RBT practice test: Behavior Acquisition, set 4

Set 4 of 12 for content area C, Behavior Acquisition (19 of the 75 scored exam questions). Every answer is explained.

20 questions

Question 1What does discrimination training involve?
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B: Reinforcing a response when one stimulus is present and not when other stimuli are present. Discrimination training is differential reinforcement across stimuli: the response is reinforced when the SD is present and not reinforced (extinction) when an S-delta is present. Over time the response occurs mainly in the presence of the SD.
- A: That describes shaping, which changes the form of a response rather than which stimuli it occurs in the presence of.
- C: That describes forward chaining, which links steps of a behavior chain.
- D: That describes programming for generalization, which spreads a response to new stimuli instead of narrowing which stimuli control it.
Task C.6 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Question 2A plan counts only independent responses as correct. While waiting for a client's answer, the RBT nods slightly toward the correct picture without meaning to, and the client then touches it. How should the RBT score the trial?
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B: As prompted, because the nod gave the client added help. Any added cue that helps the learner respond correctly, even an accidental nod, is a prompt. Scoring the trial as prompted keeps the data accurate, and the RBT should work to avoid unplanned cues.
- A: A prompt does not need to be planned to help; the nod was a gestural cue toward the answer.
- C: Nothing says the client exceeded a time limit; the client touched the correct picture.
- D: Leaving a trial off the record makes the data inaccurate; the trial should be scored as it happened.
Task C.7 · 40-hour curriculum section E · RBT Ethics Code 2.02
Question 3A skill was taught only at the clinic, with no plan for other settings and no probes, on the assumption that it would show up at home on its own. What is this approach called?
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C: Train and hope. "Train and hope" describes teaching a skill and then simply expecting generalization without planning or checking for it. It is a common reason skills fail to appear outside teaching.
- A: Sequential modification applies the intervention in each setting where generalization has not occurred, which is an active plan.
- B: General case analysis carefully selects teaching examples to cover real-world variation.
- D: Programming common stimuli adds features of other settings to teaching, which is also an active strategy.
Task C.8 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Question 4What is a mastery criterion?
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A: A preset standard showing that a skill has been learned. A mastery criterion, set by the supervisor, states the level of performance needed to consider a skill learned, for example a percentage correct across a number of sessions.
- B: The number of prompts on the first day is not a standard for mastery.
- C: How often to probe is a maintenance schedule, not a mastery criterion.
- D: The first baseline score is the starting point, not the standard to be met.
Task C.9 · 40-hour curriculum section A
Question 5Before a shaping session, what is most important to confirm about the planned reinforcer?
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D: That the client currently wants it. Shaping works only if the consequence actually reinforces the approximations. Checking that the client currently wants the item, for example by offering a choice as the plan directs, helps ensure it will be effective.
- A: The same item may not be preferred today, since preferences change.
- B: Reinforcers do not have to be edible; many non-edible items and activities work well.
- C: Free access all day can produce satiation and weaken the reinforcer.
Task C.10 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Question 6During a busy group session, an RBT misses many chances to give tokens when the client performs the target behavior. What is the most likely effect?
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B: The behavior is reinforced less often and may weaken. Missed token deliveries mean the target behavior goes unreinforced. This is a procedural fidelity problem that can weaken the behavior and make the data hard to interpret.
- A: Missing chances to reinforce does not increase the behavior.
- C: Tokens are not valuable because they are rare; they are valuable because they are exchanged for backups.
- D: Unplanned missed reinforcement does not reliably teach independent responding; it is more likely to weaken the behavior.
Task C.11 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Question 7The plan tells the RBT to use praise as a reinforcer when a young client puts on their shoes independently. Which praise statement best fits common practice for making the contingency clear?
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B: "You put your shoes on all by yourself, nice work!". Behavior-specific praise names the behavior that earned it and is delivered right after that behavior, which makes the contingency between the response and the reinforcer clear.
- A: General praise does not name the behavior being reinforced.
- C: Praise at the end of the session is delayed and is not tied to the shoe behavior.
- D: Encouragement before the task comes before the behavior, so it cannot reinforce it.
Task C.1 · 40-hour curriculum section A
Question 8A client has earned enough tokens and chooses a bubble machine as the backup reinforcer, but the RBT finds that the machine is broken. What is the best action?
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A: Offer other backup reinforcers from the plan's menu for the client to choose.. Tokens keep their value only if the exchange is honored. Offering another backup reinforcer from the plan's menu keeps the tokens paired with real reinforcers.
- B: More tokens do not replace the backup reinforcer and do not honor the exchange.
- C: Canceling the exchange breaks the link between tokens and backup reinforcers.
- D: A long delay with nothing else offered weakens the value of the tokens.
Task C.2 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Question 9At an adult day program, an RBT runs a coin-identification program: three coins are on the table and the instruction is "Point to the quarter." The client points to the quarter. What should the RBT do before the next trial?
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D: Change the positions of the coins as the plan directs. Rotating the positions of items in the array between trials makes sure the client responds to the target itself and not to where it sits on the table.
- A: Leaving coins in place lets the client respond by location instead of by coin.
- B: Removing the other coins takes away the discrimination the program is teaching.
- C: Changing the reinforcement requirement is a plan change for the supervisor to make.
Task C.3 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Question 10In naturalistic teaching, what does "following the learner's lead" mean?
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B: Teaching within the activity the learner picks. Following the lead means using the learner's current interests as the setting for teaching, which taps their motivation.
- A: Teaching still happens; the learner's choice decides the activity, not whether to teach.
- C: Imitating the learner is not what following the lead means.
- D: Learners rarely ask for lessons; the RBT uses moments of interest during activities.
Task C.4 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Question 11Which statement correctly contrasts forward chaining and total task chaining?
