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Behavior Modification
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Incorporating "Motivation" Into the Functional Analysis of Challenging Behavior

On the Interactive and Integrative Potential of the Motivating Operation

Paul Langthorne

University of Kent

Peter McGill

University of Kent

Mark O'Reilly

University of Texas at Austin

Sensitivity theory attempts to account for the variability often observed in challenging behavior by recourse to the "aberrant motivation" of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In this article, we suggest that a functional analysis based on environmental (challenging environments) and biological (challenging needs) motivating operations provides a more parsimonious and empirically grounded account of challenging behavior than that proposed by sensitivity theory. It is argued that the concept of the motivating operation provides a means of integrating diverse strands of research without the undue inference of mentalistic constructs. An integrated model of challenging behavior is proposed, one that remains compatible with the central tenets of functional analysis.

Key Words: motivating operations • functional analysis • challenging behavior • variability • biobehavioral analysis • sensitivity theory

Behavior Modification, Vol. 31, No. 4, 466-487 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0145445506298424
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