Abstract

MARCON, Roberta Maia  and  BRITTO, Ilma A. Goulart de Souza. Motivating operations and social attention: Events relevant to problem behaviors of schizophrenics. Perspectivas [online]. 2011, vol.2, n.2, pp. 192-202. ISSN 2177-3548.

This article discusses the concept of motivating operation (MO) as is treated by behavior analysts and their implications for assessment and intervention on problem behaviors. The social attention is analyzed as an environmental event whose value reinforcer can be changed by operations motivating that, in its turn, would evoke problem behaviors. Raises from this analysis the importance of MOs have been taken as an additional component for the functional evaluation of behaviors of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. Accordingly, a survey of studies was made that used the design of functional analysis involving multiple experimental conditions in which social care, the effect of MO, may have acquired reinforcing value, favoring the occurrence of problem behaviors. It may be affirmed that when social attention is scarce, installs a condition of deprivation of attention (motivating operation) amending the effectiveness of social attention, making it a powerful reinforcer. This operation also serves on the process of behavior production, once consequences of problem behaviors are commonly with different forms of social attention as smiles, nods, a simple look, verbalizations.

Keywords : social attention; motivating operation; antecedent and consequent events; problem behaviors; functional analysis.

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