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Chapter 31- Study Questions

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1. Ethics describes behaviors, practices, and decisions that address three basic and

fundamental questions. What are these questions?

The questions are: What is the right thing to do? What is worth doing? and What does it

mean to be a good behavior analyst?

2. What is ethics important?

Because through ethics, behavior analytic practitioners produce socially significant

behavior change, reduce or eliminate questionable intervention and reduce potential

risk to harm.

3. True or false: personal histories, including cultural and religious experience, influence

how practitioners decide on a course of action in any given situation

True

4. How do you ensure professional competence?

Through academic training that involves formal coursework, supervised practice, and

mentors professional experience.

5. What are the three tests that must be met before informed consent can be considered

valid?

The person must demonstrate the capacity to decide, it must be voluntary, and the

person must have adequate knowledge of all salient aspects of treatment.

6. What does confidentiality mean in ethical terms?

Any information regarding individual receiving services may not be discussed with or

made available to any third party unless that individual has provided authorization for

release of that information

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7. What are your responsibilities in coordinating care with other professionals?

Behavior analyst must be sensitive to the fact other professionals as medical

professionals follow their own their ethical code. Effective coordination between

disciplines only occurs if there is clear and frequent communication among all treatment

team members.

8. What are recommendations for behavior analysts' use of social media?

Behavior analysts should never disclose client's information and avoid making a

treatment recommendation. Also, the professional must refer readers back to the

literature. If they answer a question, behavior analysts should write a disclaimer

clarifying that they are not engaging in professional relationships.

9. What are the two key questions when determining if services should be provided?

Is the presenting problem amenable to behavioral intervention? and Is the proposed

intervention likely to be successful?

10. How is conflict of interest defined in the text?

Conflict of interest occurs when a person acting as a therapist enters into another

relationship with the client, family member, or a close associate of the client enter into

such financial, personal or professional relationships (providing another service).

11. What is the most common form of conflict of interest in our field?

I don't know if it is the most common, but I had already experienced it when the parents

asked me to babysit my client. I refused, and my supervisor at the time talked to the

family that babysitting was not part of my role as RBT

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12. Does your organization have an ethics director? If so, do you know who it is and how

to reach them? (This won't be on the exam but is relevant for your work.)

I am working at the school district as RBT. At school, there are not ethics directors, but if I

have any concerns or questions, I talk directly with my BCBA supervisor or with the school

principal.