BCBA Exam Prep Questions and
Answers.(Rated 100%)
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) answer- a) a scientific approach for discovering environmental variables that
reliably influence socially significant behavior & for developing a technology of behavior change that is practical
& applicable. b) ABA is an evidence-based APPLIED science.
Science answer- A systematic approach for seeking & organizing knowledge about the natural world. Science is
based on Determinism.
Purpose of Science answer- To achieve a thorough understanding of the phenomena under study. In ABA, the
phenomena are socially important behaviors.
3 Levels of Scientific Understanding Hint: DPC Dana Priya Can answer- 1. D-Description: Systematic
observations that can be quantified & classified. Not causal explanations. Ex. Number of praise statements
made by teachers in a classroom. 2. P-Prediction (AKA: Correlation; Covariation): Two events may regularly
occur at the same time. This does not necessarily mean one causes the other. Ex. When the weather is hot,
there are more drowning deaths. 3. C-Control (AKA: Causation): Functional Relation. The Highest Level of
Scientific Understanding. Experimental demonstration that manipulating one event (i.e., independent variable)
results in another event (i.e., dependent variable). Ex. In a classroom, students that were given breaks every 20
minutes exhibited zero out of seat behavior. When breaks were given every 45 minutes, out of seat behavior
increased by 80%. This was repeated many times, yielding the same results.
6 Attitudes of Science/Philosophical Assumptions of Behavior Hint: DEER PP answer- 1. D-Determinism: a)
cause & effect b) lawfulness: If/Then statements c) the world is orderly & predictable 2. E-Empiricism: a) FACTS
b) experimental, data-based scientific approach, drawing upon observation & experience. c) requires objective
quantification & detailed description of events. 3. E-Experimentation (AKA: Experimental Analysis): a) the basic
strategy of most sciences b) requires manipulating variables so as to see the effects on the dependent variable
(DV) c) an assessment to determine if one event caused another event d) requires that all variables be
,controlled except the DV 4. R-Replication: a) repeating experiments b) the method that scientists use to
determine the Reliability & usefulness of their findings. c) How scientists discover their mistakes, thus making
science a self-correcting enterprise. 5. P-Parsimony: a) the simplest theory b) all simple & logical explanations
must be ruled out before considering more complex explanations c) helps scientists fit findings within the
field's existing knowledge base 6. P-Philosophical Doubt: a) having healthy skepticism & a critical eye about the
results of studies & your work with clients.
7 Dimensions of ABA (Defined by Baer, Wolf, & Risley (1968)) Hint: GRIZZLY BEAR WOLF Hint: BATCAGE
answer- These elements of ABA were outlined in the First Edition of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
(JABA) in 1968. 1. B-Behavioral: a) observable events b) the behavior one chooses must be the behavior in need
of improvement. Ex. If you were trying to see how to improve academic grades of students, you would not
measure the behavior of social skills. You would measure the behavior of academic grades. c) behavior must be
measurable (e.g., not a description of feelings). 2. A-Applied: a) ABA improves everyday life of clients b)
improves socially significant behaviors c) also helps significant others (e.g., parents, peers, employers, etc.) so
that they behave more positively towards the client 3. T-Technological: a) defines procedures clearly & in detail
so they are Replicable (like RECIPE) 4. C-Conceptually Systematic: a)all procedures used should be tied to the
basic principles of behavior analysis from which they were derived 5. A-Analytical (AKA: Functional relation,
Experimentation, Control, Causation): a) A Functional Relationship Is Demonstrated b) describes when the
experimenter has demonstrated a functional relation between the manipulated events & a reliable change in
some measurable dimension of the targeted behavior c) ultimate issue is Believability: Is the experimental
control sufficient to prove a reliable functional relation? 6. Generality (AKA: Generalization): a) extends
behavior change across time, settings, or other behaviors 7. E-Effective: a) improves behavior in a practical
manner, not simply making a change that is statistically significant
Mentalism Terminology answer- 1. Hypothetical Construct
2. Explanatory Fiction
3. Circular Reasoning
Mentalism (AKA: Spiritual; Psychic; Subjective; Feelings; Attitudes; Processing) answer- a) an approach to
explaining behavior that assumes an inner dimension exists & causes behavior b) traditional psychology has
been & continues to be dominated by mentalism Ex. Freud, talk therapy, LMFT, LCSW, etc.
Hypothetical Construct (AKA: Imaginary Constructs) answer- presumed, but unobserved, entities Ex. Free will,
readiness, unobservable storage & retrieval mechanisms for memory, information processing, etc
Explanatory Fictions answer- a) fictitious variables that are another name for the observed behavior. They
, contribute nothing to an understanding of the variables responsible for maintaining behavior b) words that are
associated with explanatory fiction include the following: "knows," "wants," "figures out," etc.
