RBT Behavior Reduction Questions and Answers

A is correct. An extinction burst is a temporary increase in the frequency, intensity or duration of behavior immediately after the maintaining reinforcer is withheld. It is expected, and it typically subsides if the procedure is applied consistently.

B is wrong because stopping during a burst reinforces the escalated behavior at its worst, making it far harder to treat later. C is wrong because spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of a behavior after it has already decreased, not the initial spike. D is wrong because nothing indicates a new consequence is now maintaining the behavior.

C is correct. DRO — differential reinforcement of other behavior — reinforces the absence of the target behavior for a specified period. If hand-biting occurs, the interval typically resets and no reinforcer is delivered.

A is wrong because delivering reinforcement regardless of behavior is non-contingent reinforcement, a different procedure. B is wrong because reinforcing a specific appropriate alternative is DRA. D is wrong because reinforcing a reduced rate is DRL, which tolerates some occurrences rather than requiring none.

A is correct. Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior reinforces a specific replacement response that produces the same reinforcer as the problem behavior — attention, in this case — while the problem behavior no longer produces it.

B is wrong because DRO reinforces the absence of behavior rather than a specific alternative. C is wrong because DRL reinforces a lower rate of the problem behavior itself. D is wrong because response cost involves removing a reinforcer contingent on the problem behavior, which is not described here.

C is correct. DRI — differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior — reinforces a response that cannot physically co-occur with the problem behavior, such as reinforcing hands-in-lap to reduce hand-flapping.

A is wrong because DRO reinforces any period without the behavior, with no requirement that anything specific occur. B is wrong because DRA's alternative merely serves the same function; it need not be physically incompatible. D is wrong because DRL reinforces a reduced rate of the target behavior itself rather than a competing response.

C is correct. Non-contingent reinforcement delivers the maintaining reinforcer on a fixed time schedule regardless of behavior. This abolishes the motivating operation for the problem behavior — the client no longer has to act out to get attention.

B is wrong because DRO requires the absence of the behavior before delivering the reinforcer; NCR has no such contingency. A is wrong because extinction withholds the reinforcer rather than providing it freely. D is wrong because a high-p sequence involves presenting easy requests before a difficult one.

A is correct. A high-probability request sequence delivers several instructions with a strong compliance history immediately before a low-probability request, increasing the likelihood of compliance with the hard one.

B is wrong because errorless learning uses prompting to prevent errors during skill teaching, not to increase compliance. C is wrong because shaping reinforces successive approximations toward a new response, and clapping is not an approximation of writing. D is wrong because response cost removes a reinforcer following problem behavior, which has not occurred.

C is correct. Extinction always means withholding the maintaining reinforcer. For escape-maintained behavior, the reinforcer is removal of the demand — so extinction means the demand stays in place and the behavior no longer buys a break.

A is wrong because ignoring is extinction for attention-maintained behavior; ignoring an escape-maintained tantrum while removing the task actually reinforces it. B is wrong because removing the demand delivers exactly the reinforcer being targeted. D is wrong because withholding tangibles addresses a function that is not operating here.

A is correct. Spontaneous recovery is the reappearance of a previously extinguished behavior after a period without it. If the extinction procedure remains in place, it typically fades again quickly.

B is wrong because an extinction burst occurs immediately after extinction begins, not weeks into a successful reduction. C is wrong because response generalization concerns new forms of a reinforced response, not the return of a reduced one. D is wrong because satiation is a motivational change that reduces reinforcer value, which does not explain a behavior returning.

D is correct. A behavior reduction plan has to tell any RBT what the behavior looks like, what maintains it, what to change beforehand, what to teach instead and how to respond when it occurs.

A is wrong because educational history is background information, not procedural instruction. C is wrong because staffing records are administrative. B is wrong because scheduling preferences are logistical and appear nowhere in a clinical protocol.

D is correct. Problem behavior is doing a job — getting attention, escaping a demand, obtaining an item. Suppressing it without teaching a functional alternative leaves the need unmet, and the behavior usually returns or is replaced by something worse.

A is wrong because it treats a clinical necessity as paperwork. C is wrong because it describes a side benefit rather than the reason. B is wrong because no blanket prohibition exists; the reason is clinical effectiveness and client welfare.

C is correct. DRL — differential reinforcement of low rates — reinforces the behavior when it occurs at or below a specified rate. It suits behaviors that are acceptable in moderation but problematic in excess.

A is wrong because DRO would require zero occurrences, and hand-raising is a behavior you want to keep at a lower level rather than eliminate. B is wrong because no alternative response is being taught. D is wrong because no physically incompatible behavior is being reinforced.

D is correct. Offering choice happens before the behavior and changes the conditions under which work is presented — that is the defining feature of an antecedent intervention.

