Question
Difficulty: medium. Skill: apply. Type: applied scenario.
The team is choosing an intervention for dropping to the floor when demands are presented. Assessment and stakeholder feedback must be considered under mitigating unwanted effects of reinforcement, extinction, and punishment. What should the BCBA prioritize? The case file includes 6 recent sessions, 4 implementers, and 2 settings.
AClassify the consequence by whether behavior increases or decreases and whether a stimulus is added or removed in relation to child's dropping to the floor when demands are presentedCorrect answer
BContinue unchanged and ignore the new contextual information
CAdd a punishment procedure before clarifying function, risk, or feasibility
DUse the descriptive label as the explanation and treatment target
Explanation
Answer AThe clue is the combination of caregiver notes plus one direct observation, dropping to the floor when demands are presented, and the required task: Mitigating unwanted effects of reinforcement, extinction, and punishment. The case file includes 6 recent sessions, 4 implementers, and 2 settings. Classify the consequence by whether behavior increases or decreases and whether a stimulus is added or removed in relation to child's dropping to the floor when demands are presented is best because it answers that clue through reinforcement and punishment by behavior change instead of treating the scenario as a generic behavior problem. On exam items like this, name the decision point first, then eliminate options that rely on one report, a label, a familiar protocol, or an action that skips the relevant data check.
Why this question is hard
ClueKey scenario clueThe clue is the combination of caregiver notes plus one direct observation, dropping to the floor when demands are presented, and the required task: Mitigating unwanted effects of reinforcement, extinction, and punishment. The case file includes 6 recent sessions, 4 implementers, and 2 settings.
TrapCommon trapIgnoring relevant data or context prevents a defensible behavior-analytic decision.
NextIf you missed it, review Reinforcement and punishment by behavior changeThen answer a few related scenarios before moving back to broad practice.
Why the other choices are weaker
BChoice BIgnoring relevant data or context prevents a defensible behavior-analytic decision.
CChoice CA punishment-first response is weaker when less intrusive, function-based, or assessment steps have not been addressed.
DChoice DA label is not enough; the decision should be based on observable behavior and relevant variables.
Study tags
Reinforcement and punishment by behavior changeMitigating unwanted effects of reinforcement, extinction, and punishmentpositive reinforcementnegative reinforcement
Related concept pages
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