The role of adventitious reinforcement during differential reinforcement of other behavior: A systematic replication

Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) is commonly used to decrease problem behavior by presenting reinforcers contingent upon the absence of a target response. Although it is well demonstrated that DROs decrease response rates, the processes producing these decreases are not well unders...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied behavior analysis 2020-09, Vol.53 (4), p.2440-2449
Main Authors: Rey, Catalina N., Betz, Alison M., Sleiman, Andressa A., Kuroda, Toshikazu, Podlesnik, Christopher A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
adventitious reinforcement
differential reinforcement of other behavior
extinction
noncontingent reinforcement
omission training
Response rates
translational research
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Summary:Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) is commonly used to decrease problem behavior by presenting reinforcers contingent upon the absence of a target response. Although it is well demonstrated that DROs decrease response rates, the processes producing these decreases are not well understood. The present study systematically replicated previous research assessing whether adventitious reinforcement of alternative behavior contributes to the effectiveness of DRO. We presented university students with two options on a computer and reinforced target responding on a variable‐ratio schedule. Next, we compared decreases in target‐response rates and any increases in alternative responding during DRO schedules versus yoked variable‐time schedules or extinction probes. DRO schedules resulted in the lowest target‐response rate and highest alternative‐response rate. These findings generally provide some support for the adventitious reinforcement of “other” behavior.
ISSN:0021-8855
1938-3703
DOI:10.1002/jaba.678