RBT: Motivating Operations - Understanding the Motivation in ABA Treatment
Why do we care about motivation? - correct answer Our ability to motivate clients will have a
significant impact on the effectiveness of ABA intervention programs.
What do you think of when we talk about Motivation? - correct answer - Drive/desire to act or
do something
- Incentive or inducement
- Causes a person to act
- Desire to obtain/reach a goal
- Intrinsic or extrinsic
- Different for everyone
Mainstream definition: Motivation - correct answer An internal state or characteristic of a
person that serves to activate and direct their behavior
Most mainstream ideas don't consider persons desire
Skinner: Father of Behavior Analysis - Motivation: - correct answer Motivation involves certain
environmental conditions that influence reinforcers.
3 environmental conditions:
3 Environmental Conditions that influence reinforcer:
== - correct answer Satiation/habituation: reduces the effectiveness of a reinforcer ( "I'm sick
of cake!")
Deprivation: Increases the effectiveness of a reinforcer ("haven't had cake for two weeks!")
, Aversive stimulation: Increases the effectiveness of escapes from stimulation as a reinforcer ("I
have a headache" - more motivated to get out of doing something)
An ABA therapist sees Motivation as: - correct answer Motivation:
- is "not" located inside the person
- depends on what is going on in your "environment"
- we "don't make assumptions" about what should motivate
people
- Motivating variables are called "Motivating Operations" (MOs)
Where do motivational variables fit into our ABCs?
ABC: Antecedents, Behaviors, Consequences - correct answer When we are trying to
understand behavior, we need to consider motivating operations, as well as antecedents,
behaviors, and consequences
Our ABCs: The 3-term contingency - correct answer Antecedent (SDs) = instruction
Behavior (R) = response
Consequence (Sr+) = reinforcement (praise/tangible)
When conducting an A-B-C analysis of behavior, 2 kinds of antecedent events are important:
== - correct answer Antecedent Events:
1. Discriminative stimuli (SDs)
- Signals the availability of a reinforcer (and so triggers a
particular behavior)
2. Motivating Operations (MOs)
- Determines how motivated you are to get that
reinforcer (so how strongly you will respond to the SD)
Why do we care about motivation? - correct answer Our ability to motivate clients will have a
significant impact on the effectiveness of ABA intervention programs.
What do you think of when we talk about Motivation? - correct answer - Drive/desire to act or
do something
- Incentive or inducement
- Causes a person to act
- Desire to obtain/reach a goal
- Intrinsic or extrinsic
- Different for everyone
Mainstream definition: Motivation - correct answer An internal state or characteristic of a
person that serves to activate and direct their behavior
Most mainstream ideas don't consider persons desire
Skinner: Father of Behavior Analysis - Motivation: - correct answer Motivation involves certain
environmental conditions that influence reinforcers.
3 environmental conditions:
3 Environmental Conditions that influence reinforcer:
== - correct answer Satiation/habituation: reduces the effectiveness of a reinforcer ( "I'm sick
of cake!")
Deprivation: Increases the effectiveness of a reinforcer ("haven't had cake for two weeks!")
, Aversive stimulation: Increases the effectiveness of escapes from stimulation as a reinforcer ("I
have a headache" - more motivated to get out of doing something)
An ABA therapist sees Motivation as: - correct answer Motivation:
- is "not" located inside the person
- depends on what is going on in your "environment"
- we "don't make assumptions" about what should motivate
people
- Motivating variables are called "Motivating Operations" (MOs)
Where do motivational variables fit into our ABCs?
ABC: Antecedents, Behaviors, Consequences - correct answer When we are trying to
understand behavior, we need to consider motivating operations, as well as antecedents,
behaviors, and consequences
Our ABCs: The 3-term contingency - correct answer Antecedent (SDs) = instruction
Behavior (R) = response
Consequence (Sr+) = reinforcement (praise/tangible)
When conducting an A-B-C analysis of behavior, 2 kinds of antecedent events are important:
== - correct answer Antecedent Events:
1. Discriminative stimuli (SDs)
- Signals the availability of a reinforcer (and so triggers a
particular behavior)
2. Motivating Operations (MOs)
- Determines how motivated you are to get that
reinforcer (so how strongly you will respond to the SD)
