Practice question
Behavior-Change Procedures

Positive and negative punishment procedures: Reinforcement and punishment by behavior change.

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

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Question

Difficulty: medium. Skill: apply. Type: applied scenario.

Child is learning asking for a break, but performance changes depending on prompts and consequences. Which procedure best fits positive and negative punishment procedures? The case file includes 2 recent sessions, 5 implementers, and 3 settings.

A
Base the decision on the descriptive label for dropping to the floor when demands are presented and bypass positive and negative punishment procedures
B
Use a familiar protocol even though it does not address reinforcement and punishment by behavior change
C
Classify the consequence by whether behavior increases or decreases and whether a stimulus is added or removed in relation to child's asking for a break

Correct answer

D
Rely on parent's report alone and stop collecting direct evidence

Explanation

Answer C

The clue is the combination of caregiver notes plus one direct observation, dropping to the floor when demands are presented, and the required task: Positive and negative punishment procedures. The case file includes 2 recent sessions, 5 implementers, and 3 settings. Classify the consequence by whether behavior increases or decreases and whether a stimulus is added or removed in relation to child's asking for a break 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 caregiver notes plus one direct observation, dropping to the floor when demands are presented, and the required task: Positive and negative punishment procedures. The case file includes 2 recent sessions, 5 implementers, and 3 settings.

Trap
Common trap

This is weaker because the label does not answer the Positive and negative punishment procedures decision point or test Reinforcement and punishment by behavior change.

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

This is weaker because the label does not answer the Positive and negative punishment procedures decision point or test Reinforcement and punishment by behavior change.

B
Choice B

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

D
Choice D

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

Study tags

Reinforcement and punishment by behavior changePositive and negative punishment procedurespositive 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 Behavior-Change Procedures. It also includes study tags for Reinforcement and punishment by behavior change, Positive and negative punishment procedures, 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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