RBT practice test: Behavior Assessment, set 5

A: Whether the behavior persists with no social consequences at all. With no social consequences available, behavior that continues in the alone condition suggests that the behavior produces its own reinforcement (automatic reinforcement).

• B: No attention is delivered in the alone condition.
• C: No demands are placed in the alone condition.
• D: No preferred items are delivered in the alone condition.

Task B.3 · 40-hour curriculum section D

C: Presenting items and recording which one the client picks. Direct preference assessments observe the client's behavior with the actual items, such as choices, approaches, or engagement time.

• A: A caregiver survey is indirect.
• B: Reviewing records does not observe the client's current choices.
• D: A questionnaire collects reports, which makes it indirect.

Task B.1 · 40-hour curriculum section D

A: Note the client's condition and tell the supervisor, because it may affect the results. Illness and fatigue can lower a client's performance. The RBT should document the condition and report it promptly so the supervisor can decide whether to continue and how to interpret the scores.

• B: Scores taken while the client is ill, with no note, may be read as true skill deficits.
• C: Repeating items until the answer is correct changes the assessment and inflates the scores.
• D: Scoring items the client did not perform as correct falsifies the data.

Task B.2 · 40-hour curriculum section D · Task E.3

C: Say the supervisor will review the data and share the findings. Interpreting functional assessment data is the supervisor's role. The RBT passes the question on and lets the supervisor share the findings.

• A: Stating a function goes beyond the RBT's role.
• B: Sharing records and interpreting them are the supervisor's decisions.
• D: Guessing a function goes beyond the RBT's role and could mislead the teacher.

Task B.3 · 40-hour curriculum section D · RBT Ethics Code 2.06 · RBT Ethics Code 2.10

D: Snacks often rank above leisure items when both share one array. When foods and leisure items are assessed together, foods are often chosen first, so toys can rank low even if they would work as reinforcers on their own. For this reason supervisors often assess edible and leisure items in separate arrays.

• A: Ranking below snacks shows relative preference; the toys may still work as reinforcers when snacks are not competing with them.
• B: Satiation on snacks would make them less likely, not more likely, to be chosen first.
• C: Choosing snacks first is a valid result that reflects relative preference within this array.

Task B.1 · 40-hour curriculum section D

C: Right after each response occurs. Recording each response right after it occurs keeps the data accurate. Recording later from memory leads to errors.

• A: Waiting until the end of the session relies on memory and invites errors.
• B: Recording from memory hours later is even less accurate.
• D: Incorrect responses are data too; leaving them out inflates the results.

Task B.2 · 40-hour curriculum section D · Task A.8

D: Record the events as they happened, without stepping in. A descriptive assessment records what normally happens without changing it. The RBT records the event accurately and leaves recommendations to the supervisor.

• A: Advising the parent changes the routine being observed and is not the RBT's role here.
• B: Changing the environment would change the patterns being assessed.
• C: Caregiver responses are important data, so leaving them out distorts the assessment.

Task B.3 · 40-hour curriculum section D

D: They are rearranged and presented on the next trial. In MSWO, the chosen item is left out and the remaining items are presented again, usually with their positions changed, until all items are chosen or the client stops choosing.

• A: Returning the chosen item is MSW, not MSWO.
• B: Presenting items alone describes single-stimulus assessment.
• C: The session continues with the remaining items.

Task B.1 · 40-hour curriculum section D

C: Tell the supervisor which items are unscored instead of guessing. Assisting with data summaries means reporting the data accurately. Missing data should be reported, not filled in.

• A: Guessed responses are not data and would make the summary inaccurate.
• B: Counting unscored items as correct inflates the results.
• D: Counting unscored items as incorrect without noting it lowers the results and hides the problem.

Task B.2 · 40-hour curriculum section D

B: The plan can teach a replacement behavior that meets the same need. Knowing the function lets the supervisor design a plan that teaches an appropriate way to get the same reinforcer and stops the problem behavior from being reinforced.

• A: Function-based plans focus on reinforcement-based strategies, not on finding the strongest punisher.
• C: Function is about what maintains behavior, not about diagnosis.
• D: The supervisor designs the intervention; the RBT implements it.

Task B.3 · 40-hour curriculum section D · Task D.3

C: Each item's selection percentage, listed from highest to lowest. Paired-stimulus results are summarized as the percentage of presentations in which each item was chosen, ranked from highest to lowest.

• A: A vague impression is not objective data.
• B: Predictions are not results; the summary should report what the client chose.
• D: One trial's choice does not summarize the assessment.

Task B.1 · 40-hour curriculum section D

D: Score it according to the 5-second rule and note the late correct answer. The scoring rules define what counts as correct, including how fast the response must be. Noting the late correct answer gives the supervisor useful information without changing the score.

• A: The answer was outside the time limit, so scoring it correct ignores the rule.
• B: Repeating the instruction is not part of the rules and changes the item.
• C: Replacing items is not the RBT's decision and leaves out real data.

Task B.2 · 40-hour curriculum section D

D: The observer marks preset categories rather than writing notes. In structured (checklist) ABC recording, the supervisor lists likely antecedents and consequences ahead of time and the observer checks what occurred. In narrative ABC recording, the observer writes a description of each event.

• A: Changing consequences on purpose is a functional analysis.
• B: ABC recording captures antecedents and consequences, not only duration.
• C: ABC data are recorded as events happen, not from memory.

