Learning ABA? 10 Common ABA Terms Explained for Future RBTs®

Description:
An antecedent is an event or stimulus that happens before a behavior.

Example:
A teacher says, “Please put your toys away.” The learner begins cleaning up. The teacher says, "Way to go, cleaning up!" The teacher's instruction, “Please put your toys away,” is the antecedent.

Easy way to remember:
Antecedent = What happened before.

Description:
A behavior is an observable and measurable action that a person does.

Example: A teacher says, “Please put your toys away.” The learner begins cleaning up. The teacher says, "Way to go, cleaning up!" The behavior is the action the learner takes to clean up.
Easy way to remember:

Behavior = What the person did.

Description:
A consequence is an event or change that happens after a behavior and may influence whether that behavior happens again in the future.

Example:
A teacher says, “Please put your toys away.” The learner begins cleaning up. The teacher says, "Way to go, cleaning up!" The teacher's praise, “Way to go, cleaning up,” is the consequence.

Easy way to remember:
Consequence = What happened after.

Description:
Reinforcement occurs when a consequence increases the future frequency that a behavior will happen again in the future.

Example:
A learner receives the praise "Way to go, cleaning up," each time they clean up their toys. The learner cleans up their toys more often in the future. The praise functioned as reinforcement.

Easy way to remember:
Reinforcement = The behavior increases.

Description:
ABC data is a way of recording the Antecedent (A), Behavior (B), and Consequence (C) surrounding a behavior.

Example:
A: The RBT says, “Time to clean up.”
B: The learner cleans up toys.
C: The RBT says, "Way to go, cleaning up!"

Easy way to remember:
A = Before, B = Behavior, C = After

Description:
A prompt is additional assistance provided to help a learner make a correct response.

Example: 
The RBT says, “Please put your toys away,” and then points to the toy bin to help the learner begin cleaning up. Pointing to the toy bin is the prompt.
Easy way to remember:

Prompt = Extra help.

Description:
A discriminative stimulus, or SD, is a stimulus that signals that a particular response is likely to be reinforced.

Example:
The RBT says, “Please put your toys away.” When the learner cleans up the toys, the RBT says, “Way to go, cleaning up!” The instruction, “Please put your toys away,” is the SD because it signals that cleaning up will result in reinforcement.

Easy way to remember:
SD = A signal to respond.

Description:
Discrete Trial Training is a structured teaching method that breaks skills into small, individual learning opportunities.

Example:
The RBT says, “Put the block in the toy bin.” The learner puts the block in the toy bin, and the RBT says, “Way to go, cleaning up!” This is one structured teaching trial with an instruction, a response, and a consequence.

Easy way to remember:
DTT = One instruction, one response, one consequence.

Description:
A mand is a verbal operant in which a person requests something they want or need.

Example:
A learner is thirsty and says, “Water.”

Easy way to remember:
Mand = Request.

Description:
A tact is a verbal operant in which a person labels or identifies something they experience in their environment.

Example:
A learner sees a dog and says, “Dog.”

Easy way to remember:
Tact = Label.