ABA Glossary

By Dana Meller, M.A., BCBA
Edited by Tyra Sellers, J.D., Ph.D., BCBA-D
ABA Glossary by Dana Meller, M.A., BCBA, edited by Tyra Sellers, J.D., Ph.D., BCBA-D

Abative effect

A type of behavior-altering effect that causes an in-the-moment decrease in the current frequency of behavior that’s been reinforced by a specific stimulus.

5th Edition Task List

B-12  Define and provide examples of motivating operations.

6th Edition TCO

B.16 Identify examples of motivating operations.

Related Content

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    An effect of motivating operations that causes an in-the-moment increase or decrease in the current reinforcing effectiveness of a specific stimulus.
  • 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.
  • ABA terms you need to know: Transitive MO (CMO-T)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…
  • ABA terms you need to know: Surrogate CMO-S.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.
  • 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.
  • ABA terms you need to know: Reflexive MO.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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    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.
  • Function-altering effect
    A phenomenon where the consequence of a behavior in the presence of an MO changes the behavior evoked by the specific or similar MOs in the future.
  • Four-term contingency
    A motivating operation is added to a three-term contingency and the added component of motivation has an abative or evocative effect on the behavior (e.g., MO-SD-Bx-C).
  • Establishing operation
    A type of motivating operation that is the product of deprivation that, at that moment, increases the effectiveness of the deprived stimulus as a reinforcer and increases the frequency of…
  • Evocative effect
    A type of behavior-altering effect that causes an in-the-moment increase in the current frequency of behavior that’s been reinforced by a specific stimulus.
  • Conditioned motivating operation (CMO)
    An MO that, due to learning history, changes the value of other stimuli, objects, or events, and creates an in-the-moment change in the frequency of any behavior associated with those…
  • Behavior-altering effect
    An effect of motivating operations that causes an in-the-moment increase or decrease in the current frequency of behavior that’s been reinforced by a specific stimulus.
  • Abolishing operation
    A type of motivating operation that is the product of satiation that, at that moment, decreases the effectiveness of the stimulus as a reinforcer as well as the current frequency…
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