QASP-S STUDY EXAMS GUIDE 2026 QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Satiation - ✔✔When an individual has had enough or too much of a reinforcer that
the reinforcing value decreases. MO is weak and behavior is less likely to occur
✔✔Deprivation - ✔✔When an individual hasn't had enough of a reinforcer that the
reinforcing value increases. MO is strong and behavior is more likely to occur
✔✔Dead man's test - ✔✔If a dead man can do it, it's not a behavior
✔✔Behavior - ✔✔An individual's interaction with the environment that involves
movement from the individual
✔✔Positive reinforcement - ✔✔An added stimulus that increases the future likelihood of
a behavior
✔✔Negative reinforcement - ✔✔A removed stimulus that increases the future likelihood
of a behavior
✔✔Positive punishment - ✔✔An added stimulus that decreases the future likelihood of
a behavior
,✔✔Negative punishment - ✔✔A removed stimulus that decreases the future likelihood
of a behavior
✔✔Matching Law - ✔✔A behavior principle where a behavior occurs in direct proportion
to reinforcement available for each behavior. When concurrent reinforcement schedules
(2+ basic schedules of reinforcement occur at the same time for 2+ behaviors) exist, the
individual will engage in the behavior that gives the highest amount of reinforcement
with the lowest amount of effort.
- More responses occur on the denser schedule of reinforcement
- Behavior goes where reinforcement flows
✔✔Matching Law: Rate - ✔✔The number of times a behavior occurs in a specific time
or interval
✔✔Matching Law: Magnitude - ✔✔A behavior's strength, force, intensity, and/or severity
✔✔Conditioned reinforcers - ✔✔A stimulus that has acquired its reinforcing properties
through the individual's learning history
✔✔Unconditioned reinforcers - ✔✔A stimulus that does not need a learned history in
order to possess itself reinforcing properties
✔✔Conditioned punishers - ✔✔A stimulus that has acquired its punishing properties
through the individual's learning history
✔✔Unconditioned punishers - ✔✔A stimulus that does not need a learned history in
order to possess itself punishing properties
✔✔Basic Schedules of Reinforcement - ✔✔fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval,
variable interval
✔✔Fixed ratio - ✔✔Reinforcement occurs after a specific amount of instances
✔✔Fixed interval - ✔✔Reinforcement occurs after a specific amount of time
✔✔Variable ratio - ✔✔Reinforcement occurs after a varying amount of instances
✔✔Variable interval - ✔✔Reinforcement occurs after a varying amount of times
✔✔Extinction - ✔✔A behavior that was previously reinforced is no longer reinforced
✔✔Types of extinction - ✔✔- Extinction of behaviors maintained by positive
reinforcement
, - Extinction of behaviors maintained by negative reinforcement (escape extinction or
avoidance extinction)
- Extinction of behaviors maintained by automatic reinforcement
✔✔Secondary effects of extinction (risks) - ✔✔Extinction burst, spontaneous recovery,
and resurgence
✔✔Extinction bursts - ✔✔An increase in frequency of a behavior at the beginning of an
extinction procedures
✔✔Spontaneous recovery - ✔✔A behavior that was placed on extinction suddenly
begins to occur after its frequency has decreased to its pre-reinforcement level or
stopped entirely
✔✔Resurgence - ✔✔The reoccurrence of a behavior that used extinction (previously
reinforced) when reinforcement for alternative behaviors is terminated or decreased.
3 Phase procedure that produces resurgence:
1. A target behavior is reinforced
2. The target behavior is placed on extinction and reinforcement is provided for
alternative behaviors
3. Both responses are placed on extinction
✔✔Verbal operants (definition and types) - ✔✔Functional units of language that a
speaker exhibits (expressive language). Each type of operant varies based on the
controlling antecedent variables and related teaching history.
