Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 19, 2025

Author Spotlight: Unveiling Mechanisms of Stress Resilience - Significant Findings, Advancements, and Future Research
Published on: December 15, 2023
Sensitivity to Changing Environmental Conditions across Individuals with Subtype 2 Automatically Reinforced and
Griffin W Rooker1,2, Louis P Hagopian1,2, Jennifer N Haddock1,2
1The Kennedy Krieger Institute.
Abstract:
Automatically reinforced Subtype 2 self-injurious behavior (ASIB) has been characterized as showing insensitivity to competing reinforcement contingencies in the contexts of both functional analyses and in treatment using reinforcement alone (Hagopian, Rooker, &Yenokyan, 2018). One question is whether this insensitivity is specific to Subtype 2 ASIB as response class in these contexts or whether it is represents a generalized response tendency of the individual that is evident across other response classes. To examine this question, we compared responding on a single-operant task under changing reinforcement schedules for three individuals with Subtype 2 ASIB, relative to a comparison group of three individuals with socially reinforced SIB (which is characterized by sensitivity to changes in reinforcement contingencies). As hypothesized, all individuals showed sensitivity to changes in contingencies. These results provide preliminary support that the insensitivity of Subtype 2 ASIB is a property specific to that response class in these contexts rather than a generalized response tendency of the individual.
Related Concept Videos
Social Foundations of Self II: The Generalized Other
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
Causes of Social Behavior III: Biological and Environmental Influences
Operant Conditioning Intervention
In operant conditioning, behaviors that are...
Autism Spectrum Disorder
These core symptoms manifest differently among individuals, ranging from mild to severe. The disorder's complexity extends beyond its clinical presentation, encompassing a diverse range of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural influences.
Social Anxiety Disorder

