BARROS, Thiago de    BENVENUTI, Marcelo Frota Lobato. Automatic reinforcement: strategies of analysis and intervention. []. , 20, 2, pp.177-184. ISSN 0188-8145.

Empirical functional analysis procedures have been widely used in clinical settings to assess behaviors that require treatment. Often, functional analysis suggests that the problem behavior is maintained by automatic reinforcement. One problem in this assessment is that often it is made by exclusion, when the behavior has consequences that are not clear and cannot be defined objectively. This paper critically evaluates the concept of automatic reinforcement from a review of selected studies that explore the issue of behaviors maintained by automatic reinforcement, pointing out some recent empirical strategies outlined for the evaluation and treatment of these behaviors. These strategies contribute to a discussion of the concept of automatic reinforcement and for the development of applied procedures based on positive reinforcement.

: Applied Behavior Analysis; Functional Analysis; Automatic Reinforcement.

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