Three-Term Contingency
Also called: ABC, antecedent-behavior-consequence, A-B-C contingency
Definition
The basic unit of operant analysis: an antecedent condition in whose presence a behavior occurs, and a consequence that follows and changes the future likelihood of that behavior in that condition. Antecedents come to control behavior only because of the consequences that have followed it in their presence.
In plain language
Before, behavior, after. What was going on, what the person did, and what happened next. Most of ABA is working with those three parts.
Example
The teacher asks a question (antecedent), the student raises a hand (behavior), and the teacher calls on them (consequence).
Not three-term contingency
A list of a learner's behaviors with no note of what came before or after. That is a description of behavior, not a contingency.
See also
Written from
- skinner-1953
Written from Skinner (1953). No textbook glossary consulted.
This entry has not yet been through clinical review. Treat it as a draft.