Final answer:
A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is the process used to identify environmental events that elicit problem behavior, which often includes observational studies and controlled experiments. It analyzes the antecedent, behavior, and consequences to determine the underlying causes of a behavior, such as classical conditioning in animals.
Step-by-step explanation:
A process for determining the environmental events that elicit problem behavior is known as a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA). The purpose of an FBA is to identify the causes of behavior, particularly to understand what triggers certain behaviors and to analyze the structures and functions involved in the behavior. When conducting an FBA, the investigator may examine antecedents (what happens before the behavior), consequences (what happens after the behavior), and the behavior itself.
To perform an FBA, one might use various methods, including observational studies and controlled experiments. During observation, the researcher might observe behavior such as footstep sounds eliciting hiding behavior in a cat. This can indicate forms of learning, such as classical conditioning, where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a response due to its pairing with another stimulus that naturally elicits that response.
In animal behavior field studies, researchers might explore how animals exchange information and alter behavior in response to stimuli, which can include both innate and learned behaviors. If environmental conditions changed, it would be predicted that observed behaviors might also change due to different associations and reinforcements.