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Systematic Review of Differential Reinforcement in Skill Acquisition

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Abstract

The purpose of this article was to review and summarize the literature investigating the impact of differential reinforcement on skill acquisition. Researchers synthesized data from 10 articles across the following categories: (1) participant characteristics; (2) setting; (3) reinforcement procedures; (4) within-subject replication; (5) results; and (6) secondary measures (e.g., social validity). Results indicated that most of the participants were male, had a diagnosis of autism, and communicated vocally. The differential reinforcement condition in which reinforcement favored independent responses (e.g., edible for independent; praise for prompted responses) was the most frequently employed differential reinforcement condition and it resulted in the acquisition of more responses or faster acquisition for most participants. In addition, when differing reinforcement procedures manipulating different parameters of reinforcements were compared, better outcomes were attained when the schedule of the reinforcer was manipulated within the differential reinforcement procedure relative to when quality or magnitude were manipulated. Limitations of the previous research, recommendations for future research, and implications for clinical practice are discussed.

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The data generated during the study are available from the first author on reasonable request.

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The authors received no financial support for this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Applied Behavior Analysis Program, Department of Child and Family Studies, University of South Florida, 13301 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Catia Cividini-Motta & Hannah Efaw

  2. University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Munroe-Meyer Institute, Omaha, NE, USA

    Cynthia Livingston

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  1. Catia Cividini-Motta
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  2. Cynthia Livingston
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  3. Hannah Efaw
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Correspondence to Catia Cividini-Motta.

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Portions of this article served as the third author’s thesis, which was submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in applied behavior analysis at the University of South Florida.

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Cividini-Motta, C., Livingston, C. & Efaw, H. Systematic Review of Differential Reinforcement in Skill Acquisition. Behav Analysis Practice (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40617-023-00903-z

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