Abstract
In recent decades, behavior analysts have generally used two different concepts to speak about motivational influences on operant contingencies: setting event and motivating operation. Although both concepts still appear in the contemporary behavior-analytic literature and were designed to address the same antecedent phenomena, the concepts are quite different. The purpose of the present article is to describe and distinguish the concepts and to illustrate their current usage.
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Notes
The term motivating operation (MO) will be used from this point forward to refer to all three terms in Michael’s taxonomy: motivating operation, establishing operation, and abolishing operation.
The search terms were motivating operation, establishing operation, or abolishing operation appearing in titles or abstracts.
The search terms were setting event or setting factor appearing in titles or abstracts.
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Nosik, M.R., Carr, J.E. On the Distinction Between the Motivating Operation and Setting Event Concepts. BEHAV ANALYST 38, 219–223 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-015-0042-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40614-015-0042-5