ABA glossary
ABA terms in plain English.
673 terms from the RBT and BCBA exams, each with a short definition, an example from a real session, and links to the guides that use it.
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673 terms, A to Z.
A
- Abative effectThe behavior-altering effect of a motivating operation that makes behavior that has produced the relevant reinforcer occur less often right away.
- ABC continuous recordingA descriptive assessment in which, during a set observation period, each occurrence of the target behavior is recorded along with selected antecedent and consequence events, often using a checklist.
- ABC narrative recordingA descriptive assessment in which the observer writes an open-ended description of what happened just before and after each occurrence of the behavior.
- ABC recording(ABC data, antecedent-behavior-consequence recording)A descriptive assessment method in which the observer records the antecedent, the behavior, and the consequence for occurrences of a target behavior, either with a checklist of preset codes (ABC continuous recording) or as open-ended notes (ABC narrative recording).
- Abolishing operation(AO)A motivating operation that decreases the reinforcing effectiveness of a stimulus and abates behavior that has produced it.
- Access to tangibles(tangible function)Social positive reinforcement in which behavior produces a preferred item or activity, such as a toy, snack, or tablet.
- AccommodationA change in how or when a requirement is met, such as captioned meetings or an alternate time, that leaves the requirement itself intact.
- AccountabilityTaking responsibility for your own professional decisions and their effects, including correcting mistakes when they happen.
- AccuracyThe extent to which recorded values match the true values of the behavior that occurred.
- Acquisition procedure(acquisition)Teaching steps used to build a skill the learner cannot yet perform independently, such as prompting, prompt fading, many practice opportunities, and dense reinforcement.
- Active listeningGiving a speaker full attention and checking that you understood before you respond.
- Actuarial questionA question about the average or overall effect of a variable across many people rather than its effect on a specific person; group designs are suited to it.
- Add-in analysisA component analysis that tests components alone or in combinations before, or without, the full package.
- AddendumA dated addition to an existing note that adds or corrects information without hiding or altering the original.
- Adventitious reinforcement(superstitious behavior)Accidental strengthening of a behavior that happens to occur just before a reinforcer the behavior did not produce; it can create superstitious behavior.
- Aim line(goal line)A line on a graph from the baseline level to the goal at the target date, showing the rate of progress needed.
- Alone condition(no-interaction condition)A functional analysis test condition in which the person is alone or has no social interaction or materials, to test whether the behavior continues without social consequences (automatic reinforcement).
- Analytic (dimension of ABA)(analytic)The dimension requiring a believable demonstration of a functional relation between the intervention and the behavior change.
- AntecedentAn environmental condition or stimulus change that exists or occurs immediately before a behavior.
- Antecedent intervention(antecedent strategy)Any change to the environment before behavior that makes problem behavior less likely or appropriate behavior more likely.
- Anticipatory respondingResponding before the instruction or target stimulus has been presented. The response is not yet under control of the SD, so it is usually treated as an error or blocked.
- Applied (dimension of ABA)(applied)The dimension requiring that target behaviors are socially significant, so changing them improves daily life for the person and those around them.
- Applied behavior analysis(ABA)The science of applying behavioral principles to improve socially significant behavior, using experimentation to identify the variables responsible for the improvement.
- Arbitrary stimulus classStimuli that share no physical features but evoke the same response or have the same function.
- Assent(client assent)A client's agreement to take part in an activity, shown in words or behavior, when the client cannot legally give consent. Signs of withdrawn assent, such as pulling away or crying, call for changing the activity.
- Assessment protocolThe standardized instructions for giving and scoring an assessment, including materials, wording, and scoring rules; following it exactly keeps results valid.
- Attention (function)(social positive reinforcement (attention))Social positive reinforcement in which behavior produces a reaction from others, such as eye contact, comforting, talking, or even a reprimand.
- AttritionLoss of participants partway through a study, which can bias results; mostly a concern in group designs.
- Audience controlThe listener as a source of control that, together with other variables, influences which verbal responses occur.
- Audit trailA record showing who created, opened, or changed an entry and when, often kept automatically by electronic record systems. It makes changes to a record visible later.
- AutocliticVerbal behavior that depends on other verbal behavior and modifies its effect on the listener, such as "I think," "not," or "definitely."
- Automatic punishmentPunishment in which the response directly produces the consequence that makes it less likely in the future, with no one else delivering it.
- Automatic reinforcement(sensory reinforcement)Reinforcement produced directly by the response itself, without another person delivering the consequence. It can be positive (the behavior produces a sensation) or negative (the behavior reduces discomfort, such as an itch).
- Avoidance(avoidance contingency)A negative reinforcement contingency in which a behavior prevents or postpones an aversive stimulus before it starts.
B
- Back-filling data(backfilling data)Filling in a data sheet after the session from memory, or adding entries for trials that were not observed, while presenting the data as if they were recorded live. It makes the data unreliable and can amount to falsification.
- Backup reinforcerThe item, activity, or privilege that a token or other conditioned reinforcer can be exchanged for.
- Backup supervisorThe person an organization designates to give clinical direction when an RBT's usual supervisor cannot be reached.
- Backward chainingTeaching the last step of a chain first, then adding steps in reverse order, so the learner completes the chain and contacts the terminal reinforcer on every trial.
- Backward pairing(backward conditioning)Presenting the established reinforcer first and the neutral stimulus after it. This order usually produces little or no conditioning, so it is avoided when building a conditioned reinforcer.
- Bar graphA graph that uses the height of separate bars to compare summary values across discrete categories or conditions, without showing session-by-session variability.
- BaselineA condition in which behavior is measured before an intervention or training begins, used as the standard for judging later change.
- BehaviorThe activity of a living organism; the part of its interaction with the environment that involves movement. If a dead person could do it, it is not behavior.
- Behavior chainA sequence of responses in which each response produces a stimulus change that reinforces it and serves as the discriminative stimulus for the next response.
- Behavior trapA contingency that is easy to enter and, once entered, keeps behavior going with naturally occurring reinforcement.
- Behavior-altering effectThe immediate increase (evocative) or decrease (abative) in behavior that has produced a stimulus, caused by a motivating operation.
- Behavior-analytic supervisionAn ongoing, structured relationship in which a qualified behavior analyst uses behavioral methods to build a supervisee's skills, oversee their services, and protect client welfare.
- Behavioral (dimension of ABA)(behavioral)The dimension requiring that programs target the behavior in need of change itself, measured precisely and reliably, so any change is in the client's behavior rather than in observers.
- Behavioral contrastA change in responding in one component of a multiple schedule accompanied by an opposite change in an unaltered component; for example, punished behavior decreases in one setting but increases where it is not punished.
- Behavioral cuspA behavior change that gives a person access to new environments, reinforcers, and contingencies, leading to further learning.
- Behavioral momentumA metaphor and theory describing the tendency of reinforced behavior to persist when conditions change, in proportion to the reinforcement history in that context.
- Behavioral objectiveA written statement of the learner, the observable target behavior, the conditions, and the criterion for success.
- Behavioral skills training(BST)A training method that teaches a skill through four components: instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback, repeated until the trainee performs the skill correctly to a set criterion. Abbreviated BST.
- BehaviorismThe philosophy of the science of behavior, which addresses questions such as what counts as behavior and what counts as an explanation of it.
- Benefit othersThe ethical principle of acting in the client's best interest by increasing benefit, avoiding or reducing harm, and protecting the client's welfare and rights.
- Bias (matching law)(response bias)A consistent preference for one alternative that measured reinforcement does not explain, such as a favored location, an easier response, or an unmeasured reinforcer.
- Bidirectional feedbackFeedback that flows both ways: the supervisor gives feedback on performance and also asks for, and acts on, the supervisee's feedback about supervision.
- Billing misrepresentationBilling that does not match the services actually delivered, such as charging for sessions that did not happen, inflating time, or billing a service under the wrong provider or code.
- Booster session(booster)A brief, planned session after an intervention has ended or been faded, used to review and strengthen skills so that gains are maintained.
- Brief functional analysisA shortened functional analysis using only one or two short sessions per condition, often followed by a contingency reversal to confirm the result.
C
- Caregiver concernA worry, complaint, or question from a parent, guardian, or other caregiver about the client or services, which an RBT passes to the supervisor promptly.
- Caregiver interviewAn indirect assessment in which the behavior analyst asks parents or other caregivers structured or open questions about the client's behavior, history, routines, preferences, and family priorities.
- CertificationA credential from a professional body showing that a person met its education, experience, and exam standards and agrees to its ethics requirements.
- Chain of commandThe order of people to contact for clinical questions, starting with the assigned supervisor and moving to the next level in organizational policy only when needed.
- Chained scheduleTwo or more signaled schedules presented in a set order, where completing one component produces the stimulus for the next and the terminal reinforcer follows the final component.
- Changeover delay(COD)A short period after switching between alternatives during which no reinforcer can be delivered, used to discourage rapid back-and-forth switching.
- Changing-criterion designA design in which one behavior is changed in graded steps by setting a new performance criterion in each treatment phase.
- Clarifying questionA question that asks for details or an example so you know exactly what someone means.
- ClientThe person who directly receives behavioral services. Caregivers, teachers, and funders are stakeholders, but the client's welfare comes first.
- Client outcome measures(client outcomes)Data on client progress that reflect, in part, the quality of the services supervisees deliver.
- Client-informed goalsTreatment goals chosen with meaningful input from the client and, as appropriate, caregivers, so they reflect the person's own preferences, values, and priorities rather than only the clinician's view.
- Clinical directionGuidance from the supervisor about how to carry out, adjust, or stop assessment and intervention procedures for a client.
- Clinical recordThe official documentation of a client's services, including session notes, which supervisors, funders, auditors, and sometimes courts rely on.
- CollaborationWorking respectfully with everyone involved in a client's care toward shared goals, within each person's role.
- Comparative analysisAn experiment that compares the effects of two or more different treatments on the same behavior.
- Comparison stimuliThe array of stimuli the learner chooses from on a matching-to-sample trial.
- Compassion, dignity, and respectThe ethical principle of treating every person fairly and kindly, honoring their privacy and choices, and never treating them as less than a full person.
- Compassionate careDelivering services in a way that attends to the feelings, values, and circumstances of clients and caregivers alongside evidence-based procedures.
- CompetenceHaving the training and demonstrated skill to perform a task correctly, and staying within those limits.
- Competency assessmentAn observed check of an RBT's skills by a qualified assessor, first completed before certification. Under the 2026 requirements, RBTs who renew during 2026 complete a renewal competency assessment one last time; later renewals follow a 2-year cycle with 12 PDUs instead.
- Competency checklistA task-analyzed list of the steps of a skill, scored during observation to show which steps are performed correctly.
- Competency-based evaluationJudging a supervisee's performance against specific, observable criteria rather than global impressions.
