Abstract
Social and tangible reinforcers are responsible for the acquisition and maintenance of various topographies of appropriate and problem behavior. However, for some behavior the source of reinforcement is not readily apparent, and thus, automatic reinforcement is presumed. Results of previous research provide various sources of evidence for the existence of automatic reinforcement. Furthermore, a variety of behavioral interventions have been utilized to decrease problem behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement. This chapter summarizes literature on the topic of automatic reinforcement, including a description of the various types of automatic contingencies, support for the existence of automatic reinforcement, and interventions for automatically reinforced problem behavior. Recommendations for treatment and avenues for future research are also discussed.
Natalie R. Mandel is now at Lindens Neurobehavioral, Bancroft.
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Cividini-Motta, C., MacNaul, H., Mandel, N.R., Rojas, A., Ahearn, W.H. (2023). Automatic Reinforcement. In: Matson, J.L. (eds) Handbook of Applied Behavior Analysis. Autism and Child Psychopathology Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-19964-6_5
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