If you’re preparing for the Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) exam or working in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), mastering key terms is essential. Understanding these terms not only helps you pass the RBT exam but also ensures you apply the concepts correctly in real-world settings. In this post, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of commonly used RBT terms along with their clear and simple definitions. Whether you’re just starting your RBT journey or need a quick refresher, this guide will help you build confidence and deepen your knowledge.
ABC: Antecedent – Behavior – Consequence. Also known as the 3-term contingency.
Abolishing Operation: Can decrease reinforcer effectiveness. Usually associated with satiation.
Acquisition: A target that is in the process of being taught. This behavior is not yet a known skill.
Antecedent Interventions: Recognizing environmental factors that can contribute to problematic behavior and making necessary changes to promote appropriate behavior and reduce possible triggers for maladaptive behavior.
Antecedent: Events that occur before a behavior.
Backward Chaining: Teaching skill steps one at a time from the last step to the first, prompting all steps before the step being taught. Reinforcement is given after teaching the step and at the end of the task.
Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP): Once the function of behavior has been determined, BIPs are used for antecedent strategies, responding to maladaptive behavior, teaching replacement behavior, and specifying which interventions to use, both verbal and physical.
Behavior: Anything a person does that can be observed and measured.
4 Functions of Behavior:
- Automatic/Sensory: Providing self-stimulation and is automatically reinforced.
- Escape: Avoiding or escaping a demand or undesirable task.
- Attention: Socially mediated, seeking attention in any way from others.
- Access (Tangible): Wanting or obtaining a preferred item.
Chaining: Used to teach multi-step skills in which the steps are defined through task analysis. Each separate step is taught to link together the total “chain.” Can be done by backward chaining, forward chaining, or total task chaining.
Consequence: Something that follows a behavior.
Continuous Measurement: Records every single occurrence of a behavior. Examples include frequency, duration, rate, and percent.
Continuous Reinforcement: The target behavior occurs and is reinforced after every occurrence.
Data: A collection of facts and figures about how a child is currently performing. In ABA, data is the foundation for making decisions about the client’s or student’s treatment.
Deprivation: Not having something often enough, which in turn increases its effectiveness when used as a reinforcer.
Differential Reinforcement (4 Types): A procedure where one behavior is reinforced while other behaviors are extinguished.
- DRI (Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible behaviors): Reinforce a behavior incompatible with the undesirable behavior.
Example: Reinforce Johnny for writing his name appropriately instead of tapping his pencil. - DRA (Differential Reinforcement of Alternative behaviors): Reinforce a behavior that is an appropriate alternative (replacement) for the undesirable behavior.
Example: Reinforce Annie when she asks for a break instead of yelling to get out of work. - DRO (Differential Reinforcement of Other behaviors): Reinforce any other behavior except the undesirable one.
Example: Reinforce Luke with a gummy every 5 minutes he does not engage in crying. - DRL (Differential Reinforcement of Low rates of behaviors): Reinforce the occurrence of behavior at a lower rate.
Example: Alia is allowed to self-talk for only one minute in one hour.
Discontinuous Measurement: Measures some instances of behavior but not all. Typically associated with partial interval recording, whole interval recording, and momentary time sampling.
Discrete Trial: A learning opportunity initiated and controlled by the teacher in which the correct response will be reinforced. This involves breaking a skill into smaller parts and teaching it while using reinforcement. It allows for the presentation of many learning opportunities in a short amount of time, following the 3-term contingency.
RBT Professional Conduct Study Guide
Discrimination Training: A procedure in which a behavior is reinforced in the presence of one stimulus and extinguished in the presence of another stimulus. This helps clients learn how to respond in different environments or under different conditions, teaching them the differences between stimuli.
Discriminative Stimulus (Sd): A cue (a demand or instruction) that signals reinforcement is available if the subject makes a particular response.
Dual Relationship: A situation where multiple roles exist between a therapist and a parent or client. These relationships are also referred to as multiple relationships.
Duration: The amount of time someone engages in a behavior.
Echoic: Verbal imitation; repeating the speaker’s words or sounds.
Error Correction: When a client makes a mistake on a previously mastered target, do not acknowledge the mistake. Instead, re-present the trial and be ready to prompt for the correct response. The error correction process follows these steps:
- Error – The child touches the car when prompted to touch the bike.
- Correction – Re-present the Sd with a prompt.
- Transfer – Re-present the Sd without a prompt.
- Distract – Place easy or mastered demands.
- Repeat – Return to Sd for the incorrect response: “Touch bike” and reinforcement is provided for the correct response.
Errorless Teaching: Prompt the correct response as soon as you give the Sd. Essentially, you are not allowing the client to make an error.
Establishing Operation: Increases the current effectiveness of a stimulus. Deprivation is typically associated with this operation.
