Alone (Automatic) Condition
Setup: The individual is alone with no social interaction or demands. Preferred items may or may not be present. Tests for: Automatic reinforcement. Expected result: If the behavior occurs at high rates, it is likely maintained by automatic (sensory) reinforcement. Exam tip: Some protocols use "no interaction" instead of true alone for safety reasons.
Attention Condition
Setup: The therapist diverts attention (e.g., reads a book). Contingent on the target behavior, the therapist provides brief attention (e.g., "Don't do that"). Tests for: Social positive reinforcement (attention). Expected result: If behavior occurs at high rates, it is likely maintained by attention. Exam tip: The form of attention can be verbal or physical. Even reprimands can function as reinforcement.
Demand (Escape) Condition
Setup: The therapist presents demands using a three-step prompting sequence. Contingent on the target behavior, the demand is removed for a brief period. Tests for: Social negative reinforcement (escape). Expected result: If behavior occurs at high rates, it is likely maintained by escape from demands. Exam tip: Use graduated prompting (verbal, model, physical) to ensure the demand is aversive enough to test the escape hypothesis.
Tangible Condition
Setup: A preferred item is presented and then removed. Contingent on the target behavior, the item is returned briefly. Tests for: Social positive reinforcement (tangible). Expected result: If behavior occurs at high rates, it is likely maintained by access to tangible items or activities.
Control (Play) Condition
Setup: The individual has free access to preferred items, attention is delivered on a fixed-time schedule (noncontingently), and no demands are placed. Purpose: Serves as a comparison condition. Low rates of behavior are expected because all potential reinforcers are freely available. Exam tip: If behavior occurs at high rates in the control condition, consider automatic reinforcement or reassess the conditions.