ABA Exam CoachLessons · H. Selecting and Implementing Interventions
H.4 · Planning for side effects of consequences
Reinforcement, extinction, and punishment can all change more than the one behavior you're targeting. Let's look at how a good behavior analyst predicts those side effects, plans for them, and tracks them in the data.
Key takeaway
Every consequence-based procedure can have unwanted effects. Extinction can bring bursts, more varied responding, emotional responding, aggression, and spontaneous recovery. Punishment can bring escape, avoidance, aggression, imitation, and overuse by the person delivering it. Reduce these risks by reinforcing a replacement behavior, warning caregivers, writing safety plans, and collecting data on collateral behaviors as well as the target.
Every consequence-based procedure can have unwanted effects. Extinction can bring bursts, more varied responding, emotional responding, aggression, and spontaneous recovery. Punishment can bring escape, avoidance, aggression, imitation, and overuse by the person delivering it. Reduce these risks by reinforcing a replacement behavior, warning caregivers, writing safety plans, and collecting data on collateral behaviors as well as the target.
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.