WTF: What’s the Function?

This blog post was written by Carisa Ruiz, MA, RBT and edited by Kellie Syfan, M.Ed., BCBA

If you’ve spent any time around a behavior analyst or researching applied behavior analysis, you’ve probably come across statements like, “We use a function-based approach,” or, “We need to determine the function of the behavior.” But what exactly does that mean?

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What the heck is function?

Behavior analysis has a funny way of taking words that people already know in some context and tweaking the meaning. So even though you might be familiar with functions in terms of machines, math, or medicine, behavior analysis uses the word function differently. The function of a behavior is the reason why someone engages in that behavior or what outcome the behavior results in. Here are some examples:

• A person knocks on a door to get someone to open the door
• A person steps on the gas pedal in order to go faster
• A person tells a joke to get others to laugh

Okay… but why should functions matter to me?

Back to what behavior analysts call a “function-based approach”. One of the foundations of behavior analysis is the assumption that all behavior occurs for a reason. In other words, all behaviors have functions. A second foundation is that lasting behavior change stems from first understanding why a given behavior is happening. So, if you’re hoping to help a child stop screaming and start using their nice words, first we have to figure out why they are screaming. This is tricky because multiple kids can scream (and sound the same while doing so) for different reasons.

• Alex screams because people stop talking to him when he screams
• Bobby screams because people give him candy to get him to stop
• Cameron screams because his mom picks him up when he screams

Understanding why Alex, Bobby, and Cameron are screaming helps us design an individualized plan or coach others to 1) reduce screaming and 2) teach them the skills they need to still get their needs met.

Wow that’s a lot of functions…

Assuming that all behaviors have functions can be overwhelming because lots of people do different things for very different reasons. How is it humanly possible to keep track of every single reason a child behaves the way they do? Don’t sweat! Tons of research and work has already been done to demonstrate that functions can be separated into a few general categories.

 

The first classification depends on whether a person engages in behavior to access something preferred or to escape something aversive. Another way to think about this breakdown is by direction. Is the person trying to move towards an item/activity/person or away from it? This can involve keeping a preferred activity going, stopping an
aversive event before it even happens, and much more.

The second classification depends on whether the anticipated result of the behavior is dependent on other people (social vs. non-social). Does the thing that maintains the behavior rely on the presence of another person? This can be difficult to conceptualize because so many things in our world are social by nature. One of the most common non-social examples is pain. For example, people take medicine in order to stop a headache. The effectiveness of the medicine doesn’t depend on whether or not other people are around when you take it.

Check out this table to see the breakdown of different examples of functions across these categories:

can it really be that simple?

Unfortunately, no. As much as we want it to, life doesn’t like to fit neatly into boxes. Behaviors have multiple functions that interact with each other and are often difficult to identify, especially amongst all the other responsibilities life throws at you. Sometimes behaviors only happen around specific people. Other times it seems like they truly come out of nowhere.

That’s why at ABH, we use a big-picture approach. Rather than spend time figuring out how much access to toys contributes to problem behavior versus attention or escape, we jump right in to help you achieve your goals by embracing life’s messiness and harnessing the power of combining reinforcers. Perhaps your attention is only valuable when you’re interacting with their younger sibling. Maybe escaping chores is only worth it when there are neighborhood kids playing outside. Perhaps the only way to get your child to stop crying is to tickle them while making pancakes and doing the Baby Shark dance. Our focus on creative problem-solving means that whatever the function of your child’s behavior, we’re ready to adapt!

Want to learn more? If you ever want to talk about it further, you can send us an email with your questions or schedule a free Discovery Call to get some deep and personalized advice.

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