Antecedent influences on behavior disorders

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Science
• Psychology
• Applied Behavior Analysis

Background:

• Applied behavior analysis has historically focused on consequences, understudying antecedent events.
• A lack of a unified conceptual framework has hindered research on antecedent influences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing research on antecedent events in behavior disorders.
• To propose a framework for understanding antecedent influences using established behavioral principles.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies on assessment and treatment of behavior disorders.
• Categorization of studies based on their focus: antecedent assessment, treatments for behavior disorders maintained by positive or negative reinforcement, and special cases.

Main Results:

• Identified a gap in research concerning antecedent events in behavior disorders.
• Demonstrated that antecedent influences can be interpreted as discriminative stimuli and establishing operations.
• Categorized studies into assessment, treatment (positive/negative reinforcement), and special cases.

Conclusions:

• Antecedent events are crucial for understanding and treating behavior disorders.
• Further research is needed to fully explore the role of antecedent influences.
• A conceptual framework based on discriminative and establishing operations can guide future research.