Unit 5 - A

Question 1

Emily, a BCBA, began working with Jeb about four months ago, but has been unable to obtain much information on his past. Jeb has responded to several treatment efforts in unpredictable ways. Which of the following may be the best explanation?

a. An idiosyncratic reinforcement history
b. The random nature of unpredictable behavior
c. The effects of respondent conditioning
d. Emotional dysfunction and distress

Answer 1

a. An idiosyncratic reinforcement history

Question 2

Which of the following best conceptualizes reinforcement history?

a. Influence of current events on future behavior
b. Influence of past events on current behavior
c. Influence of current events on current behavior
d. Influence of past events on future behavior

Answer 2

b. Influence of past events on current behavior

Question 3

A behavior analyst doing research on reinforcement history can fully control the extra-experimental history of the research subjects only by using:

a. Institutionalized individuals
b. Children
c. Non-human animals
d. Human volunteers

Answer 3

c. Non-human animals

Question 4

Which of the following reinforcement schedules has been most commonly used in studies on reinforcement history?

a. The fixed-interval schedule
b. The multiple schedule
c. The NCR schedule
d. All schedules have been used equally

Answer 4

a. The fixed-interval schedule

Question 5

Carl suffered a traumatic brain injury in an accident, and soon began to demonstrate severe aggression. His parents inadvertently reinforced his assaultive behavior, resulting in an increase in both its rate and intensity. He was placed in a temporary residential facility with intensive behavioral services, and Carl’s assaults decreased significantly. After his parents were trained in the behavior program procedures, Carl was eventually sent home. In spite of his parents accurately and consistently following the program procedures, Carl’s assaultive behavior immediately returned after he got home. Which of the following rationales most likely explains this return Carl’s assaultive behavior?

a. Stimulus conditions at home were correlated with a past DRH schedule
b. Species differences in durability of behavioral history
c. Only the current contingencies in the home determine his response rates
d. A fixed-time schedule followed by a DRL always results in a high response rate

Answer 5

a. Stimulus conditions at home were correlated with a past DRH schedule

Question 6

In several studies, Weiner (1962, 1964, 1965, 1969) demonstrated that when an organism is exposed to an FR schedule, versus a DRL schedule, prior to exposure to an FI schedule:

a. Both schedules have the effect of sharply increasing, then decreasing performance
b. Both schedules have the effect of sharply decreasing, then increasing performance
c. There is a clear differential effect between schedules in the FI condition
d. There is no differential effect between schedules on performance

Answer 6

c. There is a clear differential effect between schedules in the FI condition

Question 7

Alleman & Zeiler (1974) found that the presentation of a response dependent schedule of reinforcement (an FR or DRL) followed by a time-based schedule (FT) will likely have which of the following effects on response rates?

a. High response rates in FT following either a DRL or FR schedule
b. Exactly the same response rates in FT following either a DRL or FR schedule
c. High response rates in FT following a DRL
d. Low response rates in FT following a DRL

Answer 7

d. Low response rates in FT following a DRL

Question 8

Extinction procedures can only be used on responses that have:

a. A previous history of punishment
b. Not yet been taught
c. A distinct topography, regardless of function
d. A previous history of reinforcement

Answer 8

d. A previous history of reinforcement

Question 9

Classroom teacher Mr. James was not able to provide each of his students reinforcement after every 5th correctly spelled word (as had been suggested by a BCBA), because he could not keep track of every student’s completion of every spelling word. What might Mr. James do to maintain his students “correct spelling of words” behavior in class?

a. Reinforce after each and every spelling word to eliminate counting
b. Begin with a DRL schedule, then switch to an FI schedule
c. Use an FI schedule from the beginning
d. Begin with an FR schedule, then switch to an FI schedule

Answer 9

d. Begin with an FR schedule, then switch to an FI schedule

Question 10

Which of the following is an example of operant extinction?

a. Dad slaps Joey and Joey immediately stops hitting his sister
b. Satoru smiles at Cain but Cain never smiles back, so he stops smiling at Cain
c. All of these are equally good examples of operant extinction procedures
d. Reinforcement of Juanita’s completion of math problems is faded from an FR-1 to an FI.

