ABA glossary
Tact
Definition
A verbal operant evoked by a nonverbal stimulus (an object, action, event, or property) and maintained by generalized conditioned reinforcement. In everyday terms, labeling or commenting.
In plain words
A tact is naming or describing what you contact in the world: saying "plane" when you see a plane, "it's hot" when you touch something hot, or "she's running" when you see someone run. The antecedent is something nonverbal that you see, hear, smell, taste, or feel, and the consequence is general social reinforcement, such as "Yes, that's a plane!", rather than receiving the thing named. Tacts let people share their experience with others and are a foundation for conversation.
Example from a session
On a walk, Theo points to the sky and says "plane!" His dad says, "Yes, a big plane!" The plane (nonverbal stimulus) evoked the response, and the praise and shared attention reinforced it. Later, during a session, the RBT holds up pictures, and Theo names each one; she records the responses as tacts and praises each correct label, as the program says.
For BCBA candidates and supervisors
Analysts expand tacts from objects to actions, features, prepositions, emotions, and private events, and they teach tacts with multiple exemplars so the label comes under control of the relevant property rather than one particular picture. Pure tacts are evoked by the nonverbal stimulus alone; "What is it?" plus a picture adds a verbal stimulus, so analysts gradually fade the question to strengthen pure tacting. Tacts of private events (pain, emotions) are harder to teach because the teacher cannot directly observe the stimulus and must rely on public accompaniments.
Often confused with mand, intraverbal
A tact is controlled by a nonverbal stimulus and reinforced generally; a mand is controlled by an MO and reinforced by the specific item. An intraverbal is controlled by a verbal stimulus with no point-to-point correspondence and no nonverbal stimulus controlling the response. Touching a picture when someone says "Touch dog" is listener behavior, not a tact, because the learner is responding as a listener, not as a speaker.
Exam tip
Find the antecedent. Something seen, heard, or felt (not words) means tact. Words alone (a question with no object present) mean intraverbal. Wanting something means mand.
Can you spot tact in a scenario?
Practice BCBA B.19 with exam-style questions and instant feedback.