Assessment and treatment of aggressive behavior without a clear social function.
When the first FA is muddy, keep testing—social reinforcers often drive aggression even if they don’t pop out right away.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Two people hit, kicked, or bit others every day. No one knew why.
The team ran long functional analyses. They kept each condition going for many sessions. They wanted to see if social rewards were hiding behind the blows.
What they found
For one person, the long test finally showed attention was the prize. For the other, escape from tasks was the prize.
After the team gave the same reward for nice words, both people stopped hitting.
How this fits with other research
Cullinan et al. (2001) got clear answers in short tests with eight kids. Lancioni et al. (2008) show short tests can miss the point—keep digging.
Weber et al. (2024) looked back at 300+ clinic cases. They found what E et al. guessed: when first tests are muddy, longer ones usually clear things up.
Sawyer et al. (2014) and Cameron et al. (1996) took the next step. They used the long FA results to build FCT plans that killed aggression and built good words.
Why it matters
Your first FA looks flat? Run more sessions. Swap in new conditions. Social pay-offs love to hide. Once you see the prize, give it for calm talk, not fists. Your client gets quiet, and you keep everyone safe.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
We conducted functional analyses of two individuals' aggressive behavior. Results of each of the initial functional analyses were inconclusive with respect to the role of social reinforcers in the maintenance of the behavior. Further assessment was conducted to clarify the role of social reinforcers. One individual's results suggested social reinforcers were relevant while results for the second individual remained inconclusive. Treatment evaluations conducted with both individuals suggested manipulation of social consequences could be used to reduce aggressive behavior even though, in one case, no clear social function was apparent.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2008 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2007.06.003