Okay, question one. John is a 19-year-old with an intellectual disability. He works at his local Starbucks as a cashier.
John is a hard worker, but is sometimes slow to respond to the orders of customers. The longest it ever took for John to respond to a customer was 12 seconds. If you were going to target this behavior as a behavior analyst, what dimension of responding would be best to target?
Okay, so a pretty straightforward dimension question, right? Put yourself in the shoes of a behavior analyst who's working with John. helping him do this job.
And what do we want to do? What behavior are we looking at? Well, we're looking at John's responding to customers. What's the issue?
John takes too long to respond to customers. So the customer says something, time passes, John responds. What are we trying to do?
We're trying to reduce the amount of time in between. So put another way, the time between what? The SD, which is the customer saying something, and the response, which is John's response. What dimension of responding focuses on the time between the SD and the response? Is it frequency?
Well, no, frequency is simply a count, right? Duration? Duration would be the length of a single response, but we're looking for the time in between the SD and the first response.
So C, latency, that's our answer, right? That's the definition of latency. If we can decrease John's latency of responding to the customer's request or order.
OK, that is what we're looking to do. And then IRT, of course, is the time in between two responses. But we need the time from the SD to the first response. Question two, John's favorite holiday is Thanksgiving because of the food. His favorite main course is turkey and his favorite dessert is pumpkin pie.
However, John hates eating vegetables. This year, John's mom told him that if he did not eat his green beans, he could not have any pumpkin pie. What is John's mom establishing? All right. So what is it?
occurring here. Okay. First things first on the BCBA exam, you have a lot, a lot of time, right? Plenty of time.
I don't think I've ever met anyone who's run out of time. So slow down. First things first, understand what the question is asking.
Okay. We're not in a hurry. They want to know about John's mom and what she's establishing. John's mom told John that if he did not eat his green beans, he could not have any pumpkin pie. Okay.
What does that sound like to you? Right? If you do not do this, then you cannot do this. If then, well, what is an if then?
Okay, think about that. So A, a punisher. Do we know this will be punishing?
Well, we're not sure, right? It's a consequence, okay? If you don't do this, then you do this.
But we don't know how it's going to affect John's future behavior. So we can't say it's a punisher without seeing what happens. What about an antecedent?
Well, no, it's not going to be an antecedent. It's going to be a consequence for John not eating green beans if it occurs, okay? A behavior plan. Well, this is maybe one small component, right? But there is no reinforcement component here.
There's no behavior change, right? There's no differential reinforcement, no extinction, okay? There's no comprehensive approach here.
It's a very simple thing John's mom is doing. She's setting up an if-then statement, otherwise known as a what? A contingency, okay? If you do not eat your green beans, then you do not get pumpkin pie, okay? Very simple contingency.
We use contingencies all the time in ABA. John's mom simply established a Thanksgiving contingency. A major component of applied behavior analysis is reduction of problem behaviors that serve some sort of function for the individual.
Whenever you remove a behavior, it is essential that you replace it with another behavior that serves the same function. This is considered A or the what. Okay, so this is on the fifth edition task list, right?
When we reduce a behavior. When we eliminate a behavior, when we take away a behavior, we need to be sure to do what? We need to be sure to replace that behavior with another behavior because the behavior we took away served a function.
It gained a tangible. It gained access to attention. It was self-stimulatory.
It did something for that individual. If we're going to take it away ethically, right, we need to give them something else. OK, so what is that considered as a certain rule or law?
or term for that. So this is considered what? A, the fair pair rule. Yes, right? A is our answer, okay?
The fair pair rule states, right, every behavior you reduce, you should target a behavior for increase, okay? It's a very good rule to live by on the fifth edition task list, focus on replacement behaviors. So A is our answer. But on the BCBA exam, again, you have a ton of time.
Don't rush. Read all of your answer choices. OK, just to be sure you have the best answer.
And when you're studying, read all your all of your answer choices and understand why the wrong answers are wrong. It's going to make you better at the exam. You don't get speed from going quickly.
You get speed from being good at the exam and speed comes naturally. So B, the law of behavior reduction doesn't exist. That is nothing.
OK, see a natural consequence. It is. This is not a natural consequence.
We are setting it up to replace the behavior we reduced. And then a dimension of behavior analysis. This is not a dimension. Remember bat cage, right?
Replacement behaviors are not one of those seven dimensions. So the fair pair rule states we need to replace one behavior that we reduce with another for increase. Whenever Sally conducts parent training, she makes certain that she is explaining things in non-technical language. However, she still sticks to the principles and concepts of behavior analysis.
Sally is following what dimension of behavior analysis. This is something very important to get good at as a BCBA or BCABA. When you're explaining things to people, we want to be non-technical.
We don't want to use jargon, okay, because they don't understand our jargon in our technical language. So we need to explain things in a way that they will understand. However, we still need to stick to our principles and concepts, right?
We still need to focus on observable and measurable things and not things like mentalisms and feelings and constructs, okay? That's what Sally's doing here. She's engaging in non-technical language while sticking to principles and concepts. What dimension of behavior analysis is Sally following? A, technological.