Task B.3 · 40-hour curriculum section D

A: Reports may not match what the client chooses. Indirect reports are a useful starting point but can be inaccurate. Direct assessments that observe actual choices or engagement are generally more accurate, which is why teams use them.

• B: Direct observation of choices is generally considered more accurate than reports.
• C: Decisions about program items belong to the supervisor, and preferences can change.
• D: A disagreement with a report does not make a correctly run MSWO invalid.

Task B.1 · 40-hour curriculum section D

D: Ask the supervisor for training before giving the assessment. RBTs provide services only after their supervisor has confirmed their competence, and they do not use unfamiliar procedures without proper training.

• A: A video alone is not training with the supervisor confirming competence.
• B: Errors in giving an assessment can make the results unusable.
• C: Handing the assessment to a caregiver does not solve the training gap and is not the RBT's decision.

Task B.2 · 40-hour curriculum section D · RBT Ethics Code 1.06 · RBT Ethics Code 2.04

A: Attention, escape, tangible and automatic. Problem behavior is most often maintained by social attention, escape from something unpleasant, access to tangible items or activities, or automatic (sensory) reinforcement.

• B: Punishment, extinction and shaping are procedures or processes, not functions.
• C: These are measurement dimensions.
• D: These are parts of ABC recording and context, not functions.

Task B.3 · 40-hour curriculum section D · Task D.1

B: Rankings depend on which other items are offered. Preference assessments show preference relative to the items offered together. Adding a more preferred item moves the others down without meaning they lost all value.

• A: A consistent pattern with a sensible shift is not random.
• C: Dropping one rank because a new item was added does not show a loss of reinforcing value.
• D: Nothing in the scenario indicates an implementation error.

Task B.1 · 40-hour curriculum section D

D: To find which skills the client has and which still need to be taught. A skills assessment identifies a client's skill strengths and deficits. The supervisor uses the results to choose teaching goals and to track progress over time.

• A: Finding why a behavior happens is the purpose of a functional assessment, not a skills assessment.
• B: Finding preferred items is the purpose of a preference assessment.
• C: Diagnosis is made by qualified professionals with diagnostic tools; ABA skills assessments are used to plan teaching.

Task B.2 · 40-hour curriculum section D

B: Escape from demands. When problem behavior is high only in the condition where it produces a break from tasks, the results suggest the behavior is maintained by escape (negative reinforcement).

• A: Behavior was low in the attention condition, so attention is not suggested.
• C: Behavior was low in the tangible condition, so access to tangible items is not suggested.
• D: Behavior was low in the alone condition, which does not suggest automatic reinforcement.

Task B.3 · 40-hour curriculum section D · Task D.1

D: So every item is compared directly with every other. Comparing every item against every other item lets the RBT calculate how often each item is chosen when available and rank the items.

• A: Paired-stimulus assessments take more trials than formats like MSWO.
• B: Every trial requires a choice between two items.
• C: Pairing is about comparing items; the client gets only the chosen item, not equal time with all.

Task B.1 · 40-hour curriculum section D

D: To check observer agreement, which shows whether the data are reliable. Two observers recording the same responses independently allows interobserver agreement to be calculated. High agreement gives confidence that the scores reflect the client's behavior, not the observer.

• A: The second observer records the same responses; the client gets no extra chances.
• B: Testing performance with different adults is a generalization question, not the purpose of a second observer.
• C: Both observers score the same trials, so the number of trials does not change.

Task B.2 · 40-hour curriculum section D · Task A.8

C: They show little about how the other items rank. Because the chosen item returns to the array, a strongly preferred item can be picked every time. MSW identifies the top item but gives little information about the relative preference of the rest.

• A: Preference does not prove reinforcing effects for every task.
• B: Consistent choice of one item does not show misunderstanding.
• D: Choosing the tablet repeatedly suggests it is highly preferred.

Task B.1 · 40-hour curriculum section D

D: A skill seen in one setting may not occur in another, so this checks generalization. A skill learned in one place or with one person may not appear in other places or with other people. Testing across settings and people shows whether the skill has generalized.

• A: There is no general rule that an assessment is valid only when given in two places.
• B: Scores do not reliably go up or down in any particular setting.
• C: Avoiding boredom is not why skills are tested across settings and people.

Task B.2 · 40-hour curriculum section D

D: It does not require choosing between several items. Single-stimulus assessment presents one item at a time and records approach or engagement, so it can be used with clients who do not yet make choices among several items.

• A: Removing items after each selection describes MSWO.
• B: Testing reinforcing effects requires a reinforcer assessment.
• C: Single-stimulus assessment gives less information about relative rank than choice-based formats.

Task B.1 · 40-hour curriculum section D

D: A skill that is absent or below the level expected for the client. A skill deficit is something the client cannot yet do, or cannot do at the expected level. Skills assessments are designed to find these deficits so they can be taught.

• A: A behavior that occurs too often is a behavioral excess, not a skill deficit.
• B: A reinforcer losing value through satiation is a motivating operation effect.
• C: A setting event is an antecedent condition, not a missing skill.

Task B.2 · 40-hour curriculum section D

A: The child has the skill but does not usually use it in typical conditions. Doing the skill correctly when a reinforcer is offered shows that the skill is in the child's repertoire. Not doing it under typical conditions is a performance problem rather than a missing skill, and that difference matters when the supervisor plans teaching.

• B: The child tied their shoes correctly, so the skill has been learned.
• C: The child does not use the skill at home, so it is not used in all settings.
• D: The child tied their shoes correctly, which shows the motor ability is present.

Task B.2 · 40-hour curriculum section D