Which statement best distinguishes a Functional Analysis from a Functional Behavior Assessment?

• A. FA gathers hypotheses about function; FBA confirms function through experimentation.
• B. FA uses interviews to determine function; FBA uses multiple data sources.
• C. FA identifies the function conceptually; FBA only describes behavior.
• D. FA experimentally manipulates contingencies to confirm function; FBA generates hypotheses about function.

Answer: (D)

The distinction centers on how function is established: experimental verification versus hypothesis generation. A functional analysis uses systematic manipulation of antecedents and consequences to test and confirm what reinforcement maintains the behavior. By exposing the person to different contingencies (for example, conditions that provide attention, require escape, provide tangible items, or offer no programmed consequence) and observing how the behavior changes, you obtain a clear demonstration of the function.

A functional behavior assessment, in contrast, gathers information from interviews, records, and direct observation to form hypotheses about possible functions. It describes the behavior and the likely reinforcement maintaining it and is used to guide intervention, but it does not by itself establish function through controlled experimental manipulation.

So the best statement is that a functional analysis experimentally manipulates contingencies to confirm function, while an FBA generates hypotheses about function.