1. Understanding Behavior
Robert Galino

2. Objectives 1. To introduce the 4 Primary Functions of Behavior.
2. To introduce the basic concepts of a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA).
3. To review basic concepts of Behavior
Analysis.
4. To introduce basic concepts regarding the Three-term Contingency.

3. What is Behavior?
The most simple definition of behavior is:
“The actions or reactions of a person or animal in response to internal or external stimuli”.
Simply put, everything we do, from
the moment we arise in the morning,
until the moment we retire at night is
considered “behavior”.

4. Principles of Behavior
Almost all human behavior is learned
All Behaviors occur for a reason
No behaviors occur “out of blue”
Behaviors continue to occur because they are effective
Behaviors stop occurring because they are ineffective

5. What is the Function of Behavior?
The function of behavior is the reason people behave in certain ways. People engage in millions of different behaviors each day, but the reasons for exhibiting these various behaviors fall into four main categories.

6. “Its Just Behavior”
Its not personal…students engage in problem and appropriate behaviors to get their needs met.

7. 4 Primary Functions of Behavior
Escape
Attention
Tangible
Sensory

9. Function of Behavior 1. Escape/Avoidance: The individual behaves in
order to get out of doing something he/she
does not want to do.

10. Function of Behavior
2. Attention Seeking: The individual behaves to get focused attention from parents, teachers, siblings, peers, or other people that are around them.

11. Function of Behavior 3. Seeking Access to Materials (tangible) : The
individual behaves in order to get a preferred
item or participate in an enjoyable activity.

12. Function of Behavior 4. Sensory Stimulation: The individual behaves
in a specific way because it feels good to
them.

13. A-B-C Example #1 Antecedent: A's mother says "Time for dinner"
Behavior: A screams and hits his head
Consequence: A's mom hugs him and rubs his back
A screams and hits his head at a high rate every time his mother asks him to come to dinner.
Function: Attention in the form of positive social reinforcement.

14. A-B-C Example #2 Antecedent: B's teacher says "Time to get your
homework out”
Behavior: B throws her books
Consequence: B's teacher lets her take a break for ten minutes. The behavior continues to increase every time the teacher asks B to do anything related to academics.
Function: Escape from task demands

15. A-B-C Example #3 Antecedent: C's teacher says "get your jacket for
recess
Behavior: C gets his jacket and lines up
Consequence: C's teacher says "Good Job!”
C continues to get his jacket every single time his
teacher asks him to for the rest of the school year.
Function: Positive reinforcement - social attention

16. A-B-C Example #4 Every time D wants his favorite toy he screams. His
family members give him the toy, D stops screaming.
Antecedent: D wants his favorite toy
Behavior: Screaming
Consequence: D receives the toy and stops screaming
In the future D screams for all of his toys.
Function: Positive social reinforcement tangible item
Function for family members: Negative reinforcement

17. Other Factors To Consider
1. Setting events
2. Predictors

18. Setting Events Examples
1. medications
2. Medical or physical problems
3. Sleep cycles
4. Eating routines and diet
5. Daily schedule
7. Staffing patterns and interactions

19. Antecedent Events (predictors)
1. Time of day
2. Physical setting
3. People
4. Activity

20. What are Functional Behavior Assessments ?

21. Functional Behavior Assessments
FBA’s are used to develop interventions for helping people change their behavior. A FBA is a procedure that is used to help identify what is reinforcing or maintaining the behavior of concern. It involves generating a hypothesis as to why an individual does something.

22. Functional Behavior Assessment
Information is gathered by observing the antecedents (what happened immediately before the behavior) and the consequence (what happened immediately after the behavior).

23. Three-term Contingency

24. Do you know your ABC’s? In behavioral terminology ABC’s
is an acronym for
Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence

25. Why do we need to know our ABC’s?
Knowing and understanding the relationship between the
Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence contingency allows us to:
Observe behaviors as they occur and determine what specifically
“triggers” a behavior, and, what “maintains” that behavior.
Knowledge of the Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence relationship provides us with information that can be used to
reduce or eliminate problem behaviors by intervening before
or after they occur.

26. What are Antecedents?
Antecedents are anything in a person’s internal or external
environment that trigger a behavior.
Examples:
1. The alarm clock ringing is an antecedent for waking up.
2. Hunger pangs in our stomach are typically an antecedent for searching
for food.
3. Raindrops falling on us are typically an antecedent for opening our
umbrella, or quickly seeking out a drier location.
4. A dry mouth is typically an antecedent for finding something cold to
drink.

27. What are Consequences?
Consequences are actions or events that directly follow the occurrence of a behavior. Consequences either increase or decrease the probability that the behavior they follow will occur again in the future.

29. ABC Data Collection
Video

30. Research has shown that function-based interventions are more efficient and effective that interventions that are not matched to the function of behavior.

31. What are Consequences?
Examples:
A student completes an assignment and the teacher praises the student and gives her a sticker. The praise and sticker are a consequence for task completion, and increase the probability the student will complete additional assignments in the future.
A student fails to complete their daily assignments, and the teacher takes away the students free-time privileges. Taking away free-time
privileges is the consequence for not completing assignments. The
consequence is meant to increase the probability the student will complete classroom assignments in the future.

32. What are Consequences? Examples:
A child sees a candy bar in the store and asks his Mother if she might
purchase one. Mother says “No”. The child begins to cry and tantrum.
Mother tries to ignore, but after 5 minutes gives in and buys the child a
candy bar. Receiving the candy bar was a consequence for the child’s
behavior, and increases the probability that in a similar situation in the
future the child will tantrum.
Ms. Johnson daughter Shelly returned home two hours past her
curfew. In response, Ms. Johnson takes away Shelly’s car and phone
privileges for a week. Taking away privileges is the consequence for
breaking curfew, and increases the probability that Shelly will be home
on time in the future.