A is wrong because praise delivered after a response is a consequence procedure. C is wrong because removing a token following shouting is response cost, also a consequence. B is wrong because withholding attention after screaming is extinction, which by definition operates on what follows the behavior.

B is correct. Safety comes first, and the written crisis plan specifies exactly what to do — which typically starts with clearing the area and protecting people rather than continuing programming.

A is wrong because concern about reinforcement never outweighs immediate physical danger. C is wrong because restraint may be prohibited, requires specific training and authorisation, and is never a default first response. D is wrong because calling the parent, while it may follow, does nothing to address the immediate hazard.

B is correct. Extinction removes access to the reinforcer without providing another route to it. Pairing it with DRA or FCT gives the client an appropriate way to get what they need, which reduces bursts and produces more durable change.

A is wrong because speed is not the central concern; effectiveness and welfare are. C is wrong because RBTs implement extinction routinely under supervision without the BCBA physically present. D is wrong because extinction applies to every function once the maintaining reinforcer is identified.

B is correct. FCT teaches a communicative response that produces the same reinforcer as the problem behavior — here, escape — while the problem behavior is placed on extinction. It is a specific and very common form of DRA.

A is wrong because nothing is being removed following the behavior. C is wrong because non-contingent escape delivers breaks on a schedule regardless of what the client does. D is wrong because although discrimination is involved, the defining feature is teaching a functional communication response.

B is correct. Function is about what maintains behavior, not what it looks like. Identical topographies can be maintained by entirely different consequences, which is why interventions must follow assessment rather than appearance.

A is wrong because although behavior can be multiply maintained, the scenario describes two clients with one function each. C is wrong because self-injury is routinely assessed and its function identified. D is wrong because it states the opposite of the point — topography tells you nothing reliable about function.

A is correct. The motivating operation is the aversiveness of long work. Shortening intervals and scheduling breaks reduces that aversiveness directly, so escape becomes less valuable and the behavior less likely.

B is wrong because a snack addresses food motivation, which is not what maintains this behavior. C is wrong because praise is a consequence procedure, not an antecedent one. D is wrong because response cost is also a consequence, and it does nothing about why the work is aversive.

B is correct. Modifying a behavior plan is a clinical decision reserved for the supervisor. Acknowledging the parent's concern and routing it to the BCBA respects both the family and the scope of the RBT role.

A is wrong because parental consent to treatment is not the same as authority to alter a clinical protocol. C is wrong because it dismisses a legitimate concern the supervisor needs to hear. D is wrong because an unauthorised trial is a fidelity breach regardless of how it is reported afterward.

B is correct. Behavior is commonly described as maintained by social attention, escape or avoidance, access to tangibles, or automatic reinforcement produced by the behavior itself.

A is wrong because positive and negative describe whether a stimulus is added or removed, not what maintains behavior. C is wrong because ABC names the three-term contingency, a recording framework rather than a list of functions. D is wrong because those are categories of behavior type, not functions.

B is correct. DRO reinforces the absence of the behavior across the whole interval. An occurrence means the criterion was not met, so no reinforcer is delivered and the interval restarts.

A is wrong because delivering the reinforcer would follow an occurrence of the very behavior being reduced. C is wrong because doubling the interval is a plan change the RBT is not authorised to make. D is wrong because reinforcing immediately after the behavior directly strengthens it.

C is correct. Incidents require prompt, objective documentation on the form the agency specifies, describing what was observed rather than what the RBT concluded.

A is wrong because reporting requirements are triggered by the incident, not only by injury. B is wrong because waiting to be asked delays reporting and degrades the accuracy of the account. D is wrong because a routine session note does not satisfy incident-reporting requirements, which usually route to different people.

C is correct. Occasionally giving in places the behavior on an intermittent reinforcement schedule, which produces the most persistent responding of all. Inconsistent extinction makes the problem substantially worse than not starting.

A is wrong because the behavior typically strengthens rather than gradually decreasing. B is wrong because the same reinforcer is still maintaining it; only the schedule has changed. D is wrong because the effect is large and in the wrong direction.

D is correct. Priming prepares the client for what is coming before the event occurs, reducing the uncertainty that often occasions problem behavior at transitions.

B is wrong because praise after the transition is a consequence procedure. C is wrong because removing an item following behavior is response cost, also a consequence. A is wrong because timing transitions is measurement, not intervention.

C is correct. Practising within one's scope of competence means not implementing procedures you have not been trained on. Raising it with the supervisor gets the training arranged and protects the client.

A is wrong because improvising a behavior reduction procedure risks harm and produces useless data. B is wrong because informal peer instruction during a live session is not competency-based training and the peer is not the authorising supervisor. D is wrong because silently omitting part of a plan is a fidelity breach the supervisor cannot see in the data.

