Topic 13 Flashcards
functional assessment
set of procedures that allow relationships between behavior and its antecedents and consequences to be determined
- functional behavior assessment (FBA)
- first step in using b-mod procedures to decrease problem behaviors
- behavior as a function of environmental variables
- helps you determine why problem behavior is occurring
what are the categories of info provided by FBA?
- objective description of antecedents
- objective description of problem behaviors
- objective description of consequences
- motivational variables
- potential reinforcers
- potential alternative/competing behaviors
- effectiveness of previous interventions
functions of problem behaviors
negative reinforcement - escape
positive reinforcement - social, automatic, tangible, activity
social positive reinforcement
reinforcement provided by another person
- make behavior more likely to occur
social negative reinforcement
target behaviors maintained by neg reinforcement that is mediated by another person
- escape or avoid behavior or outcome
automatic positive reinforcement
target behavior not mediated by another person, automatically results in reinforcement
- behavior produces positively reinforcing consequence automatically and behavior is strengthened
automatic neg reinforcement
- target behavior automatically reduces or eliminates aversive stimulus as a consequence of behavior and it is strengthened
tangible
reinforcer is a physical item
activity
reinforcement involves access to an acitivty
indirect methods
- informant assessment
- data on antecedents, behaviors and consequences are collected from target person or others who know them well based on memory of what happened
- interviews, rating scales
interview
- generate info from informant that is clear and objective
- info about problem behavior, A and C should describe environmental events without inferences or interpretation
- does not provide objective info
- goal: generate info on problem b, a and c that allows to form hypothesis about controlling variables
- conduct with multiple informants to find consensus
pros and cons of indirect methods
pros: fast and easy
cons: less accurate, only correlation between A/C and B
direct observation methods
- descriptive assessment
- data on A, B and C is gathered as behavior occurs in natural enviro
unstructured direct method
observations are made without altering events in enviro in any way
structured direct observation
specific antecedents in enviro are systematically manipulated, results are recorded and consequences are not altered
scatterplot analysis
recording period is divided into intervals, every 30 min, if behavior has occurred, one cell of grid is shaded in
ABC observations
record ABC under normal conditions as they occur
- immediate A and C associated with problem behavior under normal conditions
- descriptive method uses an ABC sheet
- checklist method
- interval (real-time) recording method
pros and cons of ABC
pro: more accurate
con: more work/time to record and summarize, only correlation between A/C and B
experimental methods
- functional analysis
- experimenter systematically manipulates A and C to determine effect on target behavior in structured situation
- compare test and control conditions to determine if there’s an effect
test conditions
present different EO and possible reinforcer for problem behavior in each condition
control conditions
present AO for same reinforcer and withhold possible reinforcers for problem behavior
exploratory
determine patterns of relationships that are not yet clear
- eval range of possible reinforcing consequences designed to identify particular function of problem behavior while ruling out other functions
hypothesis testing
confirms predictions from informant or descriptive assessment
- one test and one control
test: presents hypothesized EO
control: hypothesized AO, if problem behavior occurs then does not provide hypothesized reinforcer
interview informed synthesized contingency analysis
- interview to identify idiosyncratic A and C related to problem behavior followed by brief observation to confirm info from interview
- used to develop functional analysis test and control conditions that manipulate variables to demonstrate effect
- helps individualize test and control of subsequent functional analysis
- less time
pros and cons of experimental methods
pro: cause and effect
con: more time and expertise
how difficult is it to learn to do functional analysis?
- Iwata
- undergrads played role of therapist and performed functional analysis
- mean- 69.9 correct
- trained and took quz
- below 90 got more training
- 97.5% correct
- Najdowski
- jack with autism only ate certain foods and mother had to do functional analysis
paired HPF with NPF - escape: demanded using 3-step prompting for eating NPFs along with praise
how to conduct functional assessment?
- use indirect methods- interview
- formulate hypothesis about A and C of B
- perform direct observation
- determine if data from direct supports hypothesis or needs to be modified
- if all assessments are consistent then develop behavior support plan that addresses function of behavior
- if assessments are inconsistent, then conduct functional analysis to confirm hypothesis
what comes after functional assessment?
- develop a behavior support plan or behavior intervention plans
what does a behavior support plan consist of?
- summary of data gathered (ABC)
- hypothesis of function and results of assessment and analysis
- functional intervention (behavior treatment program)- choose procedures for behavior change and support
functional intervention
- designed to alter the A and C of the problem behavior to decrease the problem behavior and increase desirable alternative behaviors
- includes extinction, differential reinforcement and antecendent interventions
