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The actual RBT exam has 85 questions, 10 of which are “under review” and do not count towards your score (the board is assessing the difficulty of those questions to ensure they are appropriate for the exam). You would have one hour to complete this exam – however, this quiz is untimed!
How many questions can you miss on the RBT exam?
You have to answer at least 60/75 questions correctly. There are also 10 pilot questions in the exam that do not count toward your score, so the exam ends up being a total of 85 questions. You will not know which questions are the pilot questions and which are the graded questions, so don’t freak out if you read a question that totally throws you off guard as it may just be a pilot question that the BACB is testing to consider adding to the exam.
RBT Practice Test
RBT Mock Exam Questions and Answers
1. What is a multiple relationship?
- Working with two clients at the same time
- Working with two different clients
- Having two different relationships with one client
- Working with a client in the community and clinic settings
2. Which of the following is part of the RBT ethical code?
- Be compassionate for the less fortunate
- Be truthful and honest
- Resolve all issues formally
- If there is an issue, file a formal complaint immediately
3. A client gives you a bottle opener from their birthday party. What does the ethical code say you should do?
- Refuse the gift and send a letter home that forbids future gifting.
- Accept and use in front of them to make them feel good.
- Politely decline and explain to them/ their parents the nature of your professional relationship.
- Throw it away immediately.
4. What should you do if you are arrested for a minor marijuana charge?
- Report to BACB within 24 hours
- Do not report; this is not a fireable offense and your credential with remain in tact
- Provide 2 weeks notice to employer
- Report to BACB within 30 days
5. Which is considered confidential information per the BACB ethical code?
- Information about a client that can be found online
- Information about the people that RBT works with
- Written records
- Electronic records
- All of the above
6. If you are not providing direct ABA services and are having a fun Friday, what should you do?
- Do not make reference to, display, or otherwise use your RBT
- Explain to parents that ABA was being performed under their RBT credential
- Display your RBT certificate when requested
- Bill since you have the RBT credetial
7. Your supervisor requests that you work with a new client who has behaviors you have never encountered. What should you do?
- Refuse as you lack experience in this type of behavior
- Request more training from supervising BCBA
- Accept since you are contractually obligated
- Politely decline
8. Which antecedent increases or decreases the value of a consequence?
- Abolishing Operation
- Establishing Operation
- Motivating Operation
- SD
9. You are recording the time it takes from the presentation of the demand (Sd) to the first instance of behavior. What are you measuring?
- Frequency
- Duration
- Latency
- Inter-response time
10. How long the behavior occurs refers to what measurement dimension?
- Duration
- Momentary time sampling
- Latency
- Tally/ Count
11. John is recording data on aggression by counting the number of scratches left on his body after a session. What kind of measurement is this?
- Duration
- Time sampling
- Continuous measurement
- Permanent product
12. Escape, attention, tangible, sensory
- Functions of behavior
- Teaching strategies
- Types of prompts
- Dimensions of ABA
13. Determined by ABC Data
- Prompt level
- Duration
- Function
- Inter-response time
14. The breakdown of a task into its individual components and steps.
- Discrete trial
- Forward chaining
- Stimulus control
- Task analysis
15. Signals that reinforcement is available.
- Sd
- Sdelta
- SR-
- VR-3
16. Examples are food, water, sex, sleep.
- Secondary reinforcement
- Primary reinforcement
- Sd
- Consequence of behavior
17. Examples are money and tokens.
- Primary reinforcement
- Secondary reinforcement
- Economic reinforcement
- Fiscal considerations
18. Increases the future likelihood of behavior.
- Punishment
- Motivation
- Rewards
- Reinforcement
19. Adding a stimulus which increases the future likelihood of behavior.
- Positive reinforcement
- Positive punishment
- Negative reinforcement
- Negative punishment
20. Verbal behavior with point-to-point correspondence.
- Mand
- Tact
- Intraverbal
- Echoic
21. Removing a stimulus which decreases the future likelihood of behavior.
- Positive reinforcement
- Positive punishment
- Negative reinforcement
- Negative punishment
22. Reinforcement is delivered on the average of every 2 minutes in which the behaviors occur.
- FI-2
- FR-2
- VI-2
- VR-2
23. What are the four functions of behavior?
- Toys, Edibles, Praise, and Aversion
- Sensory, Escape, Attention, and Tangibles
- Sensory Overload, Non-Compliance, Aggression, and Compliance
- Automatic Sensory, Automatic Positive, and Social Negative
24. Verbal behavior of requesting
- Mand
- Tact
- Echoic
- Intraverbal
25. Removing a stimulus which decreases the future likelihood of behavior.
- Positive reinforcement
- Positive punishment
- Negative reinforcement
- Negative punishment
26. Tilda finished her session after being supervised by her BCBA. During the session, she recorded data on a paper data collection sheet. While she was cleaning up, she spilled a cup of coffee all over her data sheet, making it completely illegible.
What should Tilda do? Her company has strict policies regarding staff who fail to properly enter data at the end of a shift!
- Tilda should not record any data for that session – that would be unethical. No further action (such as contacting her supervisor) is necessary – if a supervisor sees no data collected, they automatically know that coffee was spilled on the paper data sheet due to their experience with coffee and paper in the past.
- Tilda should try her best to estimate the client’s performance on each skill target. After all, it wasn’t that long ago – she can probably remember everything alright.
- Tilda should notify her supervisor of the mishap and try to prevent such a fiasco in the future – perhaps by using mechanical or digital data collection systems.
- Tilda should submit the coffee-stained paper data sheet to her supervisor during the next supervision session and resign.
27. What occurs before the behavior?
- Antecedent
- Response
- Behavior
- Consequence
28. Example, “do this.”
- Sd
- DRA
- Sdelta
- SR+
29. What occurs after the behavior?
- Antecedent
- Behavior
- Response
- Consequence
30. Tammy is a BCBA working at a behavior analysis clinic. She is creating a flyer for an exciting workshop event at her clinic, and wants to share it with all the families currently receiving behavior analysis services, so she mass emails (cc – carbon copy) the entire roster of active patients at her facilty.
