Effective refers to one of the seven dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), which emphasizes that interventions should result in meaningful and significant changes in behavior. ABA aims to produce improvements that are large enough to have a practical impact on the individual’s life. For an intervention to be considered effective, it must produce clinically or socially significant behavior changes that enhance the individual’s quality of life.
Example
A behavior analyst designs an intervention to increase a student’s ability to complete independent tasks in the classroom. Before the intervention, the student completed only 20% of assigned tasks independently. After implementing the ABA intervention, the student’s independent task completion rises to 85%. This is an effective change, as the improvement in the student’s behavior is significant and positively affects their academic performance and ability to work independently.