What is the primary purpose of a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)?

Prepare for the ABA Rocks RBT Exam with flashcards and multiple choice questions with hints and answers explained. Get ready to ace your exam!

Multiple Choice

What is the primary purpose of a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)?

The main goal of an FBA is to figure out why a behavior happens—the function it serves for the person. By looking at what happens before the behavior (an antecedent) and what follows it (the consequence), we determine whether the behavior is maintained by gaining attention, escaping a demand, obtaining a tangible object, or providing automatic reinforcement. Once function is known, you can design effective, less intrusive interventions that teach an appropriate replacement and adjust the environment to change the maintaining contingencies. Observing alone won’t reveal function, punishment isn’t the purpose of an FBA, and randomly choosing interventions isn’t data-driven.

The main goal of an FBA is to figure out why a behavior happens—the function it serves for the person. By looking at what happens before the behavior (an antecedent) and what follows it (the consequence), we determine whether the behavior is maintained by gaining attention, escaping a demand, obtaining a tangible object, or providing automatic reinforcement. Once function is known, you can design effective, less intrusive interventions that teach an appropriate replacement and adjust the environment to change the maintaining contingencies. Observing alone won’t reveal function, punishment isn’t the purpose of an FBA, and randomly choosing interventions isn’t data-driven.

More practice questions