What, if anything, is wrong with this situation?
- This is fine and permitted by the BACB, within reason
- CC (carbon copy) reveals the names of people who are receiving behavior analysis services without getting their consent first, which violates HIPPA, as revealing the name of someone receiving mental health services is protected healthcare information.
- Generally speaking, behavior analysis is not a “medical” field and therefore not required to respect privacy as federally mandated by the HIPAA act. However, this type of behavior is considered somewhat “unclassy.”
- Sam should avoid sending out mass emails, as it’s very tacky
31. Tim, a BCBA, always writes his procedures in clear and concise terms so that his staff (and families, too!) can easily understand what is meant by his procedures. He provides complete and full definitions, and avoids using overly specific jargon when the person(s) who will be reading or implementing his procedures are laypersons.
Of the 7 Dimensions of ABA (as originally described by Baer, D., Wolf, M., & Risley, R., 1968), which of the following does the above most closely describe?
- Applied
- Behavioral
- Technological
- Conceptually Systematic
32. Start with most intrusive prompt.
- Forward chaining
- Backwards chaining
- Most to least prompting
- Least to most prompting
33. Reinforcing gradual changes in behavior.
- Chaining
- Shaping
- Prompting
- Reinforcing
34. Teaching a task analysis by teaching the first step first.
- Forward chaining
- Prompting
- Backwards chaining
- Fading
35. Start with least intrusive prompt.
- Forward chaining
- Backwards chaining
- Least to most prompting
- Most to least prompting
36. Teaching the entire task analysis at once
- Total task presentation
- Single task presentation
- Discriminative stimulus
- Forward chaining
37. Reinforcement provided on the average of every 5 correct responses
- VR-5
- VI-5
- FR-5
- FI-5
38. Reinforcement provided every 2 minutes in which behavior occurred.
- VI-2
- VR-2
- FR-2
- FI-2
39. Reinforcement provided every 10 minutes that behavior occurs.
- FI-10
- FR-10
- VI-10
- VR-10
40. MSWO
- Multiple stimulus with replacement
- Multiple stimulus without replacement
- Multiple stimulus with operates
- Multiple settings with replacement
41. FBA
- free behavior assessment
- functional behavior assessment
- function of behavior analysis
- Freudian behavior assessment
42. You provide reinforcement to your client for clapping, and ignore him when he hits.
- Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior
- Differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior
- Differential reinforcement for lower rats of behavior
- Differential reinforcement of other behavior
43. Reinforcing progressively lower response rates.
- Differential reinforcement of higher rates of behavior
- Differential reinforcement of lower rates of behavior
- Differential reinforcement of other behavior
- Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior
44. Reinforcing progressively increasing rates of behavior.
- Differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior
- Differential reinforcement of other behavior
- Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior
- Differential reinforcement of higher rates of behavior
45. Which of the following examples below is an example of a VARIABLE RATIO schedule of reinforcement?
- Grandma loves the slots in Vegas! On average, every 30th pull of the slot machine results in a small cash payout. Sometimes the payout occurs on the 15th pull… sometimes on the 45th… but, on average, payout occurs every 30 pulls on the slot machine. Grandma can’t wait to hit the jackpot someday!
- Every time Billy screams, his mother punishes him by taking away his toys for the night
- Tim gives his students a treat from the candy jar every time they get a 100% on their tests
- Individuals who pass the RBT exam are given a $50 bonus on their next pay check at ACME ABA company.
46. Withholding reinforcement for a target response
- Variable reinforcement
- Extinction
- Punishment
- Reinforcement schedule
47. Sometimes, behavior analysts will break down a complex chain of behaviors into smaller discrete steps to facilitate teaching.
The learner will then be taught to complete the steps in their logical order, with the completion of the previous step serving as the reinforcer for that step and the discriminative stimulus (SD) for the next step. Finally, the last step in the chain (terminal step) serves as the reinforcer for the whole chain.
What is this called?
- Task Analysis
- Task Step
- Task Endurance
- Task Sequence
- A Recipe
48. An experienced RBT supervises other RBTs at work, due to a shortage of board certified assistant (BCaBA) and board-certified behavior analysts (BCBAs).
What, if any, ethical consideration exists here?
- As long as the RBT is being supervised by a behavior analyst, there is no ethical concern here.
- There is no ethical concern here – this is standard practice, as mandated by the BACB.
- The RBT needs to be supervised directly by a certified behavior analyst (BCaBA, BCBA, BCBA-D). The type of supervision and quantity are directly specified by the board.
- As long as the RBT practices lots of the free quizzes on this awesome website, they should be fine.
49. You’re about to start a session with a client. What do you need to do to be sure you’re ready to have a successful session (at the very minimum)?
- You can probably just wing it. You’re pretty good at this, after all, and your memory is amazing.
- A cup of coffee is all anyone really needs – if anyone tells you elsewise, they’re a liar or a tea-drinker.
- You should know the responses and their response definitions that you will be measuring during your session. In addition, make sure you’re prepared to take data – clickers, notepaper and a pencil, whatever you need, make sure you have it!
- Before the session, conduct a functional behavioral assessment and an informal preference assessment. Following that, draft a treatment plan while the client plays with an iPad.
50. What happens before/ immediately precedes behavior in data collection is known as the…
- Antecedent
- Motivation Operation
- Preceding Stimulus
- Setting event
51. How long a tantrum behavior occurs, how long it takes a client to do homework; what type of data collection is this?
- Frequency
- Duration
- Interresponse time
- Latency
52. Time between two successive responses.
- Frequency
- Duration
- Intensity
- Inter-response time
53. Record a + if behavior occurred at any point during the interval.
- Momentary Time Sampling
- Duration per Occurrence
- Partial Interval Recording
- Partial Interview Recording
54. When attempting to assess the function of a client’s behavior, what is often considered the “gold standard” for experimentally identifying function?
