Identification of Competing Reinforcers for Behavior Maintained by Automatic Reinforcement

Abstract

A four-phase investigation was completed to reduce aberrant behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement. During Phase 1, a brief functional analysis determined the maintaining contingencies for aberrant behavior displayed by an 11-year-old boy with autism. The results of this analysis suggested that aberrant behavior was maintained by automatic reinforcement. During Phase 2, the participant was exposed to a series of different types of sensory stimuli. Noncontingent exposure to kinesthetic stimuli was shown to decrease aberrant behavior to near zero levels. Conversely, noncontingent exposure to auditory and visual stimuli did not decrease aberrant behavior. This combination of results suggested that noncontingent access to kinesthetic stimuli competed with the reinforcing effects of aberrant behavior. We hypothesized that kinesthetic stimuli served as substitutable reinforcers to the automatic reinforcement provided by aberrant behavior. We further hypothesized that, if this is the case, kinesthetic stimuli should also contain reinforcing properties for the acquisition of a competing response topography. This hypothesis was evaluated during Phases 3 and 4 in which contingent access to kinesthetic stimuli was shown to increase a competing response topography during short- and long-term treatment.