BCBA STUDY 2026 EXAMS GUIDE ALL QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔generalized conditioned reinforcer - ✔✔a conditioned reinforcer that as a result of
having been paired with many unconditioned and conditioned reinforcers does not
depend on a current EO for any particular form of reinforcement for its effectiveness
✔✔Premack principle - ✔✔principle that states that making the opportunity to engage in
a behavior that occurs at a relatively high free operant (baseline) rate contingent on the
occurence of low-frequency behavior will function as reinforcement for the low-
frequency behavior
✔✔response-deprivation hypothesis - ✔✔a model for predicting whether access to one
behavior (contingent) will function as reinforcement for another behavior based on their
relative baseline rates and access to the contingent behavior represents a restriction
compared to the baseline level of engagement
✔✔stimulus preference assessment - ✔✔a variety of procedures used to determine (a)
the stimuli that the person prefers, (b) the relative preference values of those stimuli
(high preference versus low preference), and (c) the conditions under which those
preference values change when task demands, deprivation states, or schedules of
reinforcement are modified
, ✔✔reinforcer assessment - ✔✔a variety of direct, data-based methods used to present
one or more stimuli contingent on a target response and then measuring the future
effects on the rate of responding
✔✔concurrent schedule of reinforcement - ✔✔when two or more contingencies of
reinforcement operate independently and simultaneously for two or more behaviors
✔✔multiple schedule of reinforcement - ✔✔two ore more component schedules of
reinforcement for a single response with only one component schedule in effect at any
given time; discriminative stimulus denotes which schedule is in effect
✔✔progressive-ratio schedule of reinforcement - ✔✔the response requirements for
reinforcement are increased systematically over time independent of the participant's
behavior
✔✔noncontingent reinforcement - ✔✔the presentation of a potential reinforcer on a
fixed-time or variable-time schedule independent of the occurrence of the target
behavior
✔✔differential reinforcement of other behavior - ✔✔the presentation of a reinforcer
whenever the target behavior has not occurred during a set time interval
✔✔differential reinforcement of alternative behavior - ✔✔the presentation of a reinforcer
contingent on occurrences of a desirable alternative to target behavior
✔✔escape contingency - ✔✔a response terminates an ongoing stimulus
✔✔avoidance contingency - ✔✔a response prevents or postpones the presentation of a
stimulus
✔✔discriminated avoidance - ✔✔responding in the presence of a signal prevents the
onset of a stimulus from which escape is a reinforcer
✔✔free-operant avoidance - ✔✔avoidance behavior is "free to occur" at any time and
will delay presentation of an aversive stimulus
✔✔intermittent schedules of reinforcement - ✔✔schedules of reinforcement in which
some, but not all, occurrences of the behavior are reinforced
✔✔continuous schedules of reinforcement - ✔✔schedules of reinforcement in which
reinforcement is provided for each occurrence of the behavior
AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔generalized conditioned reinforcer - ✔✔a conditioned reinforcer that as a result of
having been paired with many unconditioned and conditioned reinforcers does not
depend on a current EO for any particular form of reinforcement for its effectiveness
✔✔Premack principle - ✔✔principle that states that making the opportunity to engage in
a behavior that occurs at a relatively high free operant (baseline) rate contingent on the
occurence of low-frequency behavior will function as reinforcement for the low-
frequency behavior
✔✔response-deprivation hypothesis - ✔✔a model for predicting whether access to one
behavior (contingent) will function as reinforcement for another behavior based on their
relative baseline rates and access to the contingent behavior represents a restriction
compared to the baseline level of engagement
✔✔stimulus preference assessment - ✔✔a variety of procedures used to determine (a)
the stimuli that the person prefers, (b) the relative preference values of those stimuli
(high preference versus low preference), and (c) the conditions under which those
preference values change when task demands, deprivation states, or schedules of
reinforcement are modified
, ✔✔reinforcer assessment - ✔✔a variety of direct, data-based methods used to present
one or more stimuli contingent on a target response and then measuring the future
effects on the rate of responding
✔✔concurrent schedule of reinforcement - ✔✔when two or more contingencies of
reinforcement operate independently and simultaneously for two or more behaviors
✔✔multiple schedule of reinforcement - ✔✔two ore more component schedules of
reinforcement for a single response with only one component schedule in effect at any
given time; discriminative stimulus denotes which schedule is in effect
✔✔progressive-ratio schedule of reinforcement - ✔✔the response requirements for
reinforcement are increased systematically over time independent of the participant's
behavior
✔✔noncontingent reinforcement - ✔✔the presentation of a potential reinforcer on a
fixed-time or variable-time schedule independent of the occurrence of the target
behavior
✔✔differential reinforcement of other behavior - ✔✔the presentation of a reinforcer
whenever the target behavior has not occurred during a set time interval
✔✔differential reinforcement of alternative behavior - ✔✔the presentation of a reinforcer
contingent on occurrences of a desirable alternative to target behavior
✔✔escape contingency - ✔✔a response terminates an ongoing stimulus
✔✔avoidance contingency - ✔✔a response prevents or postpones the presentation of a
stimulus
✔✔discriminated avoidance - ✔✔responding in the presence of a signal prevents the
onset of a stimulus from which escape is a reinforcer
✔✔free-operant avoidance - ✔✔avoidance behavior is "free to occur" at any time and
will delay presentation of an aversive stimulus
✔✔intermittent schedules of reinforcement - ✔✔schedules of reinforcement in which
some, but not all, occurrences of the behavior are reinforced
✔✔continuous schedules of reinforcement - ✔✔schedules of reinforcement in which
reinforcement is provided for each occurrence of the behavior
