title: A comparison of outcomes from descriptive and functional analyses of problem behavior.
abstract: We compared results of descriptive and functional analyses of problem behavior for 12 participants whose descriptive data have been reported previously (Thompson & Iwata, 2001). Results indicated that in only 3 of the 12 cases was problem behavior maintained by the consequence observed most frequently during the descriptive analysis. Attention was the most common consequence for problem behavior during descriptive analyses for 8 of the 12 participants; however, maintenance of problem behavior by attention was evident for only 2 of these 8 participants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Behavioral Science, 1000 Sunnyside Ave., Room 4001, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA. rthomps@ku.edu
authors.forename: Rachel H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Brian A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Iwata
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D011596:Psychomotor Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*