Differential Reinforcement Discussion

[Guest guest]

Hi,

This is something i have wondered about as well. In my applied work

with learners who have autism, we talk about providing " differential

reinforcement/ " in the sense of saving the best/strongest reinforcement

for the best behavior. So, in learning a new skill, the learner would

get the stronger reinforcement for increasing levels of independence in

performing the new skill. I have seen " differential reinforcement "

defined in this way in books/training manuals on teaching children with

autism (e.g. A Work in Progress / Leaf and McEachin " provide the

strongest reinforcers for the best behaviors or performance).. This is

not however any kind of extinction procedure (at least as far as I

understand it) since lesser behaviors are still being reinforced /

albeit with weaker reinforcement.

My confusion comes in when I compare this to the more technical

definition of differential reinforcement that was taught to me at

Florida Tech form Dr. ez and I credit this info. to

) This is what I learned there from : Differential

Reinforcement (DR) " consists of 2 operations: reinforcement and

extinction... If DR consists of reinforcing some responses and not

reinforcing other responses DR leads to " discrimination " ....If DR

consists of reinforcing a response when certain stimuli are present and

not reinforcing the same response when those stimuli are not present,

DR leads to discrimination.

Both these processes of DR (i.e. differentiation and discrimination

involve the two operations of reinforcement and extinction. This is

similar to the way DR is defined in the et.al book as well.

So without getting into DRO, DRI, DRA, DRL for now since I have already

written too much. I wonder if a new way of using the term " differential

reinforcement " has come about in applied settings that actually is not

technically " differential reinforcement " as it is currently defined in

a more technical sense.

Perhaps these two ways of using the term DR (ie. 1) using reinforcement

and extinction, and 2) Providing stronger reinforcement for the best

behavior and weaker reinforcement for the weaker are really not the

same process at all. Is there a new way of using the term DR that has

not made its way into the ABA text books yet or are they one and the

same thing and i am just not understanding

something here.

Also, I see the point of there being a difference between

" differentiaLLY reinforcing " and

" differentiAL reinforcement. This distinction is very helpful to me

and makes a great deal of sense in helping me discriminate between the

two (thank you!).

The issue remains however, that some ABA manuals, ABA clinicians,etc

are using the term " differential reinforcement " when talking about

" differentially reinforcing " with stronger versus weaker reinforcers.

The similarity between the two terms for two different behavioral

principles/methods is probably where the confusion is arising.

What do people think?

Thanks B-W M.A. Ed BCBA Intern