Circular Reasoning answer- the cause & effect are both inferred from the same information Ex. "He cried
because he felt sad." The sad feeling & crying are both inferred from the same depressive behaviors.
Behaviorism answer- a) the philosophy of the science of behavior b) it emerged in the early 20th century as a
reaction to "mentalistic" psychology, which often had difficulty making predictions that could be tested using
experimental methods c) Environmental (i.e., not mentalistic) explanation of behavior
4 Branches of Behavior Analysis
(HINT: CASE) answer- 1) C-Conceptual Analysis of Behavior: (AKA: Behaviorism): a) examines philosophical,
theoretical, historical, & methodological issues 2) A-ABA: a) refers to behavior analysts that assess, monitor,
analyze, revise (if needed), & communicate the effects of their work b) they create behavior-change tactics that
can increase behavior, teach & maintain behavior, make behavior sensitive to environmental events, generalize
behavior, reduce problem behavior, etc. 3) S-Behavior Service Delivery: a) refers to the many people in various
fields of work (not BCBAs/BCaBAs) implementing ABA within their professions b) think of education, sports,
psychology, job safety, health, business, animal training, commerce, etc. c) because ABA has a lot of research to
support it, other professions &/or people implement ABA strategies 4) E-Experimental Analysis of Behavior
(EAB): a) research on basic processes & principles b) done mainly in laboratories
Brief History of Behaviorism answer- 1850s - early 1900s: Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849 -1936) & Classical
Conditioning a) Respondent conditioning with dogs b) 1906 Pavlov published first studies
1900s: Mentalism Dominated Psychology
1913: John Broadus Watson (1878 - 1958) & Methodological Behaviorism (AKA: Stimulus-Response
Behaviorism; S-R Psychology; Watsonian Behaviorism) a) 1913 First person to describe behaviorism as a formal
system b) influenced by Pavlov c) Methodological behaviorism only looks at publicly observable events in their
analysis of behavior d) They do Not concern themselves with private events e) Watson said we should study
behavior by direct observation of the relationship between environmental stimuli (S) & the responses (R) they
bring about f) 1920 Little Albert Experiment: A case study that illustrated classical conditioning on a 9-month-
old baby boy they named "Albert". A white rat was paired with a loud clanking noise, resulting in Albert crying
Answers.(Rated 100%)
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) answer- a) a scientific approach for discovering environmental variables that
reliably influence socially significant behavior & for developing a technology of behavior change that is practical
& applicable. b) ABA is an evidence-based APPLIED science.
Science answer- A systematic approach for seeking & organizing knowledge about the natural world. Science is
based on Determinism.
Purpose of Science answer- To achieve a thorough understanding of the phenomena under study. In ABA, the
phenomena are socially important behaviors.
3 Levels of Scientific Understanding Hint: DPC Dana Priya Can answer- 1. D-Description: Systematic
observations that can be quantified & classified. Not causal explanations. Ex. Number of praise statements
made by teachers in a classroom. 2. P-Prediction (AKA: Correlation; Covariation): Two events may regularly
occur at the same time. This does not necessarily mean one causes the other. Ex. When the weather is hot,
there are more drowning deaths. 3. C-Control (AKA: Causation): Functional Relation. The Highest Level of
Scientific Understanding. Experimental demonstration that manipulating one event (i.e., independent variable)
results in another event (i.e., dependent variable). Ex. In a classroom, students that were given breaks every 20
minutes exhibited zero out of seat behavior. When breaks were given every 45 minutes, out of seat behavior
increased by 80%. This was repeated many times, yielding the same results.
6 Attitudes of Science/Philosophical Assumptions of Behavior Hint: DEER PP answer- 1. D-Determinism: a)
cause & effect b) lawfulness: If/Then statements c) the world is orderly & predictable 2. E-Empiricism: a) FACTS
b) experimental, data-based scientific approach, drawing upon observation & experience. c) requires objective
quantification & detailed description of events. 3. E-Experimentation (AKA: Experimental Analysis): a) the basic
strategy of most sciences b) requires manipulating variables so as to see the effects on the dependent variable
(DV) c) an assessment to determine if one event caused another event d) requires that all variables be
,controlled except the DV 4. R-Replication: a) repeating experiments b) the method that scientists use to
determine the Reliability & usefulness of their findings. c) How scientists discover their mistakes, thus making
science a self-correcting enterprise. 5. P-Parsimony: a) the simplest theory b) all simple & logical explanations
must be ruled out before considering more complex explanations c) helps scientists fit findings within the
field's existing knowledge base 6. P-Philosophical Doubt: a) having healthy skepticism & a critical eye about the
results of studies & your work with clients.
