consequences

Environmental events that occur after a behavior, these may be planned events (such as a time out when a child tantrums in a store) or unplanned events (items on shelf all over store floor) that may have an impact on maintaining a particular behavior of concern.  Consequences are not only "negative" in nature.  In the field of ABA, the term consequence also includes "positive" responses to a behavior, that occur after the behavior.  For example, if a child is promised that they can have dessert after dinner and they eat all of their dinner, "having access to dessert" is a consequence.