Functional Behavior Assessment Flashcards
7 cards from real ABA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Functional Behavior Assessment flashcards as text
What is the primary purpose of a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)?
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.
Which approach to functional behavioral assessment involves directly manipulating environmental variables to confirm the function of a behavior?
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.
In the ABCs of behavior analysis, what does the 'B' represent?
Answer: Behavior
In the ABC (Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence) model, 'B' stands for Behavior — the observable and measurable action that is being assessed.
Which of the following is NOT a commonly identified function of problem behavior in ABA?
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.
Indirect assessment methods used in FBA include which of the following?
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.
What is a 'motivating operation' (MO) in the context of functional behavior assessment?
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.
A scatter plot is used during an FBA primarily to identify:
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.