A-B-C's
Antecedent---Behavior---Consequence; This is the known as the three-term contingency used in ABA.
(These terms are further desribed below in the glossary.) Below is an simple example.
ANTECEDENT ----------------> BEHAVIOR ----------------> CONSEQUENCE
Mom knocks on door --------> Child opens door -------> Mom thanks her child for opening the door (hands full)
(These terms are further desribed below in the glossary.) Below is an simple example.
ANTECEDENT ----------------> BEHAVIOR ----------------> CONSEQUENCE
Mom knocks on door --------> Child opens door -------> Mom thanks her child for opening the door (hands full)
Antecedent
An environmental condion or stimulus change existing or occurring piror to a behavior of interest (Cooper, Heward, & Heron, 2007). This is the thing that comes BEFORE the behavior. In the example above, mom knocking on the door is the antecedent to the child opening the door because this is the thing that happens right before the child opens the door.
Behavior
Activity of living organism; human behavior includes everything that people do (Cooper, Heward, & Heron, 2007). Behavior studied in ABA is both observable and measurable. Relating to the example above, the child opening the door is the behavior (of the child). It is observable because one can observe the child getting up from the couch, walking over to the door, turning the door knob, and pulling the door open. This behavior can also be measurable because one could record the frequency of opening the door for a given time period.
Consequence
A stimulus change that follows a behavior of interest (Cooper, Heward, & Heron, 2007). In the example above regarding the child opening the door, the consequence of this behavior is what occurs immediately following the behavior. The mother praised and thanked the child for opening the door for her since her hands were full of groceries.
Social Validity
An assessment in questionnaire format completed by individuals affected by the program other than the experimenters or treatment providers. The consumers' opinions are collected to evaluate the acceptability or viability of a programmed intervention. By evaluating social validity, anticipation of program rejection can many times be detected (Schwartz & Baer, 1991). Examples of questions may include "Was the treatment provided effective for your child?" or "Is the skill being taught important to your child's everyday life?".