Practice question
Experimental Design

Dependent and independent variables: Internal validity and confounds.

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

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Question

Difficulty: medium. Skill: apply. Type: experimental design critique.

The team wants stronger evidence before scaling a plan for using a clarification request. Which design decision best fits dependent and independent variables? The case file includes 12 recent sessions, 5 implementers, and 2 settings.

A
Treat the most recent data point as proof of the final conclusion
B
Identify the competing explanation and strengthen experimental control before claiming an intervention effect in relation to client's repeating questions after instructions

Correct answer

C
Base the decision on the descriptive label for repeating questions after instructions and bypass dependent and independent variables
D
Use a familiar protocol even though it does not address internal validity and confounds

Explanation

Answer B

The clue is the combination of parent report that conflicts with recent session data, repeating questions after instructions, and the required task: Dependent and independent variables. The case file includes 12 recent sessions, 5 implementers, and 2 settings. Identify the competing explanation and strengthen experimental control before claiming an intervention effect in relation to client's repeating questions after instructions is best because it answers that clue through internal validity and confounds 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 parent report that conflicts with recent session data, repeating questions after instructions, and the required task: Dependent and independent variables. The case file includes 12 recent sessions, 5 implementers, and 2 settings.

Trap
Common trap

A single point rarely supports a strong conclusion without considering trend, variability, and context.

Next
If you missed it, review Internal validity and confounds

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

Why the other choices are weaker

A
Choice A

A single point rarely supports a strong conclusion without considering trend, variability, and context.

C
Choice C

This is weaker because the label does not answer the Dependent and independent variables decision point or test Internal validity and confounds.

D
Choice D

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

Study tags

Internal validity and confoundsDependent and independent variablesconfounding variablesexperimental control

Turn this into a study plan

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Related study guides

GuideDistractor patternsUse this if the wrong answer sounded plausible.GuideMissed-question reviewUse this if you want to turn the miss into a study rule.GuideScore plateau guideUse this if similar mistakes keep repeating.

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Question FAQ

What BCBA domain does this question cover?

This practice question is tagged to Experimental Design. It also includes study tags for Internal validity and confounds, Dependent and independent variables, confounding variables, experimental control.

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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