ABSTRACT
Historically, Applied behavior analysis (ABA) has emphasized manipulating consequences to change behavior. This chapter presents the terms antecedent, motivating operation, and proactive and, while these terms describe events or conditions that occur prior to a behavior, they should not be used interchangeably. It focuses on stimulus control approaches that might improve behavior or be used to teach skills. However, remember that reinforcement is a requisite component of these approaches. Moreover, these strategies are only effective when students engage in the appropriate targeted behavior or exhibit the appropriate skill. For example, modeling alone will not likely improve behavior or enhance a skill. The student must correctly perform or approximately perform the behavior or skill so that it might be reinforced. Stimulus control or learning happens when a behavior or skill is modeled or pre-taught, practiced, and reinforced or corrected often over many repetitions resulting in correct responding.
