Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Combined antecedent variables as motivating operations within functional analyses.

Nathan A Call1, David P Wacker, Joel E Ringdahl

  • 1The University of Iowa, USA. ncall@lsu.edu

Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
|November 8, 2005
PubMed
Summary

This study explored how combining antecedent variables in functional analyses can reveal problem behaviors missed by standard tests. Treatments based on these combined conditions effectively reduced problem behaviors, addressing potential false-negative findings.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Intensive Outpatient Treatment for Patients With Severe Externalizing Behavior and Intellectual and Developmental Disability: An Electronic Health Record Review.

Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBP·2026
Same author

The Impact of Extinction for Alternative Responding on Vocal Behavior.

Behavior modification·2026
Same author

Medically Unnecessary Venipuncture in Autism Spectrum Disorder Behavior Assessments.

Pediatric emergency care·2026
Same author

Scholarship as an operant class: Strategies and tactics for increasing dissemination of applied behavior analysis.

Journal of applied behavior analysis·2025
Same author

Assessment and treatment of pica: A consecutive controlled case series study.

Journal of applied behavior analysis·2025
Same author

Further evaluation of prompt density, rate of reinforcement, and the persistence of manding.

Behavioral interventions : theory & practice in residential & community-based clinical programs·2025

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Psychology
  • Applied Behavior Analysis
  • Clinical Psychology

Background:

  • Standard functional analyses often isolate single antecedent variables, potentially leading to false-negative results where problem behavior is not observed.
  • Identifying all relevant variables influencing problem behavior is crucial for effective treatment planning in clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate a method for assessing potentially false-negative findings within functional analyses by manipulating combined antecedent variables.
  • To determine if combining antecedent variables increases the likelihood of observing problem behavior compared to single-variable conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Participants were exposed to both single-antecedent and combined-antecedent functional analysis test conditions within a multielement design.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Problem behavior was systematically recorded across all test conditions.

    • Main Results:

    • Both participants exhibited problem behavior primarily during the combined-antecedent test conditions.
    • Treatments developed based on the results from combined-antecedent conditions were effective in reducing problem behavior.

    Conclusions:

    • Combining antecedent variables in functional analyses can help identify problem behaviors that may be missed under standard single-variable conditions.
    • This approach has significant clinical implications for improving the accuracy of functional assessments and the efficacy of subsequent treatments.