Ethics: Must follow the BACB’s Code of Ethics. Failure to follow the mandatory code can lead to loss of employment and certification. Be sure to review the Code of Ethics outline.
Expressive Language: The ability to communicate one’s thoughts, ideas, wants, and needs. This includes identifying and labeling objects in the environment, putting words together to form sentences, describing events and actions, answering questions, and making requests.
Extinction: The withholding of reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior, resulting in a reduction of that behavior.
Extinction Burst: The increase in frequency and/or intensity of a behavior during the early stages of extinction.
Fixed Interval (FI): A schedule of reinforcement used for a set amount of time.
Fixed Ratio (FR): A schedule of reinforcement used for a set number of responses.
Forward Chaining: Teaching skill steps one at a time from the first step to the last, prompting all steps after the step being taught. Reinforcement is provided after teaching the step and at the end of the task.
Frequency: The number of times, or count, a behavior or response occurs.
Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA): The process by which behavioral interventions are created. An FBA aims to determine the function (or reason) for a behavior and then create an intervention based on that function. A Functional Analysis (FA) involves manipulating the environment to understand the behavior, while an FBA includes observation, interviews, and collecting ABC data.
Functional Relationship: Describes how a person’s behaviors change the world around them and how those changes affect the future likelihood of the same behaviors occurring.
Functions of Behavior: Used to determine why an individual engages in a certain behavior. ABA identifies four primary functions of behavior:
- Escape
- Access (Tangible)
- Attention
- Sensory (Automatic Reinforcement)
Generalization: Occurs when behavior change is demonstrated outside of the learning environment. Generalization can happen across settings, time, and people, and is evident when the behavior occurs in these different environments.
Graph: A pictorial representation of data used to summarize results. Commonly used graphs in ABA include:
- Line graph
- Bar graph
- Cumulative records
- Scatterplots
The line graph is the most widely used graph in ABA for displaying progress.
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act): HIPAA provides federal protection for individual health information, ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of protected information.
Imitation: Copying someone’s motor movements.
Incidental Teaching: A teaching technique used in naturally occurring environments to create natural incidents of learning, such as social, communication, and play interactions. It’s also referred to as Natural Environment Teaching (NET).
Instructional Control: Developing a history of reinforcing compliance by placing task demands and other instructions following pairing. This increases the likelihood that the child will elicit a correct response.
Intermittent Reinforcement: A schedule of reinforcing some, but not all, desirable behaviors.
Inter-Response Time (IRT): The time between two responses given by the individual.
Intraverbal: A verbal behavior term. Intraverbals are building blocks to conversation skills, allowing individuals to discuss, describe, or answer questions about something that isn’t physically present.
Example: If someone asks, “What did you do on your vacation?” and you answer, “Nothing.”
Latency: The time between when the Sd (discriminative stimulus) is presented and when the response is given.
Listener Responding: Following a direction given, which is part of receptive language skills.
Magnitude: The force or intensity with which a response is emitted.
Maintenance: The ability of a child to demonstrate previously acquired skills over time and durations when reinforcement has been faded.
Mand: Asking for something; a request that is motivated by a need or desire.
Measurement: The act of collecting data on various skills or behaviors to assess progress.
Momentary Time Sample: Looking for a behavior’s occurrence during a specific part of the interval and recording if it is occurring at that precise moment.
Example: Setting a timer to go off every minute during a 30-minute interval, checking for behavior, and marking it down when the timer goes off.
Motivating Operation: A change in the environment that increases or decreases the effectiveness of a given reinforcer. Often used with Establishing Operations (EO) or Abolishing Operations (AO).
Natural Environment Teaching (NET): A teaching approach where the learner initiates a learning opportunity, and the reinforcer is a natural consequence of the activity or learning opportunity.
Negative Reinforcement: The removal of a stimulus to increase or strengthen a behavior.
Operational Definition: Definitions of behavior that are measurable, objective, and observable.
Pairing: Establishing yourself as a reinforcer or the deliverer of reinforcement while building a positive relationship with the learner.
Partial Interval Recording: Involves checking off an interval if the behavior occurs at any point within the interval, even if it only occurred for 1 second. This method is often used for self-stimulatory behaviors or behaviors that vary in their appearance. It tends to exaggerate the behavior and can be useful for decreasing behavior.
Permanent Product: A tangible product or environmental outcome that proves a skill has been mastered or a behavior has occurred.
Positive Reinforcement: Adding a stimulus after a behavior to strengthen or increase the behavior.
Preference Assessment: An assessment used to determine what a child is motivated by, helping identify reinforcers.
Primary Reinforcer (Unconditioned): Items or activities that are naturally reinforcing (e.g., food, water, or sleep).
