By Matt Harrington, BCBA · Behaviorist Book Club · Research-backed answers for behavior analysts
The Cool vs. Not Cool procedure is a social discrimination training program in which learners are taught to label behavioral examples as contextually appropriate (cool) or contextually inappropriate (not cool). It typically involves presenting video examples of target behaviors in both appropriate and inappropriate contexts and using differential reinforcement to establish the discrimination. The learner is not just taught to perform a behavior — they are taught to evaluate whether and when that behavior is appropriate. This self-regulatory dimension makes the procedure particularly useful for supporting generalization of social skills to novel environments.
The Cool vs. Not Cool procedure is applicable to a wide range of social and behavioral targets including greetings, conversational initiations and terminations, personal space, appropriate touch, emotional expression, classroom behavior, turn-taking, and sharing. The common thread is that all of these behaviors have a contextual component — whether they are appropriate depends on the situation, the people involved, and the setting. Any target for which the contextual discrimination is part of the instructional goal is a potential candidate for Cool vs. Not Cool programming.
Video modeling plays a central role in most implementations of the Cool vs. Not Cool procedure. Video examples of the target behavior in both cool and not cool contexts are presented to the learner, who then labels the example. Video allows for standardized, repeatable presentation of stimuli across sessions and reduces variability compared to live role-play. It also lets the learner observe the behavior from an observer perspective, which may facilitate the evaluative judgment required. Multiple video exemplars should be developed per target to ensure that the discrimination is based on the contextual features rather than specific details of a single video.
The primary dependent variable is the accuracy of the cool or not cool discrimination across presented exemplars. Track the percentage correct on both trained stimuli and novel generalization probes. Trained stimulus accuracy demonstrates acquisition; novel probe accuracy demonstrates whether the discrimination has generalized. Maintenance probes at intervals after mastery confirm durability. Additionally, direct observation in natural settings — using momentary time sampling or event recording for relevant social behaviors — can provide ecological validity data showing whether the trained discrimination corresponds to improved behavior in actual social situations.
Defining what is cool and not cool must involve the learner's family and reflect the cultural and community context in which the learner lives. BCBAs should actively solicit caregiver input during goal setting, use video examples that reflect the learner's actual social environment, and remain open to revising exemplars if families indicate that the depicted norms do not match their community. This is not a minor procedural point — it is a substantive ethical responsibility. Teaching a learner to label behaviors as cool or not cool according to a narrow cultural standard that does not reflect their own community may undermine rather than support genuine social competence.
Yes. The Cool vs. Not Cool procedure is typically most effective as a component within a broader social skills curriculum rather than as a standalone intervention. It can be integrated with Social Stories, video modeling programs, behavioral skills training, and naturalistic intervention approaches. A common sequence is to use behavioral skills training to establish the target behavior, then add a Cool vs. Not Cool discrimination phase to build contextual judgment, followed by generalization programming in natural settings. The specific sequencing depends on the learner's current repertoire and the nature of the target.
The procedure requires that the learner have at least basic verbal behavior skills, specifically the ability to make verbal judgments or tact behavioral exemplars. Learners who cannot yet engage with video stimuli or produce verbal evaluative labels may need prerequisite skills established before Cool vs. Not Cool instruction is introduced. For learners with more advanced language, the procedure can be adapted to include more nuanced contextual discriminations and self-monitoring strategies. There is no strict developmental age requirement, but a prerequisite skills assessment should guide implementation readiness decisions.
Caregivers can be trained to use the cool and not cool language in natural settings as a low-intensity feedback and teaching prompt. Rather than waiting for formal instruction sessions, caregivers can comment on observed behaviors in the environment — noting aloud when a behavior they observe is cool or not cool — and provide brief praise when the learner makes appropriate social judgments. Caregiver training should be structured using behavioral skills training, and the BCBA should monitor whether the caregiver's use of the language is consistent with the clinical definitions established during treatment planning.
This study provides the first empirical evaluation of the Cool vs. Not Cool procedure, establishing a data-based foundation for its use. Prior to this research, the procedure was used clinically without systematic empirical evaluation, meaning practitioners were implementing it without direct evidence of its efficacy. Single-case experimental design data demonstrating acquisition, generalization, and maintenance of the cool versus not cool discrimination provide the evidentiary basis required by BACB Code 2.01. The study also establishes a template for future research examining the procedure across different populations, targets, and settings.
The Cool vs. Not Cool procedure builds a foundational skill that can be extended into self-monitoring and self-management programs. Once a learner can reliably discriminate cool from not cool behavior in video or structured contexts, the next instructional step is to teach the learner to apply that discrimination to their own ongoing behavior in real time — essentially, to self-monitor. Self-management programs in ABA teach learners to observe, record, and evaluate their own behavior, and the contextual social discrimination established through Cool vs. Not Cool provides the evaluative criteria that make self-monitoring meaningful. These two approaches can be sequenced to build progressively more sophisticated self-regulatory capacity.
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All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.