Continuing with the articles on applied behavior analysis, today the definition of behavior and other associated terms are presented, such as response classes, topographic response, functional analysis and behavioral repertoire.
In ABA it is considered conduct all activity of living organisms. That is, everything we do, how we move but also what we say, think and feel.
However, if we consider that the way in which a discipline defines its object of study influences the choice of appropriate and possible methods of measurement, experimentation and theoretical analysis used, a more precise definition is necessary.
In general, the definition that is accepted as the most complete and precise is that made by: “Behavior is that portion of the interaction of an organism with the environment, which involves movements of some part of the organism.”
The already named authors divide and explain each part of the definition as follows:
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- “(…) of an organism”: It is emphasized because it restricts the object of study to the activity of organisms alive. In this way, “stock market behavior,” for example, falls outside the scientific use of the term ‘behavior’.
- “(…)the interaction of an organism with its environment”: This phrase avoids implying that behavior is a possession of organisms, since it highlights the need for interaction. Behavior only happens when there is an interaction of the organism with its surroundings (which includes its own body). In this way, independent states of the organism (hypothetical or imagined) are considered not to be behavioral events. Feeling hungry or being nervous, for example, are phrases that do not specify an environmental agent with which the organism interacts, therefore they cannot be understood as behavior. The phrases used as examples are states that are often confused with the behavior they want to explain.
The same thing happens with independent changes in the environment, a person can get wet in the rain, but “being wet” is not behavior because an interaction is not specified. Being wet implies changes in the environment but does not necessarily suggest or require changes in the body.
This point also excludes bodily movements produced by independent physical forces, such as being carried by a wave on the beach (non-living objects can move in a similar way). - “(…) movements of some part of the organism”: In order to be observed, a response has to have an effect on the environment (that is, on an observer or on an instrument, which in turn affects an observer). This is true both when contracting a small group of muscles to make balls of paper and when using different muscles to move the gear shift lever in a manual car. However, the behavior also involves the movements of parts of the body that cannot be observed by others (within the skin). For example, shifting attention from one instrument to another when listening to music.
Response classes
The word “conduct” is often used to refer to kinds of behavior. answer that share a certain function (for example, the behavior of writing).
The technical definition of the word answer It is “action of the effector of an organism.” An effector is an organ located at the end of an efferent nerve that specializes in altering the environment mechanically, chemically, or in terms of changes in energy (Michael, 2008, cited in Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2019).
In humans the effectors include:
- Striated muscles (e.g. biceps).
- Soft muscles (for example, stomach).
- Glands (for example, the pituitary gland).
A kind of answers is a group of responses that have the same function; That is, each response that makes up the group has the same effect on the environment. Some may have very varied forms (for example, asking you to do something that surprises me), while the topographical variation of others is very limited (for example, a person’s signature).
Topographic response
Behavior can also be described by its shape (topographic response). For example, the movements of the hands to wash our hands can be described by their topographic elements.
Functional analysis
Although using topographic descriptions can sometimes be useful, behavioral analysis uses functional analysis of the effects of behavior on the environment.
It is more useful since, as we explained before, responses with different topographies can have the same function. But it is also more useful because two responses with the same topography can be completely different behaviors depending on the variables that control them. For example, seeing the letters bomb in a story accompanied by exclamation points and reading “bomb!” out loud will not be the same as shouting “bomb!” being inside a plane that is about to take off.
Repertoire
Behavior analysts use the term repertoire in at least two ways:
- Referring to all the behaviors that a person can do.
- Referring to the collection of knowledge and skills relevant to a particular task (the latter is usually the most frequent use). For example, repertoire of behaviors that an individual has for recreational moments.
Reference: Cooper, J.O., Heron, TE, & Heward, W.L. (2019). Applied Behavior Analysis (3rd Edition, Global edition). Pearson.