Principles of Reinforcement:
- Deprivation: The withholding of a stimulus. The more deprived an individual is of a reinforcer, the more effective it will be when delivered.
- Immediacy: How quickly a reinforcer is presented after the correct response is emitted. A reinforcer should be delivered immediately after the behavior to ensure the specific behavior is being reinforced.
- Size: The amount of reinforcement given after a correct response is emitted. The size should be appropriate for the task at hand—neither too much nor too little.
- Contingency: The “If __________, then __________” statement that sets the expectation for reinforcement. The reinforcement should ONLY be delivered when a desired behavior occurs.
Prompt: A form of assistance added to help achieve a desired response or behavior that is not occurring. Prompts are used to evoke the correct response, which can then be reinforced. Stimulus and Response prompts are commonly used for this purpose.
Prompt Hierarchy: The level of prompts used, ranging from greatest to least, or vice versa.
- Expressive Language Hierarchy: Full verbal → Partial verbal → Independent
- Receptive Language Hierarchy: Full physical → Partial physical → Model → Gestural → Independent
Prompt Fading: The gradual removal of prompt levels needed, or the reduction of the intrusiveness of prompts over time.
Punishment: Anything added or removed after a behavior that decreases the likelihood of that behavior happening again.
- Positive Punishment: A stimulus is presented after a behavior occurs, which decreases the likelihood of that behavior in the future.
- Negative Punishment: A stimulus is removed after a behavior occurs, which decreases the likelihood of that behavior happening again.
Rate: The ratio of count per observation time (how many times a behavior occurs within a set amount of time).
Reactive Strategies: Techniques used in an emergency or crisis situation to gain control of dangerous, out-of-control behaviors.
Receptive Language: Refers to listener behavior and tasks that require a non-vocal action or motor response such as touching, imitation, or pointing.
Reinforcement: Anything that is added or removed after a behavior that increases the likelihood of that behavior occurring again.
- Positive Reinforcement: A stimulus is presented after a behavior occurs, which increases the likelihood of that behavior.
- Negative Reinforcement: A stimulus is removed after a behavior occurs, which increases the likelihood of that behavior.
Replacement Behavior: A behavior you want to replace an unwanted target behavior with.
Response Prompt: Any prompt used in expressive or receptive language, such as gestural, model, or verbal prompts.
Role of the RBT (Registered Behavior Technician): Involves program implementation, data collection, communicating with stakeholders, working directly with the BCBA (Board-Certified Behavior Analyst), and following written programs, including Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP).
Satiation: When a reinforcer loses its effectiveness due to overuse.
Secondary Reinforcer (Conditioned): Items or activities that acquire reinforcing properties when paired with primary reinforcers.
Setting Events: The context or circumstance in which an environment-behavior relationship occurs. These events change the strengths of stimuli and responses involved in an environment-behavior interaction.
Shaping: The process of reinforcing gradual changes in behavior so that the behavior begins to resemble the target behavior, while no longer reinforcing the previously accepted response.
Skill Acquisition: The development of new skills, habits, or qualities.
Spontaneous Recovery: The reappearance of an extinguished behavior after a period of time without reinforcing that behavior.
Stimulus: Anything in the environment that you can sense through your sense organs (sight, touch, smell, taste, hearing).
Stimulus Control: Refers to the influence that a stimulus has over behavior. The stimulus precedes the behavior but directly affects the outcome.
Stimulus Control Transfer: A process in which prompts are removed to bring the behavior under the control of the discriminative stimulus (Sd). This is typically achieved through prompt fading.
Stimulus Prompt: Stimuli that help evoke the correct response. Examples include positional cues, environmental changes, moving items, or altering features such as color, size, or proximity.
Tact: A form of verbal behavior where the speaker perceives something (sight, sound, smell, or taste) and then comments about it. This is essentially a labeling behavior.
Task Analysis: The process of breaking a skill down into smaller, more manageable components to make it easier to teach or learn.
Token Economy: A method used to reinforce (increase) the frequency of a target behavior. Tokens, such as stickers, coins, or checkmarks, are given for desired behaviors and can later be exchanged for a reinforcer.
Topography: The physical form or shape of a behavior.
Total Task Chaining: Teaching all steps of a behavior chain at once. Reinforcement is delivered both for independence during each step and at the end of the task.
Variable Interval (VI): A schedule of reinforcement where reinforcement is delivered after a variable amount of time has passed. The time interval varies unpredictably.
Variable Ratio (VR): A schedule of reinforcement where reinforcement is delivered after a variable number of responses. The number of responses required to receive reinforcement is unpredictable.
Whole Interval Recording: A measurement technique where an interval is checked off if the behavior occurs for the entire duration of the interval. This method is useful for behaviors that are continuous.
RBT Practice Quizzes