- Ask yourself, “What are the A-B-C’s for this behavior?” Sketch it out, and write a functional response definition for the behavior and proceed with treatment. Trust your intuition!
- Watch the behavior of interest occur in the natural environment; that should be sufficient.
- Free operant or multiple stimulus assessment
- Conducting an analog or naturalistic functional analysis is usually considered the best way to identify function
55. Select the best definition for differential reinforcement, from the choices below:
- A stimulus that, when presented following a behavior, causes an overall INCREASE in that behavior over time.
- Providing greater reinforcement for better approximations of a target behavior, and placing other behaviors on extinction or on a less desirable reinforcement schedule.
- A stimulus that signals the availability of a reinforcer.
- A stimulus that, when presented following a behavior, causes an overall DECREASE in that behavior over time.
56. A little boy is playing with his toys in his room. Holding one of his stuffed animal dolls, he looks at it and says “Zebra!”
Which elementary verbal operant does this scenario most likely describe?
- Intraverbal
- Echoic
- Autoclitic
- Tact
57. Teaching communication to replace problem behaviors.
- Functional communication training
- FIT
- Differential reinforcement of other behaviors
- FR-3 schedule of reinforcement
58. What occurs when reinforcement of a previously reinforced behavior is no longer provided, resulting in the decrease of frequency of the behavior in the future?
- Endangerment
- Extinction
- Pivotal Response Training
- Negative reinforcement
59. For a child who is always picked up when they cry, not picking them up in the future would be an example of…?
- Escape
- Elopement
- Extinction
- Negative reinforcement
60. Which type of extinction procedure has the individual simply giving no outward signs or response to a behavior, such as eye contact, verbal/ physical responses?
- Planned ignoring
- Escape extinction
- Functional communication training
- Positive reinforcement
61. A child is taught to raise their hand as an alternative to yelling out in class. Which type of differential reinforcement does this example represent?
- Differential reinforcement of incompatible behaviors
- Differential reinforcement of lower rates of behavior
- Differential reinforcement of alternative behaviors
- Differential reinforcement of other behaviors
62. Classical conditioning is also commonly referred to as…
- Reflex Reaction
- Operant Conditioning
- Learning
- Pavolovian Conditioning
63. For a child who is scratching his skin, extinction can be used by the child wearing a glove, preventing the contact of the sensory stimulation that comes from scratching the skin. Which type of extinction does this represent?
- Sensory extinction
- Escape extinction
- Attention extinction
- Functional communication training
64. A neutral stimulus can become conditioned by pairing this stimulus with an unconditioned or previously conditioned stimulus. True or false?
- True
- False
65. The sign being illuminated at your favorite restaurnt says “open.” The open sign signals he availability of stopping, as it indicates that the behavior of going into the restaurant will be reinforced by the delivery of food. What type of stimulus is this an example of?
- Sd
- Sdelta
- Ds
- SR+
66. This follows a response and increases the probability of that response occurring again in the future.
- Punishment
- Reinforcement
- Consequence
- Stimulus
67. Adding something that will motivate a person to increase the likelihood that they will engage in the target behavior again. What type of reinforcement is this?
- Positive
- Negative
- Continuous
- Discontinuous
68. Food is an example of what type of reinforcer?
- Unconditioned
- Conditioned
- Negative
- Positive
69. Money is an example of what type of reinforcement?
- Negative
- Unconditioned
- Secondary
- Primary
70. Extremely bright lights, freezing temperature, electric shock are all examples of which punisher?
- Conditioned
- Unknown
- Unconditioned
- Secondary
71. Satiation is a term that refers to what?
- An abolishing operation (value decrease) of a reinforcer due to an organism being over-exposed to that stimulus
- An establishing operation (value increase) of a reinforcer due to it’s scarcity
- A stimulus that is aversive or non-preferred
- To be at capacity or over-supplied
72. Which of the following is true about cumulative records?
- Trends in a cumulative record can include a positive (increasing) and negative (decreasing) slope
- A combination of all frequency scores into a single “master score index” used in statistical analysis to compare frequency charts for different types of radical behaviors
- Data never decreases in a cumulative record; an increasing slope indicates occurrence of the target behavior, while a flat slope indicates periods of no occurrences of the target behavior
- Data is recorded once per session; downward slopes indicate a decreasing trend
73. Removing something that increases the future likelihood of behavior is called…
- Negative punishment
- Negative reinforcement
- Positive punishment
- Positive reinforcement
74. Present 5 easy/ mastered tasks in quick succession immediately before presenting an acquisition target.
- Behavior modification
- Behavior momentum
- Behavior inertia
- Functional community training.
75. Is exaggerating covered by the RBT ethical code?
- Yes
- No
76. How much time needs to pass before entering a relationship with a client or supervisor?
- 2 years after the working relationship ends
- 6 months after the working relationship ends
- 1 month, as long as a personal relationship is established
- Never
77. What should you do if you are arrested for a minor marijuana charge?
- Report to BACB within 24 hours
- Do not report; this is not a fireable offense and your credential with remain in tact
- Provide 2 weeks notice to employer
- Report to BACB within 30 days
78. When working with a client, whose preferences should take priority?
- Parent
- Teacher
- BCBA
- Client
79. If you become aware that a client’s legal rights are being violated, which of the following actions should you take?
- Contact relevant authorities
- Follow organization’s policies
- Document efforts to address the matter
- Consult with your supervisor
- All of the above
80. Sally is an RBT working with a client named Jim. Jim tends to scream and bite his arm forcefully when presented with his token board, and sometimes when Sally opens up her laptop. Sally almost never opens up her laptop unless she’s about to ask Jim to do some of his table work activities.
