Behavior-Change Procedures

14% of the BCBA exam · blueprint Test Content Outline 6th ed. (since 2025)

Short answer

Domain G is the largest area at 25 of 175 scored questions (14%). It covers using reinforcement and punishment procedures, prompting and prompt fading, modelling and behavioral skills training, shaping, discrete-trial and naturalistic teaching, task analysis and chaining, token economies and group contingencies, differential reinforcement (DRA, DRI, DRO, DRL), extinction and its side effects, and antecedent interventions including motivating-operation manipulations.

Why it matters on this exam

One in seven scored questions (25 of 175), and many of its 19 tasks ask you to design, evaluate or select a procedure.

Key concepts

Prompting: response prompts (verbal, model, physical) and stimulus prompts (position, movement, within-stimulus); fading by most-to-least, least-to-most, time delay, stimulus fading.
Shaping: differential reinforcement of successive approximations toward a defined terminal behavior, with a moving criterion.
Chaining: forward, backward, backward with leap-ahead, total task, built on a validated task analysis.
Token economy: defined tokens, backup reinforcers, exchange schedule, earning and response-cost rules.
Group contingencies: independent, interdependent, dependent, with the peer-pressure risk of dependent arrangements.
Differential reinforcement: DRA and DRI reinforce an alternative or incompatible response, DRO the absence, DRL a lower rate (full-session, interval, spaced-responding).
Extinction: withhold the maintaining reinforcer; expect burst, variability, resurgence and emotional responding. Escape extinction is not attention extinction.
Antecedent interventions: NCR, high-probability request sequence, demand fading, choice, MO manipulations.

Common mistakes

Calling response cost extinction.
Choosing DRO for a skill deficit where DRA would teach the replacement.

Worked example

Tantrums are maintained by access to a tablet. FCT teaches "tablet please", tantrums no longer produce the tablet (extinction), and DRA reinforces the mand. DRO alone would suppress the tantrum without teaching the replacement.

Original practice questions

Behavior-Change ProceduresDifficulty 3/5

A plan reinforces a learner for completing work while no hand-flapping occurs, and hand-flapping cannot occur while the learner is writing. Which procedure is in place?

ADRA
BDRI
CDRL
DDRO

Show answer and rationale

Correct: B. Differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior reinforces a response that is physically incompatible with the target behavior. DRA reinforces an alternative that need not be incompatible; DRO reinforces the absence of behavior; DRL reinforces reduced rates.

D — DRO reinforces the absence of the behavior, not a specific incompatible response.
A — DRA does not require incompatibility.
C — DRL reinforces a lower rate of the target behavior itself.

Behavior-Change ProceduresDifficulty 2/5

During attention extinction, a behavior briefly increases in intensity and new response topographies appear. What is happening?

APunishment-induced aggression produced by the aversive properties of the procedure
BThe procedure has failed and a different consequence procedure should replace it
CAn extinction burst with response variability, both expected side effects
DSpontaneous recovery of a previously extinguished response after a delay

Show answer and rationale

Correct: C. Extinction bursts and increased response variability are documented side effects that occur early in extinction. They are not evidence of failure; discontinuing at this point would intermittently reinforce the escalated behavior.

B — Stopping now would strengthen the escalated form.
D — Spontaneous recovery is a later reappearance after responding has decreased.
A — No punishment procedure is in place.

Behavior-Change ProceduresDifficulty 3/5

An entire class earns extra recess if one randomly selected student's homework meets criterion. Which arrangement is this?

AToken economy
BIndependent group contingency
CInterdependent group contingency
DDependent group contingency

Show answer and rationale

Correct: D. In a dependent group contingency the group's access to reinforcement depends on the performance of one individual or a small subset. Independent arrangements deliver reinforcement per individual performance, and interdependent arrangements require the whole group to meet a criterion.

B — Independent contingencies reinforce each student on their own performance.
C — Interdependent contingencies require the group as a whole to meet a criterion.
A — A token economy is a reinforcement system, not a group arrangement.

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Primary references

BCBA Test Content Outline (6th ed.), in effect since 2025 — Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) · primary · retrieved 2026-09-22, verified 2026-09-22

Last reviewed: 2026-10-18Next review by: 2026-12-17Reviewed by: Openverse editorial team, Authoring and fact verificationHow we verify facts