Which term describes reinforcing when the target behavior occurs at a lower rate than a specified threshold?

Which term describes reinforcing when the target behavior occurs at a lower rate than a specified threshold?

• A. Drl
• B. DRA
• C. DRO
• D. Fct

Answer: (A)

Differential reinforcement of low rates is used to reduce how often a behavior occurs while still allowing it to happen. The idea is to reinforce the behavior only when its frequency falls below a predefined threshold during a given period. If the behavior happens more often than the set limit, reinforcement isn’t given for that interval, which encourages the rate to drop over time. This can be done by counting occurrences in a session (full-session DRL) or by requiring a minimum time between occurrences (spaced-responding DRL). The other terms involve reinforcing an alternative behavior (DRA), reinforcing only when the target behavior doesn’t occur at all in a period (DRO), or are unrelated to rate reduction (FCT). So, the concept described is differential reinforcement of low rates.

Differential reinforcement of low rates is used to reduce how often a behavior occurs while still allowing it to happen. The idea is to reinforce the behavior only when its frequency falls below a predefined threshold during a given period. If the behavior happens more often than the set limit, reinforcement isn’t given for that interval, which encourages the rate to drop over time. This can be done by counting occurrences in a session (full-session DRL) or by requiring a minimum time between occurrences (spaced-responding DRL). The other terms involve reinforcing an alternative behavior (DRA), reinforcing only when the target behavior doesn’t occur at all in a period (DRO), or are unrelated to rate reduction (FCT). So, the concept described is differential reinforcement of low rates.