Diane frequently complains of terrible headaches and so ends up at the nurse's office several times a week. Yet two different physicians have been unable to find a cause for Diane's headaches,and Diane's parents report that their daughter rarely has headaches at home. Diane is falling further and further behind in her schoolwork,so her teacher and parents meet with the nurse and school psychologist to brainstorm possible solutions to her problem. The school psychologist suggests that the teacher keep track of the occasions when Diane complains about a headache. Two weeks later,the teacher reports that all of Diane's complaints occur just before a test or difficult assignment. Suddenly the teacher and parents begin to suspect that perhaps Diane complains of headaches as a way of getting out of difficult schoolwork. This situation illustrates an approach known as:
A)The use of incompatible behaviors.
B)Logical consequences.
C)Cognitive behavioral analysis.
D)Functional analysis.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Functional analysis involves identifying the reasons behind a behavior by examining the circumstances and consequences surrounding it. In this case, Diane's headaches are analyzed in relation to when they occur, revealing a pattern linked to avoiding difficult schoolwork.

Diane Frequently Complains of Terrible Headaches and So Ends Up