A Clinical Tutorial on Capturing and Contriving Establishing Operations to Teach Mands

Introduction

Teaching mands, or requests, is a cornerstone of effective language intervention in applied behavior analysis (ABA). Mands allow individuals to communicate their wants and needs, which can reduce challenging behavior and promote social engagement. However, teaching mands effectively requires understanding and manipulating motivating operations (MOs), which influence the likelihood of a mand occurring.

In their 2024 publication, Frampton, Davis, Meleshkevich, and Axe provide a clinical tutorial on methods to capture and contrive establishing operations (EOs) to teach mands (DOI: 10.1007/s40617-024-00985-3). Their work emphasizes practical strategies for behavior analysts and pays tribute to Dr. Jack Michael, whose contributions shaped our understanding of motivation in verbal behavior.

Understanding Motivating Operations (MOs) for Mand Training

What Are Motivating Operations?

MOs are antecedent events that influence the effectiveness of a reinforcer and the frequency of behavior associated with obtaining that reinforcer. MOs come in different forms:

1. Establishing Operations (EOs) – Increase the value of a reinforcer and evoke behavior to access it.
2. Abolishing Operations (AOs) – Decrease the value of a reinforcer and reduce the related behavior.
3. Conditioned Motivating Operations (CMOs) – Learned motivators that influence behavior based on past experiences.
   • CMO-T (Transitive): Makes another stimulus necessary for reinforcement.
   • CMO-S (Surrogate): Gains reinforcing properties through association.
   • CMO-R (Reflexive): Signals worsening or improving conditions, impacting escape or avoidance behaviors.

Understanding how these operations function is crucial for designing effective mand training interventions.

Barriers and Challenges in Mand Training

Teaching mands requires precise identification and manipulation of MOs. However, common obstacles often arise:

• Limited Practitioner Training: Many professionals receive minimal instruction on identifying and contriving MOs in real-world settings.
• Difficulty Contriving EOs: Creating situations that naturally evoke mands without prompting can be challenging.
• Procedural Drift: Over time, practitioners may unintentionally alter intervention procedures, reducing effectiveness.
• Failure to Capture Motivation: Ignoring spontaneous motivation can lead to missed teaching opportunities.
• Overreliance on Environmental Cues: Some interventions focus too heavily on stimuli rather than true motivation, resulting in rote responding.
• Inconsistent Training Across Staff: A lack of uniformity in teaching EOs can lead to poor generalization.

To overcome these barriers, behavior analysts must apply evidence-based strategies when designing mand training programs.

Evidence-Based Strategies to Capture and Contrive EOs

Strategy 1: Incidental Teaching (IT)

Definition: Incidental teaching involves embedding learning within naturally occurring interactions and capturing existing motivation.

Common Techniques:

• Placing desired items in sight but out of reach.
• Withholding access to an item until a mand occurs.
• Concealing reinforcers inside containers to evoke requesting behavior.

Functional control is assessed through:

• Observing if individuals show interest in an item or activity.
• Ensuring the mand occurs consistently in response to the EO.
• Checking for correspondence between verbal mands and item selection.

Strategy 2: Blocking and Withholding

Definition: This strategy prevents access to reinforcement until communication occurs. It helps learners practice mands within naturally occurring situations.

Procedure Examples:

• Blocking a toy’s movement until the learner requests "more."
• Withholding a favorite snack until the learner asks appropriately.
• Setting up turn-taking games that require communication for participation.

Strategy 3: Time-Based Manipulations

Definition: This approach schedules access to reinforcers at structured intervals to increase motivation for mands.

Implementation Tactics:

• Controlling access to reinforcers throughout the day.
• Varying reinforcement schedules to capture natural motivation fluctuations.
• Presenting novel situations that momentarily establish motivation.

Strategy 4: CMO-T Strategies to Expand Manding

Definition: CMO-T interventions use problem-solving situations to create new manding opportunities.

Example Applications:

• Teaching children to request help when given a locked box.
• Creating scenarios where learners need tools (e.g., asking for scissors to cut paper).
• Using missing item strategies, such as giving a child an empty cup to encourage "juice" requests.

Ethical Considerations

While contriving EOs is a powerful tool, practitioners must maintain ethical integrity. Mand training should:

• Ensure reinforcement is available as promised to maintain trust.
• Avoid excessive deprivation, which could cause distress.
• Promote naturalistic learning, preventing prompt dependency.

A balance between contrived and naturally occurring opportunities is essential to maximize language development.

Conclusion and Call to Action

Teaching mands through the strategic use of motivating operations is a critical skill for behavior analysts. The clinical tutorial by Frampton et al. (2024) provides evidence-based methods to capture and contrive establishing operations to enhance mand training.

For practitioners looking to refine their techniques and improve outcomes for individuals with communication deficits, this resource is a must-read. Check out the full article here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-024-00985-3.

By implementing these strategies, behavior analysts can create meaningful and functional communication opportunities, ultimately fostering greater independence for their learners.