Which term refers to an environmental event that decreases the value of a consequence?

Which term refers to an environmental event that decreases the value of a consequence?

• A. Abolishing Operation
• B. Stimulus Control
• C. Establishing Operation
• D. Motivating Operation

Answer: (A)

An abolishing operation is an environmental event that reduces the current reinforcing value of a consequence, making that consequence less motivating in the moment. For example, after you’ve just eaten, food loses much of its appeal because its reinforcer value has diminished. This specific change in how valuable a consequence feels is what defines an abolishing operation. This sits under the broader idea of Motivating Operations, which includes events that either increase (establishing operations) or decrease (abolishing operations) the value of consequences. It’s different from Stimulus Control, which describes how behavior is influenced by discriminative stimuli signaling when a particular consequence is available, rather than by changing the value of the consequence itself.

An abolishing operation is an environmental event that reduces the current reinforcing value of a consequence, making that consequence less motivating in the moment. For example, after you’ve just eaten, food loses much of its appeal because its reinforcer value has diminished. This specific change in how valuable a consequence feels is what defines an abolishing operation.

This sits under the broader idea of Motivating Operations, which includes events that either increase (establishing operations) or decrease (abolishing operations) the value of consequences. It’s different from Stimulus Control, which describes how behavior is influenced by discriminative stimuli signaling when a particular consequence is available, rather than by changing the value of the consequence itself.