Functional assessment of behavior provides hypotheses about the relationships between specific environmental events and behaviors. Decades of research has established that both desirable and undesirable behaviors are learned through interactions with the social and physical environment. FBA is used to identify the type and source of reinforcement for challenging behaviors as the basis for intervention efforts designed to decrease the occurrence of these behaviors.
Functions of Behavior
The function of a behavior can be thought of as the purpose a behavior serves for a person.
All behaviors serve a purpose. Problem behaviors can serve the following functions for an individual:
Access to attention e.g: Child throws toy in order to get mom's attention. (If this maladaptive behavior results in mom looking at child and giving him lots of attention—even if she's saying "NO"—he will be more likely to engage in the same behavior in the future to get mom's attention) Access to escape e.g: Mom tells the child "Go clean up" and child runs to the kitchen because s/he does not want to complete the task. Access to automatic reinforcement e.g: Child flaps (or, Stereotypic, repetitive movement) in order to release some tension s/he is feeling. Access to tangibles (e.g., activities, toys, edibles, etc.) e.g: Child hits mom because s/he wants the toy mom is holding. Sensory input We can describe behaviors in various ways such as tantrums, noncompliance, inattention, aggression, etc., however all behavior can be classified as serving one or more of the functions above.
Function is identified in an FBA by identifying the type and source of reinforcement for the behavior of interest. Those reinforcers might be positive or negative social reinforcers provided by someone who interacts with the person, or automatic reinforcers produced directly by the behavior itself.
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