Brief (test-control) Functional Analysis and Treatment Evaluation of Aggressive Behavior Evoked by Divided Attention

Wemeasured the effects of divided attention on the aggressive behavior of a 20-year-old man within a testcontrol functional analysis (FA; Iwata, B. A., Duncan, B. A., Zarcone, J. R., Lerman, D. C., & Shore, B. A. (1994). A sequential, test-control methodology for conducting functional analyses of self-injurious behavior. Behavior Modification, 18, 289–306). The FA confirmed that divided attention was associated with high-frequency aggression and aggression-contingent attention from a familiar and preferred staff person. A subsequent treatment evaluation confirmed that aggression decreased when the man was able to request attention from the staff person under the divided attention condition. We discuss the clinical utility of a divided attention and test-control methodology when conducting a FA of serious problem behavior within applied settings Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.