Some limitations of functional analyses: Treatment of problem behavior based on the study of alternative responses

Abstract

Functional analyses is a viable approach to understanding important causes of problem behavior and to designing interventions. However, functions are not always possible to identify, and results of a functional analysis are sometimes hard to utilize: even when functions are detected, we do not necessarily know exactly how reinforcement of alternative behaviors must be arranged in order to be effective. Consequently, interventions must sometimes be based on additional tools. Research on alternate responses is concerned with variables that influence individual choices among responses, both aberrant and appropriate, and may provide such a tool, but to what extent? Basic and applied research on choice responding are reviewed, and implications for treatment are discussed. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.