Which technique involves changing something that precedes a behavior to control or modify it?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
Once the faulty behaviors causing distress are identified, a treatment plan is selected. The goal of the treatment is to extinguish or eliminate the faulty behaviors and replace them with adaptive behavior patterns. The therapist achieves this by employing antecedent operations and consequent operations. Antecedent operations involve changing something that precedes a behavior to control that behavior. This change can involve increasing or decreasing the reinforcing value of a particular consequence, which is known as an establishing operation.
For example, let's consider a scenario where a student consistently procrastinates when it comes to studying for exams, causing significant distress. In this case, an establishing operation could involve creating a structured study environment by removing distractions such as turning off the phone or studying in a quiet area. By minimizing distractions, the antecedent operation enhances the focus on studying and decreases the likelihood of procrastination. Additionally, implementing a rewarding system such as taking short breaks or treating oneself after completing study sessions can serve as consequent operations. These consequent operations reinforce the desired behavior of consistent studying and motivate the student to continue adopting productive study habits. In this case, the antecedent operation is the turning off the phone or studying in a quiet area, and the consequent operation is taking short breaks or treating oneself. These operations help establish the desired response of adopting productive study habits.