What is 'ABC' in behaviour analysis and animal training?
Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash
My blog can seem a little bit chaotic for people. Sometimes I write about the dog or other animal training, sometimes about petsitting and travelling, sometimes about my own experience and also human learning. There is one thread in all of this. Behaviour. Behaviour is everywhere. No matter the species and situation. There are principles of behaviour that are being researched by the field of behaviour analysis. Let me shed some light on it.
One of the most known behaviours assessment tool is the ABC model.
A – Antecedent
B – Behaviour
C – Consequence
Every observable behaviour is preceded by an antecedent also called trigger (or activating event) that comes just before it and is followed by a consequence that strengthens or modifies given behaviour. It’s consequences that drive behaviour, it’s not the antecedent. ‘A’ only signals which consequences are in play at any given time.
The human example could be a behaviour of turning the light switch on
A – entering a dark room
B – turn a light switch on
C – room light up and you are able to see in it.
Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash
You usually don’t see ‘B’ when the room is sunny at daylight or when the lights are already on. Therefore you see this ‘B’ only under conditions of ‘A’ (the room being dark). However, the interesting part comes when C doesn’t happen. In other words, you enter the darkroom, turn the light switch on and the room stays dark. You have many options: looking for a light bulb to change it, going to a store to get it, getting a new lamp to the room, avoiding the room by dark etc. When ‘C’ doesn’t happen, you experience extinction process. What previously worked, is no longer working. It can be pretty frustrating. When you didn’t have a light bulb and decided to get it the next day and temporarily avoid the room, every time you forget about it and try to turn the light on – you can start to feel more and more frustrated.
It’s not the Antecedent that keeps the Behaviour going. It’s the Consequence. Let’s see how it might look like in dog example.
A – attaching a leash to dogs’ collar or harness
B – going for a walk
C – new smells and/or activity (running, walking, etc) and/or meeting new dogs and people
Photo by Fachy Marin on Unsplash
It also can become a sequence. Dog quickly learns your routine and what originally started at attaching the leash can develop into you putting your shoes on or even standing up from a couch. The dog can get excited already at that point. They learn that what you do means ‘C’ – smells and new things on the walk.
Another common example could be
A – Human saying sit
B – Sitting
C – Getting a treat
I would like to add that behaviour is a study of one. There is no one consequence that works for every individual. We are all different and have different preferences. If you don’t see the increase of behaviour after you’ve given a certain consequence, then this consequence is not a reinforcer for that individual under those conditions.
Can you come up with more ABC’s that you can observe in your dog’s life? Can you come up with ABC’s that you see in your own behaviour? Would love to hear from you!
