Question
Difficulty: hard. Skill: analyze. Type: applied scenario.
The team is choosing an intervention for grabbing preferred items. 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 7 recent sessions, 4 implementers, and 1 setting.
AAdd a punishment procedure before clarifying function, risk, or feasibility
BUse the descriptive label as the explanation and treatment target
CClassify the consequence by whether behavior increases or decreases and whether a stimulus is added or removed in relation to adolescent's grabbing preferred itemsCorrect answer
DSend the written protocol again without observing performance
Explanation
Answer CThe clue is the combination of ABC data from three outings, grabbing preferred items, and the required task: Mitigating unwanted effects of reinforcement, extinction, and punishment. The case file includes 7 recent sessions, 4 implementers, and 1 setting. Classify the consequence by whether behavior increases or decreases and whether a stimulus is added or removed in relation to adolescent's grabbing preferred items 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 ABC data from three outings, grabbing preferred items, and the required task: Mitigating unwanted effects of reinforcement, extinction, and punishment. The case file includes 7 recent sessions, 4 implementers, and 1 setting.
TrapCommon trapA punishment-first response is weaker when less intrusive, function-based, or assessment steps have not been addressed.
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
AChoice AA punishment-first response is weaker when less intrusive, function-based, or assessment steps have not been addressed.
BChoice BA label is not enough; the decision should be based on observable behavior and relevant variables.
DChoice DWritten directions alone do not verify performance or correct implementation errors.
Study tags
Reinforcement and punishment by behavior changeMitigating unwanted effects of reinforcement, extinction, and punishmentpositive reinforcementnegative reinforcement
Related concept pages
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