What term describes the phenomenon where behavior improvement in one context may lead to improvement in other contexts?

The term that best describes the phenomenon where behavior improvement in one context may lead to improvement in other contexts is generalization. Generalization occurs when a behavior that has been learned or modified in one situation is performed in different, but similar, situations without direct reinforcement in those new contexts.

For instance, if a child learns to greet adults in a therapy setting, they may later apply that same behavior when interacting with adults in a school or social environment. This transfer of learned behavior indicates that the child has generalized the behavior from one context to another.

Understanding generalization is crucial for behavior technicians as it highlights the importance of teaching skills in varied environments to promote broader application of those skills. This allows for more meaningful and adaptive behaviors across different areas of a person's life. In contrast, behavioral contrast pertains to how a change in reinforcement in one context affects behavior in another context, discrimination refers to the ability to differentiate between stimuli, and extinction involves the diminishing of a behavior when it is no longer reinforced.