Which term describes the practice of controlling environmental factors prior to a behavior?

The practice of controlling environmental factors prior to a behavior is best described as antecedent interventions. This term encompasses strategies designed to modify the environment or the conditions leading up to behavior, aiming to prevent undesirable behaviors and encourage positive ones. By addressing the conditions that precede a behavior, practitioners can effectively reduce the likelihood of problematic behaviors from occurring.

Antecedent interventions might involve changing the prompts, cues, or environmental arrangements that set the stage for a specific behavior. For instance, if a student tends to misbehave due to distractions, adjusting the seating arrangement or minimizing noise can serve as an antecedent intervention to promote better behavior.

This approach is grounded in behavior analysis, where understanding and manipulating antecedent conditions is critical for promoting behavior change. This is separate from other options like antecedent modification, which implies adjustments to specific antecedents but does not encompass the broader range of strategies involved in antecedent interventions, or environmental intervention, which is a more general term without the same specificity.