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Positive Reinforcement and Applied Behavioral Analysis Therapy

Positive Reinforcement

A small child sits across from her teacher. The teacher looks at her and says, “What is 2 + 3?” The girl thinks for several seconds and responds with excitement in her voice, “5!” The teacher says, “Wow, that’s right again. Give me 5!” The little girl giggles in delight and gives her teacher a high-five. The last part of this story is a crucial piece of the learning process called positive reinforcement, which plays a vital role in applied behavior analysis (ABA).

What is Positive Reinforcement?

Positive reinforcement plays a crucial role in any Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) treatment plan. In ABA, reinforcement is a concept in which the consequences of a behavior are such that they increase or strengthen a behavior. Reinforcement means something happened after the behavior occurred that will increase the chances of that behavior happening again. When therapists use the term positive reinforcement in ABA, they mean that after a person does a behavior they want to occur again, the person that did the behavior receives something (reinforcement) that will increase the likelihood of the desired behavior occurring again. Examples include:

  1. A girl politely asked her grandfather for a cookie while giving him a cute smile. The grandfather replied, “Who can resist a smile like that!” and gave her a cookie.
    1. In this case, the girl got a cookie from her grandpa when she asked with a cute smile. The next time she wants something from her grandfather, she will give her grandfather a big smile when she asks.
  2. A man tells his friends a joke, and they all laugh and tell him how funny he is.
    1. In this situation, the friends not only laughed but also told him he was funny. Their reaction reinforced his desire to tell them jokes in the future.
  3. A boy cleans his room, and his parents let him play video games with his friends.
    1. In this scenario, the parents reward the boy’s cleaning behavior by letting him play video games. By reinforcing the cleaning behavior, the boy is more likely to clean his room the next time in anticipation of receiving a reward (or, in ABA terms, a reinforcer).

It is important to note that when using reinforcement in ABA, therapists reinforce the desired behavior, not the person performing the behavior.

What can act as a reinforcer?

In ABA, we use lots of different things as reinforcers. Since the basic requirement for something to be a reinforcer is that it increases the likelihood of the desired behavior occurring again, there are many possibilities! A reinforcer could be something simple, like a high-five, a hug, or even a smile. It could also be something more involved, like giving a child playtime or a new toy. ABA therapists use different tests to determine what items or actions might be the most effective.

What about negative reinforcement?

A natural question that comes up when discussing positive reinforcement is, what about negative reinforcement? Despite the connotation of using “negative” in the ABA sphere, negative reinforcement is not terrible. When therapists use negative reinforcement during ABA therapy, it involves removing or reducing an undesirable activity or unwanted outcome immediately following a specific behavior. Examples of negative reinforcement include:

  1. A child does their chores so their parents will stop nagging them about doing their chores.
  2. A student quickly completes their schoolwork to avoid getting additional work.
  3. A girl walks her dog before an intense storm arrives, so she won’t have to go out in the rain.

What are some different tips associated with reinforcement?

Reinforcing desired behaviors can seem like a straightforward process. However, it can be tricky! For example, if you provide too much reinforcement, the recipient might experience what therapists call saturation. Saturation means that the reinforcer loses its ability to be effective in evoking the desired behavior. For example, the first few bites of your snack, such as popcorn at a movie, are usually very satisfying. However, as you continue to eat the popcorn, you eventually won’t want any more popcorn and stop eating. That is satiation! In most cases, satiation will naturally occur, no matter how carefully reinforcement is applied. Anticipating this, ABA therapists will have additional reinforces identified to which they can readily switch.

When insufficient reinforcement happens, we get the opposite of satiation and no occurrence of the target behavior. In this case, the typical solution is to continue to deliver reinforcement until the targeted behavior occurs.

Other concerns with reinforcement include inadvertently reinforcing a behavior that you didn’t intend to reinforce. Therapists must be careful that they’re applying reinforcement at the right moment (typically immediately after the target behavior occurs) and for the targeted behavior. Therapists must also know and understand their clients’ reactions and attitudes during a session. If a client doesn’t respond to a reinforcer, it might not be because of saturation, but perhaps the client is simply tired and needs a break.

Wrapping it up!

Reinforcement is effective in ABA therapy because it rewards desired behaviors, making them more likely to happen again. It’s all about encouragement. When children discover that a particular behavior leads to something they want or enjoy—such as praise, treats, or getting to play—they’ll be motivated to keep doing the behavior. Think of it like being praised for doing well on a test; it feels great and motivates you to keep it up!!

Disclaimer:

This blog post should be used for informational purposes only. Always consult with a professional for personalized advice. If you have questions, please reach out, and Kincare Behavioral Health will be happy to assist! You can reach us at: https://www.kincarebh.com/contact-kincare-aba-specialists/

Additional Resources:
  1. Gaunt, S. and Karpel, S. (2024, June 5). Reinforcement strategies: What is this cornerstone of ABA therapy & How to use it? How to ABA. https://howtoaba.com/what-is-reinforcement/
  2. Ackerman, C. E. (2019, January 5). Positive reinforcement in psychology (definition + examples). PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/positive-reinforcement-psychology/