Practice question
Concepts and Principles

Respondent versus operant conditioning: Reinforcement and punishment by behavior change.

Original BCBA scenario practice question with answer explanation and wrong-choice notes.

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Question

Difficulty: easy. Skill: recognize. Type: concept discrimination.

Adult client responds differently when the antecedent, consequence, or learning history changes. Which concept from respondent versus operant conditioning is most relevant? The case file includes 3 recent sessions, 1 implementer, and 3 settings.

A
Use a familiar protocol even though it does not address reinforcement and punishment by behavior change
B
Rely on job coach's report alone and stop collecting direct evidence
C
Change the intervention immediately based on the concern alone
D
Classify the consequence by whether behavior increases or decreases and whether a stimulus is added or removed in relation to adult client's stopping work after corrective feedback

Correct answer

Explanation

Answer D

The clue is the combination of duration data showing long pauses after feedback, stopping work after corrective feedback, and the required task: Respondent versus operant conditioning. The case file includes 3 recent sessions, 1 implementer, and 3 settings. Classify the consequence by whether behavior increases or decreases and whether a stimulus is added or removed in relation to adult client's stopping work after corrective feedback 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

Clue
Key scenario clue

The clue is the combination of duration data showing long pauses after feedback, stopping work after corrective feedback, and the required task: Respondent versus operant conditioning. The case file includes 3 recent sessions, 1 implementer, and 3 settings.

Trap
Common trap

A familiar protocol is not enough unless it matches the assessed variables and the current decision question.

Next
If you missed it, review Reinforcement and punishment by behavior change

Then answer a few related scenarios before moving back to broad practice.

Why the other choices are weaker

A
Choice A

A familiar protocol is not enough unless it matches the assessed variables and the current decision question.

B
Choice B

Stakeholder input matters, but direct data, context, and integrity checks are still needed for a defensible answer.

C
Choice C

This is weaker because it skips the assessment, integrity, or decision rule needed before changing procedures.

Study tags

Reinforcement and punishment by behavior changeRespondent versus operant conditioningpositive reinforcementnegative reinforcement

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Related study guides

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Question FAQ

What BCBA domain does this question cover?

This practice question is tagged to Concepts and Principles. It also includes study tags for Reinforcement and punishment by behavior change, Respondent versus operant conditioning, positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement.

How should I review this practice question?

Answer the scenario before reading the explanation, compare your reasoning with the correct answer, then review why the distractors are weaker.

Is this an official BACB exam question?

No. This is an original study question for BCBA Scenario Tutor and is not an official BACB exam item.

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