Russell Lang, Mark O’Reilly, Wendy Machalicek, Giulio Lancioni, Mandy Rispoli, & Jeffrey M. Chan. (2008)
A preliminary comparison of functional analysis results when conducted in contrived versus natural settings.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
41, 441-445.
A preliminary evaluation of the correspondence between functional analysis outcomes across settings was
conducted with 2 children who had been diagnosed with autism and who engaged in challenging behavior.
Differences across settings (a therapy room and a classroom) were demonstrated in ABAB reversal designs.
Three potential patterns of results that may occur when comparing functional analyses across environments
are described, and one possible explanation for the occurrence of discrepancies between environments
(differing learning histories within separate environments) is offered.
DESCRIPTORS: autism, contrived settings, functional analysis, natural settings, assessment