Functional Relation

Description of Strategy

Functional relation refers to the effect of an independent variable on a dependent variable. An independent variable is something that is manipulated to effect a change in another variable (a dependent variable). If changes in the independent variable result in changes in the dependent variable, then there is a functional relation between the two variables. In the behavioral literature, independent variables most often include some combination of specific antecedents (e.g., the presence of a preferred care provider, the presentation of a task demand, visual cues) and consequences (e.g., rate, amount, quality of potential reinforcers or punishers) of a behavior. Manipulations of the independent variable include controlling for (a) the presence or absence of the independent variable or (b) the schedule ...