What do you think the most likely function of Jim’s behavior is?
- Sensory Overload
- Escape from demands presented by others (Socially Mediated Negative Reinforcement)
- Access to Tangibles, such as preferred Items & activities (Socially Mediated Positive Reinforcement)
- Escape from a painful stimulus, such as a headache! (Automatically Mediated Negative Reinforcement)
81. You are asked to collect data on aggression. Every time your learner agresses, you click the tally counter. What are you measuring?
- Duration
- Duration per occurrence
- Latency
- Frequency
82. You are recording the time it takes from the presentation of the demand (Sd) to the first instance of behavior. What are you measuring?
- Frequency
- Duration
- Latency
- Inter-response time
83. For every third correct response, you deliver a preferred edible. What reinforcement schedule is this?
- FR-3
- FI-3
- VR-3
- VI-3
84. Which of the following is the LEAST unethical decision?
- An RBT working with a family on community skills goals in a shopping mall is offered a gift by the family once they conclude their shopping trip. The RBT accepts the gift.
- A family is going on vacation and wants to bring their RBT along to help their child work on goals while on vacation. The RBT can’t afford the trip, so the family decides to pay for their trip in order to bring them along. The RBT agrees, as this is a valid business expense.
- A small child, who is the client of an RBT, offers the RBT a hand-made card, made from construction paper and way too much glitter, as a gift. The RBT readily accepts with a big smile on his face.
- A mechanic, who is the father of a child receiving behavioral services from an RBT, notices the RBT is having trouble starting her car. He offers to help her fix it at his shop for free. The RBT is grateful, and accepts the gift from the client’s father.
85. Response definitions, sometimes also referred to as operational definitions or behavior definitions, refer to a …
- Objective, clear, concise, and complete description of a behavior of interest
- Use laymans terms to explain to parents what type of function the behavior most likely possesses
- Describe only the function of the behavior of interest
- Provide a subjective, comfortable description of the behavior of interest
86. Escape, attention, tangible, sensory describe what?
- Functions of behavior
- Teaching strategies
- Types of prompts
- Dimensions of ABA
87. This signals that reinforcement is available
- SD
- Sdelta
- SR-
- VR-3
88. This increases the future likelihood of behavior.
- Punishment
- Motivation
- Rewards
- Reinforcement
89. Reinforcement is delivered on average every 2 minutes in which the behaviors occur. What reinforcement schedule is this?
- FI-2
- FR-2
- VI-2
- VR-2
90. Reinforcing gradual changes in behavior
- Chaining
- Shaping
- Prompting
- Reinforcing
91. When you start with least intrusive prompt.
- Forward chaining
- Backwards chaining
- Least to most prompting
- Most to least prompting
92. Which of the following is the best example of maintaining client dignity?
- Sharing a client’s private information with other RBTs
- Explaining to the waitress that your client has autism during a CBI
- Not restricting the client’s right to food or water
- Sharing a client’s information with a peer
Missed Questions
RBT Discrimination Practice
Antecedents & Consequences of a behavior help us learn to make discriminations
Behavior occurs in presence of specific situations or contexts in which they were reinforced in the past
stop at red light, not at green light
good morning in morning but not at night
Engaging in a discrimination because of the different consequences that were applied to the same behavior
Julia’s behavior is under stimulus control
Behavior occurs in the presence of specific contexts in which they were reinforced in the past
Discrimination training involved reinforcing some responses and not reinforcing other responses in the presence of some antecedent stimulus
The result of this discrimination training is stimulus control
Record response to each antecedent stimulus
Graph Data Collected
Analyze the Data
Other Questions to Learn (167)
Follow protocol of how to communicate.
Communicate effectively with all team members.
Never do or say anything to cause embarrassment to the client.
Do not do something in front of your client that you would not do if working with a typical developing child.
2. Prepare material and programs for current session based on data from last session.
3. Determine what programs you plan to work on during the session.
4. Gather materials for those programs.
5. Set up the first set of programs so they are ready for the client when you begin your session.
2. Assess antecedent/consequence that may maintain behavior.
3. Identify hypothesis of function of behavior.
4. Identify possible replacement behaviors.
5. Select and implement antecedent/consequence based interventions.
6. Create crisis intervention plan.
7. Implementation, modification, generalization and maintenance procedures.
1. Identify the skill deficit
2. Create a goal to address the deficit
3. Establish a data measurement system
4. Take baseline data (Assess current skill level)
5. Select and implement an acquisition procedure.
6. Collect data to assess effectiveness of the procedure.
7. Modify existing plan based on assessment data. (Modify, if necessary) to maintain/increase effectiveness)
2. Select skill acquisition procedures to complete during session.
3. Prepare materials you will need for the skill acquisition (including data collection protocols).
2. Frequency
3. Latency
4. Duration
5. Amplitude/Intensity
The scientific study of principles of learning and behavior.
What an individual does (how they respond in the situation).
It is observable and measurable.
4 types of Responses:
1. Correct
2. Incorrect
3. Non-Response
4. Prompted
Occurs through pairing of two stimuli.
Stimulus – Stimulus Pairing (S – S)
i.e. Food is an unconditioned stimulus for a hungry animal and salivation is the unconditioned response.
i.e. Dogs salivating in the presence of food; yelping upon being bitten by an insect.
Behavior whose future frequency is determined by a history of consequences.
Behavior followed by pleasant consequences tends to be repeated.
Behavior followed by unpleasant consequences tends not to be repeated.
Reinforcers strengthen behavior.
2. Antecedent
3. Behavior
4. Consequence
Influence how an individual is going to react. (i.e. Being deprived of food and water)
An environment or a stimulus change existing or occurring prior to a behavior of interest.
Assistance provided to engage in desired behavior or response.
May be reinforcers or punishers.