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A: Forward chaining adds one step at a time; total task trains all steps. Both move through the chain in natural order, but forward chaining adds steps one at a time as each meets criterion, while total task chaining has the learner attempt the whole chain every session.
- B: Forward chaining starts with the first step, and total task covers all steps.
- C: Both use prompts as the plan directs.
- D: This reverses the two procedures.
Task C.5 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Question 12During a color program, an RBT accidentally hands a token to a client who touched the green card when the instruction was "Touch yellow." Why is this a problem for discrimination training?
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C: Reinforcing a wrong choice can weaken stimulus control. Discrimination training works only if reinforcement follows correct choices and not incorrect ones. Reinforcing a wrong choice teaches that it can pay off, which weakens stimulus control. The RBT records the trial accurately and mentions it to the supervisor if it happens often.
- A: Many plans deliver tokens right after each correct response; the problem is which response earned this token.
- B: An extinction burst follows the withholding of reinforcement, not its delivery.
- D: One reinforced error does not create a need for physical prompts, though it can strengthen the wrong choice.
Task C.6 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Question 13A client has handed a cashier money without help on many past community trips. On today's outing, the RBT still says "Give the money" before every purchase. What is the main risk?
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C: The client may start waiting for the prompt before paying. Giving prompts the learner no longer needs can make the response depend on the prompt again. The RBT should use the prompt level the plan currently calls for and report progress to the supervisor.
- A: The skill is already independent; unneeded prompts add nothing and can build dependence.
- B: A prompt does not change how valuable the item is; the concern is what controls the response.
- D: Nothing suggests the cashier will copy the RBT; the risk is the client's reliance on the RBT's prompt.
Task C.7 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Question 14After being taught to label "dog," a young client now says "dog" when they see cats, horses and cows. How is this best described?
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B: Overgeneralization, or stimulus generalization that is too broad. The response is occurring to stimuli outside the intended class, which is overgeneralization (unwanted stimulus generalization). Discrimination training, planned by the supervisor, teaches the client to say "dog" only for dogs.
- A: The client is using the same word, not new response forms, so this is not response generalization.
- C: Discrimination would mean responding differently to dogs and other animals; the client is responding the same way to all of them.
- D: Maintenance is about the skill lasting over time; the problem here is which stimuli evoke the response.
Task C.8 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Question 15Who decides when a target moves from acquisition to maintenance?
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D: The supervisor, using the mastery criterion and the data. The supervisor sets the mastery criterion and reviews the data. The RBT collects accurate data and follows the plan, including any written rules for moving targets.
- A: The RBT's impression is not a substitute for the plan's criterion and the supervisor's decision.
- B: Caregiver input is valuable, but the supervisor makes the decision.
- C: Client preferences matter, but they do not decide a target's phase.
Task C.9 · 40-hour curriculum section A
Question 16A client writes letters too large for the lines on the page. The RBT reinforces letters that fit within the lines slightly better than before, using the same plain lined paper throughout. Which procedure is this?
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B: Shaping. The RBT is reinforcing responses (the written letters) that come closer to the target size. The paper does not change, so it is shaping of the response.
- A: Stimulus shaping changes the form of an antecedent stimulus, but the paper stays the same.
- C: Total task chaining teaches all steps of a sequence each time; writing letters smaller is not a chain of steps.
- D: Graduated guidance is a physical prompting procedure, and no physical prompting is described.
Task C.10 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Question 17A client earns 1 token for each correct answer. The plan includes response cost of 1 token for each instance of throwing. In one session the client gives 22 correct answers and throws 4 times. Each break costs 5 tokens. How many breaks can the client buy?
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B: 3 breaks. Tokens kept = 22 earned - 4 removed = 18. 18 / 5 = 3 breaks, with 3 tokens left over.
- A: 2 breaks would cost only 10 tokens, and the client has 18.
- C: 4 breaks would need 20 tokens; this answer ignores the 4 tokens removed.
- D: 5 breaks would need 25 tokens; this answer adds the removed tokens instead of subtracting them.
Task C.11 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Question 18A plan says: "Independent correct responses earn 2 minutes with the building blocks. Prompted correct responses earn 20 seconds with the blocks." Which dimension of reinforcement does the plan vary?
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C: Magnitude. Magnitude is the amount or duration of the reinforcer. Here the same reinforcer is given for both kinds of responses, but independent responses earn more of it.
- A: The plan does not change when the reinforcer is delivered, only how much is given.
- B: Both kinds of responses produce the reinforcer; what changes is how much.
- D: The same reinforcer is used for both, so variety is not what changes.
Task C.1 · 40-hour curriculum section A
Question 19During a community outing to a grocery store, the plan uses tokens instead of giving the client tablet time after each target behavior. Which advantage of conditioned reinforcers does this take advantage of?
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D: They can be delivered quickly without interrupting the ongoing activity.. Tokens are portable and can be handed over in seconds, so reinforcement can be delivered immediately without stopping the shopping trip for tablet time.
- A: Tokens keep their value only if they continue to be exchanged for backup reinforcers.
- B: Tokens are conditioned reinforcers, not unconditioned ones.
- C: Tokens should still be delivered contingent on the target behavior.
Task C.2 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Question 20A plan's error correction says: after an error, present the same instruction again with an immediate model prompt, then present it once more without a prompt. The client points to the wrong card. What should the RBT do next?
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B: Repeat the instruction with an immediate model prompt. The RBT carries out the error-correction procedure exactly as written: re-present the instruction with an immediate model so the client makes the correct response, then re-present it without a prompt.
- A: Moving on skips the error-correction steps the plan requires.
- C: Reinforcing an error, even with a smaller reinforcer, can strengthen errors, and the plan calls for correction.
- D: The plan does not call for a reprimand or a second unprompted guess; it calls for a prompted repeat.
Task C.3 · 40-hour curriculum section E · RBT Ethics Code 2.02

