Understanding the Role of Differential Reinforcement in Applied Behavior Analysis, to Reduce Thumb-sucking in Children- A Literature Review

Abstract

The paper attempts to explain how differential reinforcement in applied behavior analysis works in shaping positive behaviors in the daily lives of children. Especially, some behaviors whose function is identified as ‘sensory’, like thumb-sucking are automatically maintained because reinforcement comes merely by engaging in the behavior. Such behaviors which feel good to children, that is appeal to their sensory needs, are hard to get rid of, and they come to be known as ‘bad habits’ in the common language of the world. The objective of the paper is to describe differential reinforcement as it applies to behavior analysis, and establish how the ABA procedure have been successfully implemented to reduce automatically maintained behaviors like thumb-sucking. The method of the paper is a literature review of contemporary researches that describe differential reinforcement in applied behavior analysis and focuses on the strengths and weakness of its core principles. The paper also analyzes a major literature which has implemented DRA as an intervention for reducing thumb-sucking in a 5-year-old girl. From the results, it is evident that DRA can be used as an effective intervention for reducing thumb-sucking behaviors in children.