Experimental Questions

Experimental Questions

Read the scenario and then select the choice that is the best experimental question for the situation described (according to the criteria below). Note: sometimes two of the choices are accurate, but one is the BETTER choice because it meets all the criteria below better than the other choices do. Highlight your answer choice.

Criteria for writing a behavior analytic experimental question: (and tips for identifying the criteria in the 4 choices provided):

The independent and dependent variables are specified. (First, underline the IV and the DV in each scenario).

An open-ended question is asked such that the answer will provide information about how the independent variable affects the dependent variable (i.e., typically, we do not ask yes/no or either/or questions). For each of the 4 choices, see if the question can be answered by yes or no or by pointing to either this or that.

Include clarifying information (e.g., participants).

Avoid extraneous words. (If it is not “important information” –#3 above—it is probably extraneous information).

Scenarios

Include DV and IV:

Sue, a behavior analyst, is hired to observe an adolescent boy in his inclusive classroom because his teacher reports that he is verbally aggressive toward his peers. Sue conducts a functional assessment (descriptive analysis) and a modified functional analysis. She determines that the behavior is primarily escape-maintained. She decides to implement a DRI procedure whereby reinforcement (minutes that can be “banked” so that the client can go home early) is delivered contingent on verbal compliments and appropriate requests to escape tasks. She takes data on the number of aggressive and appropriate verbal statements as well as on the number of times the boy goes home early.

How will a treatment derived from functional assessment and analysis data affect an adolescent boy’s rate of verbal aggression toward peers?

How will a DRI procedure on appropriate verbal statements affect rates of an adolescent’s escape maintained behavior?

What are the effects of a DRI procedure on both appropriate and aggressive verbal statements?

How will escape from school contingent on appropriate verbal statements affect the rate of aggressive statements?

Ask Open-Ended Questions:

A 40-year-old man with mental retardation lives in a state institution and engages in pica. Institution staff reported an increase in the behavior that appeared to be dangerous. Though the Surgeon General has not stated as much, it is likely that eating tobacco is not healthy. The resident behavior analyst implemented the following treatment. First, she conducted an analog functional analysis that showed cigarette pica was not maintained by social attention and occurred at highest rates when alone. Therefore, a treatment was implemented to reduce access to cigarettes and opportunities for pica during alone time.

How will reduced access to cigarettes affect rates of cigarette pica in a man with mental retardation?

Will a treatment derived from the results of an analog functional analysis decrease cigarette consumption in a man with pica?

Do functional assessment and analyses lead to effective treatment of cigarette pica in a man with mental retardation?

Do antecedent manipulations decrease rates of cigarette pica in one man with mental retardation?

Ask Open-Ended Questions and Include DVs and IVs:

Three 6-year-old children with autism were taught to ask questions of an adult who held a closed box with a toy inside. The treatment package (modeling, prompting, and reinforcement) was evaluated with a multiple baseline design across the three questions forms. The first question, “What’s in the box?” produced the name of the hidden item. The second question, “Can I see [name of item]?” produced a view of the named item, and a third question, “Can I play with [name of item]?” produced the item itself. Within 2 months, all three children were asking these questions with a variety of objects and to multiple adults.

What are the differences in rates of skill acquisition for 3 children with autism across 3 question forms when modeling, prompting, and reinforcement are used to teach a skill?

Can 3 children with autism learn to ask questions “What’s in the box?” “Can I see [name of item]?” and “Can I play with [name of item]?” when a treatment package is implemented?

How will modeling, prompting, and reinforcement affect rates of 3 forms of question asking in 3 children with autism?

What effects do modeling, prompting, and reinforcement have on increasing rates of question asking in 3 children with autism?

Avoid Extraneous Words:

Three 11-year-old boys answer math questions correctly only 50-70% of the time. Their teachers want to find out the best way to increase the rate of accurate problem-solving responses to math problems. They assess the effects of having the boys write answers to math problems versus having the students verbalize the problem aloud before making a written response. Using an A-B-A design, they find that saying the problems aloud before making a written response is more effective in increasing the rate of accurate answers.

