This document provides an overview of key concepts in applied behavior analysis (ABA). It defines behavior as the interaction between an organism and its environment, and discusses how behavior is determined by environmental stimuli and events according to the principles of causation and the reciprocal relationship between behavior and the environment. The document also distinguishes between public and private events, introduces the "dead person's test" to determine if an action qualifies as a behavior, and outlines the six critical attributes that characterize behaviors according to ABA, including that they are biological phenomena that involve movement, occur in living organisms, are observable and measurable, and interact with the environment.

1. Know Your
Behavior
Applied Behavior
Analysis

2. We are going to focus on:
◦ Behavior
◦ Environment
◦ Dead Person’s Test
◦ Public Event Vs Private Event
◦ 6 Critical Attributes of Behavior

3. Behavior
◦ Skinner Definition of Behavior: “a behavior is the movement of an organism or its parts in a frame of
reference provided by the organism or by various external objects or fields.
◦ Johnston & Pennypacker Definition of Behavior: “the behavior of an organism is that portion of the
organism’s interaction with the environment that is characterized by detectable displacements in space
through time of some part of the organism and that result in a measurable change in at least one aspect of
the environments.”
◦ Jose’s Definition of Behavior: the interaction of the muscles, glands, or other parts of a live organism with
the environment.

4. Environment
◦ Behavior is determined by events/ Stimuli that occur outside the organism
◦ Based on cause/ effect (determinism)

5. Reciprocal
Process
•The Environment Affects
Behavior
•The Behavior Affects The
Environment
𝐸𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡
𝐵𝑒ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑟
𝐵𝑒ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑟
𝐸𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡
Example:
OR
Today, it was raining,
Adam took umbrella
with him
Today, Maria opened
the window, and the
flies filled the room.
Environment= Rain
Behavior= Adam took
umbrella
Behavior= Maria opened
the window
Environment= files filled
the room.

6. Private Event Vs Public
Event
Private Event
◦ Not Observed
◦ Example:
◦ Thinking
◦ Feeling
◦ Imagining
Public Event
◦ Observed
◦ Example:
◦ Walking
◦ Running
◦ Drinking

7. Dead Person's
Test
Can a dead
person does
this behavior?
Yes No
Dead Person’s Test:
• A dead person can watch tv and listen to
the radio.
• A dead person can not play basketball or do
his/her homework.

8. Biological Phenomenon
• ABA is part of Natural Science (Biology & Physics)
Involves Movement
• Movement of muscles, glands, and other body parts.
A living Organism
• behavior focus one organism not group
• Dead Person's Test
Observable
• Direct Observation of behavior and environmental
event
• Private Event & Public Event
Measurable
• Repeat Measures
• Graph Data
Interacted with the environment
• Behavior never occurs in a vacuum
• Reciprocal Process
6 Critical Attributes of
Behavior

9. Reference
◦ Cooper J.O, Heron T.E, Heward W.L. Applied
behavior analysis (2nd ed.) Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson; 2007.

10. Know Your
Behavior
Thank
You