What is considered the gold standard for experimentally identifying function?

• A. Free operant or multiple stimulus assessment
• B. Watch the behavior in natural environment with no formal assessment
• C. An analog or naturalistic functional analysis
• D. Ask about A-B-C's and proceed with treatment based on intuition

Answer: (C)

Identifying why a behavior occurs is best done with an experimental functional analysis. This approach systematically tests whether attention, escape from demands, access to tangibles, or sensory consequences maintain the problem behavior. An analog functional analysis sets up controlled conditions to manipulate the presence or absence of each consequence and observe changes in behavior; a naturalistic functional analysis does this in the person’s usual environment. The key is to show that the behavior increases when a specific consequence is available and decreases when it’s not, confirming the maintaining function. This makes it more reliable than observational judgments, preference tests, or intuition-based decisions.