Which of the two procedure, writing math problems and verbalizing the problems aloud prior to writing the math problem, will be more effective in increasing 3 students’ percentage of correct answers?

How ill verbalizing a math problem aloud affect rates of correct responding to math problems?

What are the differential effects of writing math problems and verbalizing the problem aloud prior to writing the math problem in increasing 3 students’ percentage of correct answers?

How will verbalizing a math problem affect rates of correct responding to math problems compared to not verbalizing the math problem aloud first?

Include Clarifying Information:

A consultant noticed that a few of his clients seemed to respond differently during academic tasks depending upon the way stimulus preference was determined before beginning the trial/program. He decided to compare methods of stimulus preference assessment for 4 verbal children of pre-school age (Thomas, 2.6 yrs.; Jake, 2.7; Anna, 3; and Julie, 3.3). The three methods of stimulus selection were: a reinforce survey, a verbal stimulus-choice questionnaire, and a pictorial stimulus-choice procedure. Results showed that the verbal and pictorial stimulus-choice assessments accurately identified high- and low-preference categories for 3 or 4 clients. Results of the survey were less likely to identify low-preference categories, and were less likely to correspond with the results of a reinforcer assessment.

What are the differences between a reinforce survey, a verbal stimulus-choice questionnaire, and a pictorial stimulus-choice procedure in determining reinforcers for verbal preschoolers?

What are the differences between a reinforce survey, a verbal stimulus-choice questionnaire, and a pictorial stimulus-choice procedure in determining reinforcers for preschoolers?

What are the differences between a reinforce survey, a verbal stimulus-choice questionnaire, and a pictorial stimulus-choice procedure in determining reinforcers for two verbal 2- and 3-year-olds?

What are the differences between a reinforce survey, a verbal stimulus-choice questionnaire, and a pictorial stimulus-choice procedure in determining reinforcers for two 2- and 3-year-olds?

Avoid Extraneous Words and Include Clarifying Information:

The principal reported that a 14-year-old boy was not performing in math with the same success as he had last year, due to the presence of crickets and taunts about crickets by classmates. The behavior analyst conducted the following assessments: Presentation of three crickets in view while the boy was completing a math worksheet, presentation of a verbal stimulus (e.g., “There are bugs somewhere around here!”) indicating the presence of crickets, and presentation of a verbal stimulus (e.g., “There are no bugs in this room.”) indicating the absence of crickets. Then a program using graduated exposure to the crickets during times where a math worksheet was presented was implemented. After an initial phase of only graduated exposure, a new phase was implemented that included graduated exposure and tokens for completing math problems.

What are the effects of the presence of feared stimuli (crickets), graduated exposure, and contingent rewards on the rate of math calculations of three kinds in a 14-year-old boy with insect phobia?

How does graduated exposure and contingent reward affect the rate of math calculations for a boy with insect phobia?

What are the effects of a treatment package on academic performance of people with insect phobia?

The experiment will seek to determine the effects of multiple interventions on the math performance of an insect phobic.

Include Clarifying Information and Include DV and IV:

Eighteen undergraduate psychology students were taught to respond to verbal instructions and nonverbal instructions, six students under each of 3 schedules of reinforcement: FR-1, FR-2, and FR-3. Tokens were contingent on following verbal instructions and nonverbal instructions, which were presented on colored cards. The study reported that the FR-1 schedule was most effective with verbal instructions and FR-2 and FR-3 schedules were more sensitive to nonverbal instructions.

What are the effects of FR-1, FR-2, and FR-3 schedule of reinforcement on compliance with verbal and nonverbal instructions?

Will FR-1, FR-2, and FR-3 schedules of reinforcement have differential effects on compliance with verbal and nonverbal instructions in college students?

What are the effects of FR-1, FR-2, and FR-3 schedule of reinforcement on compliance of college students with verbal and nonverbal instructions?

How will 3 schedules of reinforcement affect instruction following in college students?