The dimensions of applied behaviour analysis have been defined in several seminal articles over the past 40+ years with the most notable being Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968. These seven dimensions mentioned in the article which shape the practice of the science by Behaviour Analysts are as follows:

 

• Applied — the problem must be of interest to the wider society rather than practitioners or parents. Addresses behaviours that are important to the client and his/her significant others. Be socially significant

 

• Behavioural — focuses on the client behaviour(s) in need of improvement and direct measurement of those behaviours (NOT the behaviour of others who interact with the client, measuring client behaviour indirectly by asking others about it, etc.) Observable & measurable

 

• Analytic — we don’t just look at behaviour, we analyse behaviour. Intervention consistently produces change in a measured aspect of the target behaviour(s) when the intervention is in place vs. when it is not. Data-based decisions

 

• Technological — these are the techniques. We must make sure our techniques, or procedures, are described with enough detail and clarity that another person can replicate the interventions. Procedures are described in detail

 

• Conceptually Systematic — to ensure ABA is a “discipline rather than a collection of tricks.” Baer et al. (1968) note, “the field of applied behavior analysis will probably advance best if the published descriptions of its procedures are not only precisely technological, but also strive for relevance to principle.” In other words, practice should be grounded in the conceptualisation that behaviour is a function of environmental events and described in terms of behaviour analytic principles. Research-driven & empirically validated

 

• Effective — interventions must produce practical behaviour change. The change should be adequately large to produce socially significant results for the individuals impacted by the intervention. Is it working? Is the data going in the right direction?

 

• Generality — is the intervention (based on the science of behaviour) working in other environments or did it only work once with one individual and never again?  If that is the case, serious questions related to analytic should arise and one would suspect that the one-time result was a fluke.  Thus, our interventions must be reproducible across different behaviours and settings. Performing skills in places they were not taught, performing new skills that were not taught or with those who did not teach the skill