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B.10: Identify and distinguish among concurrent, multiple, mixed, and chained schedules of reinforcement.

Free practice questions for this part of the BCBA, with an explanation for every option.

During sessions, a blue card on the table signals that every 5th correct sort earns a token (FR 5). A red card signals that sorting earns nothing (extinction). The two conditions alternate across the session. This arrangement is a:
  1. A. Mixed schedule
    Incorrect. A mixed schedule alternates components without a separate discriminative stimulus for each. Here each component is signaled.
  2. B. Chained schedule
    Incorrect. In a chained schedule, completing one component produces the next component's stimulus, and the terminal reinforcer comes only at the end.
  3. C. Multiple schedule
    Correct. A multiple schedule alternates two or more basic schedules, each correlated with its own discriminative stimulus.
  4. D. Concurrent schedule
    Incorrect. Concurrent schedules are available at the same time for different responses, not one after another.
During free work time, a student can either complete math problems (a token for every 3 problems) or sort picture cards (a token for every 5 cards). Both tasks and their contingencies are available at the same time, and the student picks which to do. This is an example of a:
  1. A. Concurrent schedule
    Correct. Two or more schedules running at the same time for two or more different responses is a concurrent schedule.
  2. B. Mixed schedule
    Incorrect. A mixed schedule alternates unsignaled components. The two options here are simultaneous.
  3. C. Multiple schedule
    Incorrect. In a multiple schedule, components alternate over time. Here both are available at once.
  4. D. Chained schedule
    Incorrect. A chained schedule requires completing components in sequence before the terminal reinforcer.
In a clinic, a child sorts silverware. For a few minutes, every fifth correct sort earns a token (FR 5). For the next few minutes, sorting earns nothing. These periods alternate throughout the session, and nothing in the room signals which one is in effect. This arrangement is a:
  1. A. Mixed schedule
    Correct. A mixed schedule alternates two or more basic schedules for one response, with no stimulus signaling which component is in effect.
  2. B. Multiple schedule
    A multiple schedule also alternates components, but each component has its own discriminative stimulus. Here, no stimulus signals the change.
  3. C. Chained schedule
    In a chained schedule, components occur in a fixed order, each with its own stimulus, and reinforcement follows the last component. Here, reinforcement is available within a component.
  4. D. Concurrent schedule
    A concurrent schedule makes two or more schedules available at the same time for different responses. Here, the schedules alternate for a single response.

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