1. Chapter 3 Identifying, Developing, and Managing Operant Antecedents

2. What Stimuli Can Be Antecedents? any overt or covert perception can serve as an operant antecedent stimulus immediate antecedents occur very shortly before or overlap with behavior distant antecedents are covert stimuli that affect behavior for a long time

3. Identifying Antecedents a functional analysis can demonstrate that a stimulus is an antecedent antecedents for behavioral excesses may be too frequent antecedents for behavioral deficits may be too infrequent

4. Learning Discrimination discrimination learning is a process through which we associate different stimuli with different reinforcement contingencies discriminative stimuli signal that a behavior has been attached to a specific consequence

5. Learning Discrimination (continued) S-deltas are stimuli that signal that no relationship has been established stimulus generalization occurs when we fail to discriminate stimulus equivalence occurs when several different stimuli serve the same purpose

6. Stimulus Control stimulus control is the ability of the discriminative stimulus to influence the occurrence of behavior control may be the result of the interactive effect of several stimuli contextual control occurs when many stimuli serve to identify a situation

7. Prompting prompts remind us to engage in behavior we already have learned physical guidance prompts manually manipulate the client’s body through a behavior verbal prompts use spoken or written instruction to direct behavior

8. Prompting (continued) other prompts include: –pictorial prompts –gestural prompts –auditory prompts

9. Fading Prompts fading refers to a process of slowly removing prompts after behavior is established decreased assistance is a fading procedure in which the frequency of prompts is reduced increasing assistance procedure gradually increases the intensity of prompts until a correct response occurs

10. Fading Prompts (continued) delayed prompting gradually increases the time before a prompt is made when fading is too slow, the individual may become too dependent on them when fading is too fast, error rates increase and the task may not be learned

11. Modeling and Instructions modeling teaches behavior through demonstration instruction teaches by offering written or oral descriptions of behavior modeling and instruction also can show consequences modeling and instruction can be more effective when combined

12. Application of Modeling and Instruction fade these prompts match the level of the information with the ability of the learner make consequences apparent break down complex tasks into manageable tasks reward models reward observers for attending

13. Application of Modeling and Instruction (continued) use models who are similar to the observer use more than one model

14. Cognitive Antecedents cognitive antecedents are typically covert self- statements that include: –self-instructions –rules –strategies –logical thinking self-statements develop into more complex covert statements with age

15. Cognitive Antecedents (continued) research on the effectiveness of self-instruction has shown mixed results prompt the use of the self-instructional strategy cognitive antecedents are acquired

16. Altering Antecedent Chains target behaviors can involve a complex series of links that lead to the completion of a task links become antecedents disrupting the links can serve to decrease behavior behavior can be strengthened by increasing the stimulus control of the links

17. Managing Antecedents to Increase or Decrease Behavior decrease behaviors by: –reducing antecedents –avoiding antecedents –narrowing antecedent control use cognitive strategies to change characteristics of antecedents turn a discriminative stimulus into an S-delta by eliminating its predictive ability

18. Tips on Managing Antecedents look carefully at all potential antecedents assess both overt and covert antecedents ask others to assist in monitoring antecedents include analysis of antecedents for behavioral deficits fade prompts in small steps find creative ways to manage antecedents