BCBA exam prep

The goals, assumptions, and branches of behavior analysis, radical behaviorism, and the dimensions of ABA.

• A.1The scientific goals of behavior analysis: description, prediction, and control
• A.2Philosophical assumptions: selectionism, determinism, empiricism, parsimony, and pragmatism
• A.3Explaining behavior through radical behaviorism
• A.4Behaviorism vs. EAB vs. ABA vs. science-guided professional practice
• A.5The dimensions of applied behavior analysis

The core vocabulary: reinforcement, punishment, schedules, extinction, stimulus control, MOs, verbal behavior, and more.

• B.1Behavior, response, and response class
• B.2Stimulus vs. stimulus class
• B.3Respondent vs. operant conditioning
• B.4Positive vs. negative reinforcement
• B.5Positive vs. negative punishment

Define and measure behavior, judge data quality, graph it clearly, and read what the graph says.

• C.1Writing operational definitions
• C.2Direct, indirect, and permanent-product measures
• C.3Measuring occurrence: count, rate, and percentage
• C.4Measuring time-based dimensions: duration, latency, and IRT
• C.5Continuous vs. discontinuous measurement

Variables, validity, and the single-case designs that show whether an intervention, not chance, changed behavior.

• D.1Independent vs. dependent variables
• D.2Internal vs. external validity
• D.3Threats to internal validity, such as history and maturation
• D.4What makes a design single-case: repeated measures, prediction, verification, replication
• D.5Single-case vs. group designs: relative strengths

The ethics code in practice: competence, confidentiality, public statements, multiple relationships, culture, and law.

• E.1Core principles of the ethics code for behavior analysts
• E.2What unethical conduct risks for you, others, and the profession
• E.3Building and keeping competence through professional development
• E.4Handling confidential information
• E.5Public statements, social media, and honest representation

Review records, assess skills and preferences, analyze function, and turn results into socially significant goals.

• F.1Reviewing educational, medical, and historical records at intake
• F.2Weaving cultural variables into assessment
• F.3Assessing skill strengths and areas of need
• F.4Designing and evaluating preference assessments
• F.5Descriptive assessments: ABC recording, scatterplots, and more

The procedures themselves: reinforcement, prompting, shaping, chaining, generalization, maintenance, and punishment.

• G.1Positive and negative reinforcement procedures
• G.2Differential reinforcement (DRA, DRO, DRL, DRH) with and without extinction
• G.3Time-based reinforcement schedules, such as fixed-time
• G.4Establishing conditioned reinforcers and token economies
• G.5Building motivating operations and discriminative stimuli into interventions

Write measurable goals, pick interventions that fit, plan for side effects and relapse, and decide with data.

• H.1Writing intervention goals in observable, measurable terms
• H.2Recommending interventions: assessment results, evidence, preference, and contextual fit
• H.3Choosing socially valid replacement behavior
• H.4Planning for unwanted effects of reinforcement, extinction, and punishment
• H.5Planning to prevent relapse

Supervise well: build relationships, promote equity, set goals, manage performance, and evaluate with data.

• I.1Why behavior-analytic supervision pays off
• I.2Building effective supervisory relationships
• I.3Promoting equity in supervision
• I.4Setting supervision goals from an assessment of the supervisee
• I.5Evidence-based, culturally responsive performance management