What Is Automatic Reinforcement?
Automatic reinforcement occurs when the reinforcing consequence of a behavior is produced directly by the behavior itself, without being mediated by another person. The term "automatic" refers to the fact that the reinforcement process does not require the social environment to deliver the consequence. The behavior produces sensory stimulation (visual, auditory, tactile, vestibular, gustatory, or olfactory) that functions as the reinforcer.
Examples of automatically reinforced behavior are common in clinical populations. Stereotypic behaviors such as hand flapping, body rocking, mouthing objects, and spinning may produce sensory consequences that maintain the behavior. However, automatic reinforcement is not limited to stereotypy. Nail biting, thumb sucking, hair twirling, and many other repetitive behaviors in the general population are also likely maintained by automatic reinforcement.
Identifying Automatic Reinforcement
Functional Analysis
In a standard functional analysis (Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, & Richman, 1982/1994), automatic reinforcement is identified when the behavior occurs at high rates in the alone (or no-interaction) condition and at relatively lower rates in the other conditions (attention, demand, play/control). In the alone condition, no social consequences are available. If the behavior persists at elevated levels when no one is providing attention, escape, or tangible items, the behavior is likely maintained by the sensory consequences it produces.
However, interpreting the alone condition requires caution. High rates in the alone condition combined with high rates in other conditions may indicate multiple functions rather than exclusively automatic reinforcement. Additionally, some automatically reinforced behaviors may occur at high rates across all conditions, making differentiation from other functions challenging.
Other Assessment Strategies
Beyond the standard functional analysis, several additional assessment strategies can help identify automatic reinforcement:
- Matched stimulation assessment: Provide the sensory consequence noncontingently and observe whether the behavior decreases. If providing the sensory consequence reduces the behavior, this supports the hypothesis that the behavior produces that specific form of stimulation.
- Sensory extinction: Use protective equipment or environmental modifications to block the sensory consequence. If the behavior decreases when the sensory consequence is blocked, automatic reinforcement is supported.
- Structural analysis: Manipulate environmental variables (enriched vs. barren environments, different sensory contexts) to identify conditions that increase or decrease the behavior.
Evidence-Based Interventions
Matched Stimulation
Matched stimulation (also called competing stimulus assessment) involves providing a stimulus that produces sensory input similar to what the target behavior produces. If hand flapping appears to produce visual stimulation, providing a visually stimulating toy may compete with and reduce the hand flapping. Piazza, Adelinis, Hanley, Goh, and Delia (2000) demonstrated that stimuli matched to the sensory modality of the target behavior were more effective at reducing stereotypy than unmatched stimuli.
To implement matched stimulation effectively, the clinician must hypothesize which sensory modality the behavior produces. Careful observation of the topography provides clues: visual behavior tends to involve moving hands or objects near the eyes, auditory behavior involves repetitive vocalizations or object manipulation that produces sound, and vestibular behavior involves rocking or spinning. The clinician then selects alternative stimuli that provide the same type of sensory input.
Noncontingent Reinforcement (NCR) with Enriched Environments
Environmental enrichment involves providing free access to a variety of preferred items and activities. This approach increases the overall level of stimulation available, which can reduce the establishing operation for automatic reinforcement. If the environment provides rich sensory input, the motivation to engage in stereotypy for sensory purposes may be reduced. Research has shown that enriched environments can significantly reduce automatically reinforced stereotypy in both clinical and educational settings.
Response Interruption and Redirection (RIRD)
RIRD involves interrupting the automatically reinforced behavior and redirecting the individual to an alternative behavior. When the target behavior occurs, the clinician immediately prompts the individual to engage in a different, incompatible behavior (often a series of demands or motor imitations). This procedure has been shown to be effective for automatically reinforced vocal stereotypy and motor stereotypy, though it requires consistent staff presence and implementation.
Differential Reinforcement
Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) and differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) can be effective for automatically reinforced behavior, though they often need to be combined with other strategies. Since the behavior produces its own reinforcement, simply reinforcing alternative behavior may not be sufficient if the alternative does not also produce competing sensory stimulation. The most effective DRA procedures for automatically reinforced behavior include an alternative that provides matched or competing sensory input.
Challenges in Treating Automatic Reinforcement
Automatically reinforced behavior presents unique clinical challenges:
- Cannot withhold the reinforcer: Unlike socially mediated reinforcement, the clinician cannot "turn off" automatic reinforcement. Every occurrence of the behavior produces its own consequence.
- Difficult to identify the specific reinforcer: The exact sensory consequence maintaining the behavior is often difficult to determine, making matched stimulation approaches less precise
- High rates across settings: Because the behavior does not depend on other people, it can occur at high rates in any setting, including when the individual is alone
- Treatment must compete with: Rather than eliminating the reinforcer, treatment must provide alternative sources of reinforcement that effectively compete with the automatic consequences
BCBA Exam Focus Areas
On the BCBA exam, be prepared to:
- Identify automatic reinforcement from functional analysis data (high alone condition)
- Distinguish automatic positive reinforcement (behavior produces stimulation) from automatic negative reinforcement (behavior reduces aversive stimulation)
- Select appropriate interventions for automatically reinforced behavior
- Explain why extinction is difficult to implement for automatically reinforced behavior
- Describe matched stimulation and environmental enrichment as intervention strategies