Block 1 – Targeted Behavior(s)
  1. What is the desired functional outcome of the proposed treatment? Is the goal of the proposed intervention a behavior or the result of certain behaviors (e.g. weight loss, having friends, earning an ‘A’ in class)? If the goal is a behavior, is it targeted for increase decrease, acquisition, maintenance, elimination, etc.?
  1. What is the function of the behavior to be addressed by the proposed intervention? If it has not been assessed can it be reasonably postulated based on observation or report?
  1. Are there specific responses targeted for instruction with the proposed intervention? Are these responses targeted for increase, decrease, acquisition, maintenance, elimination, etc.?
  1. How are the behaviors targeted for instruction related to the goal of the intervention?
    1. Do the targeted behaviors represent the actual goal of the intervention (e.g. kicking a football at gradually increasing ranges with the goal to improve distance and accuracy of field goal kicks)?
    2. Or are the targeted behaviors necessary for achieving the goal (e.g. increasing exercise to lose weight)?
    3. Or are the targeted behaviors necessary prerequisites for another, more complex functional behavior (e.g. targeting sound-letter associations to teach reading)?
    4. Or are the targeted behaviors only indirectly related to the goal? Are the targeted behaviors necessary to obtain the true goal of the intervention?
  1. Does the proposed treatment recommendation include covert or overt responses? Or both?
  1. Provide an operational definition for the targeted behavior(s). Can the behavior(s) be clearly and objectively defined? (Free of hypothetical constructs, explanatory fictions, assumptions, etc.)

 

Block 2 – Antecedent Variables – Analyze the proposed intervention and discuss the relevant antecedent variables.
  1. What stimulus changes and conditions will take place prior to the behavior(s)?
  1. Will behavior be reinforced (or punished) in the presence of this stimulus so that the responses have a higher (or lower) probability of occurrence in the presence of this stimulus than in its absence (i.e. discriminative stimulus?
  1. Is the antecedent stimulus topographically similar to the desired response (i.e. model)?
  1. What are the relevant motivating variables? How might the reinforcement value and frequency of behaviors be altered?
    1. Will the effectiveness or value of a reinforcing (or punishing) stimulus be increased or decreased?
    2. Will the frequency of behaviors that have been reinforced (or punished) by that stimulus be increased or decreased?
  1. Distinguish between antecedent variables functioning as motivating operations and discriminative stimuli.
  1. Will any response prompts or stimulus prompts be provided? How will the prompts be faded?

 

Block 3 – Consequence Variables – Analyze the proposed intervention and discuss the relevant consequence variables
  1. What stimulus changes will immediately follow the behavior(s)? Are stimuli being presented, removed, or withheld?
  1. Are these stimulus changes likely to be preferred, neutral, or aversive under the proposed treatment conditions?
  1. What effect will such stimulus changes likely have on the behavior of interest (increase, decrease, no change)?
  1. Describe any contingencies between the behavior and the antecedent and consequence variables.
  1. Are there any rules which verbally describe the contingency and may influence the future occurrence of the behavior?

 

Block 4 – Verbal Behavior
  1. Is the targeted behavior verbal? For this section it is not necessary to consider all responses that may acquire or have acquired a verbal function according to Skinner’s broad definition of verbal behavior (e.g. infant crying functioning as mand). Instead, consider not only the function, but the formal properties and social acceptability of the response. Are the responses being addressed by the proposed intervention intended to establish or treat socially acceptable, functional communication (e.g. speech, sign language, text, voice output device, picture icons)? If so, proceed with question 2. If not, move to the next block.
  1. Does a motivating operation control the response (i.e. mand)?
  1. Does a nonverbal discriminative stimulus control the response (i.e. tact)?
  1. Does a verbal discriminative stimulus control the response (i.e. intraverbal)?
  1. If the response is controlled by a verbal discriminative stimulus is there formal similarity between the stimulus and response (i.e. duplic – echoic, motor imitation, copying text)?
  1. If the response is controlled by a verbal discriminative stimulus is there point-to-point correspondence between the stimulus and response (i.e. codic – textual, taking dictation)?

 

Block 5 – Behavior Change Procedures
  1. In the proposed intervention, are two stimuli repeatedly presented at the same time such that one stimulus may acquire the reinforcing or punishing function of the other stimulus (i.e. stimulus-stimulus pairing)?
  1. Does the proposed intervention use positive and/or negative reinforcement to strengthen behavior?
  1. Is the opportunity to engage in a high probability behavior contingent on the occurrence of a low frequency behavior (i.e. Premack principle)?
  1. Does the proposed intervention include reinforcing responses in the presence of one stimulus condition and not reinforcing the same responses in the presence of another stimulus (i.e. discrimination training)?
  1. Will reinforcement procedures be used to weaken or decrease undesired behaviors (i.e. noncontingent reinforcement, functional communication training, differential reinforcement of alternative behavior, other behavior, low rates, high rates, etc.)?
  1. Does the proposed intervention include withholding reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior (i.e. extinction)?
  1. Does it include positive and/or negative punishment to decrease behavior?
  1. Does the intervention include verbal presentation of an antecedent-behavior-consequence contingency to control future behavior (i.e. rule-governed behavior)?
  1. What are the controlling antecedent stimuli? Discuss discriminative stimuli and motivating operations.

 

Block 6 – Behavior Change Procedures
  1. How are stimulus and response prompts applied? How are prompts faded to transfer stimulus control to the naturally occurring stimuli? Are these techniques intended to minimize errors (i.e. errorless learning)?
  1. Will the target response closely follow another person’s model of the response and have formal similarity with the model (i.e. imitation)? Or include observation of another person’s behavior and the consequences that follow (i.e. observational learning)?
  1. Does the proposed intervention include differential reinforcement of progressively closer approximations toward the desired terminal behavior (i.e. shaping)?
  1. Does the proposed intervention include a more complex task that’s been broken down into smaller more manageable units (i.e. task analysis)?
  1. Will the treatment address task completion by teaching a sequence of stimuli and responses that comprise the task or lead to a terminal outcome (i.e. chaining)?
  1. Does the treatment include the personal application of behavior change tactics to improve behavior (i.e. self-management)?
  1. Will responses include matching stimuli (i.e. matching-to-sample procedure)?