Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines

Volume 21, Issue 4, Summer 2002

Inquiry and Critical Thinking in School-Based Problem Solving

How Behaviorists Treat Behavior Problems
Critical Thinking about Functional Analysis

This article presents a description of the procedures used by behavioral psychologists to intervene with behavioral excesses and deficits in educational and clinical settings. Its focus is to provide a fundamental overview of these services for the educator and direct care staff. The discussion covers the topics of functional analysis, behavioral assessment, the Stimulus-Organismic-Response-Consequence model (SORC), positive and negative reinforcement, and treatment acceptability. The importance of the educator and direct care staff member’s participation in the development of implementation of behavioral interventions is emphasized.