Aslam, a 12-year-old, gets too tired by evening to complete his homework. This is because he goes off for football training soon after school. The school counsellor advised Aslam to reduce his football training time and increase his weekend practice time. This way, Aslam will not be too tired and will be able to complete his homework. Identify the antecedent operation:
Correct Answer :
Reduce his football training time on weekdays
Solution :
The correct option is: Reduce his football training time on weekdays.
Step-by-Step Explanation:
1. Understanding Antecedent Operations (Motivating Operations):
In behavioral psychology, an antecedent operation (or motivating operation) is an event or condition that alters the value of a reinforcer and influences the likelihood of a behavior occurring. It precedes the target behavior and sets the stage for it to happen by making the behavior either easier to perform, more reinforcing, or less demanding.
2. Analyzing the Scenario:
* Target Behavior: Completing homework.
* Current Obstacle: Aslam is too tired by the evening because he goes straight to intense football training after school. This fatigue acts as an establishing operation that makes homework completion less likely (by making the effort feel too high).
* The Counselor's Advice: The counselor suggests modifying the environment/schedule before homework time by reducing weekday football training and shifting practice to the weekend.
3. Identifying the Antecedent Modification:
By reducing his football training time on weekdays, the counselor is directly altering the antecedent state (his level of fatigue) before he sits down to do his homework. This reduction in training time is a proactive change made prior to the homework session, thereby acting as an antecedent operation that makes homework completion feasible.
Therefore, "Reduce his football training time on weekdays" is the correct antecedent operation.
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