ABA Exam CoachLessons · B. Concepts and Principles
B.17 · Motivating operations vs. stimulus control
Motivating operations and discriminative stimuli both come before behavior and both can evoke it, so they're easy to mix up. Today we'll pull them apart with two quick questions you can ask about any antecedent.
Key takeaway
An MO changes how effective a consequence is right now, and it changes how often behavior that has produced that consequence occurs. An SD evokes behavior because reinforcement has been available in its presence and not in its absence. So an MO is about value and an SD is about availability. The two work together: an SD evokes little behavior without a relevant MO.
An MO changes how effective a consequence is right now, and it changes how often behavior that has produced that consequence occurs. An SD evokes behavior because reinforcement has been available in its presence and not in its absence. So an MO is about value and an SD is about availability. The two work together: an SD evokes little behavior without a relevant MO.
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The video walks through the idea, worked examples, the trap people fall into and an exam-style question. The notes and the checkpoint come with it, and your results feed your Where to focus plan.