ABA Exam Coach

C.4: Measure temporal dimensions of behavior (e.g., duration, latency, interresponse time).

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

A teacher reports that a student 'takes forever to get started' after being told to begin independent work. Which measure most directly captures this concern?
  1. A. Rate
    Incorrect. Rate is how often a behavior occurs per unit of time, which does not address delay in starting.
  2. B. Latency
    Correct. Latency is the time from the onset of a stimulus (the instruction) to the start of the response.
  3. C. Interresponse time
    Incorrect. IRT is the time between two responses, not the time between an instruction and a response.
  4. D. Duration
    Incorrect. Duration measures how long the student works once started, not how long it takes to start.
A feeding team is worried that a client eats so fast he is at risk of choking. The goal is to increase the pause between bites. Which measurement should the BCBA use?
  1. A. Interresponse time between the end of one bite and the start of the next
    Correct. IRT measures the time between successive responses, which is exactly what the team wants to increase.
  2. B. Latency from food presentation to the first bite
    Incorrect. Latency to the first bite captures only the start of the meal, not the pacing between bites.
  3. C. Number of bites per meal
    Incorrect. Count of bites depends on portion size and does not measure pacing.
  4. D. Total duration of the meal
    Incorrect. Meal duration could change for many reasons, such as portion size, and does not directly show spacing between bites.
During a 50-minute observation, a client has three episodes of crying lasting 2, 5, and 8 minutes. What percentage of the session did the client spend crying?
  1. A. 10%
    Incorrect. This uses the mean duration per occurrence (5 min) instead of total duration.
  2. B. 30%
    Correct. Total duration is 2 + 5 + 8 = 15 minutes, and 15/50 = 30% of the session.
  3. C. 16%
    Incorrect. This uses only the longest episode (8 min).
  4. D. 6%
    Incorrect. This divides the number of episodes (3) by 50 and confuses count with duration.

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