Domains G and H
BCBA intervention practice questions for behavior-change and treatment-selection decisions
Intervention questions often hide the real decision point: whether the plan is function-based, feasible, least intrusive, teachable, and supported by the available data.
Intervention decision checks
- Confirm the function or teaching goal before choosing a behavior-change procedure.
- Prefer the least intrusive effective option that still fits the assessment results.
- Check whether the issue is acquisition, maintenance, generalization, relapse, or treatment integrity.
- Do not let a familiar procedure override feasibility, data, or stakeholder implementation needs.
Intervention questions to review first
Distractor patternsPositive and negative reinforcement procedures: Reinforcement and punishment by behavior change.
An adolescent performs waiting for access only after the instructor points to the correct material. The goal is independent responding when the natural cue appears. Across 4 sessions in service week 8, 2 observers recorded 35 minutes of observation in the community outing. The BCBA should:
Review focus: Reinforcement and punishment by behavior change
Differential reinforcement with and without extinction: Reinforcement and punishment by behavior change.
During teaching, a client responds correctly with one example but errors increase with new materials and staff. Across 5 sessions in service week 8, 3 observers recorded 36 minutes of observation in the telehealth caregiver meeting. The BCBA should:
Review focus: Reinforcement and punishment by behavior change
Time-based reinforcement schedules: Schedules, persistence, and response allocation.
A 5-year-old learner performs asking for a break only after the instructor points to the correct material. The goal is independent responding when the natural cue appears. Across 6 sessions in service week 8, one observer recorded 37 minutes of observation in the early intervention clinic. The BCBA should:
Review focus: Schedules, persistence, and response allocation
Conditioned reinforcer procedures: Unconditioned, conditioned, and generalized consequences.
During teaching, a student responds correctly with one example but errors increase with new materials and staff. Across 7 sessions in service week 8, 2 observers recorded 38 minutes of observation in the elementary classroom. The BCBA should:
Review focus: Unconditioned, conditioned, and generalized consequences
Motivating operations and discriminative stimuli in behavior change: Motivating operations versus discriminative stimuli.
A child performs requesting help only after the instructor points to the correct material. The goal is independent responding when the natural cue appears. Across 8 sessions in service week 8, 3 observers recorded 39 minutes of observation in the home program. The BCBA should:
Review focus: Motivating operations versus discriminative stimuli
Simple and conditional discrimination procedures: Discrimination and stimulus-control teaching procedures.
During teaching, an adult client responds correctly with one example but errors increase with new materials and staff. Across 4 sessions in service week 8, one observer recorded 40 minutes of observation in the vocational training room. The BCBA should:
Review focus: Discrimination and stimulus-control teaching procedures
Stimulus and response prompting procedures: Prompting and fading.
An adolescent performs waiting for access only after the instructor points to the correct material. The goal is independent responding when the natural cue appears. Across 5 sessions in service week 8, 2 observers recorded 41 minutes of observation in the community outing. The BCBA should:
Review focus: Prompting and fading
Stimulus and response prompt fading: Prompting and fading.
During teaching, a client responds correctly with one example but errors increase with new materials and staff. Across 6 sessions in service week 8, 3 observers recorded 42 minutes of observation in the telehealth caregiver meeting. The BCBA should:
Review focus: Prompting and fading
Modeling procedures: Modeling, instructions, and rules.
A 5-year-old learner performs asking for a break only after the instructor points to the correct material. The goal is independent responding when the natural cue appears. Across 7 sessions in service week 8, one observer recorded 43 minutes of observation in the early intervention clinic. The BCBA should:
Review focus: Modeling, instructions, and rules
Instructions and rules: Modeling, instructions, and rules.
During teaching, a student responds correctly with one example but errors increase with new materials and staff. Across 8 sessions in service week 8, 2 observers recorded 44 minutes of observation in the elementary classroom. The BCBA should:
Review focus: Modeling, instructions, and rules