Which term best describes the demonstration of a functional relation and decisions based on data?

• A. Analytical
• B. Behavioral
• C. Conceptually Systematic
• D. Technological

Answer: (A)

Analytical describes the process of showing that a behavior is under functional control through experimental manipulation and then making treatment decisions based on the data from those experiments. In practice, this means conducting demonstrations (like a functional analysis) that reveal a reliable relationship between environmental variables and the target behavior, and using the resulting data to guide how interventions are adjusted. For example, if altering a demand sequence changes the rate of a problem behavior and the data show a clear functional relationship, you would use those data to decide which antecedents or consequences to modify. While other terms relate to behavior and procedures, analytical specifically centers on evidence of functional relations and data-driven decision making.