BEHAVIOR ABC’s
Cathy Timma
Behavior is as simple as ABC. ABC applies to almost any living organism. What is ABC?
A – Antecedent, or what happens before the behavior
B – The behavior
C – Consequence, or what happens after the behavior
ABC is the foundation of all behaviors. All behaviors have a purpose. That purpose may not make sense to you and me but it does to the one displaying the behavior.
Short background (true story): I left work early because I was ill. All I wanted to do was go to bed without a lot of fanfare from the critters. Knowing the sound of a garage door opening would cause a ruckus, I quietly snuck in through the back door.
Enter “P”. P Would be the first to set off the alarms that I was home because he hears the garage door. Is P a parrot, finch, dog, guinea pig? Does it matter? Nope! In P’s case, the antecedent would be hearing the garage door open, the behavior would be vocalizing, and the consequence would be him seeing me come through the door. Once the antecedent was removed the behavior didn’t occur. A and C are what we manipulate when working on behavior (B).
More behavior tips to come in future newsletters so stay tuned!