2. Behavioral
3. Analytic
4. Technological
5. Conceptual Systems
6. Effective
7. Generality
Data in which you tally each time the behavior occurs.
Typically used for behaviors with discrete beginning and ending points.
Typically used for behaviors with discrete beginning and ending points. (i.e. throwing items, going to the gym, taking medicine, hitting another person)
Most frequently used type of data collection.
The amount of time a response is performed.
Track from onset to offset.
Typically used for behaviors that last too long or too short. (i.e. on task behavior, social interactions, engaging in stereotypy)
A form of continuous measurement.
Used for estimating duration of a behavior in which observers periodically look at client at predetermined intervals and record whether or not a behavior is occurring.
Overestimates the behavior.
Example: presence or absence of thumb-sucking within a series of time intervals.
Underestimates the behavior.
Example: the total time devoted to remaining on task.
Example: presence or absence of client’s stereotypic behavior (stimming).
Example: number of written assignments completed;
– Correct
– Incorrect
– Non-Response
– Prompted
– Line Graph (most common) shows patterns, trends
– Bar Graph shows portions of a whole
– Pie Chart shows portions of a whole
Individuals who take the data agree on the occurrence of the target behavior.
Looking for 85% agreed upon when doing reliability checks.
1. Sensory
2. Escape/Avoidance
3. Attention
4. Tangible
Individuals behave a certain way because it feels good to them.
The individual wants a preferred item or activity.
Describes the existing level of performance.
The qualified practitioner manipulates situations (antecedents/consequences) and takes data on behavior during those situations to test hypotheses about suspected maintaining variables.
Can consist of:
– Direct observation
– Interview
– Functional analysis (experimental)
– File Review
In an FBA behavior plans must include replacement skills.
Should be included in Behavior Plans.
Develop an appropriate behavior plan
2. Punishment
3. Extinction
Immediate increase in frequency in responding.
Rewards are the THING, reinforcement is the ACTION.
(i.e. If giving a child a cooke after they clean their room does not increase the chances of them cleaning their room again in the future then the cookie was just a reward and NOT a reinforcer)
(i.e. cleaning your room and your mom stops nagging; hitting snooze on an alarm and the beeping stops; putting on your seatbelt and the dinging stops)
Form of positive punishment in which every time an undesired behavior occurs the actor loses a reinforcer.
(i.e. shock, physical pain, loud noises, painful stimulation that can cause tissue damage, light, sound, temperature)
1. Caregiver interview
2. Surveys
3. Direct Observation
4. Assessment Method
The more time spent with an item, the stronger the presumed preference.
1. Single item/single stimulus
2. Forced choice
3. Multiple choice
– multiple choice with replacement
– multiple choice without replacement
Objects and activities are presented to the individual one by one.
Data are recorded on how long the person engages with each item or activity.
Most frequently selected item will likely be the most potent reinforcer.
The opportunity to engage in more probable behaviors (or activities) will reinforce less probable behavior.
Grandma’s Rule: If you want to go out to play, you have to eat your vegetables first.
(i.e. “If I study 2 hours every day, I will get an A on the exam next month”)
This schedule is the most resistant to extinction.
(i.e. taking away a toy when a child talks back; time out from positive reinforcement for yelling)
Loss of a specific amount of reinforcement.
A form of Negative Punishment
(i.e. touch toes 20 times contingent on biting self)
– Focus on positive behaviors
– Alter the ecology
– Teach new skills
– Reinforce the absence of behavior
– High density of reinforcing events
– Non-contingent delivery of reinforcing events
– Eliminate antecedents that cue challenging behavior
A type of Focused Support Strategy
Behavior receiving reinforcement should increase while the behavior for which reinforcement is being withheld should decrease.
For example engaging in any other behavior except the target behavior.
(i.e. every 5 minutes without hitting, individual receives a sticker)
Often used when individual is engaging in a behavior too frequently.
(i.e. reinforce knitting or giving a self manicure instead of biting nails; reinforce appropriate language instead of punishing swearing at others)
(i.e. playing nicely vs. fighting; on task behavior vs. off task behavior; in seat vs. out of seat; deep breathing vs. yelling)
Designed to maximize a learner’s potential by presenting information in a three-part teaching unit.
Based on Antecedent – Behavior – Consequence format.
A – B – C (Stimulus – Response – Consequence)
Main objective is to teach children how to learn from their natural environment and make learning reinforcing.
DTT is Errorless Learning.
Skinnner: “Errors are not necessary for learning to occur.”
1. Correct
2. Incorrect
3. Non-Response
4. Prompted
Reinforcement should be given for a correct response.
Should be delivered immediately (0 – 5 seconds is ideal).
We need to establish a hierarchy of prompts from the least to most or most to least intrusive for each instructional task.
Prompt is within the stimulus itself.
Can be used for color or size determination.
Trial training using phases.
(i.e. phases 1 – 6 Mass Trials of target, Block Trials, and Random Rotation)
When components are linked together, they form a chain that produces a terminal outcome.
Training only occurs on the steps currently mastered and current step (no training on steps after that).
Trainer performs all but the last step until the learner masters the last step.
Then trainer performs all but the lasts two steps until learner masters the last two steps and so on.
Often used to teach child to mand or request.
Involves a social interaction between speakers and listeners.
Listener reinforces the speaker.
A type of verbal operant in which a speaker asks for (or states, demands, implies, etc.) what he needs or wants.
Only type of verbal operant that directly benefits the speaker b/c the mand allows the speaker to receive reinforcers.
A type of verbal operant in which speaker names things and actions that the speaker had direct contact with through any of the sense modes.
Occurs in response to other verbal behavior.
Listener is “echoing” what they hear.
– Conversation
– Answering questions
– Filling in the blank
(i.e. A child says shoe because the word “shoe” is written)
(i.e. A child writes “shoe” because they hear the word “shoe”)
It has taken place if a response reinforced in one stimulus setting also increases in other stimulus settings.