7 Dimensions of ABA (Defined by Baer, Wolf, & Risley (1968)) Hint: GRIZZLY BEAR WOLF Hint: BATCAGE
answer- These elements of ABA were outlined in the First Edition of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
(JABA) in 1968. 1. B-Behavioral: a) observable events b) the behavior one chooses must be the behavior in need
of improvement. Ex. If you were trying to see how to improve academic grades of students, you would not
measure the behavior of social skills. You would measure the behavior of academic grades. c) behavior must be
measurable (e.g., not a description of feelings). 2. A-Applied: a) ABA improves everyday life of clients b)
improves socially significant behaviors c) also helps significant others (e.g., parents, peers, employers, etc.) so
that they behave more positively towards the client 3. T-Technological: a) defines procedures clearly & in detail
so they are Replicable (like RECIPE) 4. C-Conceptually Systematic: a)all procedures used should be tied to the
basic principles of behavior analysis from which they were derived 5. A-Analytical (AKA: Functional relation,
Experimentation, Control, Causation): a) A Functional Relationship Is Demonstrated b) describes when the
experimenter has demonstrated a functional relation between the manipulated events & a reliable change in
some measurable dimension of the targeted behavior c) ultimate issue is Believability: Is the experimental
control sufficient to prove a reliable functional relation? 6. Generality (AKA: Generalization): a) extends
behavior change across time, settings, or other behaviors 7. E-Effective: a) improves behavior in a practical
manner, not simply making a change that is statistically significant
Mentalism Terminology answer- 1. Hypothetical Construct
2. Explanatory Fiction
3. Circular Reasoning
Mentalism (AKA: Spiritual; Psychic; Subjective; Feelings; Attitudes; Processing) answer- a) an approach to
explaining behavior that assumes an inner dimension exists & causes behavior b) traditional psychology has
been & continues to be dominated by mentalism Ex. Freud, talk therapy, LMFT, LCSW, etc.
Hypothetical Construct (AKA: Imaginary Constructs) answer- presumed, but unobserved, entities Ex. Free will,
readiness, unobservable storage & retrieval mechanisms for memory, information processing, etc
Explanatory Fictions answer- a) fictitious variables that are another name for the observed behavior. They
, contribute nothing to an understanding of the variables responsible for maintaining behavior b) words that are
associated with explanatory fiction include the following: "knows," "wants," "figures out," etc.
Circular Reasoning answer- the cause & effect are both inferred from the same information Ex. "He cried
because he felt sad." The sad feeling & crying are both inferred from the same depressive behaviors.
Behaviorism answer- a) the philosophy of the science of behavior b) it emerged in the early 20th century as a
reaction to "mentalistic" psychology, which often had difficulty making predictions that could be tested using
experimental methods c) Environmental (i.e., not mentalistic) explanation of behavior
4 Branches of Behavior Analysis
(HINT: CASE) answer- 1) C-Conceptual Analysis of Behavior: (AKA: Behaviorism): a) examines philosophical,
theoretical, historical, & methodological issues 2) A-ABA: a) refers to behavior analysts that assess, monitor,
analyze, revise (if needed), & communicate the effects of their work b) they create behavior-change tactics that
can increase behavior, teach & maintain behavior, make behavior sensitive to environmental events, generalize
behavior, reduce problem behavior, etc. 3) S-Behavior Service Delivery: a) refers to the many people in various
fields of work (not BCBAs/BCaBAs) implementing ABA within their professions b) think of education, sports,
psychology, job safety, health, business, animal training, commerce, etc. c) because ABA has a lot of research to
support it, other professions &/or people implement ABA strategies 4) E-Experimental Analysis of Behavior
(EAB): a) research on basic processes & principles b) done mainly in laboratories
Brief History of Behaviorism answer- 1850s - early 1900s: Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849 -1936) & Classical
Conditioning a) Respondent conditioning with dogs b) 1906 Pavlov published first studies
1900s: Mentalism Dominated Psychology
1913: John Broadus Watson (1878 - 1958) & Methodological Behaviorism (AKA: Stimulus-Response
Behaviorism; S-R Psychology; Watsonian Behaviorism) a) 1913 First person to describe behaviorism as a formal
system b) influenced by Pavlov c) Methodological behaviorism only looks at publicly observable events in their
analysis of behavior d) They do Not concern themselves with private events e) Watson said we should study
behavior by direct observation of the relationship between environmental stimuli (S) & the responses (R) they
bring about f) 1920 Little Albert Experiment: A case study that illustrated classical conditioning on a 9-month-
old baby boy they named "Albert". A white rat was paired with a loud clanking noise, resulting in Albert crying
