
How to Use Antecedents to Prompt the Right Behaviors
In this lecture from Yale's Everyday Parenting: The ABCs of Child Rearing, Dr. Alan Kazdin explains why children sometimes misbehave even when they understand the rules, and introduces antecedents, the conditions set up before a behavior occurs, as a tool for encouraging better outcomes. Kazdin describes simple, research-based strategies parents can use to structure a moment in advance so a desired behavior becomes more likely, rather than relying solely on reactions after misbehavior happens. The lecture is grounded in behavioral science and presented in Kazdin's practical, example-driven style aimed at parents and caregivers rather than a clinical audience. It forms part of a sequence introducing the ABCs framework, antecedents, behavior, and consequences, that structures the course's approach to everyday child behavior management.