A Pilot Evaluation of Expert and Novice Use of the Functional Analysis Risk Assessment Decision Tool

Risk assessment and evaluation before behavioral assessment and intervention is required by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board® (BACB®) Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (BACB, 2020). Methods to do so and potential factors to consider are not readily available. Deochand et al. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 13, 978–990, (2020) developed the Functional Analysis Risk Assessment Decision Tool (FARADT) to aid behavior analysts in ethical decision-making regarding whether to conduct a functional analysis. An empirical evaluation of whether use of the FARADT impacts novice users’ ratings of risk has not yet been conducted. The present study served as a pilot evaluation of expert and novice behavior analysts’ ratings of risk with and without access to the FARADT when given scenarios in which a functional analysis was being considered. Results indicated that for our participants, FARADT decreased variability of risk ratings for novices and produced ratings of risk that more closely matched the intended risk level of the vignette for both experts and novices. Results provided preliminary evidence that decision-making tools may be helpful to both novice and expert behavior analysts.

In order to be in compliance with the Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts (Behavior Analyst Certification Board® [BACB®], 2020), it is important that behavior analysts are evaluating risks associated with functional analyses prior to beginning assessment.