In basic functional analysis, which set of test conditions is commonly included?

In basic functional analysis, which set of test conditions is commonly included?

• A. Attention, Escape, Alone, and Play
• B. Attention, Escape, Neutral, and Play
• C. Attention, Escape, Alone, and Breaks
• D. Attention, Escape, Alone, and Social

Answer: (A)

In functional analysis, you test behavior by creating conditions that isolate different reinforcement opportunities to see what keeps the behavior going. The standard four test conditions are attention, escape, alone, and play. Attention conditions test whether the behavior is maintained by social attention—after the problem behavior, the observer provides attention. Escape conditions test if the behavior is reinforced by escaping or avoiding demands—demands are presented and then removed contingent on the behavior. Alone conditions remove most social consequences, helping to reveal automatic reinforcement or the absence of social reinforcement. Play conditions serve as a control baseline, offering access to attention and preferred items without demands, so you can compare behavior when reinforcement is readily available but not linked to the problem behavior. Other labeled setups like neutral, breaks, or social aren’t the standard quartet in basic FA, so they’re not typically used to identify primary reinforcement contingencies in this context.

In functional analysis, you test behavior by creating conditions that isolate different reinforcement opportunities to see what keeps the behavior going. The standard four test conditions are attention, escape, alone, and play.

Attention conditions test whether the behavior is maintained by social attention—after the problem behavior, the observer provides attention. Escape conditions test if the behavior is reinforced by escaping or avoiding demands—demands are presented and then removed contingent on the behavior. Alone conditions remove most social consequences, helping to reveal automatic reinforcement or the absence of social reinforcement. Play conditions serve as a control baseline, offering access to attention and preferred items without demands, so you can compare behavior when reinforcement is readily available but not linked to the problem behavior.

Other labeled setups like neutral, breaks, or social aren’t the standard quartet in basic FA, so they’re not typically used to identify primary reinforcement contingencies in this context.