Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) Practice Test

If a child learns to swim in a pool and can then perform the front crawl in the ocean, this represents which concept?

1. Stimulus generalization

2. Response generalization

3. Behavior adaptation

4. Environment transfer

The correct answer is: Response generalization

The situation describes a child learning a specific behavior (the front crawl) in one environment (the pool) and then successfully performing that behavior in a different environment (the ocean). This illustrates response generalization, which occurs when a learned behavior is successfully transferred from one context to another but remains the same type of behavior. In this case, the child has not only learned the front crawl swimming technique but has also been able to apply that learned skill in a different situation, demonstrating the flexibility and applicability of the skill beyond the original learning environment. It highlights how a similar response can occur in varied settings or under altered circumstances, marking a successful generalization of that response.