Operant Learning and the Motivating Operations Concept: A Skeptical Appraisal

Over the past two decades, many behavior analysts have embraced the motivating operations concept as a useful way of categorizing and analyzing variables that alter the reinforcing effectiveness of designated changes in the environment, such as the delivery of food, water, or attention. In this presentation I will summarize the MO concept as it was initially developed and discuss its adequacy in accounting for variables known to alter reinforcer effectiveness. I will also discuss how the concept has been expanded, and arguably misused, in attempts to explain complex human behavior. Finally, I will offer suggestions for the further development of a behavior-analytic approach to motivation.