What strategy involves changing the environment or context before a behavior occurs?

Antecedent intervention is a strategy that focuses on altering the environmental factors or context that precede a behavior. By changing these antecedents, the likelihood of the target behavior occurring can be reduced or modified. This approach can include a variety of techniques, such as modifying the physical environment, adjusting schedules, providing prompts, or increasing accessibility to positive alternatives.

For instance, if a child tends to engage in disruptive behavior when in a crowded space, an antecedent intervention would involve rearranging the environment to create a calmer space or providing alternatives that allow the child to engage in more appropriate behaviors. By addressing the factors that trigger or cue the behavior before it occurs, antecedent interventions can lead to more effective and proactive behavioral management.

In contrast, strategies like consequential intervention focus on the responses following a behavior, reinforcing or punishing actions after they occur, rather than preventing them proactively. Reinforcement strategies aim to increase desired behaviors by presenting rewards after the behavior has taken place, while post-behavior reflection focuses on reviewing behaviors after they occur, helping individuals learn from their actions and potentially make different choices in the future.