Let’s Break Down a BCBA® Mock Exam Question: Stimulus Control & Game-Changing Learning Factors
PTB founder Dana Meller breaks down a BCBA® mock exam question that distills the factors that affect stimulus control in behavior analysis.
B.16 Identify examples of motivating operations.
Motivating operation (MO)
An environmental variable that alters the reinforcing or punishing effectiveness of a stimulus and alters the current frequency of all behavior that has been reinforced or punished by that stimulus.
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6th Edition TCO
PTB’s Special ABA Sauce: Mastering the ABCs of Behavior
Test your understanding of the ABCs of Behavior with PTB co-founder Dana Meller as she analyzes a tasty scenario to identify the MO, SD, prompt, behavior, and consequence using PTB’s special ABC breakdown method. Discover how ordering extra sauce serves as a perfect example to unravel the intricate relationship between MOs, deprivation, SDs, and reinforcement.
Refer to BCBA® Task List (5th ed.) Sections B-1: Define and provide examples of behavior, response, and response class, B-10: Define and provide examples of stimulus control, B-12: Define and provide examples of motivating operations and G-4: Use stimulus and response prompts and fading (e.g., errorless, most-to-least, least-to-most, prompt delay, stimulus fading).
PTB’s Special ABA Sauce: Mastering the ABCs of Behavior Read More
Reflexive MO (CMO-R)
A type of conditioned motivating operation that is established when a stimulus comes before and signals the onset of pain/something aversive, making it so that the removal of this warning
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6th Edition TCO
Setting events
An internal or external antecedent event or condition (e.g., motivating operation) that has an influence on the occurrence of a specific behavior.
6th Edition TCO
Surrogate MO (CMO-S)
A type of conditioned motivating operation that is established when a previously neutral stimulus acquires its evocative and value-altering effect by having been paired with an unconditioned motivating operation.
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6th Edition TCO
Test your ABA Terminology ➠ Motivating Operation Example Explained
Test your concepts and principles knowledge with PTB founder Dana Meller as she reviews a question about identifying the specific motivating operation described in the scenario. Included is a breakdown of the two components, or effects, that operate underneath the MO umbrella.
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Test your ABA Terminology ➠ Understanding Behavior-Altering Effects
Test your terminology. PTB founder Dana Meller explains the umbrella term, “motivating operations” and breaks down the sub-categories.
Test your ABA Terminology ➠ Understanding Behavior-Altering Effects Read More
Transitive MO (CMO-T)
A type of conditioned motivating operation that is established when an environmental variable establishes another event as a reinforcer or punisher, meaning that a deprived item can only be acquired
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6th Edition TCO
Unconditioned motivating operation
States of satiation and deprivation in the presence of events, operations, and stimulus conditions that a person needs or values inherently without training.
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6th Edition TCO
Value-altering effect
An effect of motivating operations that causes an in-the-moment increase or decrease in the current reinforcing effectiveness of a specific stimulus.
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