What does technological say? Technological says whenever you write a treatment plan or an intervention or behavior plan, that plan should be able to be reproduced and replicated, okay, by other people, right? Our things should be replicable.
B, generality. Okay, generality focuses on the generalization of behavior. Neither of those apply here.
We're looking at some sort of parent training where Sally is explaining concepts of principle and principles of behavior analysis. C, analytic. Are we taking data?
No. Analytic says our decisions should be data-driven. And then D, conceptually systematic, says all of our interventions, all of our training should be based on the principles of behavior analysis.
That is what Sally is doing. She's sticking to the principles and concepts of ABA. but she's doing it in a non-technical way so sally is adhering to the dimension of conceptually systematic which of the following is an advantage of using a multiple baseline design all right so you'll get several research design questions right single subject design questions on your exam okay i don't find these overly difficult i think people now nowadays study these so much that they just become second nature that being said okay you still need to know them you still need to get good And when you get one, if the graph isn't pictured like this one, try to picture in your mind a multiple baseline design. Try to think of the strengths.
Try to think of the weaknesses. That's where the questions are mainly going to revolve around. OK, can you identify this type of design? What's the strength of this design? Why would you use this design?
Why wouldn't you use this design? So this question is asking for an advantage of a multiple baseline design. OK, so we know multiple baseline designs.
You can go across settings, you can go across participants, you can go across behaviors. OK, so let's look at our answer choices. A, you were able to test multiple interventions rapidly. Well, we know that's not true.
OK, because we're taking extended baselines as we move down our settings or our behaviors or our participants. OK, and we're only introducing one intervention to one condition at a time. Right. So a multiple interventions would be more like an alternate treatment design.
B, you can establish experimental control without reversing the intervention. This is definitely a positive of multiple baseline design, right? We can start to identify if our data path changes from our baseline to our intervention phase, okay?
We can start to look at experimental control, especially if baseline is consistent throughout all of our conditions, even when our intervention is implemented, right? So B is is certainly an advantage of multiple baseline design. Let's see if we can find a better answer. C, it is the strongest experimental design in terms of establishing experimental control.
No, not necessarily, okay? Because you're not withdrawing anything. So you can establish experimental control, okay? But it's not necessarily the strongest way to do it, right? And then D, decreases in behavior happen gradually based on predetermined levels.
That sounds more like what type of design? changing criterion, right? We're setting predetermined levels. As we move down those levels, behavior hopefully changes based on our gradual decrease in levels, okay? So the following advantage.
Following is an advantage of using a multiple baseline design is B, you can establish experimental control without reversing the intervention. Which measurement procedure would be best for reporting how long it takes for a waiter to take an order after he is done taking his previous order? OK, so think about what behavior we're looking at here. We're looking at a waiter taking taking an order after he takes his previous order. So the end of one response to the beginning of another response, the time in between that.
If we want to reduce that, OK, or maybe increase that, what type of measurement will we use? Will we use rate? Well, we're not looking at how many orders he can take in a certain time period. OK, we're looking how long it takes him to take orders in between those orders.
Right. IRT, inter-response time, the time in between responses. Looks pretty good, right? He takes order one. Five minutes later, he takes order two.
Five minutes later, he takes order three. His IRT is going to be five, okay, based on our needs. That might be too long.
It might be just right, too short. Regardless, now we know how long it takes him to take orders, okay, after his previous order. So IRT is pretty good.
What about latency? Well, there's no SD, right? We're not looking at the time between an SD and the first response, okay?
We're looking at the time in between two responses. So latency is not what we want. And then duration.
Are we looking how... at how long one response occurs? No. We're looking at the time in between his orders or his responses. Therefore, B, IRT, is our answer.
Joe is reinforced on an FR4 schedule for all discrete trial training programs. Today, the schedule changed to a VR3. Joe's responding slowed and he started to stand up out of his chair.
What best explains what might be occurring? Okay. So what happened, right? We had Joe rocking and rolling, FR4, okay, discrete trials going really well. Today, you come in as the BCBA and say, we're going to change his schedule to a VR3.
Maybe you want to maintain his behaviors, okay? Maybe you want to start to work on generalization, okay? Whatever it might be, he's now going to receive what? Less reinforcement, and it's going to be much less predictable.
In response, he stops responding, and he starts to stand up out of his chair. What explains this, right? A, Joe is bored of the programming and needs harder material. I hear this said a lot. I've been guilty of saying it myself.
However, this isn't correct. It is not conceptually systematic. Bored, okay, we can't just say Joe is bored. We can't observe bored.
We can't measure bored. That has nothing to do either with the schedules changing. So A is out.
B, Joe is experiencing ratio strain. Yeah, I mean, that's definitely a possible explanation. We thinned his schedule rather quickly. OK, from an FR4 to a VR3, pretty big increase.
And now his responding slowed down. B is certainly a possibility. Let's read C and D.
C, Joe is satiated on the reinforcement. Well, if anything, he's receiving less reinforcement. OK, so there's no indication here that he would be satiated. OK, if anything, he's deprived.
And then D, Joe's behavior was mistakenly reinforced. Again, we're delivering reinforcement fewer times now. Right. So, again, that's.
not even indicated in the question. So B, Joe's experience ratio of strain is probably what's occurring. At least based on our answer choices, that's the best answer we can give.
