Three types of assessments can be done in a functional assessment of behavior (Yoman, 2008): A functional analysis is, essentially, breaking down a whole into parts and targeting the part that needs to change in order to end a maladaptive behavior (Ferster, n.d.).Ī functional analysis of behavior is an experimental way to assess the cause of a particular behavior. There are many factors at play in behavior, such as developmental level, past learning (experiences), social influences, and environmental influences.Ī functional analysis allows a client and clinician to target which consequences they want to change and then work backward to identify the rest of the behavioral chain to determine the causes of the behavior.
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When a client has a maladaptive behavior, it may be difficult for the clinician to know where to begin. Once they determine why and how a behavior is created, the therapist and client can then change parts of the behavior chain to achieve a different outcome (O’Donohue & Fisher, 2009). They perform this analysis so that they may better understand why a desirable behavior works and why undesirable behavior happens.
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What Is a Functional Analysis of Behavior?Ī functional analysis (FA) of behavior is an essential step in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy when the therapist and client break down the behavior chain into its respective parts (Bakker, 2008).
![functional analysis functional analysis](https://i1.rgstatic.net/publication/2130951_On_quaternionic_functional_analysis/links/559b672908ae99aa62ce4617/largepreview.png)