Types: Mand, tact, echoic, and intraverbal
✔✔Mand - ✔✔Under the control of a MO and specific history of reinforcement (request)
✔✔Tact - ✔✔Under the control of a nonverbal SD and a history of reinforcement (label)`
✔✔Echoic - ✔✔Under the control of a verbal SD that has formal similarity (point-to-point
correspondence) between the stimulus and the response product, and has a history of
generalized reinforcement (repeat)
✔✔Intraverbal - ✔✔Under the control of a verbal SD that does not have formal similarity
(point-to-point correspondence) with the stimulus response product and has a history of
generalized reinforcement
✔✔Scientific Understanding - ✔✔In ABA, the goal is to gain an understanding of
socially important behavior change. There are 3 levels:
1. Description
2. Prediction
3. Control
AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Satiation - ✔✔When an individual has had enough or too much of a reinforcer that
the reinforcing value decreases. MO is weak and behavior is less likely to occur
✔✔Deprivation - ✔✔When an individual hasn't had enough of a reinforcer that the
reinforcing value increases. MO is strong and behavior is more likely to occur
✔✔Dead man's test - ✔✔If a dead man can do it, it's not a behavior
✔✔Behavior - ✔✔An individual's interaction with the environment that involves
movement from the individual
✔✔Positive reinforcement - ✔✔An added stimulus that increases the future likelihood of
a behavior
✔✔Negative reinforcement - ✔✔A removed stimulus that increases the future likelihood
of a behavior
✔✔Positive punishment - ✔✔An added stimulus that decreases the future likelihood of
a behavior
,✔✔Negative punishment - ✔✔A removed stimulus that decreases the future likelihood
of a behavior
✔✔Matching Law - ✔✔A behavior principle where a behavior occurs in direct proportion
to reinforcement available for each behavior. When concurrent reinforcement schedules
(2+ basic schedules of reinforcement occur at the same time for 2+ behaviors) exist, the
individual will engage in the behavior that gives the highest amount of reinforcement
with the lowest amount of effort.
- More responses occur on the denser schedule of reinforcement
- Behavior goes where reinforcement flows
✔✔Matching Law: Rate - ✔✔The number of times a behavior occurs in a specific time
or interval
✔✔Matching Law: Magnitude - ✔✔A behavior's strength, force, intensity, and/or severity
✔✔Conditioned reinforcers - ✔✔A stimulus that has acquired its reinforcing properties
through the individual's learning history
✔✔Unconditioned reinforcers - ✔✔A stimulus that does not need a learned history in
order to possess itself reinforcing properties
✔✔Conditioned punishers - ✔✔A stimulus that has acquired its punishing properties
through the individual's learning history
✔✔Unconditioned punishers - ✔✔A stimulus that does not need a learned history in
order to possess itself punishing properties
✔✔Basic Schedules of Reinforcement - ✔✔fixed ratio, variable ratio, fixed interval,
variable interval
✔✔Fixed ratio - ✔✔Reinforcement occurs after a specific amount of instances
✔✔Fixed interval - ✔✔Reinforcement occurs after a specific amount of time
✔✔Variable ratio - ✔✔Reinforcement occurs after a varying amount of instances
✔✔Variable interval - ✔✔Reinforcement occurs after a varying amount of times
✔✔Extinction - ✔✔A behavior that was previously reinforced is no longer reinforced
✔✔Types of extinction - ✔✔- Extinction of behaviors maintained by positive
reinforcement
, - Extinction of behaviors maintained by negative reinforcement (escape extinction or
avoidance extinction)
- Extinction of behaviors maintained by automatic reinforcement
✔✔Secondary effects of extinction (risks) - ✔✔Extinction burst, spontaneous recovery,
and resurgence
✔✔Extinction bursts - ✔✔An increase in frequency of a behavior at the beginning of an
extinction procedures
✔✔Spontaneous recovery - ✔✔A behavior that was placed on extinction suddenly
begins to occur after its frequency has decreased to its pre-reinforcement level or
stopped entirely
✔✔Resurgence - ✔✔The reoccurrence of a behavior that used extinction (previously
reinforced) when reinforcement for alternative behaviors is terminated or decreased.
3 Phase procedure that produces resurgence:
1. A target behavior is reinforced
2. The target behavior is placed on extinction and reinforcement is provided for
alternative behaviors
3. Both responses are placed on extinction
✔✔Verbal operants (definition and types) - ✔✔Functional units of language that a
speaker exhibits (expressive language). Each type of operant varies based on the
controlling antecedent variables and related teaching history.
Types: Mand, tact, echoic, and intraverbal
✔✔Mand - ✔✔Under the control of a MO and specific history of reinforcement (request)
✔✔Tact - ✔✔Under the control of a nonverbal SD and a history of reinforcement (label)`
✔✔Echoic - ✔✔Under the control of a verbal SD that has formal similarity (point-to-point
correspondence) between the stimulus and the response product, and has a history of
generalized reinforcement (repeat)
✔✔Intraverbal - ✔✔Under the control of a verbal SD that does not have formal similarity
(point-to-point correspondence) with the stimulus response product and has a history of
generalized reinforcement
✔✔Scientific Understanding - ✔✔In ABA, the goal is to gain an understanding of
socially important behavior change. There are 3 levels:
1. Description
2. Prediction
3. Control
