Graduation Year

2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.S.

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

Degree Granting Department

Child and Family Studies

Major Professor

Sarah E. Bloom, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Committee Member

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

Committee Member

Kimberly Crosland, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Keywords

assessment, social reinforcement, social stimuli, systematic approach

Abstract

This study examined the benefits of using descriptive analysis (DA)-informed functional analysis(FA) conditions to determine the functional relationship between problem behaviors and the topography of attention maintaining them. Three male participants completed the study, ranging in age from 7-12 years. Following indirect assessments with care providers, a DA was conducted during four 15-min observations. The results of the DA were used to calculate the probability of a specific topography of attention following a problem behavior P(SR/B) and the unconditional probability of a specific topography of attention in the absence of problem behavior divided by all occurrences of that topography UP(SR-B/SR). These calculations were used to determine the topographies of attention with the highest and the lowest conditional probabilities, which were delivered in separate FA conditions. Also included were a traditional attention (mild reprimand) condition, escape condition, and play (control) condition. The results of this study determined that using DA-informed FA conditions was beneficial for two of the three participants who completed the study. The results also showed that including the DA-informed attention conditions in the FA did not cause inappropriate or inaccurate results for any of the participants, and for one participant, using the DA-informed FA conditions may have been necessary for accurately determining attention as a function of problem behavior.

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