- Competing contingenciesOther tasks or consequences that reinforce doing something else instead of the target task.
- Competing stimulusAn item or activity whose availability is associated with less problem behavior, often because it provides reinforcement that substitutes for what the problem behavior produced.
- Competing-stimulus assessment(CSA)An assessment in which items are presented one at a time while engagement with each item and problem behavior are both measured, to find items linked to high engagement and low problem behavior.
- Component analysisAn experiment designed to identify the active elements of a treatment package and their relative contributions.
- Compound scheduleAny arrangement combining two or more basic schedules of reinforcement, presented at the same time, in alternation, or in sequence.
- Comprehensive services(comprehensive treatment)Behavior-analytic treatment addressing many skill areas at once, typically at higher weekly intensity.
- Conceptually systematicThe dimension requiring that procedures are described and explained in terms of the basic principles of behavior they come from.
- Concurrent schedule(concurrent schedules)Two or more independent schedules in effect at the same time, each for a different response alternative.
- Conditional discriminationA discrimination in which the correct response to a stimulus depends on another stimulus, such as the spoken instruction.
- Conditional probabilityHow often an event, such as attention, follows the behavior; most useful when compared with the background probability of that event occurring at any time.
- Conditioned aversive stimulus(conditioned aversive stimuli)A once-neutral stimulus that functions as aversive because it has been paired with aversive events.
- Conditioned motivating operation(CMO)A motivating operation whose value-altering effect depends on the person's learning history. Types include surrogate, reflexive, and transitive CMOs.
- Conditioned punisher(secondary punisher)A stimulus that functions as a punisher because of a learning history, usually pairing with established punishers; also called a secondary or learned punisher.
- Conditioned reinforcer(secondary reinforcer, learned reinforcer)A once-neutral stimulus that functions as a reinforcer because it has been paired with one or more other reinforcers; also called a secondary or learned reinforcer.
- Conditioned response(CR)A learned response elicited by a conditioned stimulus as a result of respondent conditioning.
- Conditioned stimulus(CS)A formerly neutral stimulus that elicits a response because it has been paired with an unconditioned stimulus or another conditioned stimulus.
- Conditions (in an objective)The antecedent circumstances under which a behavior is expected, such as setting, materials, instructions, or prompt level.
- Confidential informationAny information about a client, stakeholder, supervisee, trainee, or research participant learned through a professional role, including identity, data, records, and recordings.
- ConfidentialityThe professional duty to protect information learned through work with a client and to share it only as allowed by consent, law, and policy.
- Confirmation biasAttending to evidence that supports what you already believe while discounting evidence against it.
- Conflict of interestA situation in which personal, financial, or other interests could interfere with professional judgment or duties.
- Confounding variable(confound)An extraneous variable that changes along with the independent variable, so its effects cannot be separated from those of the intervention.
- ConsequenceA stimulus change that follows a behavior. Consequences that affect future behavior function as reinforcers or punishers.
- Constant time delayA time-delay procedure that starts with a few trials at zero seconds and then uses one fixed delay between the instruction and the prompt for the remaining trials.
- ConsultationSeeking guidance from a professional with expertise you lack, to build your skills or check your decisions on a case.
- Contextual fitHow well an intervention matches the values, skills, resources, and routines of the people and settings where it will be used.
- Contingency(response contingency)A dependency between a behavior and a consequence: the consequence is delivered only if, and when, the behavior occurs.
- Contingency-shaped behaviorBehavior acquired and maintained through direct contact with its consequences.
- Contingent observationA nonexclusionary time-out in which the person is moved to the edge of the activity, where they can still watch but cannot take part or earn reinforcement, for a short time.
- Continuing education(CEUs)Structured learning activities, measured in continuing education units, required to keep a certification active; necessary but not sufficient for competence in a new area.
- Continuity of servicesKeeping needed services going, or arranging alternatives, when a planned or unplanned interruption occurs.
- Continuous measurementRecording every occurrence of a behavior during the whole observation period instead of a sample of it. Frequency, rate, duration, latency, and interresponse time are continuous measures.
- Continuous reinforcement(CRF, FR 1)A schedule in which every occurrence of the target behavior is reinforced; useful when teaching a new skill.
- Contrived mediating stimulusA stimulus made part of the teaching setting on purpose and then carried into the generalization setting, so it can help the trained behavior occur there.
- Contrived motivating operationA teaching arrangement that creates a momentary need for an item or action, such as withholding a needed part, so a mand can be prompted and reinforced.
- Contrived permanent productA lasting record of behavior that the observer creates on purpose, such as a video or audio recording, for behavior that would otherwise leave no product behind.
- Contrived reinforcers(arbitrary reinforcer)Consequences arranged by a program, such as tokens or edibles, that would not usually follow the behavior in everyday life.
- Control (goal of science)The highest level of scientific understanding: showing that manipulating one variable reliably changes another, with extraneous variables ruled out.
- Convergent multiple controlA single verbal response strengthened by two or more controlling variables acting at the same time.
- Coordination of careSharing relevant information, with consent, and aligning goals with the other professionals who serve the client.
- Core principles (ethics code)The broad commitments that underlie an ethics code's specific standards and guide decisions in situations the standards do not directly address.
- Corrective feedbackSpecific information about what to change in a performance, often paired with a model or a chance to practice.
- Correlation(covariation)A consistent relation in which changes in one event go along with changes in another, without showing that either causes the other.
- Cost-benefit analysis(cost-benefit)Comparing the resources a procedure requires (time, staff, materials, effort) with the outcomes it produces.
- CounterconditioningA respondent procedure that pairs a stimulus eliciting an unwanted response, such as fear, with a stimulus that elicits an incompatible response, so the first stimulus comes to elicit the new response.
- CrisisA situation in which behavior puts the client or others at imminent risk of serious harm, such as severe aggression, severe self-injury, or running toward traffic.
- Crisis planWritten, step-by-step directions for keeping people safe when a crisis happens; part of the client's plan or agency policy, not designed by the RBT.
- Criterion (in an objective)The standard of performance, stated as a measurable level, that shows an objective has been met.
- Criterion-referenced assessmentAn assessment that compares a learner's performance to a fixed standard or set of skills rather than to other people.
- Cultural competenceKnowledge and skills for working effectively across cultures, often framed as something acquired; cultural humility adds ongoing self-critique and attention to power.
- Cultural humilityAn ongoing practice of self-reflection and learning from each client and family, including recognizing the limits of your own knowledge and the power differences in the helping relationship.
- Cultural responsivenessAdjusting how you communicate and deliver services so they fit a client's culture, values, language, and preferences.
- Cultural variablesFeatures of a client's social environment, such as languages, values, routines, family roles, and religious or community practices, that shape behavior and how it is judged.
- CultureThe shared practices, values, language, and contingencies of a group that shape how its members behave and what they find reinforcing.
- Cumulative giftsA pattern of gifts over time, where the total value and the expectation it creates matter, not only the value of a single gift.
- Cumulative recordA graph in which each data point adds the new count to the running total. The slope shows response rate, a flat segment means no responding, and the line never goes down.
- Curriculum-based assessmentAn assessment tied to a specific curriculum that checks a learner's skills against its skill list and mastery criteria, pointing directly to teaching targets.
D
- Data breachAccess to, or release of, confidential client information by someone who is not authorized to have it, whether by theft, hacking, or accident.
- Data falsification(falsified data)Making up, changing, or leaving out data so the record no longer shows what actually happened. It is a serious ethical violation because decisions about the client are based on those data.
- Data pathThe line connecting successive data points within the same condition. It is not drawn across a phase change line or across sessions that did not happen.
- Data pointOne plotted value on a graph, usually the summary of one session or observation.
- Data sheetThe paper or electronic form on which session data are recorded according to the program's measurement procedure.
- Data-based decision makingUsing repeated, graphed measures of behavior to decide whether to continue, change, or end an intervention.
- De-escalationLow-intrusion steps used early in an escalation, as listed in the plan, to lower the risk of harm.
- De-identificationRemoving or changing every detail that could identify a person on its own or in combination, not just the name.
- Dead man's testA check that a target names something a person actively does: if a dead man could do it, it is not behavior.
- Decision ruleA rule set before intervention stating what data pattern will trigger a review or change.
- Decreasing trendA data path that moves downward over time, showing the measure of behavior is getting smaller.
- Delayed consequencesConsequences too remote in time to strengthen behavior directly; rules can bridge the delay and bring behavior under their control.
- Demand fadingTemporarily reducing or removing task demands, then gradually increasing them back toward typical levels.
- DenominatorThe number you divide by when calculating a measure, such as total trials for a percentage or observation time for a rate. Using the wrong denominator makes a summary misleading.
- Dependent group contingencyThe whole group's reinforcement depends on the performance of one person or a selected subset.
- Dependent variable(DV)The measured dimension of the target behavior, recorded repeatedly to detect changes produced by the independent variable.
- DeprivationA period without access to a reinforcer, which usually increases its effectiveness; a common establishing operation.
- Description (goal of science)The first level of scientific understanding: systematic observation of behavior and related events, quantified and classified so the facts can be examined and compared.
- Descriptive assessmentDirect observation of behavior and the events around it in the natural environment, without manipulating any variables.
- DeterminismThe assumption that the world, including behavior, is lawful and orderly, so behavior is a function of identifiable variables.
- Developmental assessmentAn assessment that compares a learner's skills to milestones in typical development.
- Differential observing response(DOR)A response to the sample stimulus that shows the learner has attended to its relevant feature before choosing a comparison.
- Differential reinforcementReinforcing responses that meet a set criterion, or the absence of a problem behavior, while withholding reinforcement for responses that do not meet it. Common forms are DRA, DRI, DRO, DRL, and DRH.
- Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior(DRA)Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior: reinforcing a specific, more appropriate behavior while withholding (or minimizing) reinforcement for the problem behavior. The alternative does not have to be physically incompatible with the problem behavior.
- Differential reinforcement of high rates(DRH)Reinforcing a behavior only when it occurs at or above a set rate, used to increase behaviors that occur too seldom.
- Differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior(DRI)A type of DRA in which the reinforced behavior cannot physically occur at the same time as the problem behavior.
- Differential reinforcement of low rates(DRL)Reinforcing a behavior only when it occurs at or below a set rate, or after enough time has passed since the last response; for behaviors acceptable in moderation.
- Differential reinforcement of other behavior(DRO, omission training)Differential reinforcement of other behavior: delivering reinforcement when the problem behavior has not occurred during a set interval (or at a set moment). In a resetting DRO, an occurrence restarts the timer. Also called omission training.
- Dimensional quantityA measurable property of behavior, such as repeatability (count), temporal extent (duration), or temporal locus (latency, IRT).
