A.4: Distinguish among behaviorism, the experimental analysis of behavior, applied behavior analysis, and professional practice guided by the science of behavior analysis.
Free practice questions for this part of the BCBA, with an explanation for every option.
In a university lab, a researcher compares response rates of rats under variable-ratio and variable-interval schedules of food reinforcement. The aim is to learn about basic principles of behavior. The study has no goal of improving any socially significant human behavior. Which domain of behavior analysis does this work best represent?
- A. BehaviorismBehaviorism is the philosophy of the science. It deals with conceptual and theoretical questions, not with laboratory experiments on schedules.
- B. Experimental analysis of behaviorCorrect. The experimental analysis of behavior (EAB) is the basic-research branch. It discovers fundamental principles, often with nonhuman subjects, without requiring social significance.
- C. Applied behavior analysisApplied behavior analysis uses the principles to improve socially significant behavior and to show what is responsible for the improvement. This study does not try to improve behavior that matters to people.
- D. Professional practice guided by the science of behavior analysisProfessional practice means delivering behavior-analytic services to clients. This is basic laboratory research.
A BCBA in a private clinic assesses a new client's communication skills. She designs a mand-training program from established procedures, trains caregivers, and adjusts the plan based on session data. She does not plan to answer a research question or publish findings. Which domain of behavior analysis does her work best represent?
- A. Professional practice guided by the science of behavior analysisCorrect. Delivering assessment and intervention services to a client with procedures drawn from the science is professional practice guided by behavior analysis.
- B. Experimental analysis of behaviorEAB is basic research on fundamental principles. It is not service delivery to clients.
- C. BehaviorismBehaviorism is the philosophy underlying the science. It is not the delivery of services.
- D. Applied behavior analysis as a research scienceABA as a science applies principles to socially significant behavior and experimentally analyzes what produces change, which is systematic research. Her goal is client service, not new knowledge.
A research team uses a multiple-baseline-across-classrooms design to test whether a peer-mediated intervention increases social initiations by children with autism in inclusive preschools. They measure initiations directly, show that change occurs only when the intervention starts in each classroom, and publish the procedures in a journal. Which domain does this work best represent?
- A. Experimental analysis of behaviorEAB studies basic principles, often without concern for social significance. This study targets an important real-world behavior in natural settings.
- B. BehaviorismBehaviorism is the conceptual and philosophical part of the field. It does not involve running intervention studies.
- C. Professional practice guided by the science of behavior analysisProfessional practice delivers services to clients. The main purpose here is to produce and publish experimental knowledge.
- D. Applied behavior analysisCorrect. ABA is the science that applies behavioral principles to improve socially significant behavior. It uses experimentation to identify the variables responsible for the change, as this study does.