Across people: The learner’s ability to respond to people other than those involved in the original teaching
Across environments: The learner’s ability to respond in different locations other than the “table and chair”
(i.e. responds to different SD’s for same behavior like “sit here”, “sit down”, “have a seat”)
(i.e. you teach a child to put away toys following the SD “clean up” and the child also begins to throw away garbage and put books on the shelf)
So something leaned at time 1 would also be evident at times 2, 3 and 4.
– The completion of a specific behavior
– Access to a specific reinforcer
Same as a behavioral contract.
This document should serve to hold both parties accountable (student & teacher).
– Specific behaviors to reinforce
– Tokens or points for emitting those behaviors
– A back-up reinforcer for cash in of tokens/points
Tokens themselves are not desirable…the back-up should be!
Contingent on an occurrence of the target behavior the learner is required to repeat a correct form of the behavior, or a behavior incompatible with the problem, a specified number of times.
The RBT is primarily responsible for the direct implementation of skill-acquisition and behavior-reduction plans developed by the supervisor.
The RBT may also collect data and conduct certain types of assessments (i.e. stimulus preference assessments)
The RBT does not design intervention or assessment plans. It is the responsibility of the designated RBT supervisor to determine which tasks an RBT may perform as a function of his or her training, experience, and competence.
– Maintaining records
– Documentation of professional work and research
– Records and Data
– Behavior analytic assessment
– Conforming with laws and regulations
– Accuracy and use of data
1. Record
2. Visual analysis of graphed data
3. Science
Parent requests are NOT a major factor in determining the current success of a plan or analyzing data to determine next steps.
2. Follow through with obligations
3. Disclose your experience in specific areas.
2. Make conditions as natural as possible over time.
3. Modify reinforcers
1. Have multiple teachers and styles / vary the stimuli & environment.
2. In the beginning conditions might be artificial, make conditions as natural as possible over time.
3. Use secondary/conditioned reinforcement. Thin the reinforcement schedule for primary reinforcers.
Lack of generalization: May lead to decrease in behavior only in the presence of the punisher.
May increase or escalate the behavior (provoke aggression).
Not always effective in the long term.
Strategies designed to manage the behavior at the time it occurs (in the moment).
These strategies are managed situationally to provide safety and prevent the escalation of the behaviors.
NOT meant to change behavior over time.
– Facilitative Strategies (help solve the problem)
– Redirect to a competing activity (give an instruction or a “help me” instruction
i.e. crisis intervention strategies
Strategies designed to provide a better mesh between client’s needs and the environments in which he/she behaves.
– Token economies (Focused Support Strategy)
– Differential reinforcement (Focused Support Strategy)
– Discrete trial training
RBT Exam Study Guide Video
a. Do not use the individuals name when documenting notes or data
b. Keep all data sheets and documentation on you at all times and avoid leaving them ion a public area
c. Remove all identifying information from the data sheets, including name, diagnosis, of the name title discloses diagnostic information
d. All of the above
a. Ruler
b. Data Sheet
c. Pen/Pencil or clicker
d. Calculator
a. The parents of the other students in the classroom
b. The other students in the classroom
c. Your program supervisor, the parent of the client, anyone the parents have given written consent to share the information with
d. Any of the school staff since the school is paying for your services
a. The ability to bill for the time to talk to the district
b. The phone number to call them back
c. The appropriate authorization to talk to the district (i.e. HIPAA Forms) and authorization from your program supervisor
d. Nothing, you can speak to them because they also work with your client.
a. Talk to the other therapists and tell them that you were reprimanded by the BCBA and they should do it the way you are since it is more effective
b. Do not change how you take the data, since you have always taken data in that way and it is how you were trained
c. Follow the way the BCBA is currently showing you and if you have additional questions ask the BCBA
d. Speak to the other therapists to see how they are taking the data and do as they do.
a. Mark it if the nail biting occurred anytime within each 5-minute interval
b. Mark it only if nail biting occurred for the entire 5-minute interval
c. Mark it only if the behavior occurred at the end of each 5-minute interval
d. Mark it only if the behavior did not occur at all during each 5-minute interval
a. Flash cards
b. A pitcher of juice, a cup, a napkin, and a reinforcer
c. A clear spot in the kitchen
d. All of the above
a. Taking a spelling test by vocally spelling the words
b. Taking a spelling test by giving a thumb up to indicate when a word is spelled correctly
c. Taking a spelling test by typing the words on a worksheet and printing it out
d. Taking a spelling test and having the student spell the words using sign language
a. Agreed to work on this during training because it is important to the parents
b. Not agree to work on the goal since it has not been discussed first with the supervisor of the program, and instead mention the parents request to her supervisor
c. Not agree to work on the goal but provide some referrals get an evaluation from a feeding specialist
d. Agree to work on this during training because it is important for children to have a balanced diet and good nutrition
a. Contact BCBA immediately and inform her of the behavior change after the session is over
b. Contact the other therapists to see if they are documenting the behavior correctly
c. Wait and see if the behavior decreases over the next several days
d. Tell the parents to cancel sessions for the rest of the week, he is obviously not feeling well and needs a chance to rest.
a. Linda’s frustration
b. Linda shouting “NO”.
c. Linda’s irritation with her chores
d. Linda’s Stomach ache
a. Pairing the instructions, “Make a sandwich,” with a video model, then fading the video model until the client can make a sandwich when given the instructions only
b. Offering choices of a sandwich or salad for lunch
c. Giving praise for making a sandwich within a 5-minute interval
d. Having the client discriminate between making a sandwich and making popcorn when given the specific instructions
a. Teaching Niko to spit in a cup
b. Teaching Niko to say, “Can we talk?”
