Motivating Operations, Rule-Governed Behavior, and Verbal Operants
Key Takeaways
- Motivating operations alter reinforcer or punisher value and alter the current frequency of related behavior.
- Discriminative stimuli signal availability of reinforcement; motivating operations change how much the consequence matters.
- Rule-governed behavior is controlled by verbal antecedents describing contingencies, while contingency-shaped behavior is selected by direct contact.
- Verbal operants are classified by antecedents and consequences, not by the spoken form alone.
Motivating Operations
A motivating operation alters the effectiveness of a consequence and changes the current frequency of behavior that has produced that consequence. Establishing operations increase value and evoke related behavior. Abolishing operations decrease value and abate related behavior.
Food deprivation may increase the value of food and evoke food-seeking. Satiation may decrease food's value and abate food-seeking. Pain may establish escape as valuable and evoke behavior that has produced escape. The value-altering effect and behavior-altering effect are both part of the concept.
Do not confuse an MO with an SD. An SD signals that reinforcement is available for a response because of a history in that context. An MO changes how effective the reinforcer is at that moment. A visible vending machine may be an SD for inserting money; hunger is an EO that makes food more effective as reinforcement.
Rules and Contingency-Shaped Behavior
Rule-governed behavior is controlled by a verbal antecedent that describes a contingency. If a supervisor says, submit notes by 5 p.m. to avoid a correction, and the trainee submits notes before contacting the correction directly, the behavior is rule governed.
Contingency-shaped behavior is selected by direct contact with consequences. A trainee who submits notes earlier after repeated late-note corrections has behavior shaped by contingencies. Many real behaviors involve both rules and direct consequences.
Verbal Operants
Verbal behavior is behavior reinforced through the mediation of a listener trained by a verbal community. A mand is controlled by an MO and specifies its reinforcer. A tact is controlled by a nonverbal stimulus and maintained by generalized conditioned reinforcement. An echoic has point-to-point correspondence with a vocal verbal stimulus and formal similarity.
An intraverbal is controlled by a verbal stimulus but lacks point-to-point correspondence. Textual behavior involves reading written words aloud. Transcription involves writing or typing spoken words. Multiple control occurs when more than one variable affects a verbal response.
| Operant | Main antecedent | Typical consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Mand | MO | Specific reinforcement |
| Tact | Nonverbal stimulus | Generalized reinforcement |
| Echoic | Vocal verbal stimulus | Generalized reinforcement |
| Intraverbal | Verbal stimulus | Generalized reinforcement |
After running outside, a client asks for water. Water is delivered, and future water requests after exercise increase. What most directly evoked the request at that moment?
A supervisor tells a trainee, If you graph data before the meeting, I can review treatment decisions with you. The trainee graphs before any direct history with that consequence. Which term best fits?
A child sees a dog and says dog. The teacher says, Yes, dog. Which verbal operant is most directly illustrated?