Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) — Question 4

Terry notices that his heart rate increases and he begins to sweat when he enters the dentist's office because the office is associated with painful, unpleasant dental work. He also is reluctant to make appointments and seems to want to do anything else but go to the dentist. His physical symptoms are an example of .

Answer options

• A. operant behavior.
• B. respondent behavior.
• C. escape conditioning.
• D. aversive conditioning.

Correct answer: B

Explanation

The correct answer is B, respondent behavior, which occurs as a direct response to a specific stimulus—in this case, the dentist's office associated with discomfort. The other options do not accurately describe Terry's reactions; operant behavior involves consequences of actions, escape conditioning refers to avoiding a situation, and aversive conditioning is about associating negative feelings with a specific stimulus.