Chapter 21 – Antecedent Control

Motivation

Traditional psychological theories of motivation have addressed the “processes of wanting” by postulating inner drives. However, rather than taking this approach, behavioral psychologists have adopted the concept of a motivating operation, adapted by the pioneering behaviorist Jack Michael from Keller and Schoenfeld. A motivating operation is an event or operation that temporarily alters the effectiveness of a reinforcer or punisher—a value-altering effect, and influences behavior that leads to that reinforcer or punisher—a behavior-altering effect. An MAO is an event or operation that temporarily decreases the effectiveness of a reinforcer or punisher and decreases the likelihood of behaviors that normally lead to that reinforcer or increases the likelihood of behaviors that normally lead to that punisher. With a UMAO, the value-altering effect is innate, and the behavior-altering effect is learned.