- Dimensions of ABA(seven dimensions)The seven defining characteristics of applied behavior analysis described by Baer, Wolf, and Risley (1968): applied, behavioral, analytic, technological, conceptually systematic, effective, and generality.
- Direct measurementMeasurement in which the event recorded is the target behavior itself, observed as it occurs.
- Direct observation (supervision)A supervisor watching an RBT work with a client, in person or live, to check skills and give feedback.
- Direct replicationRepeating an experiment, or a phase of one, with the same procedures to check that the effect is reliable.
- Discharge planA written plan, shared with the client or caregivers, describing how and when services will end and what supports, referrals, or maintenance steps will be in place.
- Disciplinary actionA consequence imposed by a certifying or licensing body after a violation is found, ranging from required corrective steps to suspension or revocation.
- Discontinuation of servicesEnding behavior-analytic services through a planned process, ideally because goals are met or other appropriate reasons apply.
- Discontinuous measurement(interval recording, time sampling)Recording a sample of behavior, usually whether it occurred during intervals or at set moments, instead of every instance. Partial-interval recording, whole-interval recording, and momentary time sampling are the three common types.
- Discrete-trial teaching(DTT, discrete trial training)An adult-led teaching method that presents a skill in brief, repeated trials, each with a clear start and finish: an instruction (SD), sometimes a prompt, the learner's response, a consequence, and a short intertrial interval.
- Discrimination trainingReinforcing a response in the presence of the SD and withholding reinforcement for that response in the presence of the S-delta.
- Discriminative stimulus(SD)An antecedent stimulus in whose presence a response has been reinforced and in whose absence it has not, so the response becomes more likely when the stimulus is present. Abbreviated SD. It signals that reinforcement is available; it does not change how much the reinforcer is wanted.
- Discriminative stimulus for punishment(SDp)A stimulus in whose presence a response has been punished and in whose absence it has not, so the response becomes less likely when the stimulus is present.
- DisplacementIn preference assessments, a pattern in which one kind of item, often food, is chosen so consistently that other items rank lower than they would on their own. Lower-ranked items may still work as reinforcers.
- DisruptorAny change in conditions that tends to reduce responding, such as extinction, satiation, or distraction.
- Divergent multiple controlA single controlling variable that strengthens two or more different verbal responses.
- Diversity in supervisionRecognizing and valuing differences in background, culture, language, and identity among supervisors and supervisees, and arranging supervision so these differences do not create unequal opportunities.
- DosageThe amount of intervention a client actually receives, such as hours per week or trials per session, compared with the amount prescribed.
- Drop-out analysisA component analysis that starts with the full treatment package and removes components one at a time, watching whether behavior changes.
- DurationHow long a behavior lasts, from onset to offset. It can be reported as total duration per session or as mean duration per occurrence.
E
- EchoicA verbal operant in which a vocal response repeats a vocal verbal stimulus, with point-to-point correspondence and formal similarity.
- Effective (dimension of ABA)(effective)The dimension requiring that an intervention changes behavior enough to make a practical, meaningful difference to the client and caregivers.
- Efficiency (of instruction)(instructional efficiency)How quickly and economically a procedure produces learning, measured by trials, time, or sessions to criterion and weighed against the resources it requires.
- Elicited aggression(respondent aggression)Aggression produced by aversive stimulation, often directed at whoever or whatever is nearby, whether or not it ends the aversive event; also called respondent aggression.
- EmergencyA situation that threatens health or safety for reasons other than, or in addition to, behavior, such as a medical event, fire, or severe weather.
- Emergency physical intervention(restraint)Brief, approved physical contact, such as blocking or a hold, used only by trained staff to prevent imminent serious harm; a safety measure, not a treatment or consequence.
- Emergent relation(derived relation)A correct stimulus-stimulus relation that appears without direct training or reinforcement of that relation; also called a derived relation.
- Emotional respondingCrying, anger, aggression, or other emotional behavior that occurs when reinforcement stops or a punisher is delivered; aggression after extinction begins is called extinction-induced aggression.
- EmpiricismBasing knowledge on objective observation and measurement of the events being studied.
- Environmental variablesFeatures of a person's surroundings, such as antecedents, consequences, materials, workload, and physical setting, that can affect how and whether a behavior occurs.
- Equal-interval scaleAn axis on which equal distances represent equal amounts, as on a typical line graph's y-axis.
- Equality (in supervision)Giving every supervisee identical resources and procedures regardless of differing needs.
- Equity (in supervision)Arranging individualized supports and fair access to opportunities so each supervisee can meet the same performance standards.
- Equivalence classA set of stimuli treated as interchangeable in a given context, even though they look or sound different.
- Error of commissionA procedural integrity error in which a step is done incorrectly or an unplanned step is added.
- Error of omissionA procedural integrity error in which a planned step is left out.
- Errorless learning(errorless teaching)Teaching arranged with prompts and gradual fading so the learner makes few or no errors while acquiring a skill.
- Escape(escape contingency)A negative reinforcement contingency in which a behavior ends or reduces an aversive stimulus that is already present, so the behavior becomes more likely the next time that stimulus occurs.
- Escape condition(demand condition)A functional analysis test condition in which demands are presented and problem behavior produces a brief break from them. High rates suggest the behavior is maintained by escape.
- Escape extinctionExtinction for behavior maintained by negative reinforcement: the demand continues, so the behavior no longer produces escape.
- Establishing operation(EO)A motivating operation that increases the reinforcing effectiveness of a stimulus and evokes behavior that has produced it.
- Ethical riskThe chance that a professional action, or a failure to act, will harm a client, another person, the practitioner, or the profession.
- Ethics codeA set of standards describing the conduct expected of credentialed professionals; the BACB can act when a certificant does not follow its code.
- Event recordingTallying each occurrence of a behavior during an observation, which yields a count or, combined with observation time, a rate.
- Evidence-based practice(EBP)A decision-making process that integrates the best available research evidence with the client's values and context and the practitioner's clinical expertise.
- Evocative effectThe behavior-altering effect of a motivating operation that makes behavior that has produced the relevant reinforcer occur more often right away.
- Exchange scheduleThe rules for trading in tokens: how many tokens each backup reinforcer costs and when exchanges happen.
- Exclusionary time-outTime-out in which the person is removed from the activity or area for a short time; more restrictive and requires close supervision and clear written rules.
- Experimental analysis of behavior(EAB)The basic research branch of behavior analysis, which seeks the fundamental principles and processes that govern behavior.
- Experimental controlA predictable, repeatable change in behavior when the independent variable is manipulated, shown through prediction, verification, and replication; it demonstrates a functional relation.
- Explanatory fiction(circular reasoning)A fictitious variable, often just another name for the behavior, offered as its cause; it usually involves circular reasoning.
- Explicit biasAttitudes about a group that a person is aware of and could state.
- Expression of appreciationA token of thanks that does not financially benefit the person who receives it.
- External validityThe extent to which a study's results apply beyond its own conditions, to other participants, settings, behaviors, or implementers.
- Exteroceptive stimulusA stimulus arising outside the body, such as a voice, a picture, or a sound.
- ExtinctionNo longer delivering the reinforcer that has maintained a behavior, so the behavior decreases over time. To work, the procedure must withhold the specific reinforcer identified by the behavior's function.
- Extinction burstA temporary increase in the frequency, duration, or intensity of a behavior soon after extinction begins. New or more varied forms of the behavior may also appear.
- Extinction-induced aggressionAggression that appears or increases when reinforcement for a behavior is stopped, even though the aggression itself was not the behavior being reinforced.
- Extra-stimulus promptA stimulus prompt that adds a separate cue to the teaching materials, such as a picture, an arrow, or a pointing gesture, without changing the correct stimulus itself.
- Extraneous variableAny variable other than the independent variable that could influence the dependent variable.
F
- Faulty stimulus controlResponding controlled by an irrelevant feature, such as item position, trial order, or the instructor's glance, instead of the intended stimulus.
- Feature stimulus classStimuli grouped by shared physical features or relations, such as shape, color, or relative position.
- First-then board(first-then visual)A visual support that shows a task to complete first and a preferred activity that follows it.
- Fixed interval(FI)A schedule in which the first response after a fixed amount of time has passed is reinforced. On FI 5 min, responses during the 5 minutes earn nothing; the first response after 5 minutes is reinforced.
- Fixed ratio(FR)A schedule in which reinforcement follows a set number of responses, such as every fifth response on FR 5. FR 1 is the same as continuous reinforcement.
- Fixed-time schedule(FT schedule)A time-based schedule that delivers a reinforcer when a set time passes, with no response required; compare a fixed-interval schedule, which requires a response.
- FluencyAccurate responding at a pace that supports retention, endurance, and use in real settings.
- Focused services(focused treatment)Behavior-analytic treatment aimed at a limited number of targets, often specific problem behavior or a few key skills.
- Formal similarityThe stimulus and response share the same sense mode and physically resemble each other, as in echoics and imitation.
- Forward chainingTeaching the steps of a chain in their natural order, starting with the first, and adding the next step after each one is mastered.
- Forward pairing(forward conditioning)Presenting the neutral stimulus just before, or overlapping with, the established reinforcer. This order is the one that reliably builds a conditioned reinforcer.
- Free operantA response that can occur at any time and is not limited by trials, prompts, or opportunities set by someone else; rate is a natural measure for it.
- Free-operant preference assessmentA preference assessment in which the person has free access to all items at once for a set time while the observer records engagement with each.
- Frequency(count)The number of times a behavior occurs during an observation, also called a count. Some textbooks use "frequency" to mean rate (count per unit of time), so check how a question uses the word.
- Function of behavior(function)The reinforcing consequence that maintains a behavior, that is, why it keeps occurring. Common functions are attention, access to tangibles, escape or avoidance, and automatic reinforcement.
- Function-based definitionAn operational definition that includes every response producing the same effect on the environment, whatever its form.
- Function-based interventionA procedure chosen because it addresses the reinforcer that maintains a behavior, as identified by assessment.
- Functional analysis(FA)An assessment in which antecedents and consequences are arranged systematically to test which ones maintain a behavior, typically by comparing test conditions (such as attention, escape, tangible, or alone) with a control condition in which those variables are absent.
- Functional behavior assessment(FBA)A process for identifying the variables that reliably predict and maintain problem behavior, using indirect assessment, descriptive assessment, and, when needed, functional analysis. Its product is a hypothesis about the behavior's function that guides treatment.
- Functional communication training(FCT)A form of DRA that teaches a communication response, such as a word, sign, picture card, or device button, that produces the same reinforcer the problem behavior did, while the problem behavior no longer produces it.
- Functional equivalenceTwo responses are functionally equivalent when they produce the same reinforcer.
- Functional relationAn experimentally demonstrated relation in which a specific change in the dependent variable reliably follows manipulation of the independent variable and is unlikely to be due to other factors.
