The effects of conducting a functional analysis on problem behavior in other settings.

It has been suggested that reinforcing problem behavior during functional analyses (FAs) may be unethical (e.g., Carr, 1977), the implication being that doing so may result in an increase in problem behavior outside of FA sessions. The current study assessed whether conducting a FA resulted in increases in problem behavior outside of the FA setting for 4 participants. The rate of problem behavior was measured outside the FA setting prior to and during a FA. Idiosyncratic results suggest that problem behavior outside of the FA setting may increase, decrease, or be unaffected by conducting a FA.