ABA Exam CoachLessons · B. Concepts and Principles
B.6 · Automatic and socially mediated contingencies
Hand flapping, skin picking, humming in a noisy cafeteria: is someone keeping that behavior going, or is the behavior paying for itself? Telling these two apart is core to the test content outline, and it shapes almost every treatment decision you'll make.
Key takeaway
Ask who delivers the consequence. If another person delivers it, such as attention, a tablet, or a break from work, the contingency is socially mediated. If the behavior produces the consequence directly, the contingency is automatic. Either kind can be positive or negative reinforcement, so scratching that relieves an itch is automatic negative reinforcement.
Ask who delivers the consequence. If another person delivers it, such as attention, a tablet, or a break from work, the contingency is socially mediated. If the behavior produces the consequence directly, the contingency is automatic. Either kind can be positive or negative reinforcement, so scratching that relieves an itch is automatic negative reinforcement.
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.