RBT Exam Revision Course: Behavior Assessment

Preference assessments are used to identify items, activities, or events that a learner prefers at a given time. Preferences can change across settings, over time, and with motivating conditions, so preference assessments may be conducted regularly.

Preference does not guarantee reinforcement. An item only functions as a reinforcer if it increases the future probability of behavior when delivered following that behavior.

• Free Operant Observation – Multiple items are freely available. The RBT measures duration of engagement with each item during a defined observation period.
• Paired Stimulus Preference Assessment – Two items are presented at a time. Selections are recorded across trials to determine relative preference.
• Multiple Stimulus Preference Assessments – Several items are presented at once. In an MSWO, selected items are removed from the array and remaining items are rotated.

RBTs follow the written protocol exactly, including presentation order, response criteria, access duration, and data recording procedures. RBTs do not independently determine reinforcer effectiveness.

Assessments of skill strengths and deficits provide information about what a learner can already do, which skills are emerging, and which skills require instruction.

RBTs participate by implementing assessment components as instructed, which may include:

• Conducting behavioral observations in natural or structured contexts
• Administering probes to sample current performance without teaching
• Running baseline probes prior to instruction
• Recording accuracy, latency, duration, or level of prompting as specified

Observations describe what occurs naturally and do not involve manipulating the environment. Probes measure current performance and are not designed to teach or strengthen responding.

Functional assessment procedures are used to identify variables that influence behavior, including antecedents, setting events, and consequences.

• Indirect Functional Assessment – Interviews, questionnaires, or rating scales completed by caregivers or staff. These rely on report rather than direct observation.
• Direct Functional Assessment – Observation of behavior as it naturally occurs, including ABC recording, scatterplots, and narrative observation.
• Functional Analysis – Experimental manipulation of antecedents and consequences under close supervision to evaluate behavioral function.

RBTs collect and record data objectively, follow protocols precisely, and prioritise safety and dignity. RBTs do not generate hypotheses about behavioral function or make treatment recommendations.

• Reinforcer – Any stimulus change that follows a behavior and increases the future probability of that behavior occurring under similar conditions. Reinforcement is defined by its effect on behavior, not by the form of the stimulus. What functions as a reinforcer can vary across individuals, contexts, and time.
• Preference – The degree to which an individual selects, approaches, or engages with one stimulus relative to others at a given time. Preference is descriptive and does not guarantee reinforcement.
• Preference Assessment – A systematic method used to identify stimuli or activities that an individual prefers at a given time. Preference assessments identify potential reinforcers but do not confirm reinforcement effectiveness.
• Preference Hierarchy / Relative Preference – An ordered ranking of stimuli based on demonstrated choices or engagement during a preference assessment. Items ranked higher are considered more preferred relative to others.
• Free Operant Observation – A preference assessment method in which multiple items or activities are freely available and the observer measures the duration of engagement with each item during a defined observation period.
• Paired Stimulus Preference Assessment – A method in which two items are presented at a time and the individual selects one. Each item is paired with every other item across trials, and preference is determined by selection percentage.
• Multiple Stimulus Preference Assessment – A method in which several items are presented simultaneously and the individual selects one. Preference is inferred from selection order and frequency.
• Multiple Stimulus Without Replacement (MSWO) – A multiple stimulus preference assessment in which selected items are removed from the array for the remainder of the session and remaining items are rotated.
• Functional Assessment (Functional Behavior Assessment) – A systematic process used to identify environmental variables that influence behavior, including antecedents, setting events, and consequences, to inform effective and ethical intervention.
• Indirect Functional Assessment – Methods that gather information through interviews, questionnaires, rating scales, or checklists completed by others. These rely on report rather than direct observation.
• Direct Functional Assessment – Observation of behavior in the natural environment with objective recording of antecedents, behavior, and consequences. Common methods include ABC recording and scatterplots.
• Functional Analysis – An experimental assessment procedure in which antecedents and consequences are systematically manipulated to evaluate their effects on behavior. Conducted under the direction of a supervising behavior analyst.
• Antecedent – Any event, stimulus, or condition that occurs before a behavior and influences the likelihood that the behavior will occur. Antecedents are part of the environmental context, not causes on their own.
• Behavior – The movement of an organism or part of an organism as it interacts with the environment. Behavior includes both overt and covert activity, differing only in accessibility to observation, not in kind.
• Consequence – Any event or stimulus change that follows a behavior and affects the future probability of that behavior occurring. Consequences may function as reinforcement, punishment, or have no consistent effect.
• Antecedent–Behavior–Consequence (ABC) Recording – A descriptive data-collection method in which the antecedent, behavior, and consequence are documented for specific instances of behavior.
• Scatterplot Recording – A visual data-recording tool used to identify temporal patterns in behavior across time periods, activities, or routines, highlighting when behavior is more or less likely to occur.
• Setting Events – Contextual conditions that influence behavior by altering how antecedents or consequences function, even though they occur outside the immediate ABC sequence.
• Motivating Operations – Variables that temporarily alter the value of a consequence and the likelihood of behaviors that have historically produced that consequence. Often treated as a subset of setting events.
• Behavioral Function – The effect a behavior has on the environment that maintains it, such as access to attention, tangibles, escape from demands, or sensory stimulation.
• Hypothesis / Summary Statement – A statement describing the predicted relationship between antecedents, behavior, and consequences, often incorporating setting events or motivating operations. Developed by supervising behavior analysts.
• Skills-Based Assessment Procedures – Assessments used to identify current abilities, emerging skills, and instructional priorities across domains such as communication, social skills, academics, and daily living.
• Individualized Assessment Procedures – Curriculum-based or standardized tools (e.g., VB-MAPP, PEAK, ABLLS-R) selected by a supervisor to assess skills and guide instruction.
• Behavioral Observation – Direct, systematic observation and recording of behavior as it occurs in the natural environment or structured contexts, without manipulating variables unless specified.
• Probe – A brief assessment opportunity used to measure current performance on a skill or behavior without teaching, prompting, or reinforcement beyond what is specified.
• Baseline Probe – A probe conducted before instruction begins to establish the learner’s level of performance prior to intervention.
• Probes in Assessment Contexts – The use of probes within skill-based or individualized assessments to sample existing performance without altering behavior through instruction.