Autism Services Practitioner practice questions and answers 2026. Tap an option to test yourself — you'll see the correct answer and a plain-English explanation for every question. Free, no login.
Q1Which of the following is NOT a component of the four-term contingency?
✓ Correct answer: D. Reinforcement schedule
The four-term contingency consists of the setting event (or motivating operation), antecedent, behavior, and consequence. 'Reinforcement schedule' is not part of the four-term contingency, but rather a specific way to arrange consequences.
Q2What defines a respondent behavior?
✓ Correct answer: C. A behavior that is elicited by a stimulus that precedes it
Respondent behaviors are elicited by stimuli that precede them and are considered involuntary. These are reflexive responses, as opposed to operant behaviors which are emitted and controlled by their consequences.
Q3What is a discriminative stimulus (SD)?
✓ Correct answer: B. A stimulus that signals the availability of reinforcement for a specific behavior
A discriminative stimulus signals the availability of reinforcement for a specific behavior. When present, it indicates that a certain behavior is likely to be reinforced, increasing the probability of that behavior occurring.
Q4Which term describes the process where a behavior generalizes to stimuli similar to the original discriminative stimulus?
✓ Correct answer: A. Stimulus generalization
Stimulus generalization is the process by which a response conditioned to a specific stimulus occurs when similar stimuli are presented. This is important for ensuring skills transfer across different settings, people, or materials.
Q5What does the 'dead man's test' help determine?
✓ Correct answer: D. Whether a behavioral definition involves active responding
The dead man's test is used to determine if a definition of behavior is adequate. If a dead person could perform the described action, it's not a proper behavioral definition because behavior requires active responding.
Q6What is positive reinforcement?
✓ Correct answer: C. The addition of a stimulus following a behavior that increases the future probability of that behavior
Positive reinforcement occurs when the addition (positive) of a stimulus following a behavior increases the future probability of that behavior. The key elements are adding something and increasing behavior.
Q7What is a motivating operation of deprivation?
✓ Correct answer: B. Restricting access to a reinforcer, which temporarily increases its value
Deprivation as a motivating operation involves restricting access to a reinforcer, which temporarily increases its value and increases behaviors that have historically led to obtaining that reinforcer.
Q8Under which schedule of reinforcement does ratio strain most commonly occur?
✓ Correct answer: A. Fixed ratio
Ratio strain most commonly occurs under fixed ratio schedules, especially when the requirement increases too rapidly. When the response requirement becomes too high too quickly, the individual may stop responding altogether.
Q9Which of the following is an unconditioned reinforcer?
✓ Correct answer: D. Food
Food is an unconditioned reinforcer because it naturally strengthens behavior without requiring prior learning or conditioning. It has reinforcing properties based on biological needs rather than through association with other reinforcers.
Q10What is the matching law in applied behavior analysis?
✓ Correct answer: C. The relative rate of responding matches the relative rate of reinforcement
The matching law states that the relative rate of responding on different alternatives matches the relative rate of reinforcement for those alternatives. This principle helps explain choice behavior and how reinforcement distribution affects response allocation.
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Theory