Implications and refinements of the establishing operation concept

In this paper I discuss (a) three steps in the development of establishing operation (EO) terminology, (b) my early neglect of its possible relevance to applied behavior analysis, (c) the importance of functional analysis met hodology for increasing awareness of EO issues, and (d) three comprehensive reviews that clarify the role of EOs in applied work. I then review and fu rther analyze seven topics that require further clarification or that have been raised since my 1982 and 1993 articles: the EO evocative effect, depri vation and satiation, problem behavior maintained by attention, decreasing behavior evoked by a transitive conditioned establishing operation, EOs in the context of escape and avoidance, academic demand, and decreasing behavi or evoked by a reflexive conditioned establishing operation.