Effects of Feedback Timing on Accuracy of Functional Analysis Implementation

The current study evaluated the effects of the temporal placement of positive and corrective feedback on the accuracy of implementing idiosyncratic functional analysis (FA) procedures with three adult learners. The three feedback conditions included 1) delivering all feedback immediately after performance, 2) all feedback immediately before the next performance, and 3) corrective feedback before performance/positive feedback after performance. The conditions were counterbalanced across three idiosyncratic FA procedures via an adapted alternating treatment design embedded in a multiple baseline design across participants. For one out of three participants, corrective feedback before/positive feedback after and all feedback before resulted in greater increases in accuracy than all feedback after. For the remaining two participants, all three feedback conditions resulted in accuracy increasing to the mastery criterion. All participants selected all feedback before as their preferred condition in a social validity assessment; practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.