ABA Exam CoachLessons · B. Concepts and Principles
B.22 · Behavioral momentum and persistence
Why does some behavior keep going even when you've stopped reinforcing it, while other behavior falls apart at the first distraction? Behavioral momentum gives us a way to predict which is which, and it's core to the test content outline.
Key takeaway
Response rate and persistence are two different things. Momentum is measured as resistance to change: how well responding holds up during a disruptor like extinction, satiation, or distraction, compared with its own baseline. Resistance to change depends mainly on the total reinforcement available in that stimulus context, so adding reinforcers there, even noncontingent ones or ones for an alternative response, can make a behavior more persistent.
Response rate and persistence are two different things. Momentum is measured as resistance to change: how well responding holds up during a disruptor like extinction, satiation, or distraction, compared with its own baseline. Resistance to change depends mainly on the total reinforcement available in that stimulus context, so adding reinforcers there, even noncontingent ones or ones for an alternative response, can make a behavior more persistent.
Members get the full lesson video, notes and a 5-question test
The video walks through the idea, worked examples, the trap people fall into and an exam-style question. The notes and the checkpoint come with it, and your results feed your Where to focus plan.