- Functional response classA group of responses, possibly very different in form, that all produce the same effect on the environment and so serve the same function.
G
- General case analysisChoosing teaching examples that represent the full range of stimulus and response variations found in the natural environment.
- GeneralityBehavior change that lasts over time, appears in settings or situations where it was not trained, or spreads to related behaviors that were not taught; also the extent to which research findings extend beyond the original study.
- GeneralizationAn umbrella term for behavior change that shows up beyond the exact conditions of training. It covers stimulus generalization (the trained response occurs with new people, settings, or materials) and response generalization (new, untrained responses with the same function appear).
- Generalization gradientA graph showing how responding changes as test stimuli become more or less similar to the training stimulus.
- Generalization probeA test of a skill under conditions not used in teaching, typically without prompts, to see whether it occurs there.
- Generalization settingAny place or stimulus situation, different from the teaching setting, where the target behavior should occur.
- Generalized conditioned punisherA conditioned punisher that has been paired with many different punishers, so it works under a wide range of conditions.
- Generalized conditioned reinforcerA conditioned reinforcer paired with many other reinforcers, so its effectiveness does not depend on any single motivating operation and it is less prone to satiation.
- Generalized imitationImitating new, untrained models without reinforcement for those specific imitations.
- Generalized matching lawA version of the matching law that adds sensitivity and bias parameters to describe deviations from strict matching, such as undermatching and overmatching.
- Generative performanceNovel, untaught responding that results from how earlier instruction was arranged.
- GiftAnything of value offered to, or by, a practitioner outside of pay, such as an item, food, a voucher, or a service.
- Goal settingSetting a specific, measurable performance target, often with a deadline, and tracking progress toward it. It works best when combined with feedback and reinforcement for meeting the goal.
- Good Behavior Game(GBG)A well-studied classroom procedure in which teams earn a reward if they stay at or below a set number of marks for rule violations; an interdependent arrangement at the team level.
- Graduated exposureGradually bringing a person into contact with a feared stimulus in small steps, from least to most fear-provoking, moving on only when the current step is tolerated.
- Graduated guidanceA physical prompt adjusted moment to moment, giving only as much contact as needed and moving toward shadowing.
- Group contingencyAn arrangement in which a common consequence is contingent on the behavior of one member, part of the group, or every member of the group.
- Group design(between-groups design)An experimental design that compares outcomes between groups of participants, usually by comparing group averages.
H
- HabituationReduced effectiveness of a stimulus after repeated exposure, as when a gradually intensified punisher stops suppressing behavior.
- High-probability request sequence(high-p sequence, high-p request sequence)An antecedent procedure in which several easy requests the person reliably follows are delivered in quick succession and reinforced, followed right away by a request they often do not follow.
- Higher-order conditioning(second-order conditioning)Respondent conditioning in which a neutral stimulus is paired with an already conditioned stimulus, rather than an unconditioned one, and comes to elicit a similar response.
- History (threat to validity)(history)A threat to internal validity: events outside the study that occur while it is running and could affect the behavior.
- Hypothetical constructA presumed but unobserved entity, such as free will or readiness, used to account for behavior.
I
- Identifying informationAny detail that could reveal who a client is, such as a name, photo, voice recording, address, school, birth date, or a unique combination of details.
- ImitationBehavior that is similar in form to a model, occurs soon after it, and is controlled by it.
- Imitation trainingSystematically teaching a learner who does not yet imitate to copy models, using prompts and reinforcement on planned models until untaught models are also imitated.
- Immediacy of effectHow quickly behavior changes after a phase change, judged by comparing the last few data points of one phase with the first few of the next.
- Immediacy of reinforcement(immediacy)How quickly a reinforcer follows the target behavior. Reinforcers delivered within a second or two strengthen the intended behavior most reliably.
- Implicit bias(unconscious bias)Attitudes or assumptions about a group that affect behavior without conscious awareness.
- Incident reportAn objective written account of what happened, what staff did, any injuries, and who was notified.
- Incidental contactAn unplanned, brief encounter with a client or family outside work; not a multiple relationship by itself, but kept short and without discussing services.
- Incidental teachingA naturalistic procedure in which the learner's initiation toward an item or activity signals a teaching opportunity; the adult prompts a more elaborate response, then provides what was sought.
- Inclusive practiceArranging services and workplaces so people of every background and ability can access them and take part fully and respectfully.
- Increasing trendA data path that moves upward over time, showing the measure of behavior is getting larger.
- Independent group contingencyOne contingency is presented to all group members, and each person's reinforcement depends only on their own performance.
- Independent practiceProviding behavior-analytic services on your own without a qualified supervisor directing and overseeing them; RBTs may not do this.
- Independent variable(IV)The intervention or environmental condition the analyst systematically manipulates to see whether it changes behavior.
- Indicated interventionAn intervention that targets the cause a performance diagnostic identified.
- Indirect assessmentGathering information from sources other than direct observation of the behavior, such as records, interviews, rating scales, and checklists.
- Indirect measurementMeasurement of something other than the target behavior, such as an interview answer or rating scale, from which the behavior must be inferred.
- Indiscriminable contingenciesArrangements in which the learner cannot tell which responses or occasions will produce reinforcement, so responding continues across occasions.
- InferenceA conclusion about behavior that goes beyond what was actually measured. The more inference a measure requires, the less confident you can be that it reflects the behavior.
- Informed consentPermission from a person with the legal authority to give it, after they understand what will happen or be shared, with whom, and why; it can be withdrawn.
- Insensitivity to contingenciesThe tendency of rule-governed responding to persist even when the actual consequences no longer match the rule.
- InstructionA verbal antecedent that specifies a response to make, such as a directive or a step in a written protocol.
- Instruction following(compliance)Responding as an instruction or rule specifies, a repertoire built and maintained by a history of reinforcement.
- InstrumentationA threat to internal validity: changes in the measurement system over time, such as observer drift or a switch to a different recording method.
- Integrity (ethics)(integrity)Being honest, accurate, and reliable, and taking responsibility for your own actions, including your errors.
- Interdependent group contingencyEvery member's reinforcement depends on the group as a whole meeting the criterion.
- Interdisciplinary collaborationProfessionals from different fields working together toward shared client goals, sharing information and coordinating their services.
- Intermittent reinforcementA schedule in which only some occurrences of the behavior are reinforced; it usually makes behavior more resistant to extinction than continuous reinforcement.
- Internal validityThe extent to which a study shows that the independent variable, rather than other factors, produced the observed changes in behavior.
- Interobserver agreement(IOA)The degree to which two or more observers who independently measure the same behavior report the same values, usually expressed as a percentage. Many teams treat about 80% as a minimum.
- Interoceptive stimulusA stimulus arising inside the body, such as hunger pangs or pain.
- Interpersonal skillsThe observable verbal and nonverbal behavior used to build and maintain working relationships, such as listening, validating, explaining clearly, and resolving disagreement.
- Interresponse time(IRT)The time between two successive responses of the same behavior, usually measured from the end of one response to the start of the next.
- Interspersal(interspersed trials)Mixing trials of mastered or easy targets in with trials of new or harder targets.
- Intersubject variabilityDifferences in responding from one participant to another, which group averages can hide.
- Intertrial interval(ITI)The brief pause between the end of one trial's consequence and the next instruction, used to record data and reset materials.
- Interval lengthThe duration of each observation interval in interval recording or time sampling. Shorter intervals generally produce more accurate estimates but demand more of the observer.
- Intervention historyThe record of what procedures have been used for a behavior, by whom, for how long, and with what measured results.
- IntraverbalA verbal operant evoked by a verbal stimulus that has no point-to-point correspondence with the response, such as answering a question, finishing a song lyric, or replying in conversation.
J
L
- Label vs. behaviorThe difference between a word that summarizes or interprets conduct (aggressive, defiant, upset) and a description of what the person actually did or said. Notes and definitions use behavior, not labels.
- Late entryDocumentation completed after the usual deadline, clearly labeled as late, dated the day it is written, and tied to the date of the session it describes.
- Latency(response latency)The time from the onset of a stimulus, such as an instruction, to the start of the response.
- Latency-based functional analysisA functional analysis in which the measure is the time until the first instance of the behavior in each condition, and each session ends after that first response.
- Learner initiationAny behavior a learner starts on their own, such as reaching, pointing, or looking at an item, that shows interest and can start a teaching opportunity.
- Learning to learn(learning set)A gradual improvement in how quickly someone masters new tasks after learning many earlier tasks of the same type, as if a general skill of learning that kind of task were acquired.
- Least restrictive effective interventionChoosing, among procedures likely to work, the one that places the fewest limits on the client's freedom, comfort, and access to reinforcers. More restrictive options are considered only when less restrictive ones have been tried or are judged unlikely to be effective.
- Least-to-most prompting(increasing assistance)A prompting procedure that starts each trial with the least intrusive help, often the instruction alone, and adds more intrusive prompts only as needed until the learner responds correctly.
- LevelWhere data sit on the vertical axis, often summarized by the mean or median within a phase. A change in level between phases is one sign of an effect.
- Level systemA type of token economy in which people move up through levels that carry more privileges and higher expectations as performance improves.
- Licensure(license)Legal authorization from a government jurisdiction to practice a profession within that jurisdiction.
- Limited holdA rule added to an interval schedule that keeps reinforcement available for only a short window once the interval ends.
- Limits of confidentiality(exceptions to confidentiality, disclosure exceptions)The situations in which client information may or must be shared without the client's consent, such as suspected abuse, imminent risk of serious harm, or a legal order. Clients should be told these limits at the start of services.
- Line graphThe most common graph in ABA: data points for successive observations are plotted over time and connected by a line, showing how behavior changes across sessions.
- Low-probability request(low-p request)A request the person often does not follow. In a high-probability request sequence, it is given right after a few easy requests that were followed and reinforced.
M
- Magnitude of reinforcement(magnitude)The amount, intensity, or quality of a reinforcer delivered after a behavior.
- Maintaining contingencyThe consequence that currently reinforces a behavior, as in "hitting is maintained by escape"; it describes function, not response maintenance.
- Maintenance probeA measurement taken after teaching has been withdrawn to check whether the behavior persists.
- Maintenance procedurePlanned steps that keep a mastered skill strong, such as periodic probes, thinned reinforcement, and interspersing mastered targets with new ones.
- MandA verbal operant whose form is controlled by a current motivating operation and whose reinforcement is specific to that motivating operation. In everyday terms, a request.
- Mandated reportingA legal duty, set by law, to report suspected abuse or neglect to the proper authorities; confidentiality does not override it.
- Massed trials(massed practice)Presenting the same target several times in a row.
- Mastery criterionThe predetermined level of performance that shows a target has been learned, set by the supervisor.
