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Operant conditioning serves as a foundational principle in therapeutic interventions aimed at modifying maladaptive behaviors. Central to this approach is the notion that behaviors, both adaptive and maladaptive, are learned through reinforcement. By analyzing the environmental factors that reinforce problematic behaviors, clinicians can design interventions to weaken these reinforcements and replace maladaptive behaviors with healthier alternatives.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 24, 2026

A Procedure to Study Stress-Induced Relapse of Heroin Seeking after Punishment-Imposed Abstinence

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Published on: March 23, 2022

Reducing covert self-injurious behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement through a variable momentary DRO

Karen A Toussaint¹, Jeffrey H Tiger

¹Munroe-Meyer Institute University of Nebraska Medical Center, USA.

Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis

|March 10, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study introduces a new treatment for covert self-injurious behavior, which occurs privately. A variable momentary differential reinforcement contingency effectively reduced skin picking without punishment.

Keywords:

covert behavior differential reinforcement of other behavior self-injury

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Area of Science:

Behavioral Psychology
Clinical Psychology

Background:

Covert self-injurious behavior (SIB) presents treatment challenges due to its private nature.
Traditional interventions often rely on complex observation and positive punishment.

Observation:

The study focused on self-injury occurring in the absence of others.
Skin picking was the specific behavior targeted for reduction.

Findings:

A variable momentary differential reinforcement contingency proved effective in decreasing covert SIB.
This approach successfully reduced skin picking without necessitating positive punishment or extinction procedures.

Implications:

This research offers a less intrusive, effective treatment alternative for covert SIB.
The findings suggest broader applicability of differential reinforcement for private behavioral issues.