In applied behavior analysis, the matching law is a principle used to predict and interpret how individuals allocate their responses among available options based on the rates of reinforcement each option provides. According to the matching law, the proportion of responses directed toward an option will generally match the proportion of reinforcement received from that option. This principle has practical applications for interpreting and shaping response allocation in various settings:
1.Choice-Making in Education and Therapy: Practitioners can use the matching law to influence a client’s choices by adjusting reinforcement schedules. For instance, if a child in a classroom is splitting attention between on-task and off-task behavior, increasing the rate of reinforcement for on-task behavior can shift their response allocation toward the desired behavior.
2.Intervention for Problem Behaviors: The matching law can help analyze and decrease problem behaviors by providing alternative behaviors with greater reinforcement. For example, if a behavior analyst identifies that a child engages in aggressive behavior for attention, increasing reinforcement for alternative behaviors (e.g., requesting help appropriately) can lead the child to allocate more responses toward the reinforced, alternative behavior.
3.Evaluating Treatment Effectiveness: The matching law is useful for measuring treatment outcomes. By comparing response allocation before and after an intervention, practitioners can observe shifts in behavior toward the reinforced, desirable responses, offering quantitative data on the intervention’s success.
4.Understanding Response Allocation in Group Settings: In situations where multiple people or activities compete for a client’s attention, the matching law can help predict how individuals will allocate their responses. For example, in a social skills group, if some interactions receive more positive reinforcement than others, individuals are likely to allocate more responses to these reinforced interactions.
These applications of the matching law provide ABA practitioners with a powerful framework for interpreting and guiding response allocation by systematically adjusting reinforcement.
For more detail, see: Herrnstein, R. J. (1970). On the law of effect. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 13(2), 243-266
