title: Interview-informed synthesized contingency analyses: Thirty replications and reanalysis.
abstract: The speed with which a functional analysis (FA) provides a convincing demonstration of the variables that influence problem behavior may be termed efficiency. Multiple FA formats have been developed to improve analytic efficiency while the core components of the Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, and Richman (1982/1994) procedures are maintained. We attempted to illustrate an alternative efficient process for conducting FAs of problem behavior that relied on modifying those core components. In Study 1, we describe 30 applications of the interview-informed synthesized contingency analysis (Hanley, Jin, Vanselow, & Hanratty, 2014), which required an average of 25 min of analysis. The first sessions of these analyses were reanalyzed in Study 2 to determine if contingencies that controlled problem behavior could be identified in only 3 to 5 min. This was the case in 80% of analyses.
authors.affiliation: Western New England University and Child Study Center.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jessel
authors.affiliation: Western New England University.
authors.forename: Gregory P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Hanley
authors.affiliation: Western New England University.
authors.forename: Mahshid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghaemmaghami
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D000066553:Problem Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: brief analysis; efficiency; experimental control; functional analysis; interview-informed analysis; synthesized contingency analysis; within-session analysis