Further Progress Toward Automating Functional Analysis Interpretation

Behav Modif. 2024 Jan;48(1):75-106. doi: 10.1177/01454455231195825. Epub 2023 Sep 9.

Abstract

It is considered best practice to conduct a functional analysis and visually inspect data collected to determine the function of problem behavior, which then informs the intervention approaches applied. Visual inspection has been described as a "subjective" process that may be affected by factors unrelated to the data. Structured decision-making guidelines have been established to address some of these shortcomings. The current paper is a follow-up to earlier work describing positive outcomes related to the viability of a decision support system based on structured criteria from Roane et al. Here, we demonstrate important improvements in a computer script's interpretation of functional analysis data, including improvement in agreement between the updated computer script version and experienced human raters (89%) compared to our original agreement outcomes (81%). This paper further supports the use of decision support systems for functional analysis interpretation.

Keywords: decision support systems; functional analysis; visual inspection.

MeSH terms

  • Decision Support Techniques*
  • Humans
  • Problem Behavior*