Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior

Description of the Strategy

Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) involves the delivery of reinforcement for periods of time during which a target behavior has been absent (e.g., John receives $1 for each day during which he does not hit someone). While this strategy was first used with animals in the early 1960s, it has grown in popularity in applied settings as an alternative to contingent punishment (e.g., time-out, response cost, restitution and overcorrection, and contingent work).

Clinically, there are a variety of ways that a DRO can be implemented. In a reset DRO, a “timer” is set for a specified period of time. If the person does not engage in the target behavior during this time, reinforcement is delivered. If the target behavior does occur, the timer is reset. In a fixed-time DRO, equal intervals of time are specified (e.g., 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 90 minutes). If the behavior does not occur during an interval, the person is reinforced at the end of the interval for the absence of the behavior. If the behavior does occur, reinforcement is not delivered at that time.

In a progressive DRO, otherwise known as a DROP, the procedure is quite similar to the fixed-time strategy but with the following differences. In the DROP, for each consecutive interval during which the target behavior is absent, the reinforcement delivered increases by a specified amount up to a specified maximum. For example, for the first interval without the behavior, the person is given one token; for the second consecutive interval without the behavior, the person is given two tokens, and so on, up to a specified maximum (e.g., six tokens). As with the other DRO strategies, if the target behavior occurs, reinforcement is not delivered at the end of the interval. The next interval that the person does not engage in the target behavior, the reinforcement is recycled back to the beginning of the progression (e.g., one token) and the progression proceeds as described above. DROP can be particularly applicable when dealing with low-rate behavior (e.g., once a week or longer), with a 1-day DROP interval.

In instances of high-rate, pervasive behaviors (e.g., rocking, self-stimulatory behavior, rumination, twiddling) a momentary DRO would be appropriate. This strategy involves observing the person at the end of specified periods of time throughout a day or a session (e.g., 15 minutes, 20 minutes, and 60 minutes) and delivering reinforcement if the target behavior is absent at the “moment” of observation. If the behavior is occurring, reinforcement is not delivered.

There are other ways of implementing a DRO that are beyond the scope of this entry. Some of these include fixed-time with reset DRO, variable-time DRO, and escalating DRO. With all of these strategies, some rules need to be observed for them to be effective. For example, the size of the DRO interval is extremely important. Initially, the interval size should assure that the person would be successful 50% of the time. Thus, if the person exhibits the target behavior an average of once an hour, the criterion would be 30 minutes without the behavior for reinforcement to occur. Other rules to consider involve how the reinforcers are used. First, what is chosen must be motivating; in other words, it must be worth the effort. Second, the reinforcer should be available only through the DRO strategy (i.e., reinforcer exclusivity). And third, the total amount available should not approach or result in satiation. Care should be taken that the person continues to be interested in the available reinforcer throughout the DRO procedure.

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