Oftentimes as service providers, parents, or teachers, we may ask, “why is this client, child, or student behaving this way?” Much of the science of ABA is based on the functions of behavior. The function of a behavior is the why- it lets us know what purpose that behavior serves.
Every behavior occurs for a reason. This can be said for any individual’s behaviors. It can be said for both “good” and “bad” behaviors. Behaviors are strengthened by the consequences that have come from the same behaviors in the past. For example, I flip my light switch because doing so in the past has resulted in the light turning on. I eat dinner because in the past after I’ve eaten dinner my hunger goes away. Some behaviors result in access to attention, an item, a break, or a physical sensation. Some behaviors allow an individual to escape or avoid something. When a behavior is “successful” – or produces a reinforcing consequence, the likelihood that it will occur in the future will increase. When a behavior does not produce a reinforcing consequence, it will be less likely to occur in the future.
The Functions of Behavior
In ABA, there are four functions of behavior: sensory, attention, tangible, and escape.
With this in mind, we are able to re-frame our perspective on behavior. As behavior analysts, we remove the mentalistic type of thinking that many people fall into. For example, “he did it because he doesn’t like math” or “he did it because he is lazy” turns into “based on data, we can hypothesize that he did it because in the past, that behavior has resulted in an escape from the task.”
Identifying the function of a behavior allows us to prevent challenging behavior and promote functional and appropriate alternative behaviors that individuals can use to get their needs met. For example, instead of reinforcing a child by providing attention for screaming, we can teach her to ask to play or chat with others.
Understanding the function of a behavior is critical to any ABA program. It not only helps to decrease problem behaviors, but it helps us target important skills to teach. This type of thinking is the backbone of a function-based behavior plan.
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