The use of performance criteria for determining “mastery” in discrete‐trial instruction: A call for research
The 80 %-across-two-sessions mastery rule you use is basically folklore—start demanding data on what criterion actually produces durable learning.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Fienup et al. (2021) looked at every place where BCBAs write “80 % correct across two sessions.”
They asked, “Who proved that rule helps kids keep the skill?”
The answer was no one. The paper is a shout for experiments, not new data.
What they found
The 80 % rule is folklore. It spread because it is easy to say, not because it works.
No study shows it produces lasting learning.
How this fits with other research
Kim et al. (2023) answered the shout. They tried 80 % set-based, 80 % operant, and 60 % operant.
Kids learned sight words fastest with 60 % operant and only 12 trials per burst.
Van der Kooij et al. (2026) went further. Adults learned a new motor skill better with 50 % success than with 80 %.
The two new studies agree: high success rates can slow learning. The old rule looks safe but may waste time.
Why it matters
You can stop guarding 80 % like law. Run a quick test: drop your criterion to 60 % for one target and track maintenance next week.
If the skill stays, you just saved precious table time.
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Pick one learner, set mastery at 60 % correct for the next target, and compare retention after one week.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
AbstractThe performance criterion (also known as the mastery criterion) is the operationalized performance standard that behavior must reach before instruction ceases, changes, or becomes focused on other goals, such as stimulus generalization and response maintenance. Although performance criteria are widely used in skill‐acquisition research and practice, there has been little experimental research on the topic. Thus, we provide a review of relevant research and offer suggestions for future research based on the different performance‐criterion components.
Behavioral Interventions, 2021 · doi:10.1002/bin.1827