In addition, the reinforcer maintaining problem behavior can be delivered contingent on the occurrence of an alternative, more appropriate response. Pretreatment identification of the reinforcers that maintain problem behavior (i.e., functional analysis) permits the development of extinction procedures, which, by definition, must match the function of problem behavior ( Iwata, Pace, Cowdery, & Miltenberger, 1994). DRA typically involves withholding reinforcers following problem behavior (extinction) and providing reinforcers following appropriate behavior ( Deitz & Repp, 1983). One of the most frequently used of these procedures is the differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA).
Differential reinforcement is a fundamental principle of behavior analysis that has led to the development of a set of procedures used as treatment for problem behavior ( Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2007).
