Functions of Behavior
Behavior functions to get away or avoid an aversive stimulus (e.g., physical discomfort, a non-preferred person, a task).
What is escape or avoidance?
A student threw their food on the ground and remained in the cafeteria after their class left to clean the floor. What is the contingency?
What is positive punishment?
A student blurts out in class. The team uses this data to collect a baseline.
What is frequency recording?
The student earns a prize from a treasure box.
What is access to tangibles?
Behavior gains notice from others (e.g., a smile, a reprimand, praise, a redirect).
What is attention?
A student earns a ticket for a successful transition. They experienced this contingency.
What is positive reinforcement?
You record an X one time in each 15 minute interval in which the behavior occurs.
What is partial interval recording?
The student itches their bug bite.
What is sensory/automatic?
Behavior gains access to materials (food, prize, preferred seat, access to video game)
What is Access?
(Sometimes also referred to as tangible)
A student eloped during recess the previous day and remains indoors for recess the today. They experienced this contingency.
What is negative punishment?
This type of data collection is typically used during an FBA.
What is ABC data? Antecedent-Behavior-Contingency/Consequence
The student earns the option of skipping an assignment.
What is escape/avoidance?
Behavior elicits a pleasant sensation or replaces discomfort.
What is sensory stimulation/automatic reinforcement?
A student is repeatedly tardy for math class and is sick on test days. They receive ISS during that period.
What is negative reinforcement?
Data is analyzed outside of the FBA process for this reason.
What is progress monitoring?
The student is given OSS.
What is escape/avoidance?
...or access
...or attention
With parent parent action- they can remove the reinforcers related to the function.
This proposed fifth function is controversial. It may be described as "access", but is associated with inflexibility.
What is control?
A student is being disruptive in art class. You receive a request to take the student back to your room to problem solve. The art teacher experiences this contingency.
What is negative reinforcement?
This should be written at the top of every data collection form that circulates between data collectors.
What is an operational definition?
The teacher uses the student's work as a positive example.
What is attention?