Behavior Modification

Techniques based on the learning theory of behaviorism, or the science of behavior are employed to decrease the performance of behaviors that interfere with learning in a particular environment and to introduce and increase the performance of behaviors that are conducive to learning in that environment.

Behavior modification relies on stimulus control wherein the behavior or response of an individual is shaped by controlling sensory experiences or stimuli that trigger the behavior (known as antecedents) and/or by controlling the sensory experiences or stimuli that follow a behavior (known as consequences).

Reinforcement is a consequence following the performance of a behavior by an agent that increases the probability of performance of that behavior by that agent in the future. It could be positive such as the addition of a desirable stimulus or negative such as the removal of an undesirable stimulus.

Schedules of Reinforcement

The frequency and predictability of reinforcement should be varied for different stages of learning to ensure that desired behaviors are reliably learned but also maintained over time and across settings and people.

Continuous reinforcement that occurs after every performance of a behavior can help the learner reliably learn a new behavior or skill by associating the performance of the behavior with the desirable consequence.

Once a behavior has been learned, intermittent reinforcement that thins and varies the frequency of delivery of reinforcement can help maintain the behavior in the absence of reinforcement by transferring the stimulus control to natural environmental cues (antecedents) instead.

Differential Reinforcement

Differential reinforcement is the application of reinforcement to reduce the occurrence of behaviors that interfere with learning (self-injury, tantrums, aggression or stereotypic behavior). This is done by reinforcing (i.e., increasing the occurrence of) alternative behaviors that serve the same function as or behaviors other than or those incompatible with the interfering behavior.

Social praise will likely increase the demonstration of academic skills by this student and will therefore act as reinforcement.

DRA (Differential Reinforcement of Alternative behavior): The child is reinforced with being read to when he asks to be read to rather than when he pulls at your dress or hits you to request the same.

DRO (Differential Reinforcement of Other behavior): The parent indirectly reinforces the child for not engaging in the undesirable behavior of screaming in the car by expressing happiness at them having found something else to do with their time.

DRI (Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible behavior): The teacher provides social gratitude (reinforcement) when the child in the blue shirt performs the behavior of sitting down during the book reading activity, which is physically incompatible with his former undesirable behavior of walking around during the same activity.

Extinction is the process of withholding reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior which leads to a decrease in the frequency or strength of the behavior (Mann, L. B., & McKeithan, G. K., 2024).

It is often used in combination with other procedures such as antecedent-based interventions or DRA (differential reinforcement of alternative behavior) to reduce the likelihood that the learner experiences negative effects sometimes associated with extinction (Morin, K., & AFIRM Team., 2017).

Note that reinforcement is withheld for the particular behavior that one wishes to decrease in the learner but other channels of obtaining reinforcement might still be open to the learner such as an appropriate alternative behavior that serves the same function. The function of the interfering behavior is usually first determined by conducting a functional behavior analysis (FBA).

Rohini Knudson

SPED Professional Portfolio