The ABCs of JEAB, September 1993.

The paper lays out a simple map. It says every behavior you care about has three parts: what happens before (A), the behavior itself (B), and what happens after (C).

The author argues you can take any finding from a basic lab study and fit it into this ABC frame. Then you can see how to use it with real people in real places.

The paper does not give new data. Instead it gives a tool. The tool is the ABC chart.

The claim is that if you fill in the chart for a lab result, you will spot how to turn that result into a classroom plan, a clinic program, or even a city-wide policy.

Virues-Ortega et al. (2021) shows the ABC idea in action. They tell the story of Nathan Azrin. He took tiny lab findings on token rewards and built the first large job-club program. Each step he asked, "What is the A, the B, and the C here?"

Doughty et al. (2015) gives another live example. School-wide PBIS uses the same ABC logic to set rules, teach skills, and deliver rewards across an entire campus.

Sulzer-Azaroff (1981) came before this paper and asked, "Will anyone use our science?" It lists ten things that help new ideas spread, like low cost and clear manuals. The ABC map adds a practical next step: once you know the adoption tricks, use the chart to fit the science to the setting.

Uher et al. (2024) came after and updates the map for today. It says, "When you fill in the ABC chart, include culture as part of A and C." This keeps the old tool fresh for modern practice.

Next time you read a lab study, draw a quick ABC chart. Fill in what the researchers changed, what the animal did, and what followed. You will instantly see how to test the same idea with your client. The chart turns research into action in under five minutes.