How does a functional analysis differ from an FBA?

• A. A BCBA or BCaBA; RBTs collect data under supervision.
• B. A functional analysis is an experimental manipulation to test hypotheses about function; an FBA is the broader assessment process identifying function.
• C. Both are the same.
• D. Functional analysis is only for severe behaviors.

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that identifying why a behavior occurs can be approached in two related but distinct ways. An FBA is the broader process of figuring out the function a behavior serves, using interviews, direct observations, and descriptive data to form hypotheses about what reinforces the behavior. A functional analysis is the specific experimental step within that process where you systematically manipulate antecedents and consequences to test those hypotheses and see which conditions actually produce the behavior.

Think of it this way: you begin by gathering information to form educated guesses about whether the behavior is maintained by attention, escape, access to tangibles, or something automatic. If the information isn’t clear or you need stronger evidence, you run a functional analysis. In a functional analysis, you create controlled conditions that isolate each potential reinforcer and observe whether the behavior increases under those conditions. For example, if you suspect the behavior is kept by attention, you compare a condition where attention is given after the behavior to a condition with no attention; if the behavior rises only when attention is available, that supports attention as the function.

So, the functional analysis is the experimental test, while the FBA is the comprehensive assessment process that identifies function more broadly. Functional analyses aren’t limited to severe behaviors, and they aren’t about who conducts the assessment.