ABA Functional Behavior Assessment 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)?
- To identify the function or purpose that a problem behavior serves for an individual (Correct answer)
- To determine the severity of a problem behavior using standardized rating scales
- To develop a written behavior intervention plan for school settings
- To diagnose the underlying psychological disorder causing the behavior
Correct answer: To identify the function or purpose that a problem behavior serves for an individual
An FBA identifies the environmental variables (antecedents and consequences) that maintain problem behavior, revealing its function so interventions can be function-based.
Question 2: Which approach to functional behavioral assessment involves directly manipulating environmental variables to confirm the function of a behavior?
- Indirect assessment
- Descriptive assessment
- Functional analysis (Correct answer)
- Structural analysis
Correct answer: Functional analysis
A functional analysis (also called an experimental functional analysis) systematically manipulates antecedents and consequences to demonstrate a functional relationship between environmental events and the target behavior.
Question 3: In the ABCs of behavior analysis, what does the 'B' represent?
- Baseline
- Behavior (Correct answer)
- Background
- Benefit
Correct answer: Behavior
In the ABC (Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence) model, 'B' stands for Behavior — the observable and measurable action that is being assessed.
Question 4: Which of the following is NOT a commonly identified function of problem behavior in ABA?
- Access to tangibles
- Escape or avoidance
- Sensory stimulation (automatic reinforcement)
- Cognitive dissonance (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Cognitive dissonance
The four main functions of behavior in ABA are social positive reinforcement (attention/tangibles), social negative reinforcement (escape), and automatic reinforcement (sensory); cognitive dissonance is a psychological concept, not a behavioral function.
Question 5: Indirect assessment methods used in FBA include which of the following?
- Structured observation in the classroom
- Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence (ABC) recording
- Interviews and behavior rating scales completed by caregivers (Correct answer)
- Manipulating demand levels to observe behavior change
Correct answer: Interviews and behavior rating scales completed by caregivers
Indirect assessments gather information about behavior through interviews, checklists, and rating scales completed by informants who know the individual, without directly observing or manipulating the environment.
Question 6: What is a 'motivating operation' (MO) in the context of functional behavior assessment?
- A consequence that increases the future probability of a behavior
- An environmental variable that alters the value of a reinforcer and the behavior that produces it (Correct answer)
- A prompt that initiates a desired target behavior
- A discriminative stimulus that signals the availability of reinforcement
Correct answer: An environmental variable that alters the value of a reinforcer and the behavior that produces it
A motivating operation is an environmental variable that alters both the reinforcing effectiveness of a stimulus and the current frequency of all behavior that has been reinforced by that stimulus.
Question 7: A scatter plot is used during an FBA primarily to identify:
- The topography and intensity of the target behavior
- Temporal patterns showing when problem behavior is most and least likely to occur (Correct answer)
- The specific antecedents that immediately precede each behavior episode
- The number of behavior episodes per session across baseline phases
Correct answer: Temporal patterns showing when problem behavior is most and least likely to occur
A scatter plot records whether behavior occurred during successive time intervals across days, revealing temporal patterns such as times of day or days of the week when behavior is most likely.
ABA Functional Behavior Assessment 1
What is the primary purpose of a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)?