RBT guideCore RBT Concepts
DRA vs DRO vs DRI: Differential Reinforcement With RBT Examples
Differential reinforcement strengthens one response while the target behavior stops earning the same reinforcer. Compare DRA, DRO, DRI, DRL, and FCT side by side, with RBT examples.
Short answer
Differential reinforcement is a Domain D procedure: one response earns reinforcement while the target behavior no longer produces it. DRA reinforces a specific alternative, such as handing over a break card instead of screaming. DRO reinforces the absence of the target for a whole interval. DRI reinforces a response that cannot happen at the same time as the target, such as staying seated instead of wandering. The outline also lists DRL (reinforcing a lower rate, not zero) and FCT (teaching a communication response that gets the same reinforcer). Implement the schedule the written plan names. It is not a synonym for punishment.
Name the contingency, then the acronym
Differential reinforcement means one response earns reinforcement while the target behavior no longer produces it. For example, a client who used to scream to end a task is taught to hand over a break card, and from now on the card produces the break while screaming does not. Name DRA, DRO, or DRI from the contingency the stem describes, not from the acronym you memorized first, and practice DRA, DRO, and DRI questions in the Passy RBT prep app by matching each stem to alternative, interval-without, or incompatible.
Behavior reduction is the domain map. Extinction is the “no longer produces it” half, and most differential reinforcement plans include it. Reinforcement versus punishment still defines what counts as a reinforcer.
DRA vs DRO vs DRI at a glance
| Procedure | What earns reinforcement | The target behavior | Original example | Common mix-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DRA (alternative) | A specific replacement response the plan names | Is not reinforced | The break card is honored; screaming no longer ends the task | Calling it DRA when no alternative is ever reinforced |
| DRO (other / omission) | The target not occurring for a whole interval | Resets or delays the reinforcer when it occurs | A token after each 2 minutes with no hitting | Assuming DRO teaches a specific skill |
| DRI (incompatible) | A response that cannot occur at the same time as the target | Is not reinforced | Praise for sitting in the chair to reduce out-of-seat wandering | Choosing a response that is only different, not physically incompatible |
A quick test for stems: if a replacement skill is named, think DRA. If a time interval without the target is named, think DRO. If the reinforced response physically rules out the target, think DRI. DRI is a special case of DRA, so an item that stresses “cannot happen at the same time” is pointing you to DRI.
DRL and FCT are on the outline too
The RBT Test Content Outline (3rd ed.) lists DRO, DRA, DRI, DRL, and FCT as examples under task D.3, so expect all five.
DRL (lower rates): reinforce when the behavior occurs at or below a set rate, not when it stops entirely. It fits behavior that is fine in small amounts and a problem in excess, such as asking for help up to three times in a 20-minute work block. If the goal in the stem is zero occurrences during an interval, that is DRO, not DRL.
FCT (functional communication training): teach a communication response that produces the same reinforcer the problem behavior used to get, such as signing “help” instead of throwing materials when a task is hard. FCT is a form of DRA: the alternative is communication, and it has to match the function.
Function still matters
If the problem is maintained by attention, a DRA that delivers attention for a mand is aligned. A DRA that delivers a snack for a mand may not compete. ABC and functions is the assessment sibling. Technicians implement; they do not freelance a new function.
Original teaching sketch: Hitting is maintained by escape from a worksheet. DRA might honor a break card while hitting no longer ends the worksheet. DRO might deliver a token if hitting did not occur for 30 seconds. DRI might reinforce keeping both hands on a fidget toy, which cannot happen while hitting. FCT would teach “break, please” as the request that earns the break. Only the written plan picks among them.
When DRA and DRO still swap, try DRA-versus-DRO questions in the Passy RBT prep app.
Quick check: name the procedure
Cover the answers and name each one. These are original stems, not BACB items.
- Every 5 minutes without spitting, the client earns a sticker, and spitting restarts the timer. Answer: DRO, because reinforcement depends on the target not occurring for the interval.
- A client who grabs peers’ snacks is taught to hand over a picture card, and the card produces a snack. Answer: DRA, and more specifically FCT, because the card gets the same tangible the grabbing did.
- A student is praised for keeping both feet flat on the floor to reduce kicking the chair in front. Answer: DRI, because feet on the floor and kicking cannot happen at the same time.
- A student earns free time if she calls out no more than twice during a 30-minute lesson. Answer: DRL, because a low rate, not zero, earns the reinforcer.
Fidelity
Reset the DRO interval the way the sheet says after the target occurs.
Do not sneak extra attention onto the problem behavior “to keep them calm” if that is the functional reinforcer.
Do not call planned ignoring DRA. Ignoring without a reinforced alternative is closer to extinction plus nothing.
Behavior Reduction is 14 of the 75 scored items, and the what-to-study guide shows where it sits among the six domains.
If acronyms are the miss, review missed differential-reinforcement questions in the Passy RBT prep app.
A replacement skill that is never reinforced is a poster, not DRA.
Then mix differential reinforcement and extinction questions in the Passy RBT prep app so you can tell withholding from teaching.
Trust the source
Official sources
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