Answer every question to see your score.

What this test covers

Questions in this test by task
Task	Questions
C.1 Positive and negative reinforcement	2
C.2 Conditioned reinforcers	2
C.3 Discrete-trial teaching	2
C.4 Naturalistic teaching	1
C.5 Task analysis and chaining	1
C.6 Discrimination training	2
C.7 Prompting and prompt fading	2
C.8 Generalization	2
C.9 Maintenance vs. acquisition	2
C.10 Shaping	2
C.11 Token economies	2

3 easier, 11 exam-level and 6 harder questions. Each task link opens its study page.

Question 1What does discrimination training involve?

Question 2A plan counts only independent responses as correct. While waiting for a client's answer, the RBT nods slightly toward the correct picture without meaning to, and the client then touches it. How should the RBT score the trial?

Question 3A skill was taught only at the clinic, with no plan for other settings and no probes, on the assumption that it would show up at home on its own. What is this approach called?

Question 4What is a mastery criterion?

Question 5Before a shaping session, what is most important to confirm about the planned reinforcer?

Question 6During a busy group session, an RBT misses many chances to give tokens when the client performs the target behavior. What is the most likely effect?

Question 7The plan tells the RBT to use praise as a reinforcer when a young client puts on their shoes independently. Which praise statement best fits common practice for making the contingency clear?

Question 8A client has earned enough tokens and chooses a bubble machine as the backup reinforcer, but the RBT finds that the machine is broken. What is the best action?

Question 9At an adult day program, an RBT runs a coin-identification program: three coins are on the table and the instruction is "Point to the quarter." The client points to the quarter. What should the RBT do before the next trial?

Question 10In naturalistic teaching, what does "following the learner's lead" mean?

Question 11Which statement correctly contrasts forward chaining and total task chaining?

Question 12During a color program, an RBT accidentally hands a token to a client who touched the green card when the instruction was "Touch yellow." Why is this a problem for discrimination training?

Question 13A client has handed a cashier money without help on many past community trips. On today's outing, the RBT still says "Give the money" before every purchase. What is the main risk?

Question 14After being taught to label "dog," a young client now says "dog" when they see cats, horses and cows. How is this best described?

Question 15Who decides when a target moves from acquisition to maintenance?

Question 16A client writes letters too large for the lines on the page. The RBT reinforces letters that fit within the lines slightly better than before, using the same plain lined paper throughout. Which procedure is this?

Question 17A client earns 1 token for each correct answer. The plan includes response cost of 1 token for each instance of throwing. In one session the client gives 22 correct answers and throws 4 times. Each break costs 5 tokens. How many breaks can the client buy?

Question 18A plan says: "Independent correct responses earn 2 minutes with the building blocks. Prompted correct responses earn 20 seconds with the blocks." Which dimension of reinforcement does the plan vary?

Question 19During a community outing to a grocery store, the plan uses tokens instead of giving the client tablet time after each target behavior. Which advantage of conditioned reinforcers does this take advantage of?

Question 20A plan's error correction says: after an error, present the same instruction again with an immediate model prompt, then present it once more without a prompt. The client points to the wrong card. What should the RBT do next?

What this test covers