- Matching lawThe relative rate of responding on an alternative approximately equals the relative rate of reinforcement obtained from that alternative.
- Matching-to-sample(MTS procedure)A conditional discrimination procedure in which a sample stimulus is presented and the learner selects the comparison stimulus that goes with it.
- Matrix trainingTeaching selected combinations from a grid of components and probing the rest to produce recombinative generalization.
- MaturationA threat to internal validity: changes within the participant that come with the passage of time, such as growth, development, or fatigue.
- Mean duration per occurrence(mean duration, duration per occurrence)Total duration divided by the number of occurrences, showing how long a typical episode lasted.
- MeasurableAble to be counted, timed, or otherwise quantified along a dimension such as frequency, duration, or latency.
- Measurement artifactAn apparent feature of the data that comes from how behavior was measured rather than from the behavior itself.
- Measurement biasA systematic error that pushes recorded values in the same direction, consistently above or below what really happened. Unlike random error, it does not cancel out over many observations.
- Medical necessityA funder's determination, based on its criteria, that a service is clinically needed for the client.
- Medical variablesPhysical or biological conditions, such as pain, illness, medication side effects, or poor sleep, that can change how often or how intensely behavior occurs, often by altering reinforcer value.
- MentalismExplaining behavior by an inner dimension, such as mind, will, personality, or drive, assumed to cause it.
- Mentorship(mentor, mentoring)An ongoing relationship in which a more experienced professional guides a less experienced one's development, often beyond what formal supervision requires.
- Methodological behaviorismA view that limits scientific analysis to publicly observable events and leaves private events out of the account.
- Minimum necessarySharing only the information critical to the purpose of an authorized communication.
- MisrepresentationDescribing credentials, training, services, or results in a way that is false, exaggerated, or misleading.
- Mixed scheduleTwo or more alternating schedules for one response with no stimulus correlated with each component.
- Model (imitation)The antecedent behavior that a learner imitates. Models can be live, on video, planned, or unplanned.
- ModelingPresenting a demonstration of the target behavior so the learner can imitate it; models can be live or symbolic.
- Momentary time sampling(MTS)A discontinuous method in which an interval is scored only if the behavior is occurring at the exact moment the interval ends. It can over- or underestimate and easily misses brief behaviors.
- Monetary valueWhat a gift is worth in money; ethics limits on gifts are based on value, not on how the gift is wrapped or described.
- Most-to-least prompting(decreasing assistance)A prompting procedure that starts with the most intrusive prompt planned for the skill and reduces help across trials or sessions as the learner succeeds.
- Motivating operation(MO)An environmental variable that, for a while, changes how effective a stimulus is as a reinforcer or punisher (value-altering effect) and how often behavior that has produced that stimulus occurs (behavior-altering effect). Establishing operations increase effectiveness; abolishing operations decrease it.
- Multielement design(alternating treatments design)A single-case design that rapidly alternates two or more conditions, each linked to a distinct stimulus, and compares their effects by how far apart their data paths are. Also called an alternating treatments design.
- Multiple control (verbal behavior)The fact that a verbal response is usually a function of more than one variable, and one variable usually affects more than one response.
- Multiple exemplar training(multiple exemplars, teaching sufficient examples)Teaching with several varied examples of a stimulus or response so the skill extends to new, untaught examples.
- Multiple relationship(dual relationship)Holding a professional role with someone, such as a client, a client's family member or other stakeholder, a supervisor, a supervisee, or a coworker, while also holding another role with them, now or planned for the future. Also called a dual relationship.
- Multiple scheduleTwo or more schedules for one response that alternate, each correlated with its own discriminative stimulus.
- Multiple-baseline designA single-case design in which baselines run at the same time across two or more behaviors, settings, or people (tiers), and the intervention is introduced to the tiers one at a time, in a staggered sequence.
- Multiple-opportunity methodA chain assessment in which the assessor completes any step the learner misses, then gives the learner a chance at the next step, so every step is assessed.
- Multiple-probe designA variation of the multiple-baseline design in which baseline data for untreated tiers are collected intermittently rather than continuously.
- Multiple-stimulus with replacement(MSW)A preference assessment in which the chosen item is returned to the array each trial and unchosen items are replaced with new ones.
- Multiple-stimulus without replacement(MSWO)A preference assessment in which several items are presented at once, the chosen item is not returned, and the remaining items are rearranged and offered again until all are chosen or the learner stops choosing.
- Multiple-treatment interference(sequence effects, carryover effects)A change in behavior during one condition that is partly caused by exposure to another condition in the same study, through sequence, carryover, or alternation effects.
- Multiply controlled behavior(multiple functions)A behavior maintained by more than one function, such as both attention and escape.
N
- Natural environment teaching(NET)Teaching skills within a learner's typical activities, routines, and settings, using current interests and natural consequences.
- Natural reinforcer(naturally occurring reinforcer)A consequence that typically follows the behavior in everyday life and is directly related to it.
- Naturalistic teachingA family of learner-led teaching procedures, including incidental teaching and NET, that embed instruction in everyday activities and use natural reinforcers.
- Need to knowThe principle that people receive only the client information their role in the client's care requires.
- Negative punishmentA response is followed by the removal of a stimulus, usually a reinforcer, or a decrease in its intensity, and similar responses occur less often in the future. Time-out and response cost are the main procedures.
- Negative reinforcement(SR-)A stimulus is removed, reduced, or postponed right after a behavior, and the behavior occurs more often in the future. Escape and avoidance are both forms of negative reinforcement.
- Neutral stimulusA stimulus that does not yet function as a reinforcer, punisher, or eliciting stimulus for a given person.
- Non-examplesResponses listed in an operational definition that resemble the target but do not count, helping observers draw the boundary consistently.
- Nonbehavioral servicesServices a practitioner offers that are not behavior analysis, which must be clearly separated from, and not represented as, behavior-analytic services.
- Noncontingent reinforcement(NCR)Delivering a reinforcer on a fixed-time or variable-time schedule, independent of the person's behavior, to reduce motivation for problem behavior maintained by that reinforcer.
- Nonexclusionary time-outTime-out in which the person stays in the setting but loses access to reinforcement, such as planned ignoring, removing a specific reinforcer, or contingent observation.
- Norm-referenced assessment(standardized assessment)A standardized test that compares a person's score to scores of a large sample of same-age peers.
O
- Objective description(objective report)Wording limited to what can be observed and measured, so two observers would agree it is accurate, with the source of reported information identified.
- ObservableAble to be seen or heard by another person, whether in the room or watching a recording of the session.
- Observational learningA change in the observer's behavior that results from watching another person's behavior and the consequences it produces.
- Observe-and-record intervalsAn interval-recording format in which each observation interval is followed by a short interval set aside only for writing down the data.
- Observer biasRecording that is shaped by what the observer expects or hopes to see rather than by what the person actually did.
- Observer driftAn unplanned, gradual shift over time in how an observer applies an operational definition.
- Observer reactivity(reactivity)A change in how someone records data, or in how someone behaves, because they know they are being observed or checked.
- Ongoing supervisionRegular, continuing oversight of an RBT's work by a qualified supervisor, required for as long as the RBT practices.
- Onset and offset criteriaRules in an operational definition stating when an occurrence begins and when it is over.
- Operant behaviorBehavior whose future frequency is determined by the consequences it has produced in the past.
- Operant conditioningThe process by which the consequences that follow behavior change how often similar behavior occurs in the future.
- Operant extinctionDiscontinuing the reinforcement of a previously reinforced behavior, after which the behavior decreases in the future.
- Operational definitionA description of a target behavior in observable, measurable terms, including what counts, what does not, and when an episode starts and ends, so that different observers identify and record each instance the same way.
- OvercorrectionA positive punishment procedure in which, after problem behavior, the person restores the environment beyond its original state (restitution) or repeatedly practices the correct behavior (positive practice).
- OvergeneralizationStimulus generalization to stimuli where the response is not appropriate or will not be reinforced.
- OverlapThe extent to which data points in one phase fall within the range of an adjacent phase. Less overlap generally indicates a clearer effect.
- OvermatchingResponding that is more extreme than the reinforcement ratio predicts, so the richer option receives an even larger share of responses.
- Own controlIn single-case designs, using the participant's own baseline performance as the standard against which intervention performance is compared.
P
- Paired-stimulus preference assessment(forced-choice assessment, paired-choice assessment)A preference assessment in which items are presented two at a time and each item is paired with every other item; items are ranked by the percentage of times they were chosen when offered.
- Pairwise design(pairwise functional analysis)A functional analysis format in which each test condition is compared with the control condition on its own, alternating just those two, rather than running all conditions together. It can clarify results when a full multielement analysis is undifferentiated.
- Parametric analysisAn experiment that compares the effects of different values of the same independent variable.
- ParaphrasingRestating a speaker's message in your own words to confirm you understood it.
- ParsimonyRuling out the simplest, logical explanations before considering more complex or abstract ones.
- Partial-interval recordingA discontinuous method in which an interval is scored if the behavior occurs at any point during it, even once or briefly. It tends to overestimate how much of the session the behavior took up.
- Percentage(percent correct)A proportion expressed as parts per 100: the number of target responses divided by the total opportunities or total responses, multiplied by 100.
- Percentage of intervalsThe number of intervals scored divided by the total number of intervals, multiplied by 100. It is an estimate from interval recording, not an exact percentage of time.
- Performance deficit(won't do)The person can perform the skill correctly but does not do so consistently under typical conditions; antecedent or consequence changes, not more training, are indicated.
- Performance diagnosticA structured assessment of the variables contributing to a staff performance problem, used to select an intervention that addresses them.
- Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services(PDC-HS)A structured interview and observation tool that assesses training, task clarification, resources, and consequences to identify causes of staff performance problems in human-service settings.
- Performance feedbackInformation about how someone performed a skill, tied to observable behavior and given soon after the performance.
- Performance managementThe systematic use of behavior-analytic antecedent and consequence strategies, guided by data, to improve and maintain employee performance.
- Permanent product(work sample)A lasting, tangible outcome of behavior that can be measured after the behavior has ended, such as written answers, assembled parts, or items put away.
- Permanent-product recording(permanent-product measurement)Measuring behavior after it occurs by counting or scoring the effects it left on the environment, often reported as a count or a percentage correct.
- Personal biasA consistent tendency to respond more or less favorably to people or options based on factors unrelated to the clinical or professional question.
- Personal challengesCircumstances in a practitioner's own life, such as illness, grief, financial or legal problems, or relationship stress, that can reduce the quality of their work.
- Personal vs. professional accountsThe distinction between a practitioner's own social media and an organization's official page; client content belongs only on official pages, with informed consent, under organizational policy.
- Phase change line(condition change line)A vertical line on a graph marking when conditions changed, such as moving from baseline to intervention. Data points are not connected across it.