c. Teaching Niko to sit nicely
d. Teaching Niko to request for a break
a. Review previous notes from other staff working with the client
b. Review the BCBA’s notes since your last session
c. Collect the stimuli needed to complete the skill acquisition plan
d. All of the above
a. A movie
b. Warmth
c. A drink
d. Food
a. Stop; start
b. Increase; decrease
c. Decrease; increase
d. Start; stop
a. Removing reinforcement from a learner upon the occurrence of a particular behavior
b. Ignoring the learner for a set period of time following the occurrence of a particular behavior
c. No longer providing reinforcement for a particular behavior when it occurs
d. None of the above
a. Record the date of the observation
b. Connect the data to the previous point on the graph in the same condition with a straight line
c. Record the initials of the staff member/observer
d. All of the above
a. Conditioned reinforcer
b. Unconditioned reinforcer
c. Conditioned punisher
d. Unconditioned punisher
a. Have the RBT conduct the assessment
b. Have an RBT attend the assessment to manage these areas
c. Talk with the client beforehand and tell the client not to engage in the problem behavior
d. Talk with the parents of the client and let them know if their child does not behave, the assessment cannot be completed
a. Ask the other staff working with the child if they have noticed anything or think that the client is being abused
b. Immediately set up a phone call with the mother and step-father to investigate what happened
c. Call the local child protective services agency to report the information as soon as possible
d. Do nothing as the client has been known to exaggerate and make up stories in the past
a. When a person engages in a destructive action
b. Anything a person says or does
c. Any socially inappropriate action a person engages in
d. Any socially appropriate action a person engages in
a. Collecting data on caregiver performance
b. Demonstrating skills for other people to learn from
c. Creating new lessons to meeting the training goals
d. Allowing the other professional to observe your sessions
a. Nothing. You are not the teacher and should not discuss anything with the parent
b. Only positive information about the day, so to not upset
c. A mixture of positive feedback, as well, as an accurate summary of the challenge the child encountered that day, since it is important to be honest yet positive and tactful when giving information to parents and caregivers
d. Tell parent about the hitting and tantrum behavior and that you think the child’s behavior intervention plan is not working.
a. When moving from primary to secondary reinforcement
b. When teaching new behaviors or behaviors that are on acquisition
c. When maintaining behaviors that are already learned
d. When a learner does not respond well to continuous reinforcement
a. Give his client a reinforcer
b. Rest the time interval for the next 5-minuets
c. Record that no pinching occurred during the interval onto the data sheet
d. All of the above
a. Causing an intentional physical injury
b. Making terrorizing or threatening statements
c. Withholding nourishment and water as a form of punishment
d. All of the above
a. It allows for data based decisions
b. It allows for monitoring progress and identifying skill deficits
c. It helps determine skill mastery
d. All of the above
a. Speak in a natural voice
b. Only work at a teaching table
c. Always use teaching cards
d. Speak in a louder more authoritative voice
a. Maladaptive behavior, antecedent behavior, and consequences
b. Anger, frustration, emotional self-control and protesting
c. Social positive reinforcement (attention and access to tangible), social negative reinforcement (escape), and automatic reinforcement.
d. All of the above
a. Maintained
b. Generalized
c. Prompted
d. Differentially reinforced
a. The definition of the behavior
b. The type of data collection procedure
c. What items are needed to take data (i.e. pencil, clicker, stopwatch)
d. All of the above
a. Balance out difficult feedback with positive feedback
b. Discuss in length the challenging behaviors of the client during the session so that the parent can adequately discipline the child afterwards
c. Only share positive information; they are dealing with difficult things outside of session and do not need to be further burden
d. Not share with the caregiver how the session was, as you are not the supervisor of the program
a. Writing the word “red” in black ink with a thick red border, which is gradually faded to thinner border and eventually removed
b. Placing a red square underneath the word “red”, and gradually lightening the shade of the red square until it is completely
c. Having pictures of red items drawn next to the word, “red” on an index card and gradually removed from the card one at a time
d. All of the above
a. Error correction procedure
b. Discrimination training
c. Mass trial/in isolation
d. Random rotation
a. Backward chaining
b. Total task presentation
c. Semi-task presentation
d. Forward chaining
a. Giana does not find the time-out location to be reinforcing
b. The therapist is different throughout the week, but they each follow the behavior plan
c. Giana is getting to escape the routine and is not engaged in a reinforcing activity prior to the time-out procedure
d. All of the above
a. Follow the instructions of her supervisor and sign the timesheet because her supervisor told her to
b. Sign the timesheet but do not use her full name
c. Not sign the timesheet
d. Not sign the timesheet and report her program supervisor because this is fraudulent
a. Block the slapping behavior with your hand, provide the instruction “hands down,” and continue the learning activity.
b. Provide Tito with a break since one is clearly needed
c. Reinforce Tito for not engaging in slapping for designated periods of time. When slapping does occur, ignore the behavior
d. Continue presenting the instruction and do not respond to the slapping behavior
a. The physical location
b. The presence of loud music playing
c. The presence of a large group of students in the hallway
d. All of the above
a. A procedure where reinforcement is gradually thinned and faded away
b. A procedure where target responses are taught in their natural environment with naturally occurring reinforcement
c. A procedure where one stimulus which controls a certain behavior is paired with another stimulus until the new stimulus gains control over the behavior
d. A procedure where learned responses are generalized across different people and places
a. He engaged in self-injurious behavior at a rate of 3/hr.
b. He manded for his videos using full sentence responses, including the person’s name on his ACD.
c. Alex had a fantastic session, great job big guy!
d. He mastered expressively identifying purple, imitating pointing and completing the puzzle of the truck.
