Differential reinforcement is a behavior modification technique used to increase desired behaviors and decrease undesired behaviors. It involves reinforcing desired behaviors in a particular situation while not reinforcing undesired behaviors in that same situation. The goal of this technique is to strengthen the desired behavior and weaken the undesired behavior. This technique has been used to modify behavior in both humans and animals.
Differential reinforcement involves both positive and negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement involves reinforcing a desired behavior with a reward or pleasure. Negative reinforcement involves removing an unpleasant or undesirable stimulus when the desired behavior is displayed. Differential reinforcement can take various forms, including differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO), differential reinforcement of incompatible behaviors (DRI), and differential reinforcement of low rate (DRL).
DRO involves reinforcing a desired behavior with a reward or pleasure, while not reinforcing any other behaviors in that situation. This technique is effective in increasing the desired behavior while weakening other behaviors. An example of DRO would be reinforcing a child for eating their vegetables, while not reinforcing any other behaviors during mealtime.
DRI involves reinforcing a desired behavior with a reward or pleasure, while not reinforcing any other behaviors that are incompatible with the desired behavior. This technique is effective in increasing the desired behavior and weakening behaviors that are incompatible with the desired behavior. An example of DRI would be reinforcing a child for sitting quietly and not talking while in their classroom, while not reinforcing any other behaviors such as talking.
DRL involves reinforcing a desired behavior with a reward or pleasure, but only reinforcing the behavior after a certain number of occurrences. This technique is effective in increasing the desired behavior while decreasing the frequency of the behavior. An example of DRL would be reinforcing a child for completing a certain amount of math problems correctly, but only reinforcing them after completing a certain number of problems.
Differential reinforcement is a powerful behavior modification technique that can be used to increase desired behaviors and decrease undesired behaviors. It involves both positive and negative reinforcement and can take various forms, including DRO, DRI, and DRL. This technique has proven to be effective in both humans and animals and can be used to modify a variety of behaviors.
References
Alvarez, M. (2017). Differential reinforcement: Definition, types, and examples. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-differential-reinforcement-2795752
Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2007). Applied Behavior Analysis (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
McMahon, B. (2018). Differential reinforcement: What it is and how it works. Verywell Family. https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-is-differential-reinforcement-2795752