonus for each contraband item that they find in the baggage they are screening would most likely cause problems by increasing the rate of:

Accepted Answer

Offering a monetary bonus for each contraband item found could incentivize screeners to increase the number of false alarms, as they may err on the side of caution and flag more items as contraband to increase their chances of receiving a bonus, even if those items are not actually contraband.

Question 15

A behavior analytic explanation of the Stroop effect would likely rely on:

Accepted Answer

Behavior analysis focuses on observable behavior and the environmental factors that influence it. The Stroop effect can be explained through response competition between the elements of the stimulus (e.g., the color of the ink vs. the word itself), as this perspective emphasizes the role of learned behaviors and how competing responses (reading vs. naming the color) are affected by their history of reinforcement.

Question 16

Shabani, Carr, and Petursdottir (2009) found that children trained to respond to buttons associated with different response efforts but the same reinforcer would respond first to the lowest-effort response, then to the medium-effort response option, and finally the high-effort response option, when the reinforcer was no longer delivered. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

This finding illustrates a response hierarchy, where behaviors are prioritized based on the effort required to perform them, especially when the same reinforcer is involved but is no longer delivered.

Question 17

Max heard about a study in class where researchers reduced the number of pieces of candy taken by trick-or-treaters by placing a mirror behind the bowl of candy. In order to demonstrate the generality of this finding, Max is now running a study where he is testing the effect of a mirror placed behind a trash can on the number of recyclable items placed in the trash receptacle. Max's study is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Max's study is an example of systematic replication because he is applying the concept from the original study (the influence of a mirror on behavior) to a different context (recyclable items and trash receptacles) to test the generality of the finding. This differs from direct replication, which would involve repeating the original study as closely as possible.

Question 18

A researcher examined the possibility that additional recess time would increase the number of math facts learned over a one-month period. The procedure tested this hypothesis using a first-grade classroom with extended recess time and a second-grade classroom with regular recess time. In this study, the number of math facts learned over one month would be considered the:

Accepted Answer

The number of math facts learned over one month is the dependent variable because it is the outcome that the researcher is measuring to see if it changes as a result of manipulating the independent variable, which in this case is the amount of recess time.

Question 19

Which of the following research questions would be the most difficult to address using a reversal design?

Accepted Answer

Reversal designs involve observing a behavior both before and after the introduction of an intervention, and then again after its withdrawal. Evaluating the effectiveness of a reading program on a child's reading ability would be the most difficult to address with a reversal design because once a child has learned to read better, removing the program won't erase the skills they've acquired, making it hard to measure the program's impact through reversal.

Question 20

Which of the following was not identified as a major problem with a structural approach to studying behavior?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following was not identified...

Quiz 2: The Experimental Analysis of Behavior