Okay. Only use the information they give you in the question. Don't make assumptions.
Don't add anything to the question. Just use the information they give you. It's going to be enough to answer the question.
Zach will engage in maladaptive behaviors throughout the day and into the night. regardless of the environment he is in or things going on around him. These behaviors occur at a high rate and on a consistent basis.
What would be the best approach to reducing these behaviors? Okay, put on your BCBA hat, right? We're looking at Zach engaging in these behaviors constantly throughout the day and night, no matter what. These behaviors, screaming, whatever it might be, it's happening all the time.
How can we reduce these behaviors? A, design a behavior plan that includes a fixed ratio schedule of reinforcement for when Zach engages in the appropriate behavior. Okay, on the surface, this looks fine. If we can't find a better answer, right, we could certainly try this.
Well, what might be the issue, right? If Zach is engaging in these maladaptive behaviors all the time, we might have very little time to actually give reinforcement on this fixed ratio schedule. Okay, so catching him being good, quote unquote, is going to be a little difficult. Right now, A is our best answer. But.
Let's see if we can find a better one. B, begin a punishment procedure using a low intensity punisher for when Zach engages in the problem behavior. OK, two things.
One, we would try reinforcement first. There's no indication that this is a dangerous behavior. So we would try. some sort of reinforcement first, if possible, and then a low intensity punisher.
We want to deliver punishment at the highest intensity and highest magnitude possible and within ethical bounds, okay, at all times, right? We never start low punisher and move up, right? We always start at the most. So B is wrong, okay? It's not better than A.
C, implement a procedure where Zach is reinforced in the absence of problem behaviors. Good, right? So now it's similar to A, except we are now reinforcing Zach. when he's not engaging in problem behaviors.
So we need to reduce it first, okay, before we can focus on replacement behaviors. Behavior's happening way too much, right? So this DRO, where we're catching Zach, okay, not engaging in the absence of problem behaviors, okay, that's going to do a lot more towards decreasing this behavior, okay?
Then we can maybe move to something like A, right? But first, we need to just reduce these behaviors first and foremost, right? So C is better than A. It's better than B.
What about D, use an extinction procedure that calls for plant ignoring when Zach engages in his behaviors? Well, apparently these happen no matter what or what's going on around him. So this sort of extinction and plant ignoring probably would not be effective.
C is our best answer here. St. Cloud High School uses direct instruction as their primary method of teaching. Which of the following answer choices best describes what a direct instruction classroom at the high school might look like?
Okay, you need to know the five types of teaching in ABA. We have discrete trial. We have incidental slash naturalistic teaching.
We have personalized system of instruction. We have direct instruction. And we have precision teaching. St. Cloud uses direct instruction. The question wants to know what might that look like.
A, students are assessed at the beginning of the year. Based on the assessment, they are given assignments and allowed to move at their own pace until they hit a mastery criteria. Does that sound like direct instruction or does that sound like something else?
Well, if they are given assignments and allowed to move at their own pace and there is a mastery criteria, that sounds more like a personalized system of instruction, right? B, the teacher in the classroom teaches using fast-paced instruction. She then assesses students frequently and forms a group based on those assessments.
Yeah, perfect, right? This looks like direct instruction. We're fast-paced. We're grouping students based on skill. OK, the only thing we're really missing is that choral responding.
But B is a pretty good indicator of direct instruction. Best answer so far. Let's read C.
Student performance is charted immediately with the primary intention of increasing fluency. OK, that sounds like precision teaching to me. Right. We're charting responding and we're on a standard acceleration chart and we're trying to increase fluency. The teachers take advantage of their environment and use situations that occur throughout the day as learning opportunities.
That is very clearly. incidental slash naturalistic teaching. So direct instruction would most likely look like B where we're using fast-paced instruction and grouping students based on assessments.
While watching a football game, Dan yells terrible play in reaction to what his team just did on the field. What type of verbal operant is this? So on the BCBA exam, it's important that you know your verbal operants, of course, but you also need to know what evokes verbal operants, what reinforces verbal operants.
That's what they're going to be looking for, right? Is your verbal operant evoked by a verbal SD or a nonverbal SD or an MO, right? Mans are evoked by motivating operations, right?
Some sort of deprivation or satiation, right? So Dan yells terrible play into reaction to something he saw. So this is a nonverbal SD, right?
It's not a motivating operation. He's not manding for anything. He's not requesting anything. So hey, it's out. B, an intraverbal, is evoked by a verbal SD, not what happened here, not a conversation, so B is out.
Echoic, echoic, again, is also evoked by a verbal SD, and we have point-to-point correspondence, okay, with that verbal SD and formal similarity. There is no verbal SD in this particular scenario, okay? Dan simply sees something, labels it, okay?
What does he label it? He labels it terrible play. Dan engages in a tact. OK, so it's kind of an untraditional tact, but it's trying to emphasize the fact you need to know what evokes these.
OK, what reinforces these? All right. I hope you enjoyed.
That is part one. We will do these every single week. So please come back on Saturdays for more questions.
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