Functional Analysis in Clinical Settings

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This is a peer-reviewed entry published in Encyclopedia Journal, full entry can be found at 10.3390/encyclopedia5040158

Functional analysis is a methodology used within the field of Behavioral Analysis to explain, predict, and influence behavior. This is achieved by identifying the functional relationships between behavior, the antecedent stimuli that elicit or evoke behavior, and the consequences of behavior that influence its future occurrence. Within this context, a functional relationship refers to a consistent and observable change in behavior (the “dependent variable”) that results from the systematic manipulation of environmental conditions (the “independent variables”). Functional analyses typically focus on the immediate environmental context, where stimuli functionally related to the behavior are observed. In applied and clinical settings, however, behavior analysts may consider additional variables (e.g., genetic predispositions, social context, learning history) to enhance the accuracy and relevance of their analyses. These variables are usually controlled for or excluded in experimental settings but can play a meaningful role in naturalistic behavior assessment.

functional analysis behavioral analysis experimental analysis of behavior applied behavior analysis radical behaviorism

The introduction of the term functional analysis within the field of Behavior Analysis has been attributed to B. F. Skinner ^[1]. The use of this term and what it represents in Skinner’s thinking reflects the early influence of Ernst Mach’s philosophy, who questioned traditional views on cause-and-effect relationships appealing to the concepts of force or agency ^[2]. Rather than relying on inner explanations for behavior, Skinner promoted an analysis of behavior in terms of its functional relationships with the environment, redefining cause-and-effect relationships as observable and manipulable contingencies. These ideas were clearly promulgated with Skinner’s publication of Science and Human Behavior in 1953: “A cause becomes a change in an independent variable and an effect a change in a dependent variable” ^[3] (p. 23). He also wrote: “The external variables of which behavior is a function provide for what may be called a causal or functional analysis. We undertake to predict and control the behavior of the individual organism. This is our “dependent variable”—the effect for which we are to find the cause. Our “independent variables”—the causes of behavior—are the external conditions of which behavior is a function” ^[3] (p. 35).

Skinner’s concept of functional analysis was soon adopted in laboratory settings, where researchers were able to exert precise control over environmental variables to examine their influence on behavior ^[4]. The success of the experimental analysis of behavior in such controlled environments encouraged scholars to extend the use of functional analysis into applied settings, such as schools, clinics, and homes ^[5]^[6]^[7]. However, this transition posed significant challenges, particularly due to the lack of environmental control that is relatively easy to achieve in experimental settings but often difficult or impossible outside the laboratory ^[8]. It also became clear that a different set of variables (e.g., learning history, health conditions, cultural norms) needed to be considered when attempting to understand human behavior in real-life settings. Therefore, these challenges spurred the development of several adaptations of the original methodology to better suit naturalistic environments ^[9]^[10]. Additionally, descriptive assessments and indirect methods (e.g., interviews and rating scales) emerged as more practical alternatives when experimental manipulation was not feasible ^[11]. However, the proliferation of methods also led to terminological confusion, with distinctions often blurred between terms such as functional analysis, which typically refers to the experimental manipulation of antecedents and consequences; functional assessment, a broader term encompassing both experimental and non-experimental approaches; and descriptive analysis, which involves direct observation without manipulation ^[11]. Arguably, however, the concept of functional analysis is not restricted to any specific type of methods (e.g., experimental, observational) or any specific type of relationship between environmental variables and behavior ^[1]. It is from this perspective that the term functional analysis is used here.

References

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Chiesa, M. Radical Behaviorism: The Philosophy and the Science; Author’s Cooperative: Boston, MA, USA, 1994.
Skinner, B.F. Science and Human Behavior; Simon and Schuster: New York, NY, USA, 1965.
Holland, J.G.; Skinner, B.F. The Analysis of Behavior: A Program for Self-Instruction; McGraw-Hill: New York, NY, USA, 1961.
Baer, D.M.; Wolf, M.M.; Risley, T.R. Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysis. J. Appl. Behav. Anal. 1968, 1, 91–97.
Iwata, B.A.; Dorsey, M.F.; Slifer, K.J.; Bauman, K.E.; Richman, G.S. Toward a functional analysis of self-injury. J. Appl. Behav. Anal. 1994, 27, 197–209.
Callahan, M.M.; Fodstad, J.C.; Moore, J.W. History of Applied Behavior Analysis. In Handbook of Applied Behavior Analysis: Integrating Research into Practice; Matson, J.L., Ed.; Springer International Publishing: Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany, 2023; pp. 3–17.
Suchowierska-Stephany, M. Functional analysis: What have we learned in 85 years? Adv. Psychiatry Neurol. 2024, 32, 188–199.
Goldfried, M.R.; Sprafkin, J.N. Behavioral Personality Assessment. In Behavioral Approaches to Therapy; Spence, J.T., Carson, R.C., Thibaut, J.W., Eds.; General Learning Press: Morristown, NJ, USA, 1974; pp. 295–321.
Froxán Parga, M.X. Analisis Funcional de la Conducta Humana: Concepto, Metodología, y Aplicaciones; Pirámide: Madrid, Spain, 2020.
Thompson, R.H.; Iwata, B.A. A Comparison of Outcomes from Descriptive and Functional Analyses of Problem Behavior. J. Appl. Behav. Anal. 2007, 40, 333–338.

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Subjects: Psychology

Contributors MDPI registered users' name will be linked to their SciProfiles pages. To register with us, please refer to https://encyclopedia.pub/register : Aldo Aguirre-Camacho ,

Marlon Palomino

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Book: Encyclopedia of Social Sciences

Online Date: 11 Oct 2025

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