Answer 10

b. Satoru smiles at Cain but Cain never smiles back, so he stops smiling at Cain

Question 11

Presenting a conditioned stimulus repeatedly in the absence of the unconditioned stimulus leads to:

a. Any of these answers could be true
b. High-P sequencing
c. Operant extinction
d. Respondent extinction

Answer 11

d. Respondent extinction

Question 12

When Billy whispers to his Dad in the library, Dad does not answer him. Billy then begins to speak louder and louder until his Dad answers him and tells him to keep his voice down. The increase in Billy’s volume may be best explained as an effect related to which of the following behavioral processes?

a. DRO
b. Extinction
c. Punishment
d. High-P sequencing

Answer 12

b. Extinction

Question 13

The ______ of extinction is the reduction in the response rate following a discontinuation of the response-reinforcer contingency.

a. Process
b. Plan
c. Procedure
d. Punishment

Answer 13

a. Process

Question 14

Charlotte’s yelling at the grocery store appeared to be maintained by receiving candy. The BCaBA instructs mom to stop providing candy when Charlotte yells. Over the next month, Charlotte’s yelling in the store gradually declines, and finally stops. Mom no longer providing candy to Charlotte when she yells would be an example of the ______ of extinction.

a. Process
b. Procedure
c. Plan
d. Opposite

Answer 14

b. Procedure

Question 15

Extinction used in combination with reinforcement is best used to:

a. Reduce one behavior then build it back up again
b. Decrease the establishing operation to evoke replacement behavior
c. Increase the establishing operation to evoke aversive behavior
d. Reduce one behavior while building another behavior

Answer 15

d. Reduce one behavior while building another behavior

Question 16

What is the main effect of extinction?

a. Response reduction
b. Response replacement
c. New response generation
d. Response prompt-dependency

Answer 16

a. Response reduction

Question 17

Typically during the extinction phase of treatment, responding initially ______, and is followed by a gradual ______ in response rate across time.

a. Remains the same; increase
b. Increases; decrease
c. Remains the same; decrease
d. Decreases; increase

Answer 17

b. Increases; decrease

Question 18

Response-generative effects are typically known as ______ of extinction.

a. Side effects
b. Reinforcement effects
c. Competitive effects
d. Immediate effects

Answer 18

a. Side effects

Question 19

Martin engaged in skin picking throughout the day. Owen, the BCBA on the case, put Martin’s skin picking on extinction. Martin then began to engage in skin scratching, nail biting, and even scraping his skin on sharp objects. Owen had never previously observed these responses. The emergence of Martin’s scratching, biting, and scraping is most likely due to which extinction effect?

a. Treatment relapse
b. Extinction-induced aggression
c. Response variation
d. Extinction burst

Answer 19

c. Response variation

Question 20

All of the following may cause treatment relapse to occur, except:

a. Delivery of reinforcers previously associated with problem behavior
b. Inconsistent implementation of treatment procedures
c. Return to setting/context in which problem behavior was previously reinforced
d. None; all of these may cause treatment relapse to occur

Answer 20

d. None; all of these may cause treatment relapse to occur

Question 21

Which of the following is considered a primary response-generative effect of extinction?

a. Skill acquisition
b. Response maintenance
c. Generalization across settings
d. Emotional outbursts

Answer 21

d. Emotional outbursts

Question 22

A form of treatment relapse associated with increased exposure to extinction is referred to as:

a. Habituation
b. Resurgence
c. Desensitization
d. Renewal

Answer 22

b. Resurgence

Question 23

Which treatment procedure is most likely to produce a potential reduction in extinction bursts?