B is correct. If the alternative takes more effort or works less reliably than the problem behavior, the client has no reason to use it. Matching the reinforcer and making the alternative efficient is what makes DRA effective.

A is wrong because physical incompatibility is required for DRI, not DRA. C is wrong because alternatives are frequently gestures, cards or device responses. D is wrong because DRA very often involves teaching the alternative from scratch.

A is correct. Multiply maintained behavior serves different functions in different contexts — escaping demands at school, gaining attention at home. Effective plans then need distinct procedures for each context.

B is wrong because response generalization concerns varied response forms, not varied maintaining consequences. C is wrong because automatic reinforcement is one specific function, and the scenario involves several. D is wrong because behavioral contrast describes behavior changing in one setting when contingencies change in another.

D is correct. Restrictive and physical procedures carry real risk and are tightly governed. Only techniques written into this client's plan, for which the RBT holds current training, may be used.

A is wrong because the objection is about authorisation and safety, not effectiveness. C is wrong because consent for restrictive procedures is obtained through the treatment planning process, not asked for mid-crisis. B is wrong because a good outcome does not retroactively authorise an unapproved restrictive procedure.

A is correct. A warning and a visual timer make the transition predictable and signal the end of access in advance, which reduces the abruptness that occasions the behavior. It is an antecedent change addressing the situation directly.

B is wrong because ignoring is a consequence procedure and does not address the transition itself. C is wrong because removing all preferred items is restrictive and harms the client's quality of life. D is wrong because making the next task harder increases aversiveness and would likely worsen the behavior.

C is correct. An extinction burst is the temporary spike in the behavior right after the maintaining reinforcer is withheld. Sessions 5 and 6 jump well above the baseline band before the decline begins — the classic burst pattern.

A is wrong because a stable baseline is the pre-intervention comparison, not an effect of extinction. B is wrong because the decline is the intended therapeutic effect that follows the burst. D is wrong because the final low point shows the procedure worked, not the burst itself.

B is correct. A replacement behavior must produce the same reinforcer as the problem behavior. Screaming produces escape, so requesting a break is the functionally matched alternative.

A is wrong because requesting a toy produces a tangible, which is not what maintains the screaming. C is wrong because raising a hand produces attention, again the wrong function. D is wrong because sitting quietly is a goal rather than a replacement — it gives the client no way to communicate his need to escape.

B is correct. For attention-maintained behavior, any substantial social response — including a reprimand or explanation — functions as the reinforcer. Well-intentioned lecturing strengthens exactly what it is meant to reduce.

A is wrong because complexity is a secondary issue; even a simple explanation would reinforce. C is wrong because time cost is trivial compared with strengthening aggression. D is wrong because who delivers the attention does not change its reinforcing effect.

B is correct. By changing the conditions that occasion behavior, antecedent strategies reduce the number of occurrences in the first place — which is safer for the client and everyone around them.

A is wrong because implementation speed varies and some antecedent strategies require substantial environmental change. C is wrong because every procedure in a behavior plan requires data. D is wrong because all procedures are implemented under supervision regardless of type.

B is correct. The visitor's reaction is delivering the reinforcer the procedure is withholding, so the extinction is not actually in effect. Addressing it discreetly, or escalating to the supervisor, protects the procedure.

A is wrong because ignoring it means the behavior is being intermittently reinforced, which makes it more persistent. C is wrong because a solvable environmental problem does not warrant abandoning the plan. D is wrong because detailing a client's behavior plan to an unauthorised person breaches confidentiality.

D is correct. Treatment fidelity is imperfect in practice; the honest response is to resume correct implementation and document the lapse so the supervisor can interpret the data accurately.

B is wrong because silently skipping leaves the supervisor reading data that misrepresent how the procedure was run. C is wrong because an end-of-session bonus is not contingent on the interval and is an unauthorised modification. A is wrong because concealing a fidelity lapse is a documentation problem, not a fix.

B is correct. DRO — differential reinforcement of other behavior — reinforces the omission of the target behavior across an interval. The client can be doing anything at all, as long as the target behavior did not occur.

A is wrong because DRA requires a specific alternative response to occur. C is wrong because DRI requires a specific incompatible response to occur. D is wrong because DRL reinforces the target behavior at a reduced rate, meaning some occurrences are tolerated.

D is correct. Crisis plans specify what happens after de-escalation — re-entry steps, documentation and notification. Following them protects the client and gives the supervisor the information needed to adjust the plan.

A is wrong because it skips required documentation and notification. C is wrong because ending the session is only appropriate if the plan specifies it. B is wrong because canvassing colleagues for opinions discloses client information beyond those authorised and delays the required report.