According to Cooper et.al (2007), there are seven main characteristics for ABA: applied, behavioral, analytic, technological, conceptually systematic, effective and generality
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1. Applied:
The behavior, which is chosen, has to be socially important to a person to change his/her daily life significantly. For example, the behavior can be self-help skill like: dressing himself, tying shoes, etc.
2. Behavioral:
That specific behavior must need to be improved. Also, the applied behavior analyst has to measure that behavior and the measurement has to be objective and reliable. Besides, it is very important for applied behavior analyst to look at the behavior of all parties involved in the intervention. Sometimes, maybe because parents' behavior changes and it leads to the change in the child’s target behavior. In this case, the intervention does nothing to affect the target behavior.
For example, to see the effects of a program to teach children to play with others, an applied behavior analyst needs to directly observe and measure the interaction between all the children who participate in the program.
3. Analytic:
The applied behavior analyst has to demonstrate the functional relationship between the behavior and environment. This means that the applied behavior analyst has to have control factors in the environment and show that the target behavior has changed because of those factors.
For example, the parents want to decrease the frequency of the child's tantrum. After observing and taking data, the applied behavior analyst notices that every time the child throws tantrum, he gets attention from his parents. Therefore, his parents' attention control the tantrum behavior.
4. Technological:
The procedure, which was used in the intervention for the child, need to be described in details and clearly for others to replicate with different children in the future. That intervention will be no use and valuable for future’s references if no one can ever replicate it even though it shows its effectiveness for behavior change.
5. Conceptually Systematic:
All of the interventions have to be based on principles of behavior to explain how and why there is a behavior change. As Baer et al. stated in their article, using conceptual systems “shows the reader how similar procedures may be derived from basic principles” and “have the effect of making a body of technology into a discipline rather than a collection of tricks” (1968, p. 96).
6. Effective:
In order to be effective, the intervention has to bring out the behavior change that is socially significant. Wolf (1978) made the emphasis of social validity in three levels: "the social significant of the goals, the social appropriateness of the procedures, the social importance of the effects". The effective intervention has to meet the criterion for these three levels.
7. Generality:
To be generalized means the behavior change does not stop when the intervention ends. It lasts over time and more importantly, it appears in different environments other than the ones, which the intervention was implemented. Or, the change can spreads to other behaviors, which is not the target behavior.
For example, you teach the child to say hi to a person. Later on, he say hi to someone in the store.
Baer, D.M., Wolf, M.M., & Risley, T.R. (1968). Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysis. Journal of
Applied Behavior Analysis, 1(1), 91-97.
Baer, D.M., Wolf, M.M., & Risley, T.R. (1968). Some still-current dimensions of applied behavior analysis.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 20(4), 313-327.
Cooper, J., Heron, T., & Heward, W. (2006). Applied Behavior Analysis. Columbus, OH: Pearson Merrill Prentice
Hall.
Wolf, M.M. (1978). Social validity: The case for subjective measurement or how applied behavior analysis is
finding its heart. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 11(2), 203-214.
The behavior, which is chosen, has to be socially important to a person to change his/her daily life significantly. For example, the behavior can be self-help skill like: dressing himself, tying shoes, etc.
2. Behavioral:
That specific behavior must need to be improved. Also, the applied behavior analyst has to measure that behavior and the measurement has to be objective and reliable. Besides, it is very important for applied behavior analyst to look at the behavior of all parties involved in the intervention. Sometimes, maybe because parents' behavior changes and it leads to the change in the child’s target behavior. In this case, the intervention does nothing to affect the target behavior.
For example, to see the effects of a program to teach children to play with others, an applied behavior analyst needs to directly observe and measure the interaction between all the children who participate in the program.
3. Analytic:
The applied behavior analyst has to demonstrate the functional relationship between the behavior and environment. This means that the applied behavior analyst has to have control factors in the environment and show that the target behavior has changed because of those factors.
For example, the parents want to decrease the frequency of the child's tantrum. After observing and taking data, the applied behavior analyst notices that every time the child throws tantrum, he gets attention from his parents. Therefore, his parents' attention control the tantrum behavior.
4. Technological:
The procedure, which was used in the intervention for the child, need to be described in details and clearly for others to replicate with different children in the future. That intervention will be no use and valuable for future’s references if no one can ever replicate it even though it shows its effectiveness for behavior change.
5. Conceptually Systematic:
All of the interventions have to be based on principles of behavior to explain how and why there is a behavior change. As Baer et al. stated in their article, using conceptual systems “shows the reader how similar procedures may be derived from basic principles” and “have the effect of making a body of technology into a discipline rather than a collection of tricks” (1968, p. 96).
6. Effective:
In order to be effective, the intervention has to bring out the behavior change that is socially significant. Wolf (1978) made the emphasis of social validity in three levels: "the social significant of the goals, the social appropriateness of the procedures, the social importance of the effects". The effective intervention has to meet the criterion for these three levels.
7. Generality:
To be generalized means the behavior change does not stop when the intervention ends. It lasts over time and more importantly, it appears in different environments other than the ones, which the intervention was implemented. Or, the change can spreads to other behaviors, which is not the target behavior.
For example, you teach the child to say hi to a person. Later on, he say hi to someone in the store.
- For further readings about characteristics of ABA, you can look at below articles:
Baer, D.M., Wolf, M.M., & Risley, T.R. (1968). Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysis. Journal of
Applied Behavior Analysis, 1(1), 91-97.
Baer, D.M., Wolf, M.M., & Risley, T.R. (1968). Some still-current dimensions of applied behavior analysis.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 20(4), 313-327.
Cooper, J., Heron, T., & Heward, W. (2006). Applied Behavior Analysis. Columbus, OH: Pearson Merrill Prentice
Hall.
Wolf, M.M. (1978). Social validity: The case for subjective measurement or how applied behavior analysis is
finding its heart. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 11(2), 203-214.