When baseline data for a target behavior shows a trend in the desired direction eg a decreasing trend for a behavior targeted for reduction it is generally most appropriate to continue collecting baseline data The rationale is that the desired change is already occurring potentially due to unknown or uncontrolled variables Intervening prematurely might obscure the true functional relationship if the behavior change is not a result of the planned intervention By continuing baseline the BCBA can determine if the trend is stable sustainable or merely an anomaly Intervention should be considered if the desired trend reverses eg snack requests begin to increase again or if the behavior stabilizes at an unacceptable level indicating that the natural environmental factors are no longer sufficient to maintain the desired change Stopping data collection or shifting to another behavior prematurely would be unethical and not datadriven as it would prevent the analyst from confirming the stability and generality of the observed change