Functional Relation
Also called: functional relationship
Definition
A demonstrated dependency between a change in the environment and a change in behavior: the behavior reliably changes when, and only when, a specific variable is manipulated, and the effect is reproduced. It is what an experiment establishes and what "the intervention worked" properly means.
In plain language
Proof that one thing changes another. The behavior changes when you change the variable, and it does it again when you repeat the change.
Example
Talking-out drops each time the teacher starts giving attention for hand raising, and rises each time she stops. The relation between attention and hand raising is functional.
Not functional relation
Behavior improved during the same month a new program started. Without a return to baseline or a staggered comparison, that is a correlation, not a demonstrated relation.
See also
Written from
- baer-wolf-risley-1968
- sidman-1960
Written from Baer, Wolf and Risley (1968) and Sidman (1960). No textbook glossary consulted.
This entry has not yet been through clinical review. Treat it as a draft.