What is Function Analysis (FA)? - Chapter 2

What is Function Analysis (FA)?

Function analysis is the identification of significant, verifiable, causal functional relationships applicable to a specific set of behaviors of an individual. This promotes the precise linking of complaints to an effective intervention. FA can complement current diagnosis and treatment when the client does not exactly fit within a disorder or when no good therapy is available for the disorder. FA is an alternative to the "diagnose and treat paradigm" (if treatment fails, re-diagnose, then apply other therapy).

FA is based on the principles of functionalism (from the late 19th century, based on James and Darwin). Functionalism searches for the purpose of psychological processes and behavior through observation, looking at the environment to explain behavior (as opposed to structuralism, which looked for internal processes through introspection). In this context, all behavior is adaptive. Behaviorism emerged in the early 20th century with the findings of Watson, Skinner, and Pavlov, which focused on predicting and controlling behavior. Watson came up with radical behaviorism, which emphasized operant conditioning and the interaction between an organism and the consequences in its surroundings. Internal processes were also involved in behavior. During this period, FA was mainly used for the treatment of observable problem behavior in persons with developmental disabilities. In recent years, FA has also been used in other populations. The FA of private processes such as emotions consists of identifying the antecedents and consequences (environmental influences) of this behavior / emotion. There are a number of components that distinguish FA from other forms of assessment:

• Focus on the function of behavior instead of topography: FA does not focus on the shape or descriptive characteristics of behavior (topography, as in the DSM), but on the function of behavior, because topography does not include environmental influences. When looking at the function, it is possible to identify factors that control the behavior, which can provide guides for how it can be changed.
• The unit of analysis: This means that the whole person interacts in and with the environment. By analyzing behavior in the specific environment, the purpose of the behavior can be understood.
• Ideographic approach: FA focuses on the individual person and what is the best approach in that case, in the context of given environmental factors. This in contrast to the DSM, which focuses on groups of individuals.
• Enhanced usefulness of treatment: This refers to the extent to which assessment contributes to a favorable outcome of the treatment. A good FA leads to the identification of the target problem and the selection of a specific empirically proven intervention (looking at environmental influences that have emerged from the FA).
• Dynamic and repetitive: FA is a dynamic process in which treatment can be adapted as new information about the individual and context emerges. If the desired outcome is not achieved, the FA can be reconsidered.

What role do antecedents play?

FA's assumption that behavior is context-driven is also referred to as the "contingencies of behavior". These contingencies consist of three parts: antecedents (increase the chance of behavior), behavior (increases the chance of the consequence) and consequences (increase or decrease the chance that behavior will be performed in the future). Together they form a dynamic process.

Antecedents are stimuli from the environment in which certain behavior takes place. They can be verbal (for example, a message from a friend, your own thoughts) or non-verbal. When the antecedent are one's own feelings or thoughts, it is always necessary to look further for influences that cause the thoughts or feelings. Antecedents are grouped by the behavior they cause (e.g., cold or noise both lead to the windows closing).

Behavior consists of things that an individual does, thinks, or feels. In FA, a specific behavior is chosen as the target for treatment. Here too, behavior is described in terms of the influence of and on the environment. Behaviors that have the same effect are grouped into a "response class" (for example, daydreaming in school and watching TV at night can both be aimed at avoiding schoolwork).

What kinds of consequences are there and what role do they play in FA?

Consequences are changes in the environment after certain behavior, which change the likelihood that the behavior will be carried out again in the future. Consequences are describved in terms of contingencies. It can be carried out more often (reinforcing contingency), stay the same, or attenuated (punishing contingency). There are positive contingencies (stimuli are added) and negative contingencies (stimuli are removed).

Reinforcement is an increase in behavior as a function of the consequences. With positive reinforcement something pleasant is added, with negative reinforcement something unpleasant is removed. Punishment is a decrease in behavior as the function of the consequences. Positive punishment is when something negative is added, negative punishment is when something positive is taken away. When behavior is no longer followed by consequence, a process of extinction occurs (breaking the contingency between behavior and consequence). The process of extinction usually begins with an extinction burst, a massive increase in behavior, after which the behavior decreases and stops.

The process of FA is described as a funnel in which the focus of the assessment narrows with each step. There are guidelines for performing an FA:

• Step 1: identifying the client's characteristics by means of a broad assessment. The goal is to discover the problem and collect relevant information. Before starting a behavioral assessment, you should rule out any physical problems that could lead to the problems. Many different ways of data collection are used here, such as self-report, observation and interviews. In this phase, the client and therapist work together to describe the problem and the goals. An evaluation of the client's strengths and weaknesses is made, paying close attention to reinforcers present in the client’s environment. In this step, the DSM can provide a starting point, because it can help with communication and can give a guideline on which aspects to question, followed by an FA.
• Step 2: Develop preliminary analyzes in terms of behavioral principles. The information from step 1 is organized into preliminary analyzes of the client's difficulties in terms of behavioral principles (operant and classical conditioning to determine the function of behavior). The focus is narrowed to variables that are controllable, because the goal is to discover causal relationships that can be changed in the intervention phase. In this step, there are hypotheses and contingencies are tested that may influence behavior. This looks at long-term patterns. The therapist maintains a collaborative, transparent attitude in which he teaches the client the principles of FA. Visual representations can be helpful, as can self-monitoring records.
• Step 3: Obtain further information and complete the analysis. After making the preliminary analyzes, further information may be required. The client is told they will test a working hypothesis. Other ways of data collection are also possible, such as speaking with a partner.
• Step 4: Devise an intervention based on step 3. Develop a principle-based intervention that is linked to the analysis. The goal is to change behavior through a combination of the following:
  1. Behavioral skills training.
  2. Changing the environment.
  3. Modification of inappropriate or flawed statements explaining problematic behavior. The intervention should aim to increase the client's repertoire so that the client comes into contact with new contingencies that support and maintain new behaviors.
• Step 5: Apply intervention and measure change. See if the intervention is successful. Process new data in the FA.
• Step 6: If the intervention has insufficient effect, the FA is flawed and the conceptualization of the behavior can be re-evaluated by going back to step 2 or 3.

The two main limitations of FA are validity and reliability, which have not been evaluated. A lack of methodological specificity, including a clear rationale for which areas to investigate, is another limitation. It is also stated that there are no time and resources to collect all the data required for an FA. An FA is therefore seen as useful when a standard is not available or cannot address the causal factors well enough.

Function analysis is the identification of significant, verifiable, causal functional relationships applicable to a specific set of behaviors of an individual. This promotes the precise linking of complaints to an effective intervention. FA can complement current diagnosis and treatment when the client does not exactly fit within a disorder or when no good therapy is available for the disorder. FA is an alternative to the "diagnose and treat paradigm" (if treatment fails, re-diagnose, then apply other therapy).