Setting Events

Description of the Strategy

In its early form, behavior analysis dealt with three key variables, namely discriminative stimulus, response, and reinforcing stimulus. These three [Page 528]categories did not cover all experimental variables. Some procedures were undertaken that were not incorporated into the functional analysis. For example, experimental animals were routinely deprived of food, thus increasing the likelihood that food pellets would be effective reinforcers. However, deprivation was not given a central place in the functional analysis. When concepts from the experimental analysis of behavior were applied to human behavior in natural settings, some researchers saw a need for an additional type of variable. Two approaches were adopted.

One was to take over the label “setting factors or events” from interbehavioral psychology. This was applied to stimulus operations that could affect stimulus-response relationships. These included hunger and satiation, age, and health, as well as the presence or absence of other people. Thus, “setting event” is a broad and somewhat imprecise category. However, its use alerted researchers to the need to take account of the many antecedent factors that might have an impact on the effectiveness of intervention. The setting event concept is used particularly in client assessment. For example, the Setting Events Checklist has been developed to identify possible antecedents of challenging behavior. Items include negative social interactions, unusual sleep patterns, menstrual period, and changed medication.

In addition, a setting event itself might be the focus of intervention. Two cases illustrate this. The first is a biological example. It was observed that a client showed an increased frequency of self-injuring behavior during periods of menstrual discharge. Intervention involved procedures aimed at reducing such discomfort, for example, by providing a hot-water bottle and by reducing the consumption of acidic food. The second is an environmental example. A young woman showed high levels of disruptive behavior at school. It was observed that levels of this behavior seemed to be associated with her journey to school by car. When the route followed required a high number of stops (for example, at traffic signals), her subsequent disruptive behavior was also high. A route was planned that required fewer such stops. This resulted in greatly reduced levels of disruptive behavior.

A second approach to dealing with the power of antecedent events other than discriminative stimuli was to employ the category of “establishing operations.” Establishing operations are stimuli that increase the effectiveness of some reinforcers and evoke the behavior that has in the past been followed by those reinforcers. There is no consensus yet on the relations between the concept of setting event and the concept of establishing operation. Some writers seek to distinguish between the two, and others regard establishing operations as a subcategory of stimulus events. Use of the term establishing operations seems to be becoming more common. This arises from a need to deal more precisely with the impact of background factors. Establishing operations are easier than setting events to incorporate into a functional analysis.