Behavior Assessment Flashcards

Which type of functional behavior assessment (FBA) method involves directly manipulating antecedents and consequences to identify the function of a behavior?

Answer: Functional analysis

A functional analysis involves systematically manipulating antecedents and consequences in controlled conditions to identify the behavioral function.

During an indirect FBA, a behavior analyst interviews a teacher about a student's problem behavior. This method is considered indirect because:

Answer: It relies on secondhand reports rather than direct observation

Indirect assessments gather information through interviews, rating scales, or questionnaires rather than direct observation of the behavior.

In a functional analysis, the 'attention' condition typically involves the therapist:

Answer: Ignoring the client while attending to other tasks and briefly attending following problem behavior

In the attention condition, the therapist ignores the client and only delivers brief attention contingent on problem behavior to test social-positive reinforcement.

A scatter plot assessment is best used to:

Answer: Identify temporal patterns in when a behavior occurs

A scatter plot records whether a behavior occurs during specific time blocks across days, revealing temporal patterns that may correlate with environmental events.

Which functional analysis condition serves as a control by providing continuous, noncontingent access to preferred items and no demands?

Answer: Play/control condition

The play or control condition provides continuous reinforcement and no demands, establishing a baseline of low problem behavior against which other conditions are compared.

A descriptive FBA (e.g., ABC recording) differs from a functional analysis primarily because:

Answer: Descriptive FBAs occur in naturalistic settings without experimental manipulation

Descriptive assessments involve observing and recording behavior in the natural environment without the controlled manipulation used in a functional analysis.

When a functional analysis reveals high rates of problem behavior only in the demand condition, the behavior is most likely maintained by:

Answer: Social-negative reinforcement (escape)

High rates exclusively in the demand condition suggest the behavior is negatively reinforced by escape or avoidance of demands (social-negative reinforcement).