Skip to main content

Menu

C. Behavior Acquisition

19 of the 75 scored questions on the RBT exam (25%), across 11 tasks. Each task below has a study page with definitions, worked examples, common mistakes and practice questions.

The 11 tasks

C.1 Positive and negative reinforcementReinforcement is any consequence that makes a behavior more likely to happen again. As an RBT you deliver positive and negative reinforcement exactly as your supervisor's plan describes: right after the target behavior, only when the behavior occurs, on the schedule the plan sets, and at the size, intensity and variety the plan calls for.34 questions
C.2 Conditioned reinforcersA conditioned reinforcer is a stimulus, such as praise, a token or a check mark, that has become a reinforcer because it was paired with reinforcers the client already values. RBTs help establish conditioned reinforcers through planned pairing and then use them to deliver reinforcement quickly, in many settings and, when they can be traded for many backups, with less satiation than a single snack or toy.34 questions
C.3 Discrete-trial teachingDiscrete-trial teaching (DTT) breaks a skill into short, repeated learning opportunities, each with a clear beginning and end. The RBT presents a brief instruction, waits for the client's response, delivers the planned consequence, and records the result before starting the next trial. The supervisor chooses the targets, prompts, reinforcers and error-correction steps; the RBT carries them out exactly as written.34 questions
C.4 Naturalistic teachingNaturalistic teaching uses the learner's own interests and everyday activities as the setting for teaching. Instead of adult-led trials at a table, the RBT watches for moments when the learner wants something, prompts the target skill, and lets the natural result of the skill be the reinforcer. Incidental teaching and natural environment training (NET) are the main forms an RBT carries out.34 questions
C.5 Task analysis and chainingMany everyday skills, like handwashing, dressing or doing laundry, are made of several steps performed in order. A task analysis lists those steps, and chaining procedures teach them: forward chaining, backward chaining and total task chaining. The supervisor writes the task analysis and picks the chaining method; the RBT teaches it, prompts as written, and records each step.34 questions
C.6 Discrimination trainingDiscrimination training teaches a client to respond one way when a particular stimulus is present and not to respond that way (or to respond differently) when other stimuli are present. The RBT runs it by reinforcing the target response in the presence of the discriminative stimulus (SD) and withholding reinforcement in the presence of other stimuli (S-deltas), exactly as the supervisor's plan describes.34 questions
C.7 Prompting and prompt fadingA prompt is extra help that makes a correct response likely while a client is learning, and prompt fading is the planned removal of that help so the natural instruction or cue takes over. RBTs give the prompts the supervisor's plan specifies, fade them by the plan's rules, and record prompt levels accurately.34 questions
C.8 GeneralizationGeneralization means a skill shows up beyond the exact conditions in which it was taught: with new people, in new places, with new materials, or in new but useful forms. RBTs carry out the generalization steps written into the plan, such as rotating materials, practicing across settings and people, and running generalization probes, and they report what they see to the supervisor.34 questions
C.9 Maintenance vs. acquisitionAcquisition procedures teach a skill the client cannot yet do; maintenance procedures keep a mastered skill strong over time. RBTs need to tell the two apart because they look different in practice, with different amounts of prompting, reinforcement, practice and data collection, and because the plan treats each target according to its phase.34 questions
C.10 ShapingShaping builds a new behavior by reinforcing successive approximations, responses that come closer and closer to a defined terminal behavior, while earlier approximations stop being reinforced. RBTs implement shaping by reinforcing only responses that meet the current step's criterion, moving between steps exactly as the plan states, and recording which approximation occurred on each opportunity.34 questions
C.11 Token economiesA token economy is a system in which clients earn tokens, such as chips, stickers, check marks or points, right after defined target behaviors, and later exchange them for backup reinforcers. RBTs implement token economies by delivering tokens immediately and only as the plan specifies, running exchanges as written, carrying out response cost only when it is in the plan, and recording tokens earned and exchanged.34 questions

Practise this content area

374 questions for behavior acquisition in 12 sets: start with Behavior Acquisition practice set 1. The mock exams show your score in this area alongside the others.

Key terms

Drill them with the flashcards.