See also- Pivotal behavior
THIS IS A CONCEPTUALIZATION PROPOSED BY ITS AUTHORS- NOT A BASIC BEHAVIORAL PRINCIPLE
Definition: A behavior that has consequences beyond the change itself, some of which may be considered important…
What makes a behavior change a cusp is that it exposes the individual’s repertoire to new environments, especially new reinforcers and punishers, new contingencies, new responses, new stimulus controls, and new communities of maintaining or destructive contingencies.
Rozales-Ruiz & Baer1997
Example: Learning to walk may be considered a “CUSP” as it makes many more environments potential reinforcers and potential punishers available to the individual
Non-Example: after having acquired color discrimination skills, acquiring the ability to discriminate teal blue from a slightly lighter shade of blue. While the discrimination has some value, it is unlikely to dramatically change the quality of life or potential functioning of the person.
Additional Considerations:
The relative potential gains resulting from the acquisition of this skill may help distinguish a potential “cusp” from a non-cusp. It is important to understand that the decision to call a particular behavior a “cusp” is subjective and not a universally agreed upon term.
Applied Usage: Persons conducting instruction or selecting targets for instruction may want to prioritize potential “cusp”s over less valuable targets.