a. Extinction plus punishment
b. Extinction with reinforcement
c. Reinforcement alone
d. Punishment alone

Answer 23

b. Extinction with reinforcement

Question 24

Which of the following is described as a way to plan for extinction bursts?

a. Only provide reinforcement after the extinction burst has subsided
b. Gradually thin the reinforcement schedule
c. Implement extinction alone before including another treatment procedure
d. Train parents on ways to desensitize the child’s environment

Answer 24

b. Gradually thin the reinforcement schedule

Question 25

Interviewing caregivers and reviewing possible response-class hierarchies are ways to plan for:

a. Extinction bursts
b. Response variation
c. Treatment relapse
d. Response dependence

Answer 25

b. Response variation

Question 26

Katie’s client Andrew constantly yelled out answers in class without being called on by the teacher. Katie, a BCBA, put Andrew’s “yelling out” behavior on extinction, and only provided reinforcement by calling on Andrew when he quietly raised his hand. Katie began training a new behavioral technician on the procedures in place for Andrew. As Katie was observing, she noticed that the technician was ignoring “yelling out” but was not consistently delivering reinforcement for appropriate hand raising. This is an example of what type of treatment integrity error?

a. Variation
b. Commission
c. Renewal
d. Omission

Answer 26

d. Omission

Question 27

Stu hits and screams when his mother asks him to clean up his toys. Sarah, a BCBA, implements a treatment procedure to eliminate this problem behavior. When treatment is implemented following baseline, Stu’s hitting/screaming immediately reduces to zero instances. Stu never once engaged in a hitting/screaming response in the treatment condition. Therefore, this immediate response reduction is LEAST likely due to:

a. Response competition
b. Reinforcement
c. Punishment
d. Extinction

Answer 27

d. Extinction

Question 28

Which of the following is a good way to examine partial reinforcement extinction effects (PREE)?

a. Measure the number of experimental sessions required to meet the predetermined extinction criterion
b. Implement extinction intermittently, and in combination with reinforcement procedures
c. Strictly use variable interval schedules of reinforcement before all extinction conditions
d. All of these are ways to examine PREE

Answer 28

a. Measure the number of experimental sessions required to meet the predetermined extinction criterion

Question 29

In 1996, the Lerman et al. analysis of PREE utilized:

X = Continuous and intermittent baselines

Y = A single subject exposed to multiple historical reinforcement schedules

a. Both X and Y
b. Neither X nor Y
c. X only
d. Y only

Answer 29

c. X only

Question 30

Which of the following statements is true in relation to the idea of a partial reinforcement extinction effect?

a. It is a robust phenomenon that is almost always seen clinically
b. It is highly unlikely, and is almost never seen outside of a laboratory
c. It is highly variable across studies and may be influenced by several variables
d. It is more likely after a complex schedule than a simple schedule

Answer 30

c. It is highly variable across studies and may be influenced by several variables

Question 31

Recent history effects in experimental design may define:

a. All of these
b. Transition states
c. Renewal
d. Repetitive behavior

Answer 31

b. Transition states

Question 32

When one phase follow another, such that the observed effects in latter phases cannot be separated from history with previous phases, this is referred to as:

a. Sequential confounding
b. PREE
c. Resurgence
d. Renewal

Answer 32

a. Sequential confounding

Question 33

Using a combination of designs when generalization may be a problem is a way to plan for history effects of which experimental design?

a. Multiple baseline
b. Reversal
c. Changing criterion
d. Multielement

Answer 33

a. Multiple baseline

Question 34

Which experimental design may be less prone to extra-experimental history?

a. Reversal
b. Changing criterion
c. Multiple baseline
d. Multi-element

Answer 34

d. Multi-element

Question 35

Which experimental design is most likely to help avoid ratio strain?

a. Single subject
b. Withdrawal
c. Changing criterion
d. Reversal

Answer 35

c. Changing criterion