Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Child and Family Studies

Major Professor

Kimberly Crosland, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Committee Member

Catia Cividini-Motta, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Committee Member

Jim Luiselli, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Bryon Miller, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Keywords

Applied Behavior Analysis, Athletes, Functional Analysis, Sports Performance

Abstract

There is a growing focus of ABA within sports performance, however, there is a lack of standardized assessments to aid in the development of individualized programming for athletes that is based on the behavior-reinforcing effects to promote optimal athletic performance. The Functional Analysis Screening Tool for Athletic Performance (FAST-AP) is a 16-item questionnaire developed to identify environmental variables that influence athletic performance and identify strategies that can be used to improve motivation and performance of athletes. This allows for the development of function-based interventions and identifying individualized coaching strategies to improve motivation and increase athletic performance more consistently overtime. Study 1 fully developed the FAST-AP and tested its reliability with 45 athletes. Study 2 evaluated the FAST-AP by comparing its outcomes to results obtained from a modified functional analysis (FA) conducted with three professional football players. Following the assessment, function-based interventions were implemented based on FA results (Study 3). Results indicated strong correspondence between FAST-AP outcomes and FA results. Function-based interventions selected from these assessments produced improvements in athletic skills, with performance improvements maintaining overtime and generalizing to game settings. These results suggest the FAST-AP may serve as a practical and efficient tool for identifying performance-related variables and informing individualized, function-based interventions in athletic contexts.

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