- Philosophic doubtContinuously questioning the truthfulness of what is regarded as fact, and being open to revising beliefs when new evidence appears.
- PicaRepeatedly eating or mouthing and swallowing items that are not food, such as paint chips, dirt, or small objects. Because it can cause serious injury, it is often a high-priority target.
- Pivotal behaviorA behavior that, once learned, produces changes in other untrained behaviors, such as initiating with peers or self-management.
- Plain languageClear, everyday wording without jargon, so that families and other non-specialists can understand and act on what is said or written.
- Planned activity check(PLACHECK)A group version of momentary time sampling: at each scheduled moment, the observer counts how many people in a group are engaged in the target behavior.
- Planned ignoringDeliberately withholding attention after a behavior maintained by attention, as specified in the plan; an extinction procedure when attention is the maintaining reinforcer.
- Play conditionThe usual control condition in a functional analysis: preferred items and attention are given freely, no demands are made, and problem behavior has no programmed consequence. Behavior is expected to stay low.
- Point-of-view video modelingVideo modeling filmed from the learner's own perspective, showing what they would see while performing the skill.
- Point-to-point correspondenceA match between the beginning, middle, and end of a verbal stimulus and the beginning, middle, and end of the response.
- Position bias(side bias)Choosing items based on where they are placed, such as always picking the left one, rather than on what they are. It can make preference assessment results misleading.
- Positive punishmentA response is followed by the presentation of a stimulus, or an increase in its intensity, and similar responses occur less often in the future.
- Positive reinforcement(SR+)A stimulus is added (or made stronger) right after a behavior, and as a result the behavior occurs more often in the future. The added stimulus is a positive reinforcer (SR+).
- Positive-practice overcorrection(positive practice)A form of overcorrection in which, after problem behavior, the person repeatedly practices the correct form of the behavior for a set number of times or minutes.
- Post-reinforcement pauseA period without responding right after a reinforcer is delivered, typical of fixed schedules.
- Power differential(power imbalance)The difference in influence between a practitioner and a client, family, or supervisee, which can make it hard for them to refuse a request, disagree, or raise a concern.
- PragmatismJudging the worth of an explanation or practice by how well it works in predicting and changing behavior.
- Precursor functional analysisA functional analysis in which consequences are delivered for a reliable precursor of a dangerous behavior, so the function can be identified while the severe behavior is less likely to occur.
- PredictionAs a goal of science, the level of understanding at which events are shown to covary, so one can be anticipated from the other. In single-case designs, the expected future level of behavior if conditions stay the same.
- Preference assessmentA structured way to identify the items or activities a person prefers and rank them, so the most preferred ones can be tested and used as reinforcers.
- Preference hierarchyA ranking of items from most to least preferred, produced by a preference assessment.
- Prior authorizationA funder's approval of a specific type and amount of service before it is delivered, usually required for payment.
- Private eventsBehavior and stimulation that only the person can observe directly, such as thinking, a racing heart, or a headache.
- Procedural integrity(treatment integrity, procedural fidelity, treatment fidelity)The extent to which an intervention is carried out as planned and described, with no unplanned procedures added. Also called treatment integrity, treatment fidelity, or procedural fidelity.
- Professional boundariesThe limits that keep a relationship with a client and family focused on the client's needs, such as communicating only through agency channels.
- Professional developmentPlanned, ongoing learning that maintains and extends knowledge and skills, such as reading research, continuing education, coursework, and mentoring.
- Professional practice guided by the science of behavior analysis(professional practice)The branch of behavior analysis that delivers behavior-analytic services to clients and consumers, with decisions grounded in research and ongoing data.
- Programming common stimuliIncluding stimuli from the generalization setting in the teaching setting so the two share features.
- Progressive time delayA time-delay procedure that starts at zero seconds and lengthens the wait between the instruction and the prompt in steps across trials or sessions.
- PromptAdded help, given with or after the instruction, before or during the response, that makes a correct response more likely while a skill is being learned. Prompts are planned to be faded.
- Prompt dependence(prompt dependency)A learner keeps waiting for a prompt instead of responding to the natural cue.
- Prompt fadingGradually reducing or removing prompts so the natural cue alone produces the response.
- Protected health information(PHI)Health information that can be linked to a specific person, such as diagnoses, treatment records, or billing details, held by a health care provider or insurer. In the United States, HIPAA limits how it may be used and shared.
- PseudoscienceA claim or practice presented as scientific that lacks the evidence and methods of science, such as relying on testimonials, resisting testing, or not being falsifiable.
- Public postingDisplaying performance data where the team can see them, such as a chart on a wall, as a form of feedback. It often works best with group or self-chosen data and attention to privacy.
- Public statementAnything a practitioner says, writes, or posts where people outside the treatment team can see or hear it.
- Public trustThe confidence that families, funders, and other professionals place in behavior analysts to act competently and honestly.
- PunisherA stimulus change that follows a behavior and decreases the future frequency of that behavior.
- PunishmentA process in which a consequence following a response makes similar responses less likely in the future. It is defined by its effect, not by how unpleasant it seems.
Q
- Qualified interpreterA trained professional who conveys spoken or signed language accurately, impartially, and confidentially; family members, especially children, are not a substitute.
- Qualified supervisorA professional who meets the BACB's requirements to supervise RBTs, typically a BCBA, or a BCaBA who is supervised by a BCBA, who has completed required supervision training.
R
- Radical behaviorismSkinner's philosophy of the science of behavior, which analyzes all behavior, public and private, as a function of environmental variables.
- RapportA positive working relationship in which the client or family is comfortable with the practitioner; in ABA it is often built by pairing yourself with reinforcement.
- Rate(response rate)A count divided by the observation time, such as responses per minute or per hour. Rate makes sessions of different lengths comparable.
- Rating scaleAn indirect assessment form in which someone who knows the person rates statements about a behavior, such as how often or how well it occurs.
- Ratio strainA breakdown in responding, such as long pauses or quitting, when a ratio requirement is raised too quickly or set too high.
- RBT Requirements CoordinatorThe person at an organization responsible for ensuring its RBTs meet BACB requirements, including having an assigned supervisor and documented supervision.
- Real-time supervision contact(real-time contact)A supervision contact conducted in person or by live video, as opposed to recorded or written communication.
- Receiving feedback(accepting feedback)Responding to feedback in a way that lets it help: listening without interrupting or arguing, asking clarifying questions, thanking the person, and changing the behavior.
- Recombinative generalizationCorrect responding to new combinations of previously learned components.
- Record correctionFixing an error in documentation in a way that keeps the original visible, such as one line through the mistake on paper or an amendment in an electronic record, with the date and the writer's name or initials. Errors are never erased or hidden.
- Record retentionKeeping client records securely for the length of time required by law, funders, and organizational policy, and disposing of them securely afterward.
- Record reviewExamining educational, medical, and historical records at intake to understand a client's history, prior interventions, and possible medical contributors.
- Recruiting reinforcementTeaching a learner to prompt others to notice and reinforce their behavior, increasing natural reinforcement.
- ReferralConnecting a client with another qualified professional when a need falls outside what you can competently provide.
- Reflective listeningRestating or summarizing what a speaker said, including the feeling behind it, so they know they were heard and can correct you.
- Reflexive CMO(CMO-R)A conditioned motivating operation that has preceded some worsening or improvement, so its own removal (or continuation) becomes reinforcing.
- ReflexivityIn stimulus equivalence, matching a stimulus to itself without training (A = A); also called generalized identity matching.
- RehearsalThe practice step of behavioral skills training, in which the learner performs the skill, often in role play, so the trainer can give feedback.
- ReinforcementA process in which a consequence that follows a behavior makes that behavior more likely in similar situations later. It is defined by its effect on future behavior, not by how pleasant the consequence seems.
- Reinforcer assessmentA test of whether a stimulus, delivered contingent on a response, actually increases that response.
- ReinstatementRecurrence of a reduced behavior after the reinforcer that used to maintain it is delivered independent of responding.
- Relapse(treatment relapse)The return of a behavior that had been reduced by treatment.
- Relapse preventionPlanning, during and after treatment, to make the return of a reduced behavior less likely, for example by programming generalization, training caregivers, keeping some reinforcement for the replacement behavior, and scheduling follow-up.
- Relational frame theory(RFT)A behavior-analytic account that treats derived relational responding as learned, generalized operant behavior, including relations such as opposite, more than, and before/after.
- Relative rate of reinforcementThe reinforcement from one alternative divided by the total reinforcement from all available alternatives.
- Release criterionThe rule for ending a time-out, often that the set time has passed and the person has been calm for a short period. Release should not be delayed for long by problem behavior.
- Release of information(ROI)A signed consent form that allows specific information to be shared with a specific person or organization for a stated purpose.
- Relevance-of-behavior ruleA guideline to select target behaviors likely to keep producing reinforcement in the person's natural environment after intervention ends.
- ReliabilityThe consistency of measurement: repeated measurement of the same behavior yields the same values.
- Renewal(ABA renewal)Recurrence of a reduced behavior when the context changes from the one where it was treated, such as returning to the setting where it was learned.
- Repeated measurementMeasuring the dependent variable many times within each condition so changes can be detected over time.
- RepertoireAll the behaviors a person can do, or the set of skills relevant to a particular situation.
- Replacement behavior(alternative behavior)An appropriate behavior taught to serve the same function as a problem behavior, so the person can get the same reinforcer in an acceptable way.
- ReplicationRepeating an effect of the independent variable, within or across studies, to show it is reliable rather than a coincidence.
- ReprimandA brief statement of disapproval given right after a behavior, such as "No" or "Stop that." It works as a punisher only if the behavior decreases; for some people it is attention that reinforces the behavior.
- Resistance to changeHow much responding is maintained, relative to baseline, when a disruptor is introduced; the main measure of response strength in momentum theory.
- Resistance to extinctionHow long, or how many responses, a behavior persists after reinforcement stops. Intermittent reinforcement usually produces more resistance than continuous reinforcement.
- Respondent behavior(reflex)Behavior elicited by antecedent stimuli, including unlearned reflexes and responses conditioned through stimulus pairing.
- Respondent conditioning(classical conditioning, Pavlovian conditioning)The process in which pairing a neutral stimulus with an eliciting stimulus gives the neutral stimulus the power to elicit a similar response.
- Respondent extinctionRepeatedly presenting a conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus, so the conditioned stimulus elicits the conditioned response less and less.
- ResponseA single, specific instance of behavior that can be observed and measured.
- Response classA group of responses that produce the same effect on the environment, even when their forms differ.
- Response class hierarchyA predictable order in which members of one functional response class occur, where a later member tends to appear when an earlier one is not reinforced or is blocked.