a. Socially mediated positive reinforcement
b. Socially mediated negative reinforcement
c. Automatic positive reinforcement
d. Automatic negative reinforcement
a. Keep notes discretely when in public, do not discuss your clients with family or friends, and do not leave information regarding the agency you work for or the learner’s diagnosis in a voicemail message
b. Wear your work badge in community settings, use paperwork that lists the learner’s identity on it, discuss individual learners with all parents so they can compare and understand if their child is doing well
c. Discuss your learner’s difficulties with other providers to problem solve their issues, hang pictures of your learners in your office and post on social media the great things your learner does
d. Put your learner’s name in the subject area of an email so that the recipients know it is important, wear a shirt that says “I love people with (client’s diagnosis) when on a community outing with a learner and leave paperwork with client’s names on it in your car rather than bringing it into your house.
a. What happens right before Miguel hits
b. What happens right after Miguel hits
c. During which activities and times of day does Miguel hit the most often
d. All of the above
a. Effective / ineffective
b. Positive / negative
c. Continuous / intermittent
d. Natural / unnatural
a. A preference assessment
b. Reinforcement
c. Discrimination training
d. Assessment indication
a. A-B-C data sheet
b. Discrete trial
c. Scatter plot
d. Task analysis
a. Unconditioned reinforcement
b. Punishment
c. Token economy
d. Stimulus control transfer procedure
a. Your name bade and lanyard
b. Baggy clothing
c. Sneakers/ tennis shoes
d. Jewelry
a. Discrimination training
b. Chaining
c. A replacement behavior to give Paul a more appropriate way to access breaks or escape
d. None of the above
a. Tell them you will go home and research the answer to their question
b. Tell them you will have the BCBA contact you to discuss that question
c. Tell them that with your experience, you think two more years of intense therapy and the client will be done
d. Tell them that you think the client is done now and they should discontinue services
a. Discrimination
b. Graphs
c. Visual prompting strategies
d. Discriminative stimulus
a. Sergio can discuss both Henry and Sam since the families are connected socially
b. Sergio can only discuss matters concerning Henry, since it would be a violation of confidentiality to discuss Sam with another parent
c. Sergio should not discuss anything related to either Henry or Sam since he is not the teacher or supervisor
d. None of the above
a. The systematic reinforcement of successive approximations of a target behavior while no longer providing reinforcement for previous approximations
b. The repeated presentation of one stimulus over consecutive trials
c. Teaching discrimination between two or more stimuli
d. A sequence of discriminative stimuli and responses where each response in the sequence produces the discriminative stimulus for the next response
a. Report objective information
b. Avoid subjective opinions
c. Use professional language
d. All of the above
a. Error correction procedure
b. Discrimination training
c. Mass trial
d. Prompt hierarchy
a. Non-contingent reinforcement (NCR)
b. Demand fading
c. Functional communication training
d. Behavior momentum
a. Items that have been mastered and are being generalized to the natural environment
b. Items that are mastered and are being maintained
c. Teaching new behaviors that are on acquisition
d. Items on acquisition and that are mastered
a. Babysitting or provided respite care for a client that you work with
b. Attending a social gathering at the invitation of a client or his mother
c. Providing treatment services to the son or daughter of a friend
d. All of the above
a. Red, blue, yellow, white
b. Blue, black, brown, purple
c. Purple, red, white, brown
d. Blue, red, white, green
a. Dual relationships with clients are acceptable and result in good working relationships between professionals and clients
b. Dual relationships should be avoided at all times as they can impair the clinical judgement of the professionals to do what is right for the client
c. Dual relationships are impossible to avoid and typically do not have a detrimental effect on the client’s treatment
d. Only romantic or sexual relationships are considered dual relationships
a. The outcome that immediately follows the learner’s response
b. An antecedent condition that momentarily affects the value of an item and affects the likelihood that behaviors which have produced that item in the past will occur
c. The procedure of providing consequences for a behavior that increases or maintains the strength of that behavior
d. The time between the end of one trial and the start of the next
a. Bob will likely not want to go to your bathroom
b. Make sure that no other family member is in the bathroom
c. Be prepared with wet wipes
d. Make sure you have a digital timer as well as wet wipes so you are prepared for this program
a. Discuss the research with the parent and tell her that sensory approaches do not work
b. Tell the parent that she should discuss this with the BCBA supervisor, and communicate this with her supervisor after her session
c. Agree to the parent’s request and start implementing sensory breaks instead of the existing intervention, since it is what the parents want
d. Contact the other professional and discuss the new approach directly with him
a. 0.7
b. 7 minutes
c. 3 minutes
d. 0.3
a. Engaging with the client during breaks
b. Assisting with reinforcement and preference assessments
c. Redirecting challenging behaviors with the consent of the assessor
d. All of the above
a. Take away a token
b. Conduct a preference assessment
c. Ignore his behavior and continue demands
d. Prompt him through the task
a. The definition of the target behavior
b. The duration of the intervals
c. How many intervals you will need to track and record the data
d. All of the above
a. An operational definition of the behavior
b. Identified function of the behavior
c. Antecedent modifications, replacement behaviors, and consequence manipulations
d. All of the above
a. Allowing the client to choose which leisure time activity he would like to do
b. Choose all of your client’s activities for the day, to make it easier on him
c. Leave the bathroom door open when conducting toilet training so that you have more room
d. Talk about your client’s problem behaviors in front of him to other staff
a. Natural environment training
b. Discrete trial teaching
c. Child development training
d. Natural discrete training
a. 3 minutes
b. 4.5 minutes
c. 1.5 minutes
d. 5.5 minutes
a. Try to explain your concern to the learner’s family
b. Leave a message for your supervisor and discuss it with him when he calls you back
c. Call your local child protective services hotline and report your concern
d. Take the learner home with you to protect him
a. Write, “buy feminine products for Suset” on the kitchen wipe board to remind the other staff to get supplies for Suset
b. In the group meeting with the other teens make sure to ask Suset, “Hey, do you need any feminine products?”
c. Approach Suset when she is by herself and ask her if she needs any supplies this week for hygiene
d. Don’t talk to Suset about this because it is private