Description begins.

[Image: A dog looks with concern towards a human who is crying out, “My dog is ___.”. A group of four humans face the crying human, asking: “Is my dog also ‘___’?” “Should you try ___?” “How are you defining ‘___’?” “How do you know?”]

TOPOGRAPHY + FUNCTION

A TOPOGRAPHICAL definition of behavior focuses on the physical characteristics that are observable and measurable. What does the behavior LOOK LIKE?

[Image: A white and orange dog leans its body weight forward, barking. Its ears are back, its hackles are raised, its muscles are tense, its tail is stiff, and it’s giving a hard stare.]

eg, "body language" or any movement with RATE, DURATION, and INTENSITY. Usually we think of behaviors as different when their topographies are different.

[Image: A dog jumps up towards a standing human vs. A dog sitting in front of a standing human.]

A FUNCTIONAL definition of behavior focuses on the consequences, or outcomes of the behavior. To identify the consequences, we observe and test.

FOR WHAT OUTCOME does the animal do this behavior?

[Image: A dog barks. Arrows point towards different outcomes. To get closer?- The dog play bows in front of another approaching dog and says “Hi!”. To get more distance?- The dog watches another dog retreat and thinks “Whew, good.” To get food?- A human feeds the dog a treat, and the dog thinks “Yes”. To get attention?- A human crouches down by the dog, shushing and petting it. ]

TOPOGRAPHICALLY DIFFERENT behaviors can have the SAME FUNCTION. Two behaviors may look different and be motivated by the same outcome. For example:

[Image: A hand approaches a dog that’s leaned forward, barking with stiff body language, yelling “Go away!” Then, the dog responds to the approaching hand by turning away and cowering, tail tucked, also saying “Go away!”]

TOPOGRAPHICALLY SIMILAR behaviors can have DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS depending on the context. Behaviors that look the same may not mean the same thing. eg, Fighting or Playing?

[Image: A dog leans forwards, yelling “Back off!!” Then, the dog playfully bounces with another dog, barking, “Come get me! LOL”]

We need TOPOGRAPHY and FUNCTION to understand behavior.

A TOPOGRAPHICAL interpretation of behavior is important for setting concrete goals and monitoring progress during training.

Understanding the FUNCTION of the behavior we want to change is important for designing effective and ethical programs to meet the learner’s needs.

[Image: The person and dog look towards the text which has reframed the first situation. My dog does [blank], which is the topography. To get or escape [blank], which is the function. Okay, let’s give my dog MORE WAYS to get that need met!]

Illustration by Lili Chin (2022)

Inspired by CAAWT Group Class & "The Blue Books: Goldiamond's and Thompson's Functional Analysis of Behavior"