- Response costThe loss of a specific amount of a reinforcer, such as tokens, points, or minutes of an activity, contingent on a behavior. It is a negative punishment procedure when it decreases the behavior.
- Response differentiationThe result of differential reinforcement: a new set of responses that share the features that were reinforced.
- Response efficiencyHow well a response pays off relative to its cost, shaped mainly by response effort, schedule of reinforcement, and delay to reinforcement.
- Response effortThe amount of physical or other work a response requires. When two responses produce the same reinforcer, people tend to choose the one that takes less effort.
- Response generalizationThe occurrence of untrained responses that are functionally equivalent to a trained response, meaning they produce the same kind of outcome.
- Response maintenance(maintenance)Continued performance of a behavior after some or all of the intervention that produced it has been withdrawn.
- Response promptA prompt that acts on the learner's response, such as a verbal instruction, gesture, model, or physical guidance.
- Response requirementThe amount or kind of responding a person must emit to produce reinforcement, such as the number of responses, their effort, or their duration.
- Response variation(response variability, extinction-induced variability)An increase in the range of behavior forms the person tries when a behavior that used to be reinforced no longer is. New topographies can appear, and sometimes one of them is a useful behavior to reinforce.
- Response-reinforcer relationThe contingency between a specific response and its consequence; in momentum theory it mainly governs response rate.
- Restitutional overcorrectionA form of overcorrection in which, after problem behavior, the person repairs the damage and then restores the setting to a better state than before.
- Restricted operant(discrete operant)A response whose opportunities are controlled by someone or something else, such as answers to presented trials; percentage or trials to criterion often suit it.
- Restricted stimulus control(stimulus overselectivity, overselectivity)Responding that comes under the control of only one feature, or a few features, of a complex stimulus while other relevant features are ignored.
- Restrictive procedureA procedure that limits a person's freedom of movement, access to reinforcers, or choices, or that involves aversive stimulation, such as restraint, exclusionary time-out, or response cost. It calls for strong justification, consent, close oversight, and a plan to fade it.
- ResurgenceThe return of a previously extinguished behavior when a more recently reinforced alternative behavior stops being reinforced.
- Reversal design(A-B-A-B design, withdrawal design)A single-case design in which the intervention is introduced, withdrawn, and reintroduced, so behavior is compared across alternating baseline and treatment phases, most often A-B-A-B. Also called a withdrawal design.
- Rule(contingency-specifying stimulus)A verbal stimulus that describes a contingency, often naming a situation, a response, and its outcome; Skinner called it a contingency-specifying stimulus.
- Rule-governed behaviorBehavior controlled by a verbal description of a contingency rather than only by direct contact with the consequences it describes.
S
- S-delta(SΔ, S-Delta)An antecedent stimulus in whose presence a response has not been reinforced, so the response becomes less likely when that stimulus is present. Written SΔ.
- SafeguardsConcrete steps that reduce the chance a conflict of interest affects services, such as involving another BCBA in clinical decisions or limiting outside contact.
- Sample stimulus(conditional stimulus)The stimulus presented first in a matching-to-sample trial, which determines which comparison is correct.
- SatiationA temporary decrease in a reinforcer's effectiveness after recent, plentiful access to it; a common abolishing operation.
- ScatterplotA grid showing whether, or how much, behavior occurred in each time block across several days, used to spot times when it is more likely.
- Schedule of reinforcementA rule that specifies which occurrences of a behavior will be reinforced, based on the number of responses, the passage of time, or both. Continuous reinforcement (CRF) reinforces every response; intermittent schedules reinforce only some.
- Schedule thinningGradually increasing the response or time requirement for reinforcement so behavior holds up under leaner, more natural schedules.
- Scope of competenceThe populations, settings, and procedures in which a practitioner has the education, training, and supervised experience to practice effectively.
- Scope of practiceThe range of activities a role, credential, or license allows a person to perform, set by certification requirements, laws, regulations, and employer policy. For an RBT, it means implementing assessment and intervention procedures as a qualified supervisor directs, not designing or changing them.
- Selection by consequencesSkinner's account that behavior is selected and shaped by the consequences it produces, working at the levels of the species, the individual, and the culture.
- Selection percentageIn a preference assessment, the number of times an item was chosen divided by the number of times it was offered, times 100. Items are ranked by this percentage.
- SelectionismThe view that behavior, like species traits and cultural practices, is shaped by selection by consequences.
- Self-determinationA person's right to make choices about their own life and goals, which practitioners actively support to the extent possible.
- Self-monitoringObserving and recording one's own behavior, used as a self-management strategy for clients or for supervisors checking their own practices.
- Self-reflectionExamining your own assumptions, reactions, and practices to identify how they may affect your work; a core part of cultural humility.
- Self-ruleA rule a person states to themselves that can guide their own behavior.
- Semilogarithmic chart(Standard Celeration Chart)A graph with a logarithmic vertical axis, such as the Standard Celeration Chart, on which equal vertical distances show equal proportional (relative) changes.
- SensitivityHow well a measure detects real changes in the behavior it is meant to track.
- Sensory extinctionExtinction for automatically maintained behavior: the sensory consequence of the behavior is removed or masked.
- Sequential modificationTeaching a behavior directly in each setting where it did not occur; strictly, extra teaching rather than generalization.
- Service agreementThe written agreement made before services begin that sets out the terms of service, including the circumstances for ending services.
- Session noteA written record of one service session describing what was done and how the client responded; part of the clinical record.
- Setting eventA broader condition, such as poor sleep or a stressful morning, that influences how a person responds to later events in a session.
- Setting/situation generalization(setting generalization, situation generalization)The target behavior occurs in a setting or stimulus situation different from the one where it was taught.
- ShapingTeaching a new behavior by differentially reinforcing successive approximations of it, each closer to the terminal behavior, while withholding reinforcement for earlier forms.
- Shaping across topographiesShaping in which the form of the behavior changes across steps, each reinforced response being a closer approximation in form to the terminal behavior.
- Shaping within a response topographyShaping one dimension of a behavior, such as duration, rate, or volume, while its form stays the same.
- Shared goalsGoals that team members, or a supervisor and supervisee, agree on together, which build buy-in and coordinate efforts.
- Simple discriminationA discrimination in which one stimulus alone tells the learner which response will be reinforced.
- Single-case design(single-subject design, within-subject design)An experimental design in which each participant's behavior is measured repeatedly across conditions and compared with that participant's own baseline. A study may include one or several participants.
- Single-opportunity methodA chain assessment that stops at the first error or non-response; remaining steps are scored incorrect.
- Single-stimulus preference assessment(successive choice)A preference assessment in which one item is presented at a time and approach or engagement is recorded; useful for people who have difficulty choosing between items.
- Skill assessmentA structured way to find out which skills a learner can and cannot yet perform, used to choose goals and track progress.
- Skill deficit(can't do)The person cannot yet perform the skill correctly, even when strong reinforcement is available and conditions are ideal; training is indicated.
- Social mediaOnline platforms for sharing content; posts about work count as public statements and must protect client confidentiality.
- Social significanceThe degree to which a behavior change improves the client's life in ways the client and their community value.
- Social skills assessmentAn assessment of how a person interacts with others, such as greeting, sharing, turn-taking, and conversation, often combining observation with caregiver or teacher ratings.
- Social validityThe extent to which the people affected by services, such as clients, caregivers, teachers, and the community, find the goals, procedures, and results acceptable, important, and worthwhile.
- Socially mediated reinforcementReinforcement delivered or removed through another person's behavior, such as attention, access to items, or the end of a demand.
- Speech-generating device(SGD, voice output communication aid)An augmentative and alternative communication device that produces recorded or synthesized speech when the user selects a symbol, word, or message.
- Split-middle line of progressA trend line drawn by splitting a phase's data in half, marking the median session and median value of each half, and connecting the two points.
- Spontaneous recoveryThe brief reappearance of a behavior that had decreased under extinction, usually after time has passed (such as a weekend or the start of a new session), even though extinction is still in place. It is usually weaker and short-lived if extinction continues.
- Staff preference assessmentA survey, ranking, or choice procedure used to identify items or activities staff may find reinforcing; results still need testing against performance.
- Staff retentionThe extent to which an organization keeps trained staff over time; the opposite of turnover.
- StakeholderAnyone with a role in or affected by a client's care, such as caregivers, teachers, other therapists, funders, and the client.
- Standardized administrationGiving an assessment exactly as its manual says, with the same instructions, materials, order, and scoring rules each time, so results can be compared fairly.
- Statistical regression(regression to the mean)A threat to internal validity: extreme scores tend to move back toward a person's typical level on later measurement, whether or not anything was done.
- Steady state responding(stable data, steady state)A pattern of responding that shows relatively little variation in level or trend over a period of time. Stable data make prediction, and therefore comparison across phases, possible.
- StereotypingAssuming an individual has a trait because of a group they belong to.
- StimulusAn energy change in the environment that affects an organism through its sensory receptors.
- Stimulus classA group of stimuli that share common elements along formal, temporal, or functional dimensions.
- Stimulus controlA reliable change in some dimension of a response in the presence of a particular antecedent stimulus compared with its absence, resulting from differential reinforcement.
- Stimulus discriminationA response occurs at a different rate or form in the presence of different stimuli because of a history of differential consequences.
- Stimulus equivalenceThe emergence of reflexive, symmetric, and transitive relations among stimuli after some relations are directly taught.
- Stimulus fadingGradually changing an exaggerated or added feature of a stimulus until only the natural stimulus remains.
- Stimulus generalizationA response reinforced in the presence of one stimulus also occurs in the presence of untrained stimuli that share features with it, such as new people, settings, or materials.
- Stimulus promptA prompt that changes the stimulus itself, such as its position, size, or color, or adds a cue to it, to make the correct response more likely.
- Stimulus samplingGiving the person brief contact with each item before a preference assessment so they know what each one is when they choose.
- Stimulus shape transformationGradually changing the form of an initial stimulus into the target stimulus while keeping the response correct.
- Stimulus-reinforcer relationThe overall rate and magnitude of reinforcement available in a stimulus context, whether or not it depends on the target response; in momentum theory it mainly governs resistance to change.
- Stimulus-stimulus pairing(pairing)Repeatedly presenting a neutral stimulus just before or together with an established reinforcer so the neutral stimulus acquires reinforcing value.
- Structured descriptive assessmentA descriptive assessment in which the observer arranges certain antecedent conditions in the natural setting, such as giving demands or diverting attention, while caregivers respond to behavior as they usually would.
- Subjective statementAn opinion, feeling, label, or inference, such as "he was frustrated" or "she wanted attention," which does not belong in a note as fact.
- Successive approximationsA sequence of responses, each closer to the terminal behavior than the one before.
- Suggestion (from the team)(suggestion)An idea from a caregiver or team member for something to try, such as a new reinforcer, target, or setting, which the RBT relays to the supervisor rather than acting on alone.
