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Related Concept Videos

Operant Conditioning Intervention01:24

Operant Conditioning Intervention

Operant conditioning serves as a foundational principle in therapeutic interventions aimed at modifying maladaptive behaviors. Central to this approach is the notion that behaviors, both adaptive and maladaptive, are learned through reinforcement. By analyzing the environmental factors that reinforce problematic behaviors, clinicians can design interventions to weaken these reinforcements and replace maladaptive behaviors with healthier alternatives.
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Behaviorism01:28

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Participant Modeling
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Behaviors are actions that an organism engages in—they can be related to finding food, reproducing, defending against threats, and many other possible actions. Behaviors include activities related to the environment around the animal—such as migration—as well as social interactions within a species or population. Many behaviors involve motor output—that is, muscle movements—while others involve less visible actions, such as learning.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Modeling Verbal Behavior Deficits with the Stimulus Control Ratio Equation, SCoRE
06:57

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Published on: May 14, 2019

Functional analyses and treatment of precursor behavior.

Adel C Najdowski1, Michele D Wallace, Carrie L Ellsworth

  • 1University of Nevada, Reno, USA.

Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
|May 13, 2008
PubMed
Summary

Analyzing precursor behaviors offers an indirect method to understand severe problem behaviors when direct functional analysis is not feasible. This approach successfully identified and treated precursor behaviors, suggesting a viable alternative for assessment.

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Area of Science:

  • Behavioral science
  • Clinical psychology
  • Applied behavior analysis

Background:

  • Functional analysis effectively identifies environmental variables maintaining problem behavior.
  • Direct functional analysis of severe problem behavior can be contraindicated.
  • Precursor behaviors often precede severe problem behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To apply functional analysis procedures to precursor behaviors.
  • To evaluate treatments based on functional analyses of precursor behaviors.
  • To explore functional analysis of precursor behavior as an indirect method for assessing severe problem behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Functional analysis procedures were applied to precursor behaviors.
  • Treatments were developed based on the outcomes of precursor behavior functional analyses.
  • Participant responding was differentiated during functional analyses.

Main Results:

  • Functional analyses successfully differentiated responding for all participants.
  • Individualized treatments based on precursor behavior analysis eliminated these behaviors.
  • The study demonstrated the effectiveness of targeting precursor behaviors.

Conclusions:

  • Functional analysis of precursor behavior may serve as an indirect assessment for severe problem behavior.
  • This method offers an alternative when direct functional analysis is contraindicated.
  • Treatments derived from precursor behavior analysis can effectively reduce problem behavior.