33. ABC’s What the Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence relationship
shows us, is that human behavior is in fact highly
predictable, even though it may not always appear to be.
By understanding the ABC relationship, and honing our
skills as keen observers of behavior, we can begin to use
our knowledge and skills to address common classroom
behavior problems before they become critical.

34. Utilizing an ABC Analysis
Addressing ongoing problem behaviors in the school
setting typically begins with observation and some simple
data collection. An ABC Analysis Form is frequently used.
An ABC Analysis involves carefully observing each
occurrence of a problem behavior, and documenting the
antecedent condition that preceded the behavior, giving a
detailed description of the behavior, and the consequence
event that followed the behavior.

35. Utilizing an ABC Analysis
The main purpose of repeated observations is to look for
predictable patterns in a students behavior. Once a
predictable pattern begins to emerge in our data, we
can begin brainstorming ways to intervene.

36. Using you ABC’s to ACT
Once you have determined the antecedents that trigger a
problem behavior, and the consequences that appear to
maintain the behavior you can ACT.
Based upon the ABC model there are only two possible
options with regard to intervening with problem behaviors:
Intervene Before the behavior occurs, or intervene After
the behavior occurs.

37. Using your ABC’s to ACT
Intervening before a behavior occurs is referred to as
“Antecedent Manipulation”.
If we can determine through an ABC Analysis what specific
things, events, conditions tend to “trigger” problem behavior
we can change the environment in ways that will prevent
the problem behavior from occurring.
This is the simplest, most effective, and least time
consuming method for addressing problem behavior.

38. Using your ABC’s to ACT Examples:
An ABC Analysis indicates that Jimmy typically shoves
his work off onto the floor, curses, and overturns his desk
during math seatwork time.
Clearly, math seat-work is an antecedent for Jimmy to act
out. By altering the environment though curriculum
modifications, extra assistance, slicing back on the quantity
of and difficulty level of the task, we can significantly
reduce the probability that Jimmy will continue to act out.

39. Using your ABC’s to ACT
The second manner in which we can address problem
behavior is to intervene after the behavior occurs. This is
referred to as Consequence Interventions.
You may remember that consequences are what maintains
problem behaviors, and this is what we must change.
Consequence Interventions are more difficult to implement,
as they typically require changing our own, or someone
else’s response to a problem behavior.

40. Using your ABC’s to ACT Example:
Tommy frequently “calls out” in class. Despite the fact that Ms. Johnson
has a classroom rule stating “No calling out. Raise your hand”. She
often finds herself calling on Tommy despite his behavior (he’s quite
persistent). By doing so Ms. Johnson is providing Tommy a
consequence that results in unnecessary attention, and perpetuates his
calling out.
Ms. Johnson decides that in the future when Tommy calls out, she will
simply ignore him completely (new consequence), and only call upon
him when he raises his hand. His calling out behavior stops.

41. Using your ABC’s to ACT Example:
Billy has developed a habit of cutting up and telling inappropriate jokes
during class time, which is causing the students to laugh, and to be off-
task during instruction. A consequence that gives Billy much attention
and perpetuates his behavior.
His teacher decides to reward the students with a special treat (one
that Billy would really enjoy) each time Billy acts out and they ignore
him completely (new consequence). Soon Billy sees others getting
something he wants and his acting out stops.

42. Interventions that can be used for each Function of Behavior
Escape/Avoidance
Teach how to appropriately ask for help or a break.
Reinforce and praise for compliance.
Attention Seeking
Teach how to appropriately ask for/get attention.
Increase attention for appropriate behaviors.
Seeking Access to materials
Teach how to appropriately ask for the item/material.
Deny access when not appropriately requested.
Sensory Stimulation
Redirect/interrupt the behavior.
Increase access to alternative sources of stimulation.

43. Activity Situation #1
Angelo wants teacher attention. Whenever the teacher gives Angelo an assignment to do, he
immediately puts his head down on his desk. Seeing this, the teacher walks over to Angelo, leans
down and with great care, talks to Angelo about how she knows Angelo can do the assignment if
only he will try. The teacher normally spends at least 2 minutes per assignment getting Angelo
started.
What is the antecedent? _________________________
What is the behavior? _________________________
What is the consequence? _________________________

44. Answers for ABC’s Activity #1
What is the antecedent: Teacher presents a task
What is the behavior: Angelo puts his head down
What is the consequence: Teacher attention.

45. Pre/Post Test True or False
1. There are 5 primary functions of behavior
2. An antecedent occurs immediately before the behavior
3. A consequence is what happens immediately after the behavior
4. The function of the behavior refers to what the individual is trying to obtain by exhibiting the
behavior
5. An FBO is a tool used to assist in identifying the function of a behavior

46. Pre/Post Test Multiple Choice Reinforcement is:
A stimulus or event which happens before a behavior
A stimulus or event which happens after a behavior
A stimulus or event that is the event
Common functions of behavior are:
To communicate
To gain control
To gain sensory stimulation
All of the above
The Three-term Contingency is:
Antecedent, Consequence, Behavior
Consequence, Behavior, Antecedent
Behavior, Antecedent, Consequence
Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence

49. Resources
Cooper, Heron, & Heward (2007). Applied Behavior Analysis: Second
Edition. New Jersey. Pearson Education, Inc.