Understanding the Motivation and Functions behind Behaviour
The motivation behind children’s behavior is relatively simple. It is mainly:
• To get things they like, e.g praise, attention, material reward and interesting activities; or.
• To avoid things they dislike, e.g reproach, neglect, punishment and activities they hate.
Being able to understand the motives behind children’s behavior helps teachers decide on the methods used to modify their behavior. It will also allow teachers to predict which methods will be more effective and will be futile.
2. Analyze the antecedents and consequences of a behavior
There are usually antecedents and consequences to a behavior. An antecedent refers to the event happened immediately before the occurrence of a behavior. It (could be a person, a setting or an incident) may be the factor triggering the behavior. A consequence refers to the event appears right after the occurrence of a behavior, e.g., the child gets a reward or loses certain privileges.
Antecedent and consequence are often crucial factors influencing whether a behavior will occur. If we can fully understand the antecedent and consequence of a behavior, we will have the essential clues to change the behavior. This method of analyzing behavior is termed ABC Behaviour Analysis.
