Terms “Positive” & “Negative” in Applied Behavioral Analysis
When we use consequence to increase (a reward) or decrease (a punishment) a behavior, we almost always add the term negative or the term positive: for example, a positive reward. What do these terms, “positive” and “negative” mean in ABA?
Positive: When we use a positive reward or a positive punishment, we are adding something to the situation as a consequence. The term positive is just like an addition (+) sign, and indicates we’ve added something after a given behavior to increase the chances of that behavior happening in the future.
Negative: When we use a negative reward or a negative punishment, we are removing something from the situation as a consequence. The term negative is just like an subtraction (-) sign, and indicates we’ve removed something after a given behavior to decrease the chances of that behavior happening in the future.
Example of Positive and Negative Rewards
When a child behaves in a way that we want to increase, or at least maintain, and we add attention and praise after the behavior, we have positively (added) rewarded the behavior.
When a child communicates protestation over a certain food, and we remove that food, we have negatively (taken away) the food, which rewards the child for communicating a protestation.
Example of a Positive and Negative Punishment
When a child makes a disruptive noise we want to eliminate, and we provide a desired toy when the child is being quit, we have positively (added the toy) as a punishment (reducing/eliminating the disruptive noise). Remember, a punishment is any consequence that reduces the chances of a behavior from happening in the future.
When a child receives lots of attention for verbally refusing to come to dinner, we can stop providing the attention after the first or second request to come to dinner. The elimination (subtracting it from the situation) of the attention will reduce the verbal refusals over time (sometimes this is called planned ignoring).
Extinction and Extinction “Spikes”
The removal of rewards is often called Extinction. Extinction is a special type of “punishment.”
Often, when we remove a reward, it takes a little while for the behavior we are targeting to go down, and often disappear. However, it is very common for that behavior to re-appear, sort of out-of-the-blue. We often refer to this a recovery spikes. Parents and teachers often benefit from knowing about these spikes, because when they occur, we must be vigilant to not start the reward again. If we re-start the reward, the outcome can be greater difficulty in eliminating the behavior we punished.
Response Cost
A special kind of negative punishment is a response cost. Just as the term suggests, when a child engages in an undesired behavior, we can put into place a contract, often called a contingency, that indicates that if the target behavior occurs, the child might lose something they desire (e.g., 15 minute periods of screen time on a devices). We respond to undesired behavior with a cost (reduced screen time).
How to Know More
If these ideas interest you, consider reaching out to one of Lumate Health’s ABA programs to see if your child might have autism, and may benefit from ABA. We have experts, including Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), who can answer your questions and help you understand if the program you’re using is truly ABA.
Our Commitment
At Lumate, we are committed to the use of “real” ABA. We offer our behavioral techs and BCBAs both education and training in basic and advanced ABA. But, in addition, we are committee to creating programs that work, in your real life, at home or in your community. We collect data through observations as well as feedback from parents.
Our goal is to not just teach behaviors; it is also to teach skills that will help your child succeed. We give parents the tools to deliver ABA in real-life, through parent support. We simply want to see your child reach their maximum potential in life.