
October 12, 2020
The Four Functions of Behavior
In Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), therapists believe that all behavior happens for a reason. Heather Gilmore, MSW, BCBA, identifies the four basic functions that motivate behavior in Reflections on Applied Behavior Analysis.
What are the four functions of behavior?
1) Escape
One of the major reasons a child will behave in a certain way is to get out of doing something they don’t want to do. This is the definition of the escape function. For example, a child who feels anxious in social situations may hide to avoid doing things in groups. The child may find novel ways to get out of doing things with others. Or a child might avoid eye contact or place their head down on a desk during a lesson to get out of school work. Behaviors you may see when children are motivated to escape include:- Avoiding physical discomfort
- Avoiding social situations
- Running away
- Avoiding people or situations
- Hiding
2) Attention:
An individual may also behave in negative ways to draw the attention of parents, teachers, or others to them. Again, attention seeking behavior can be appropriate or problematic, depending on the situation. For example, a child might raise their voice or talk over those around them to draw a parent or teacher’s attention. A child might complain or scream to draw attention away from others in a classroom setting. Although we generally think about attracting attention to ourselves as it is a means of having positive engagement with others, children may behave in negative ways to get attention even if the attention isn’t positive. Things you may see when children are motivated to attract attention include:- Raised voices
- Whining
- Being overly loud
- Raising a hand or waving hands
3) Tangible Items:
A person may behave in a problematic way to obtain an object they want or to get to participate in an activity that they particularly enjoy. Behaviors that may be used to get tangible items or experiences can be either positive or negative in nature. For example, a child may throw a tantrum in an attempt to get a toy or to go to see a movie. Behaviors you may see that are intended to obtain something tangible include:- Throwing a tantrum to get a toy
- Ordering a pizza
- Stealing a desired object from a store or another person
- Buying a desired object
4) Sensory Stimulation:
The best way to describe the sensory function is that a child might do things that in and of themselves are pleasurable. For example, you will often see children twirling their hair around their fingers. Some children will twirl themselves around or pick at their skin or hair. Others may hum or crack their knuckles. Behaviors you may see that are reinforcing in themselves:- Picking at hair or skin
- Cracking knuckles
- Twirling
- Twisting hair
- Humming or making noises that vibrate within the child’s chest or throat