- Supervisee assessmentA structured evaluation of a supervisee's current performance on the skills their role requires, used to set baseline and select goals.
- Supervisee performance measuresDirect measures of the skills a supervisee is expected to show, such as integrity scores or competency checklists.
- SupervisionOngoing oversight, training, and feedback from a qualified supervisor that guides a practitioner's work with clients and builds their skills.
- Supervision agreement(supervision contract)A written document signed by supervisor and supervisee that sets out roles, responsibilities, logistics, evaluation, feedback practices, and how conflicts or early termination will be handled.
- Supervision evaluationThe ongoing, data-based review of whether supervision practices are improving supervisee performance and client outcomes.
- Supervision goalAn observable, measurable statement of a skill the supervisee will perform, under stated conditions, to a stated criterion.
- SupervisorThe qualified professional responsible for a client's program and for overseeing an RBT's work with that client.
- Supervisory relationshipThe ongoing professional relationship between a supervisor and supervisee, built on clear expectations, trust, and mutual accountability.
- Surrogate CMO(CMO-S)A conditioned motivating operation that gains its effects by being paired with another motivating operation, so it comes to alter the value of the same reinforcer and the same behavior that the other MO does.
- Symbolic modeling(symbolic model)Modeling presented through video, pictures, or other media rather than by a live person.
- SymmetryIn stimulus equivalence, the reversibility of a trained relation: after learning A goes with B, the learner matches B to A without training.
- Systematic replicationRepeating an experiment while deliberately changing one or more features, such as participants or setting, to test the generality of the effect.
T
- TactA 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.
- Tandem scheduleLike a chained schedule, two or more schedules run in a set sequence, but the components are not signaled by distinct stimuli.
- Tangible conditionA functional analysis test condition in which a preferred item is taken away and given back briefly after each instance of problem behavior.
- Target behaviorThe specific behavior selected for change in an assessment or intervention, defined in observable and measurable terms.
- Target selection(goal selection)Deciding which behaviors to change and in what order, based on social significance, safety, client and caregiver input, and how much the change will open access to new opportunities.
- Task analysisBreaking a complex skill into a written list of individual, teachable steps in the order they are performed. The list is used to teach the skill as a chain and to measure which steps the learner can do.
- Task analysis assessmentChecking which steps of a task-analyzed chain a learner can already perform, using the single-opportunity or multiple-opportunity method.
- Task clarification(clear expectations)Making the expected task, timing, and quality standard explicit, often with a written description or checklist.
- Teach-backAsking a listener to describe, in their own words, what they will do, to confirm understanding and clarify gaps.
- Technological (dimension of ABA)(technological)The dimension requiring that procedures are described completely and precisely enough that a trained reader could replicate them.
- Telehealth supervisionSupervision carried out remotely through live video or similar technology, sometimes mixed with in-person visits. It needs secure tools and a plan for observing and giving feedback on the supervisee's work.
- Temporal extentThe fact that every response occupies some amount of time; duration measures this property.
- Temporal locusThe fact that every response occurs at a certain point in time relative to other events; latency and interresponse time measure this property.
- Terminal behaviorThe final form or level of behavior that a shaping program is working toward.
- Terminal reinforcerThe reinforcer that follows the final step of a behavior chain.
- Terminating supervisionEnding a supervisory relationship through a planned, documented process that protects clients and the supervisee's progress, including transferring cases and records.
- Termination criteria(stopping rules, session termination criteria)Rules set before an assessment session begins that say when to stop it early for safety, such as a set number of responses or any injury above a set severity.
- Test and control conditionsIn a functional analysis, test conditions arrange one possible reinforcer contingent on problem behavior (attention, escape, tangible, alone), and the control (play) condition provides reinforcers freely with no demands.
- TestimonialA statement from a client or caregiver praising a provider's services, often used to promote them; the BACB code for behavior analysts prohibits soliciting them from current clients.
- Testing (threat to validity)(testing)A threat to internal validity: repeated exposure to the measurement itself changes performance, through practice or reactivity.
- Textual(textual behavior)A verbal operant in which a written stimulus evokes a spoken response with point-to-point correspondence but no formal similarity; reading aloud.
- Time delay(prompt delay)A prompt-fading method that inserts a pause between the instruction and the prompt, either constant or gradually increasing, so the learner can respond before the prompt.
- Time to criterion(training time)The total instructional time needed to reach a performance criterion, also called training time.
- Time-based scheduleAny schedule that delivers reinforcers based on the passage of time alone, independent of behavior, such as fixed-time and variable-time schedules.
- Time-in(time-in environment)The ongoing environment from which time-out removes the person. Time-out works as punishment only when time-in is rich in reinforcement, such as attention, activities, and preferred items.
- Time-out from positive reinforcement(time-out)Time-out from positive reinforcement: a brief, planned loss of access to reinforcement for a set time, contingent on a behavior. It is a negative punishment procedure and can be nonexclusionary (the person stays in the setting) or exclusionary (the person leaves the area).
- TokenAn object or symbol, such as a chip, sticker, or point, delivered right after a target behavior and later exchanged for backup reinforcers.
- Token economy(token system)A reinforcement system in which a person earns tokens (points, stickers, chips) for specified behaviors and later exchanges them for backup reinforcers. Through that exchange, the tokens become conditioned reinforcers.
- Topographical response classA group of responses that look alike, sharing the same or a similar form, whatever effects they produce.
- TopographyThe physical form or shape of a behavior: what it looks or sounds like.
- Topography-based definitionAn operational definition based on the form of the response; useful when the form itself is the skill.
- Total durationThe sum of the time across all occurrences of a behavior in an observation period, showing how much of the session the behavior took up.
- Total-task chaining(total-task presentation)Teaching all steps of a chain on every trial, prompting as needed, until the whole chain is independent.
- Training loosely(teaching loosely)Deliberately varying noncritical aspects of instruction so no single irrelevant feature gains control over responding.
- TranscriptionA verbal operant in which spoken words evoke written or typed responses with point-to-point correspondence but no formal similarity, as in taking dictation.
- Transfer of functionA function established for one member of an equivalence class appears for other members without separate training.
- Transfer of stimulus controlMoving control of a response from one stimulus, such as an echoic prompt, to another, such as the item itself, often by fading the prompt.
- Transition planA written plan for moving a client to another provider or setting, with target dates, activities, and the people responsible for each step.
- Transitive CMO(CMO-T)A conditioned motivating operation that makes another stimulus valuable as a reinforcer, because that stimulus is needed to complete a response or get a reinforcer.
- TransitivityIn stimulus equivalence, a derived relation among stimuli linked through a common stimulus: after A to B and B to C are taught, A to C emerges.
- Translational researchResearch that deliberately bridges basic and applied work, testing laboratory findings with clinically relevant behavior and populations.
- Treatment driftAn unplanned, gradual change in how an intervention is delivered over the course of a study or service.
- Treatment packageAn intervention made of several components delivered together.
- Treatment preferenceWhich of two or more effective procedures a client chooses when given the option, often measured by repeated choices between them.
- TrendThe overall direction of a data path over time (increasing, decreasing, or flat) and how steep that change is.
- Trial-based functional analysisA functional analysis variation that runs brief test and control segments within ongoing activities instead of in separate, longer sessions.
- Trials to criterionThe number of response opportunities a learner needs to reach a preset performance criterion; a common measure of teaching efficiency.
U
- Unconditioned motivating operation(UMO)A motivating operation whose value-altering effect does not depend on a learning history, such as food deprivation, sleep deprivation, or temperature changes.
- Unconditioned punisher(primary punisher)A stimulus that functions as a punisher without any prior learning, such as pain or extreme temperature; also called a primary punisher.
- Unconditioned reinforcer(primary reinforcer)A stimulus that functions as a reinforcer without any prior learning history, such as food, water, or warmth; also called a primary reinforcer.
- Unconditioned response(UR, UCR)The unlearned response elicited by an unconditioned stimulus.
- Unconditioned stimulus(US)A stimulus that elicits a response without any prior learning history.
- UndermatchingResponding that is less extreme than the reinforcement ratio predicts, so preference for the richer option is weaker than strict matching; the most common deviation.
- Undifferentiated respondingA functional analysis result in which behavior occurs at similar levels across all conditions, including the control, so no single social function stands out; it may suggest automatic reinforcement.
V
- ValidityThe degree to which data directly reflect the behavior and dimension of interest under the conditions that matter.
- Value-altering effect(reinforcer-establishing effect, reinforcer-abolishing effect)The increase (establishing) or decrease (abolishing) in a stimulus's effectiveness as a reinforcer or punisher produced by a motivating operation.
- VariabilityHow much data points bounce up and down from one measurement to the next. High variability makes trends harder to see and calls for more data.
- Variable affecting progressAny factor, in or outside sessions, that may change a learner's behavior or rate of learning, such as illness, medication changes, sleep, or schedule changes.
- Variable interval(VI)A schedule in which the first response after an amount of time that varies around an average is reinforced. On VI 2 min, reinforcement becomes available after unpredictable intervals that average 2 minutes.
- Variable ratio(VR)A schedule in which reinforcement follows a number of responses that varies unpredictably around an average. On VR 4, reinforcement might come after 2, then 6, then 4 responses.
- Variable-time schedule(VT schedule)A time-based schedule that delivers a reinforcer after amounts of time that vary around an average, independent of behavior.
- Verbal behaviorBehavior reinforced through the mediation of a listener who has been trained to respond in ways that reinforce the speaker; it includes speaking, signing, writing, and gesturing.
- VerificationShowing that baseline responding would have continued unchanged had the intervention not been introduced, which strengthens the original prediction.
- Vicarious consequences(vicarious reinforcement)Reinforcement or punishment contacted by a model that changes the observer's behavior.
- Video modelingA symbolic model in which the learner watches a recorded demonstration of the skill.
- Video promptingA procedure in which a task is shown in short video segments, one step at a time, and the learner performs each step after watching it.
- Video self-modelingVideo modeling in which the learner watches edited footage of their own successful performance.
- Visual analysisJudging whether behavior changed, and whether the change can be attributed to the intervention, by systematically inspecting graphed data for level, trend, variability, immediacy of effect, overlap, and consistency across similar phases.
- Visual schedule(picture schedule)A sequence of pictures, symbols, or words showing the activities that will happen and their order.
W
- Whole-interval recordingA discontinuous method in which an interval is scored only if the behavior lasts through the entire interval. It tends to underestimate the behavior and suits behaviors the team wants to increase.
- Within-stimulus promptA stimulus prompt that changes a feature of the correct stimulus itself, such as its size, color, or position, to make the correct choice more likely.
- Work sampleA completed piece of a learner's work kept for scoring, such as a worksheet, writing sample, or finished craft.
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