RBT Competency and Behavior Analysis Vocabulary

Punishment

A consequence following a behavior that makes that behavior less likely to happen again in the future.

Positive Punishment

Adding or presenting a stimulus immediately after a behavior occurs, resulting in a decrease in the future frequency of that behavior.

Negative Punishment

Taking away or removing a stimulus immediately after a behavior occurs, resulting in a decrease in the future frequency of that behavior.

Unconditioned Punisher

A stimulus that is naturally unpleasant and decreases behavior without any prior learning history (e.g., pain, severe odors, loud noises).

Conditioned Punisher

A stimulus that functions as a punisher only because it has been learned or paired with another punisher (e.g., hearing 'No!', a stern tone, or a warning).

Verbal Behavior

Communication that involves interaction between a speaker and a listener.

Speaker

The person who is sending or emitting the communication.

Listener

The person who is receiving or responding to the communication.

Echoic

An elementary verbal operant where a speaker repeats the verbal stimulus heard (Hear it $\rightarrow$ say it).

Tact

An elementary verbal operant where a speaker names or labels something seen, heard, smelled, or touched in the environment (See it $\rightarrow$ name it).

Mand

An elementary verbal operant where a speaker asks for something they want or need (Want it $\rightarrow$ ask for it).

Intraverbal

An elementary verbal operant where a speaker answers or responds to someone else's spoken words with different words (Words $\rightarrow$ different words).

Point-to-Point Correspondence

A relation where the beginning, middle, and end of a verbal response match the beginning, middle, and end of the antecedent stimulus.

Formal Similarity

A condition in which the verbal response physically looks or sounds similar to the antecedent stimulus.

Textual

An elementary verbal operant involving reading written words out loud (See written word $\rightarrow$ say it).

Transcription

An elementary verbal operant involving writing or spelling out spoken words that are heard (Hear it $\rightarrow$ write it).

Autoclitic

A verbal operant that adds extra information to modify, clarify, or alter the meaning of what is being stated.

Private Events

Events taking place inside an individual's body or mind that cannot be directly observed by others (e.g., thoughts, feelings, internal pain).

Skill Acquisition Program

A structured plan designed to teach a client a specific new skill.

Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)

A formal plan for addressing challenging behavior, outlining the target behavior, function, replacement behavior, proactive/reactive strategies, reinforcers, and data collection.

Consent

A formal and legal agreement given by a person (or legal guardian) to participate after understanding the procedures, risks, and benefits.

Assent

An individual's expressed willingness or agreement to participate, particularly when they cannot legally provide formal consent.

Operational Definition

A clear, specific, objective description of a target behavior specifying exactly what counts as an occurrence so it can be reliably measured.

Topography-Based Definition

An operational definition that describes what the behavior physically looks like.

Function-Based Definition

An operational definition that classifies behavior according to its environmental effect or why it occurs.

Validity

The extent to which a measurement procedure directly measures the targeted behavior it is intended to measure.

Accuracy

How close an observed measurement value is to the true value of the behavior.